I think Nick has the most potential for character development after the events of L4D2. You see it to some extent through the games dialogue. He's always cynical, yet he can still show sympathy for the rest. Nick needs them, and they need Nick. He may have struggled to see that, but I'm sure it was clear by the time The Parish takes place, maybe even by Dark Carnival. My ideal headcanon is Nick sacrificing himself years later though, because to do it any sooner just seems like wasting a great, rounded character. I wish we had more official Left 4 Dead comics for this stuff. Coach would have more of that "I've lived a full life" attitude like Bill, therefor making him more likely to put himself into a situation he knows he can't get out of. Yet I like the idea of Nick seeking redemption since Coach's case is just too similar to Bill's. I also think Coach is sort of a flat character, which isn't a criticism but he doesn't actually develop outside of swearing more often. Ellis would be a total curve-ball sacrifice. Almost like Louis going ahead. They're too pure and worth protecting. Ellis is fearless and impulsive though. Maybe he'd sacrifice himself not knowing it's a sacrifice... but isn't that the same as just dying? Then of course Rochelle can't. Not only cus she's a women, but I don't see her as the selfless type either.
I could see Coach getting ready to sacrifice himself only for Nick to go, "f it," and push Coach back to take his place. Nick knows that Coach is the best leader they got, and he knows that of the 4, he has the least to give in his mind, so he would see to it that they got out no matter what
I've actually spoken to my brother about this many times before as our love for Left 4 Dead is huge. We would actually plan out scenarios like, "what if they got into Dead By Daylight?" "What if two survived and two didn't?" "What if they escaped from the military at the end of the Parish?" We've got a lot of those but we've always seen Nick as the guy who'd be the one to sacrifice himself for the team, he'd be the one to use his last three bullets on them when they're surrounded, he'd be the one to make sure they wouldn't die in vain and or sit and talk with them as they die to make sure they wouldn't go out alone, and he'd be that guy to make sure *you* were dressed for your funeral. I'd also get the feeling Nick would be the type to actually seem to not give a shit about what you say or forget the second after you've said it, but he keeps it all in mind. I feel like all the times he's spent with them, he knows exactly what to say or bring up if someone in the group is starting to give up hope. "Not giving up this early, right coveralls? Be kind of a shame if we didn't get to hear more about your lame ass stories." "I better start hearing that bat swing the second we get out of here, Ro, cause I wanna see who's head you smack in on tonight's news." "Coach, did I ever tell you I can make a damn good cheeseburger? I'll have to make you one sometime." Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
I feel like having Nick, Coach and Ellis all fighting each other for who would sacrifice themselves... I think Nick would be the most heartbreaking from a character development standpoint. But having Nick be seconds within being the hero of his team, and then Coach Being the bigger and physically stronger man pushing or throwing Nick out of the way would be a great rug pull and still give all that character development that has already made (imo) Nick the best character in the second game. Maybe even the whole series (again imo). I really think Nick should live to take a leading role in the story. He is enough of an a-hole to make the hard decisions and he cares enough to never go overboard. Having the team fight over the sacrifice just fits the story better. Ellis being hesitant. Nick caring enough about his new family. Coach just simply being the most able in the end. Oh and Rochelle? Idk. She might say "Should have been me." Or something idk.
"C'mon, hotshot... Let's go play hero." - Nick sacrificing himself "Nobody follow me! I'll solve this mess!" - Coach sacrificing himself "You're all my family! This is what we do for family!" - Ellis sacrificing himself "Nobody follow me, I'll get us out of this mess! ...God, I should've dressed better for my funeral." - Rochelle sacrificing herself
If I was to guess before seeing the video. It’d be Nick. He went from a loner con artist with trust issues to finally having people he cared about and trusted for the first time in his life. You can see this with how his dialogue changes over the campaigns, especially when the other survivors die. It’d complete his character arc if this was a movie.
Like how if Ellis and Nick are the only ones left he whould say hey Ellis you know all the shit I was saying I was just joking right or he whould say Ellis don’t let me down
@@starset4life175 I ever tell you about the time my buddy Nick hated everyone and then at the end he was staring to get along with us and yeah he still was a asshole but now a less a asshole and he sacrificed for us to get us to safety
*three Tanks charge in* Ellis: "Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time my buddy Keith got his ass absolutely handed to him by three grown men? They broke every damn bone in his body. Some of 'em three times over, the autopsy showed. Did it to keep me safe, too. Always wondered what that'd feel like." *tears off shirt to reveal huge glistening muscles*
I think Nick's change of heart happens when he finds Bill's body in The passing. Up till then, he was openly abrasive even towards the L4D1 survivors, but there's an easteregg in the finale where he shows sympathy after finding Bill's dead body - I think that's canon, and the first moment he truly softened up a little bit, both because seeing that degree of altruism of Bill's sacrifice made him realizes just how important it is for them to co-operate, but also seeing the profound impact it left on the rest of his team probably made him realize that there's more to people than just utility. Dark Carnival already shows him warming up more to the other survivors, and from then on it just continues improving, so he makes the most sense for a sacrifice - His entire arc involves improving as a person and growing closer to his team, with them being the first people he's ever truly trusted.
The idea that Nick even put it all together means he's not as heartless as he believes or people think he is. But he just can't help but be cynical and practical at times. The difference between Francis and Nick is Francis learns to have respect and restraint, while Nick grows to learn the idea that teamwork makes the dream work. And while he survived alone in a world where everyone is out to get you, in a zombie apocalypse you really need people that you can at least trust because anyone else would rip you apart.
I agree, it has to be Nick. A great character arc as the selfish cynical gambler becomes fond of these 3 strangers, who slowly become his friends or his family even. The ingame dialogues show this arc excellently too
@@StegerDavid Nick is too busy with himself, with his wishes, and wouldnt have the courage to do sacrifice, Rochelle is girl and news services worker(have to survive to be able to do huge news interview), so self-explanatory Ellis is the youngest member of group, they wouldnt let him do it even if he wanted Coach is the one who would did sacrifice because he is the oldest group member, and have the courage to do what must be done P.S. Sorry, but because of disagreement, i will have to tap dislike button for video
I saw someone comments about what if sacrifice of L4D2 TEAM he said "Coach and Nick would argue that they will sacrifice themselves for the team, and Nick will push coach to safety to do right."
I can actually see that happening, feel like it would happen similar to how Hawkeye and black widow will fight on who'll sacrifice themselves in endgame
@@Ali-oh2bq imagine everyone is arguing about who's gotta sacrifice themselves and Coach opts himself to do it. Everyone argues about no one sacrificing anyone and they all do it together even though they all know it's indeed going to cause someone's death. Coach and Nick go back and forth, same with Coach and Rochelle with her sass, and Ellis angrily saying they made it this far and that they can try and figure another way around it. Coach yells and says it's final, that there is no other way and that he couldn't bare to see anyone else but him give his life for them, he wouldn't ever live it down and he'd constantly beat himself up for it. That no amount of praying like his Grandmother said to do won't ever fix that. They all stay quiet and all have to nod, knowing Coach is hellbent on it. As they go to line up and do what they need to do, Nick at the split second yanks Coach back, locks a door behind him, presses a button to lift up an elevator to safety, or he doesn't do that and he jumps out into the view of military and distracts them to him before running away. Or once they know Coach is hellbent, Nick decides to push them all back into safety, including himself, everyone is confused and angry(mainly Coach) and Nick goes to explain that it's clear nobody here wants to die or for the next person to die, but it's clear that they've got to try something. That even if Coach is the leader who's got four people, including himself, who really doesn't to do that and refuse to vote on the idea. Even bringing up that it's a little selfish because the three of them would be burdened with the guilt of his loss as well. So either go out gunblazing it together, or they're stuck there cause a s*icide mission is NOT an option on the table and he won't let anyone pass him until they've all settled it. Sorry this took so long. Kinda get too into this kind of stuff.
Something that me and my partner agreed on is that Coach would likely put himself forward, only for Nick to pull him back and sacrifice himself as a redeeming act.
I wholeheartedly agree that Nick would be the top choice for a sacrifice. Coach being a second but I could see Ellis if he were to man up his last line being “Did I ever tell you about the time I saved my best friends in the world?” or something like that before perishing.
'Well Keith, I did it, I protected my friends and get them to safety' 'you do realize I'm just a voice in your head and not real right?' 'Aw... crapbasket.'
@@Zulu-0791 it would be 100% coach if Nick didn't strike him across the head to make sure he can't do it because he's unconscious and tells the rest of the group to pull his fat ass up the stairs to make sure that only he gets to die and not them
Coach would be a good choice, but I think Nick sacrificing himself would be more impactful and wrap up his character arc nicely. He starts in Dead Center not trusting any of them and only sticking with them because he's smart enough to know that going through the zombie apocalypse alone is suicide. He slowly grows to like the other three survivors, and by the time "The Sacrifice 2" happens, he finds himself compelled to do something that goes against his selfish code of every man for themselves to save the only 3 people he ever grew to trust.
Ellis would sacrifice himself first, but he'll first recall that time Keith sacrificed himself for his friends during a house fire while wearing a stray jacket. And when Ellis finished recalling his story, Coach would alredy had jumped belly first into a horde of zombies
I think Nick would be most likely to use his Life to save the others. Because of him starting to Trust the others the further you do campaign, so it really wouldn't wonder me if he would be the one.
Possible reasons on who would die: Coach: He is the oldest of their group, as well as the least physically fit. Plus, he seems kind of like the dad of the group. It would make sense. Nick: Probably the most likely. He's rude and has a rough history, so maybe he would want his last act on Earth to be a heroic one saving his new friends. Rochelle: Doesn't make much sense to kill her off to me, but if Valve hypothetically had fans vote for who should be killed off... well, I think we all know Ro would get the most votes. Ellis: As the youngest survivor in their group, who is also the most popular among fans, this would be tragic. Ellis has a good heart though, so I could easily see him sacrificing himself for the others.
The road is lit aflame in the hue of molotovs, the horde bays. Hope vains, and the door wont hold forever... Coach: "That'll hold'em... For a time. I've gotta level with you, I dont think we're making it outta this one" Nick: "Correction big guy, singular. You're gonna be okay" Pushing Coach back, Nick cracks the doorbar. The red hue of a pipebomb ticking away in his hand. "Here's the dinner bell you brainrotted mutts!" The white suit wades into the mass of shambling gore. Tick tick... Boom.
Holy crap, I was just wondering about this not even a second ago. In my opinion without watching the video, it'll probably be Nick. He started off not trusting the survivors, and wanting to split up soon as the elevator doors open, but he stuck around all the way up until the end. He was also distrustful of the military, so if the military suddenly wants to execute them, he'll be the first to protest and try to fight back.
4:16 as a black woman, a kind, but assertive older black man would fit the fatherly role perfectly for her. Ellis being a very charismatic, but childlike guy, and having a good relationship with Coach, it makes sense he’d feel like a younger brother to Rochelle. Nick being Nick, obviously doesn’t have or want any real connection with the rest
I feel like Coach or Nick Coach did always feel like the leader and Nick the one who wants to be in charge It be cool for Nick to step up as leader and sort of be a good one for the group, seeing as he probably thinks of Elise and Rochelle as his new found family But if the role was reverse and he would sacrifice himself as sort of a noble redemption then that be a good idea too
Even tho nick disagrees with coach on things he knows that coach is the leader that they need and likely see's himself as a small loss. He would force coach to stay as he sacrifice's himself for the greater good of the team.
I agree with your choice of Nick sacrificing himself. I've been playing L4D2 a lot recently, and noticed how Nick has a lot of quotes that refer to the whole team. Stuff like "Everybody grab a weapon", "Don't shoot each other", "Let's get out of the goo" shows how he grew up close to his teammates, enough to care for their safety at ALL times. Many of his team-related voice lines are really touching to listen to, so his sacrifice would be a fitting ending to his perfect character development over the campaigns.
Coach makes the most sense, him being the older leader of the group. Part of me thinks that it would be Nick. Him being a prick from the beginning of Dead Center to slowly trusting the group as the campaign’s progressed showed a sign of character development. Yall remember the Dawn of the Dead remake? The mall security guard that started in a similar way as Nick, an asshole, but towards the end he made a noble sacrifice to buy them time. They give off similar vibes.
I’d agree with the poll, but I’d struggle to see Nick actually sacrificing himself due to a heart of goal. But I’d pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.
@goodhandle99 that's fair how about a comic continuing the storyline I would at least like to know what happens or maybe a remaster of the 2 games into 1
Coach is the pinnacle of athleticism and strength. He had a power level so stronk, he might end up decimating an entire zombie army. So he's automatically disqualified from the poll. You can't sacrifice someone who's unkillable.
I completely agree with this. Throughout the first two campaigns you can tell Nick's still similar to his pre green flu outer shell, but right when Dark Carnival comes around where the group seemingly get caught up in their first desperate situation in hundreds of miles, instead of continuing that same attitude after Ellis' little monologue, he either makes a sincere reassurance to Ellis about getting everyone out of Savannah, or making a quippy joke trying to brighten the mood. He's such a deep character and seeing him warm up to the team really shows how selfless he can be when he finds people he truly cares for/cares for him.
Coach and Nick would be the most likely. Coach because he is the team leader and has a lot similarities to Bill. But narratively speaking it would makes sense for it to be Nick as he started off as a jerk but grew closer to the team so it would be a fitting arc.
“Alright people… we’re gonna stroll across that bridge, and the military’s gonna take care of us” _”Or…_ they’re going to line us up against a wall and shoot us” “Well, you’re free to make yourself a new life in this room, Nick” *(nervous scoff)* “Alright, let’s go” Nick would rather die with the rest of the group than abandon them, even if he doesn’t show it
To me in this situation I ultimately believe Nick or Coach would pull something like this off due to Coach's leadership, relationships, and overall impact on the team he'd do anything to make sure the others get out alive you can even hear some dialogue that helps with this point him saying "We've come this far, we are not gonna die here!" and more. Nick mainly though would be the best fit aside from Coach he's gone from that snarky tone and threatening to just straight up drop out of the team to stick with them, help out, even keeping close eyes on his allies he would never want these 3 to just sacrifice themselves in some way they've impacted him and he believes they should get out one way or the other making him a good candidate aside from Coach.
It's just fitting for Nick to take the ultimate sacrifice. Once a criminal softened by the bond of his at this point family. If there's a chance he would redeem himself for the greater good, I believe he's the man to pull it off.
My guess would be Nick because even though he comes off as a jackass deep down he cares about them and would be the one lay down his life for his new companions and him being the one to sacrifice himself would show awesome character development to going from someone who cared about nothing but himself to giving his life to save the ones he loves
Made something about zombies Zombie Research for Story: Mutation Rabies Zombies - still die like a human - Fast runners - Die to any critical area - Die from not having the 3 necessities of life - 40 days without food - 12 days without water - 12 days without sleep passing out Undead Zombies - immortal except for the head - Slow or speed walk Decomposing Zombies - From start to end, flesh, muscles, organs will deteriorate and nothing else but the skeleton. - Live up to 1,500 days 4 years in time. - Flesh would rot then peel or fall apart. Splatter on the ground they walk. - When their time has come, they fall to the ground just dying to become a skeleton of the 4th year - As eyes would go blind then melt from the inside - Conscious Zombie - Brain function as a human from the past - Require the 3 necessities of Life - Requires living blood and flesh to have their sanity still function or they’ll go crazy. - Mutation Fungus Zombies - Cursed zombies - Rise from the Dead - Cemetery zombies do not exist - The Blood is not infectious but will make you sick like nausea. 3 Necessities of Life - Eating - Drinking - Sleeping Thanks to Wow Such Gaming Theory to Zombies: 1. Why they eat people or animals: - zombies would eat people cause they would be cold blooded and the people who are alive have heat and warm. The blood, flesh, would make the zombies pain go away for a short time. - Most zombies eat so they could try to gain back their sense but that’s not good enough. They continue to rot and decay till they eat more. - Most functional organs except the brain would shut down so could mean their stomachs could clog if they eat too much. 2. How they would move: - The Brain is the only death sentence for a zombie but all organs would be immortal. The organs of the zombie body shuts down, but the brain itself would control the muscles, veins, and bones. The organs would not work so the organs are dead except the brain. Still they feel no pain. 3. Why they can not talk - they would not talk or speak, cause the lungs and vocal cords of the throat are broken. So they would growl or scream without the function of the lungs. 4. How they Function - when a host dies while infected, the brain stem will glow but will not act like it was before
You described exactly what I imagined before even going into this video. It was almost scary to see just how similar my line of thinking was to yours. Coach would be an obvious choice, but Nick would definitely be the guy to shove him out of the way after he realizes that he's the only person who realistically can sacrifice himself for the sake of the group, knowing Ellis and Rochelle wouldn't, and knowing just how screwed they'd be without Coach leading.
Man it’s been so long since I’ve seen your videos pop up in my feed. I miss the days where I would pop up in your streams and try so hard to join your lobbies, since I had no actual friends to play with.
The thing that’s great is that by the end of the story you really believe that any of them would sacrifice themselves for their teams. Thats good writing
I’ve been watching you for at least 6 years. I’m 18 now, and I distinctly remember my parents giving me 20€ on steam to buy l4d2 as an advent gift as a kid. I’ve had steam for 8 years and I got it entirely. Cuz of Gmod. I’m very certain l4d2 was the second game I ever bought in my life. I’ve played almost 800 hours of it, it means a lot to me, I used to play with my ex and a friend I haven’t talked to in years. I’ve played with my Australian friends since, everything about this game is memorable and a highlight of my life. Your videos too, I’ve seen all the survivor/special infected profiles but I still watch them now and again. I love you dude, you’ve made my life a whole lot better the last 6+ years
i can see where people are coming from with nick being the best fit for a sacrifice, but hear me out i still believe coach would be the better choice for the sacrifice, BUT then have nick step up as the leader not only to redeem himself and look out for his team, but to live on for coach i know it sounds a bit cheesy, but it sounds even more cheesy for the jackass of the group to go through with such an act, and plus; we get more nick development that way
My thoughts exactly. If we were talking about the beginning of LFD2 then Coach would 100% be the one sacrificing himself but by the end of the game Nick would for the exact reasons you highlighted.
I can SMELL The Custom Campaign Makers Making Their Own Custom Sacrifice Campaign that Features Nick's Sacrifice...2019 is Probably Included But We need Fresh New Ideas!
I'd leave room for the human factor. The human factor is a firefighter freezing up in front of a house, but a bum rushing in both knowing they will die if they enter. Humans are extremely unprecedentable at times.
Glad to stumble upon this channel once again My answer would be Nick, Coach also makes sense due to him being the father figure of the group Coach is a completely different father figure than Bill, Coach is always optimistic and determined to keep everyone else going, and based on his dialouge, he doesn't sound like the guy to sacrifice himself. Nick on the other hand is hostile up until hard rain I believe, it's at that point the other survivors start to grow on him. It makes enough sense for him to stay behind for two reasons 1. The obvious: to save his colleagues he occasionally tolerates turned friends 2. Nick has openly stated several times he doesn't trust the government. And he has good reasons for it. So he would stay behind to fend for himself until he inevitably gets overwhelmed
I always thought Nick was the most emotional with his voicelines in every survivor death, and most probably cares much more for the group than he lets on, and he is the most parallel to Bill being the more experienced gun handler with an AI that always goes for the full automatic weapons, nick would more than likely sacrifice himself if it meant saving the only people he could call family
One of my favorite small details is that at the beginning of the game, the calls for each charge vague based off their descriptions, but after they introduce each other in the elevator, the calls start using the characters names
i also want to add that he probably was a veteran himself like bill, seeing there's this line when you trigger a horde "Oh shit, its about go all Baghdad and shit" suggesting he was probably participating in OIF
I'm still on Team Ellis but you definitely convinced me of Nick being a close second. But, your reasoning of Ellis needing to have his own stories to tell convinced me even further that Ellis is the best pick though - because the best kind of story is a "my buddy" story. Not only that, but he's just FILLED with love for his friends, and I think that by the time Nick and Coach each decide they want to lay down their lives... Ellis would already be screaming and running, past the point of no return!
I always felt like Nick was the closest thing to a leader the L4D2 crew has since he is clearly the most realistic and leading one even if that means being arrogant or pessimistic at times wich he does less when the campaigns pass by So considering Coach would do the best for his team and choose to sacrifice himself, maybe Nick would have the potential to develop his leading role further since he would regret the loss of Coach and have a mentality closer to Bill where he cares for his team the most. But it depends, if Coach does it out of pure heroism or Nick finally gets his chance to show everyone he finally changed for the good.
I definitely think it would be Nick but I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see a scenario where Rochelle takes the bullet, especially in a survivors vs military type of scenario. It would tie in to her backstory as a low level news producer looking for her big break, and what bigger news would there be than a story about the military executing survivors, I could see a scenario where Rochelle records their encounter with the military before deciding to run with the others, as their running Rochelle gives the recorder to one of the survivors and sacrifices herself in someway to allow them to escape (maybe opening up a gate blocking infected or staying behind to block their path)
Rochelle is too factual, she'd see a way out for all four of them. Ellis would either chicken out or Deer In The Headlights for too long. Coach would definitely see how it's one of them or all of them, and try to comfort them all in their final moments together if he doesn't limp forward with a quip about a chocolate helicopter. Nick would probably shoot Coach in the knee and go out on his own terms.
In a story standpoint Nick seems the most reasonable to be sacrificing himself, seeing it would be one of the most heartwrenching character development.
At the start of this video i simultaneously said that nick wouldn't do it but it would make the most narrative sense and be the most satisfying in terms of a character arc
Personally when me some friends and my partner debated this a year ago we agreed that in most cases it be 1. Coach (If they had a good 3-4 minutes of talking Coach would likely convince Nick to step down and go from Con to leader. Helping him embrace his skills) 2. Nick (Would do it in a heat of the moment where they have little time to talk like in the sacrifice especially if its something like fuelling or operating something) 3. Rochelle (Only if she believed it cause some grand impact for the future so in the case the military hunted them down and it save them for good or leak important information out there to be found letting her go down as the greatesr journalist and hero of her friends) 4. Ellis (Only if it was a heat of the moment hold the line scenario while others fled. While really unlikely as they'd stick together if its something like freeing up space so the others can reach an escape vehicle or letting everyone get in first knowing theres a chance he might die.)
I instantly thought Coach, but as I pondered on it; I realized "it would be poetic if Nick were to, coming full circle and redeeming himself for his comrades in arms". Nice to see Wow was likeminded tbh
As a Sidenote, Ive always wondered if The Sacrifice could randomize the deaths of either of the original four. I get it that thematically and storywise, Bill is the more likely to be the sacrifce. I still wonder what it be like if any of the OG4 had a random select
This may have been said already and i hope you see this, but i agree. Coach is the main brains, as you pretty much said. I feel like, when it matters most and a decision absolutely must be made, nick, after all the hardship and suffering they went through, would be like "fuck it, you guys have done so much with me...still kinda dont like you...but its been a hell of a ride." When it matters most, he would do it for the greater good. Love you Wow such.
Man, people talk about how X, Y, or Z communities (Halo being the most recent in my mind) are keeping their franchises alive, but dang, like... You and less than half a dozen other YTers are almost singlehandedly keeping the L4D community going. Y'all're great 💜
And also the reason why Nick would likely Sacrifice himself, is because after escaping on the helicopter in The Parish, Nick would be the only survivor who will get pinned down by the government, because of his dark past as a gambler. He can't even afford a gun! And he probably killed somebody before infection, so I'm guessing that even after being rescued by the millitary, he will probably will be in jail this time.
Ngl even though for his character arc it make sense for Nick to maybe sacrifice himself, for me it's more likely to be Coach or even Rochelle to do this noble act. I think Ellis don't really have it in him and the selfish part of Nick would comeback to put off this idea from his mind even though he changed for the better.
