In most L4D2 playthroughs, you'll head straight from one safe room to the next without really paying attention to the map itself. As such, there's oftentimes plenty of small details and hidden areas that you end up missing.

Together with Witch83, we've explored almost every part of every map in L4D2, and we will be compiling all of our findings into a series of guides. This guide covers all of the hidden details and areas in Dead Center; future guides will each focus on a different map.

Most of the details will be story or lore related, and in many cases the exact story that's told is open to interpretation; there is often more than one answer that works or makes sense.

Some of the furniture in the hotel rooms has been moved partway across the floor, as if the occupants were planning on using them to barricade the doors to their rooms but were interrupted by the infected swarming the hotel.


In many cases, the positioning of corpses and blood splatters can be used to piece together the events that occurred in certain areas. In this case, the infected were likely killed just past the narrow entryway to this hotel room, and their bodies were piled off to the side.


Another example, though slightly more ambiguous. The positioning of the gun suggests it may have been suicide by an infected individual, but the blood appears to originate from the chest rather than the head (which is where you would expect a suicide victim to have shot themself).


This infected appears to have been beaten to death with the room service phone. Though an axe is present, there's no dismembered limbs to suggest it was used.


Further evidence of phone related murder lies in the bedside table. Given that the phone was likely sitting on top of it, it may have been knocked over as the rooms occupant grabbed the phone in a hurry to defend themself.


The map in suite A confirms that most of the Eastern United States has already succumbed to the flu. Savannah has not been crossed off yet, as the infection was only just spreading throughout the area as the map was being made. An orange circle near Philadelphia indicates the origin of the Flu, with the larger grey circles around it showing the areas it was likely to spread to over time.


Many of the dividers on the balconies have been knocked down. The occupants of the hotel may have broken them in an attempt to escape to their neighbours rooms, or the infected may have broken them as they moved from room to room attacking the survivors.


A great example of storytelling through corpses; this infected was killed as it ran down the hallway, with a wound on the left side of the back suggested it might have been shot from the direction the survivors travel down the hall. The pool of blood on the floor then shows that it collapsed after a short distance and bled out.


This fire was caused by a knocked over ironing board. The iron would've ignited the carpet.


The missing furniture from various rooms prior to this point indicates that the hotels occupants likely worked together to set up these makeshift barricades in an effort to slow down the infected.


There's additional evidence of barricades on the staircase, though here the wooden furniture has only served to fuel the fire.


Another barricade, with a dresser and bed pushed against the door frame. This is what likely would've been built by the residents on the 8th floor if they'd had more time.


Another potential suicide victim inside room 711, though this one is once again debatable due to the blood originating from the chest.


If you stand in many of the fires throughout the map, you'll be pushed out towards the edge of it. This will also slow you down slightly if you attempt to run through it.


A baseball bat and chainsaw next to a dead infected. The smaller wound on the back suggests the bat was used to knock the infected to the floor.


Opening the door to room 708 will cause the fire to spread out into the hallway. This can be useful if it is opened after passing by the door, since it can prevent stray commons or specials from catching up to you.


One of the only cases of the hotels emergency sprinkler system actually working, and it appears to be due to it being damaged. The emergency lights all work just fine, but the sprinkler system doesn't. It's possible that the hotels water supply could've been cut off, leaving only the little bit of water already in the pipes.


The area near the elevators contains several sleeping bags, as well as a grenade spawn (in this case, a pipe bomb). Depending on how long evacuations in the area had been in progress, the evacuees may have slept in this room overnight as they waited for rescue the next morning.


Further evidence of evacuees camping out in the hotel. Their luggage has been piled up off to the side, being too inconvenient to pack into the evacuation choppers.


The storage room has been broken into and looted, possibly by the evacuees for items such as toilet paper or other cleaning products if they hadn't already been supplied by the hotel staff.


It takes the elevator 23 seconds to travel down 6 floors. Considering that it loses power immediately afterwards, it's slow speed is likely due to the damage it has sustained in the fire.


A vending machine is visible at the far end of the hall to the left of the elevator. Somehow, it still has power.


The SMG outside the elevator was likely in the possession of this survivor-turned infected. The lack of blood splatters nearby suggests they either died due to the infection or smoke inhalation.


The other elevator is open on the ground floor, and the ceiling hatch has been removed. Looking up, there don't appear to be any doorways to the first few floors, only the top ones.


The banquet hall across from the elevators contains many wheeled beds, a pile of charred corpses, and a grenade spawn. The grenade can be useful for fighting through the horde that is summoned in this area. The beds suggest that the banquet hall was converted into a makeshift hospital of sorts, to keep infected individuals separated from the rest of the hotel, or perhaps as a resting place for evacuees (similarly to the sleeping bags on the 7th floor).


The security room contains 1 or 2 medkits, and its single entry doorway makes it a fairly safe place to heal up before pressing forward. The broken gun locker also indicates the evacuees in the hotel may have attempted to steal the guns to fight back against the infected.

Another obvious source of fire. The many unattended ovens in the kitchen could easily start an inferno, or it could be due to a damaged gas pipe.


The corpses in the kitchen appear to have been lined up deliberately; the kitchen may have been intended as a location to store the bodies of any dead hotel residents.


Many piles of corpses are present in the lobby. The windows and doors are also boarded up with plywood. For locations that survivors have boarded up, furniture or wooden planks are used to block entryways. The use of plywood suggests it was CEDA or possibly the hotel staff who boarded it up.

This small barricade has been moved from the outer door to the inner one between chapters. Due to it previously blocking the outer door, we know that the last movement in or out of the safe room prior to the survivors was somebody entering the hotel, likely to reach the evacuation zone.


2 sleeping bags are present in the safe room, as well as 2 empty water jugs, but it lacks the grafiti, makeshift toilets, cooking implements or food stashes that other, more established saferooms have, indicating how recently it was set up.


Posters in the safe room show that CEDA was only helping individuals who were being tracked. This might be the "coloured wristband" system that is mentioned in later campaigns.


There is a pile of corpses outside each entry door to the hotel lobby. These may have been flu victims who died inside the hotel, and were dragged just outside before it was boarded up.


The IV blood bags are marked as "contaminated", and the blood appears somewhat yellow.


This street sign says that glass and bottles are prohibited, but you can find empty 6 packs of beer on the road.


A billboard for the gun store is visible just down the road from the hotel.


Another billboard, this time foreshadowing the events of Dark Carnival chapter 3.


This truck was likely used by a survivor trying to escape the area. The positioning of the hazmat zombies suggests they were hit by the truck, and there is also a grenade, weapon and propane spawn in the tray.


This car is very heavily damaged, but it doesn't appear to have crashed into any nearby objects. Given that a tank often spawns in this area, it may have been punching it around.


A billboard promoting Jimmy Gibbs Juniors appearance at the mall, just before the gun store.


This spotlight illuminates the boarded up windows; they may have been boarded up the night before the events of Dead Center take place.


The variety of road blockades used indicates that CEDA and the police may have had their resources stretched too thin due to the outbreak, and had to make do with whatever was available.


Many more bodies are present around the gun store, likely having been shot and killed by Whitaker.


Most of the guns in the store have an accompanying price tag that briefly explains the weapons function. The AK for instance says "slow but powerful", indicating its slower firing speed but increased damage. These signs were likely added to help new players choose a weapon, and to bring L4D1 players up to speed on the new additions.


Similarly, the laser sights have a sign saying that they provide an accuracy boost.


The presence of empty water jugs, opened tins of food, and used wall targets suggest that other survivors have passed through the gun store already. Given that Whitaker is camped out on the roof, it was unlikely to be from him. This means it may not be the first time Whitaker has sent a group of survivors to grab supplies for him in exchange for weapons, if he made a similar request to an earlier group. Alternatively, he may have killed the earlier groups of survivors for trespassing.


The CSS weapons are available in the room next to the staircase out of the gun store.


This truck with 4 flat tyres has a single gray panel. Whilst this might be a replacement panel, it appears to be bolted on, suggesting it might be makeshift armour of some kind.


The grocery store is called Save 4 Less, a reference to the use of the number 4 in Left 4 Deads name. The red circles near the number 4 are also somewhat similar to the blood splatters on the 4 in Left 4 Deads name.


The stores prices are a fraction of what the average prices in the US around 2009 were. The store also advertises "buy 1 get 2 free" on certain products, among other exaggerated deals.


The cola is the only remaining item of food in the entire store. Given that the store hasn't been broken into yet, there was likely mass panic buying right before the outbreak reached Savannah.


The only other product left in the store is dog food, though the bags appear to have been opened. Whether the rest was purchased to feed peoples dogs, or because there was no human food left and people got desperate is up for debate.


Buses were probably used to aid the evacuation efforts, with several being present near the CEDA encampment outside the mall.

Posters advertising Jimmy Gibbs in the chapter 3 saferoom. Jimmy was supposed to be at the mall from 4-8pm on October 14th.


The blood smears on the floor show that these bodies were dragged towards the safe room. The evacuees inside the mall may have been attempting to dump them outside.


A barricade was created using shelves and boxes in front of this roller door inside Kappels. The store itself was likely looted, as hinted at by the abundance of clothes on the floor and the otherwise empty shelves.


This security gate is held open by a bench. Most of the mall has lost power, as only some very small lights and store alarms are still functional.


This tipped over ATM might be evidence of someone attempting to steal the money inside.


The map outside Kappels shows where the survivors, atrium, and alarmed toy store are relative to one another.


Many of the stores in the mall are closing down, perhaps taking the opportunity to move to a new location whilst renovations are happening.


These infected may have been trying to attack survivors on the other side of the security gate, only to be shot dead.


These blankets appear to be makeshift shelters, as there is an opening on one side.


Though they're off the main path, these restrooms are well worth looting. Its possible to find medkits or T3 weapons.


This door isn't technically a one way. You can shove the nearby office chair next to it, which gives you enough height to jump up to the other side.


A doorway blocked with a vending machine. The door likely leads to more maintenance tunnels.


This is almost certainly a suicide victim. Blood on the back of the head shows where the shotgun pellets would've passed through.


This floor jack would've been used to move the vending machines into position to block the doors.


Another large barricade, with a nearby floor jack to show how it was created.


Its possible the infected may have been travelling through the empty roof space, as evidenced by the damaged roof panels. A Jockey or Hunter wouldn't have much trouble moving around up there.


Even if you get the toy store event, you can still travel down to the ground floor. The door to the alternate path is locked however.


It's possible to jump on top of this exit sign. Common infected won't be able to reach you.


Just before the final safe room, there is a very large explorable bottom area down the escalator. There's no real reason to go down there, but you can find a scissor lift with a ladder to climb back up.


The map before the safe room is updated, and shows that the survivors are now much closer to the stock car.

This graffiti is a reference to the Australian political party of the same name. Up until 2013 in Australia, the R18 classification was not applied to video games; in the case of games like L4D2, they couldn't be released in Australia unless they were censored, such as by removing all of the blood, ragdolls and dismemberment. Gamers 4 Croydon aimed to have the R18 classification brought into Australia, and this graffiti was added to L4D2 to honour the work they had done.


One of the first examples of graffiti in a safe room. There are only a few lines, and they show how people are just starting to realise that CEDA isn't helping and the infected are aggressive.


These restrooms are usually skipped, but can contain medkits, ammo upgrades, pills and adrenaline, all of which are very useful during the upcoming finale.


Given how much promotional work has been done for Jimmy Gibbs 4 hour appearance at a photography event for a mall reopening, Ellis's quote about him being the pride of Georgia seems to be true.


This map doesn't have a red dot to show where you are, though it might have been left out intentionally as Jimmy's car is right in front of you.


The information kiosk was possibly used as the location for one final stand by the evacuees in the mall as they were overrun by the infected.


The outro cinematic shows several pallets of masonry mortar outside, which would've been used to construct the newly renovated areas.