London is Guts & Blackpowder's sprawling September 1815 campaign through a city consumed by the blight. Starting on St Paul's Cathedral balconies, your squad descends into streets, bookstores, sharpshooter sieges, toy store basements, sewer tunnels, and a vat house flooding finale that hands off to Westminster. The map rewards map knowledge, Surgeon support, and disciplined respawn checkpoint management. This is the longest walkthrough in our hub �?read it section by section rather than spoiling the full route in one sitting. Prepare with Leipzig cart experience and defensive build basics; compare shorter introductions via Vardøhus Fortress and San Sebastian.
St Paul's Cathedral: Balcony to Ground
Players spawn on upper balconies overlooking zombie-filled London. The team agrees to march toward Westminster and regroup with the King's Horse Guards. Cross unstable wooden scaffolding down to the cathedral roof. A fire-damaged section collapsed �?push a wooden beam into place to form a bridge across the gap. Coordinate pushes while others suppress approaching Shamblers.
Enter the attic where a fallen bell shattered part of the floor, exposing stairs to ground level. Fight downward through the stairwell �?tight angles favor bayonet and Hand Axe melee from our Infantry loadout guide. Exit cathedral grounds onto streets toward a large wooden gate blocked by piled corpses.
Ludgate Gate and Bookstore
Drag dead bodies away from the gate so it can open. One or two players pull the gates while others hold zombies back. Enter Ludgate Block and proceed into a bookstore because the main street remains blocked by another gate.
Find ten crates of books and stack them to reach a ladder leading to a skylight. Split search parties �?two players hunt crates while the rest defend the shop floor. Zombies breach through windows; post a Sapper with stakes at entry points if build zones allow.
Bubbles's Shop and Scottish NPC
Climb through the skylight into Bubbles's old shop via a broken window. If ten or fewer players are alive, dead teammates respawn here �?a critical checkpoint for badge hunters attempting The Great Wen one-life clear.
Descend to an alley and meet a Scottish NPC from a randomized regiment. He warns that riflemen atop a steeple shoot anyone crossing the street. The NPC attempts to help, gets shot, and triggers the sharpshooter objective. Players must reach the church housing the snipers and eliminate them.
Sharpshooter Church Assault
Crossfire incapacitates hit players �?they crawl until a Surgeon revives them. This is why London demands medic support unlike Leipzig or San Sebastian. Move cover to cover; smoke and speed beat standing in open streets.
Reach the church, break wooden boards blocking zombie paths to the doors, then close the church gates and climb out from the gated area. Wait until both sharpshooters are mauled by the undead �?you do not need to shoot them directly if zombies reach the steeple. Proceed through an alley to a printing house.
Printing House and Courthouse
Dead players respawn on the printing house second floor if ten or fewer remain alive and the Bubbles attic respawn already triggered. If only one respawn checkpoint activated, plan who can afford to die before this segment.
Exit through wooden gates behind the printing house into a partly burning courthouse. Cross the courthouse and descend to an underground pub connected to a toy store basement through a broken wall �?London's map design loves vertical layering.
Toy Store and Key
Search the toy store basement and main floor for a key that unlocks upstairs access toward the sewers. Dead players respawn in the toy store second-story bedroom only if the printing house respawn did not occur �?respawn logic is mutually exclusive in places, so track team deaths carefully.
The toy store segment feels like a breather before sewer pressure �?use it to redistribute grenades, heal, and rebuild barricades if Sappers carried materials forward.
Sewers and Vat House
Exit the toy store into sewer tunnels beneath London. Climb a ladder from the sewers into a vat house above. An injured British engineer explains that his platoon was ordered to burn the city to cull infection, but noise attracted a horde and the regiment fell. He directs survivors toward Westminster to save what remains.
Destroy liquid-filled vats to flood the vat house and burst the exit doors. Muskets and Rifles destroy vats in one shot; Pickaxes destroy vats in one melee hit. Hand Axes take three hits. Coordinate destruction �?all vats must leak until multiple topple and blast liquid outward, pushing doors open.
Finale: Flood Escape to Westminster
After vats flood, the screen cuts to black. Players do not die �?the cutscene returns them to menu with an objective win that unlocks Westminster as the campaign continuation. Completing both London and Westminster without dying awards Madcaps of London and the Grenadiers of the Coldstream Guards regiment.
Westminster bridge and palace segments live in the sequel map �?this walkthrough ends at the London handoff. Treat vat destruction as the finish line for badge tracking on this map specifically.
Recommended Team Composition
- Surgeon (required): Sharpshooter revives and long-map attrition
- Sapper (1): Bookstore and church chokepoints
- Infantry (majority): Vat destruction and street clearing
- Officer (optional): Charge across open sharpshooter streets
Checkpoint Strategy for Badge Runs
The Great Wen demands zero deaths across London alone. Madcaps of London extends that through Westminster. Players who die before Bubbles attic lose significant progress. Play conservatively during sharpshooter crossings �?wait for Surgeon positioning before moving. Hoard grenades for courthouse fire segments where Igniter-equivalent hazards appear in tight quarters.
Lore Highlights
Newspapers and advertisements scattered across London reference martial law, the blight spreading from coastal ports, and evacuation orders toward South over Thames. The Sandpiper Dispatch sets tone for Britain's mainland outbreak months after Roscoff events. Bubbles �?the shopkeeper referenced in-game �?connects to the broader Guts & Blackpowder shop NPC humor.
Common Mistakes
- Crossing sharpshooter streets without Surgeon backup
- Ignoring book crate search �?all ten required before skylight access
- Using bayonet-mounted rifles on vats �?they deal no damage
- Assuming deaths always respawn at the nearest checkpoint
- Rushing vat destruction while teammates remain in lower sewer levels
Related Guides
Return to the walkthrough hub for map order recommendations. Practice holdouts on Leipzig before London's length. Farm Francs and gear via Endless mode builds before badge attempts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does London connect to another map in Guts & Blackpowder?
Yes. Completing London's vat house finale unlocks Westminster as the second part of the campaign chain. Madcaps of London badge requires beating both without dying.
Why do players get downed in London without dying?
Sharpshooters on a church steeple incapacitate players hit by their fire. Only Surgeons can revive downed teammates �?bring at least one.
Where do respawns happen in London?
Checkpoints at Bubbles's old shop attic and the printing house second floor respawn dead players when ten or fewer teammates are alive. Toy store bedroom respawns if printing house checkpoint was not used.
How do you destroy vats in London fastest?
Muskets and Rifles one-shot vats. Pickaxe destroys vats in one melee hit. Sword bayonets mounted on rifles cannot damage vats.