Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 is a 2009 multiplayer survival horror first-person shooter developed by Valve Software, and the sequel to the 2008 Left 4 Dead. The game was released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2009, Mac OS X in October 2010, and Linux in July 2013. Set in the Southern United States during a zombie outbreak, players try to survive the outbreak by fighting their way through the horde, controlling one of the four survivors: Coach, Ellis, Nick, and Rochelle.
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=Overview=
Left 4 Dead 2 inherits much of the gameplay from its predecessor. In the regular campaign mode, up to four players must cooperate and fight their way through hordes of zombies to reach either a safe house at the end of a chapter or a rescue vehicle at the end of a campaign (which is made up of 2-5 chapters). The game was released with five campaigns: Dead Center, Dark Carnival, Swamp Fever, Hard Rain, and The Parish. Additional campaigns are released in four DLCs: The Passing, The Sacrifice, and Cold Stream as well as the community revamp of The Last Stand (which, unlike the former three DLCs, was added much later in 2020, nine years after Cold Stream was added). Also added in these DLCs are ports of all campaigns from the original Left 4 Dead, featuring the original survivors but with the new enemy types and weapons from L4D2.
Weapons in Left 4 Dead 2 function similarly to the first game, but many new weapons are added. Players can carry one secondary weapon and one primary weapon. Secondary weapon options include a single pistol (P220), dual-wielding two pistols (P220 + Glock 26), a magnum pistol (Desert Eagle), or an assortment of new melee weapons. Primary weapons include shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, as well as the M79 grenade launcher and the M60 machine gun. Secondary weapons have infinite reserve ammo, while primary weapons have limited reserve ammo and need to be resupplied with ammo piles; the M79 and the M60 are the exception as they cannot be resupplied, and are dropped when their ammo is used up.
Aside from a few places with fixed item spawns, spawns of weapons and other equipment are generally randomized under an "AI Director" system, which determines the spawns of enemies and items to provide a continuously engaging experience. Weapons are generally divided into two tiers, a lower tier 1 and a higher tier 2. Using the secondary fire key will make the player character perform a non-damaging shove with their weapon, which stumbles and pushes back enemies.
Most guns in L4D2 feature equipped flashlights; the lights from these flashlights move accordingly with the weapon's animations.
L4D2 also features deployable crates of incendiary ammo and explosive ammo, which are uncommon spawns and occupy the position of the player's first aid kit. Once deployed, each player can use the deployed ammo crate once, giving their primary weapon an extra magazine of the special ammunition. L4D2 also features laser sight pickups, which are immediately fitted to the player's primary weapon when picked up; in most cases, the lasers appear to come out of the primary weapon's attached flashlight.
On a final note, weapons in L4D2 are not formally named in gameplay; names of weapons noted on this page are primarily sourced from weapon names as marked in Whitaker's gun shop (a location visited in Dead Center chapter 2), as well as some inferred names based on Source entity names.
=Pistols=
==SIG-Sauer P220 SAO==
A custom SIG-Sauer P220 is now the default handgun for the Survivors, replacing the M1911 in the first game. It is modeled after a P220 SAO with slightly altered details, such as a slightly shorter than standard slide and barrel. The gun also features a reverse two-tone finish, custom sights, and an underbarrel LT-TLP08 tactical flashlight. The P220 is incorrectly shown to feed from 15-round double-stack magazines, while the real pistol takes 8 or 9 (depending on the caliber) round single-stack magazines.
 
==Glock 26==
A Glock 26 pistol is used as the second handgun for dual wielding. It has the Glock 26's short grip and slide shape, but its slide and frame are stretched to the length of a standard sized Glock like the Glock 17. The Glock is also the world model used for pistol spawns, even though the first pistol the player character will pick up is a P220; the P220 worldmodel appears when the player switches their sidearm and drops their pistols. Interestingly, when firing both guns, the Glock 26 takes the firing sound of the P220, while the P220 gets a different firing sound.
350px|thumb|none|The Glock pistol's world model. Note the contradicting shape of the pistol's grip and its lack of a visible magazine.
==Desert Eagle Mark XIX==
The Desert Eagle Mark XIX is a new sidearm in Left 4 Dead 2. It has more recoil and a slower rate of fire than the other pistols, and cannot be dual-wielded, but it has much more stopping power and greater accuracy. The pistol holds 8 rounds like the .44 Magnum version, though it is modelled with an unfluted barrel along with the sign in Whitaker's gun shop claiming it to be the .50 AE version. This weapon usually kills common infected with a single shot.
Interestingly, its flashlight is attached via a rifle scope ring mount and an aftermarket underbarrel rail.
 
thumb|350px|none|The Desert Eagle model. Note the lack of a bore on the muzzle end.
=Shotguns=
==Remington 870 Police Magnum Riot==
The "Pump Shotgun" returns from the first game with a new but similar model. It now resembles the Remington 870 Police Magnum Riot Shotgun, but it still has an Ithaca 37-like magazine tube. Although it holds 8 rounds in-game, its magazine tube physically appears to be too short to hold this number of rounds. This time the shotgun has modeled action bars.
==Remington 870 Marine Magnum==
The "Chrome Shotgun" is a new pump-action shotgun in Left 4 Dead 2, modeled after a Remington 870 Marine Magnum with a Mariner NP3 finish. It has a ventilated rib and ghost ring sights. It has a tighter spread than the "Pump Shotgun", but deals slightly less damage. It is often the first shotgun a player will find in the game's campaigns.
450px|thumb|none|The in-game model of the "Chrome Shotgun". Note the vented rib with a tactical sight sitting on the top, not a feature of the real weapon.
==Benelli M4 Super 90==
The Benelli M4 shotgun returns from the first game, again as a Second Tier shotgun. Despite being modeled with a civilian 5-shot magazine tube, it has a 10-round capacity in-game; this capacity in reality would require an aftermarket magazine tube extension, which would've extended the magazine tube beyond the shotgun's barrel. A flashlight is clipped on the weapon's magazine tube, right in front of the handguard. According to inscriptions on the M4's receiver, it was manufactured by "RAPIDARMS INC" in Germany. Rather erroneously, the M4 can be fired in full-auto when the firing key is held down, albeit at a very slow rate that simply rapidly tapping the fire key will yield a significantly faster fire rate.
450px|thumb|none|The in-game Benelli M4 Super 90 model.
==Franchi SPAS-12==
The Franchi SPAS-12 in its semi-auto mode is a new semi-automatic shotgun added in Left 4 Dead 2. It has an incorrect capacity of 10 rounds, while the real SPAS-12 can hold 8+1 rounds at most. Compared to the Benelli M4, the SPAS-12 has a tighter shot spread and does more damage per shot, but to compensate, it fires less shots per shell. Like with the Benelli M4, the SPAS-12 can incorrectly fire in full-auto when the player holds down the firing key, but this ability is negligible because the long interval between shots is overshadowed by its much faster fire rate when rapidly pressing the fire key.
450px|thumb|none|The SPAS-12's in-game model.
=Submachine Guns=
==Ingram MAC-10==
The MAC-10 is a new submachine gun added in Left 4 Dead 2. It is fitted with the famous Mitchell Werbell suppressor, a strap on the barrel to serve as a makeshift foregrip (like in the Counter-Strike series), and a flashlight attached to the suppressor with zip ties. Based on the fact that it does more damage and produces more recoil than the Uzi, this MAC-10 is likely chambered in .45 ACP, but features the grip shape of the 9mm version. It also holds an incorrect 50 rounds despite being modelled with a 30-round magazine.
450px|thumb|none|The MAC-10 model. Note the strange presence of a heatshield covering the suppressor's rear section.
==IMI Uzi==
The Uzi returns from the first game, featuring the exact same model and attributes of being a tier 1 weapon, having a 50 round capacity despite having a 32-round magazine model, and having a flashlight taped on its handguard.
thumb|none|450px|The Uzi's in-game model. The selector markings are the A-R-S format.
=Rifles=
==M16A2==
The M16A2 from the first game appears in Left 4 Dead 2. Though it says "M16 A2" on the lower receiver, it fires in full auto and has safe-semi-auto fire selector markings like the M16A1 or M16A3. It has the highest rate of fire out of all the assault rifles, and it still has an unrealistic magazine capacity of 50 rounds despite being modeled with 30-round STANAG magazines.
thumb|none|450px|The M16A2 model.
==AKM== 
The AKM is a new weapon in Left 4 Dead 2. It features a 40-round capacity despite being modeled with standard 30-round AK magazines, and also has the lowest rate of fire of the assault rifles, but makes up for that with a higher damage. The in-game model has the wider front sight of an AK-47. Like the MAC-10, it has a flashlight secured via zip ties to the weapon's handguard.
thumb|450px|none|The in-game AKM model. For some reason, the bulb of the flashlight uses a cartridge headstamp texture.
==FN SCAR-L==
The FN SCAR-L is a new assault rifle in L4D2. It holds an unrealistic 60 rounds of ammunition while being modeled with a 30 round STANAG magazine, and fires in a three-shot burst, a firing mode that real SCAR-Ls do not have. It has a very high accuracy stat and deals more damage than the M16 but has a slower reload speed. Its model seems to have been based on the FN SCAR 16S, a civilian version of the SCAR-L with a 16" barrel and an M16A2 flash-hider. In E3 2009 footage, the SCAR-L can be seen firing in full-auto and with a 50-round capacity, but likely due to being too functionally similar to the M16A2, it was changed. 
450px|thumb|none|The FN SCAR-L model. Note the missing side rail.
==Ruger Mini-14==
The Ruger Mini-14 returns from the first game. Like in the first game, it is the most accurate weapon in the game, and has a capacity of 15 rounds despite being modeled with a 10 round magazine.
thumb|none|450px|The Mini-14 model.
==Heckler & Koch G3SG/1==
The Heckler & Koch G3SG/1 is a new scoped semi-auto sniper rifle in L4D2, referred to as the "Sniper Rifle". It is modeled after the H&K G3SG/1 (or a scoped HK91 given the absence of a paddle magazine release), with some features from the H&K MSG90A1, namely the stock, trigger group, and barrel length. However, its selector switch lacks a full-auto mode. The Sniper Rifle also has an AK-74's muzzle brake. Its magazine holds 30 rounds even though it's modelled with a 20 round magazine. Early gameplay footage showed the G3SG/1 modelled with a 10-round magazine despite being coded with a still-incorrect 30-round capacity.
450px|thumb|none|The left side of the G3SG/1 model. Note the AK-74 muzzle brake, possibly recycled from a scrapped AK-74M model.
=Machine Guns=
==Browning M2==
The Browning M2 heavy machine gun appears as the standard mounted machine gun of Left 4 Dead 2, replacing the M134 Minigun's role in the sequel campaigns. While it fires slower, the M2 Browning deals high damage per-shot, being able to dismember regular zombie enemies with one round. Another M2, albeit unusable by the player (without cheats) appears in the DLC campaign "The Passing", where it is manned by an AI-controlled Louis. 
==GE M134 Minigun==
The GE M134 Minigun from the first game appears in L4D2's ports of the first game's campaigns. The time needed to spool up the barrels and start firing seems to be slightly decreased.
thumb|none|450px|The GE M134 Minigun model as seen from the first game.
==M60 machine gun==
The M60 machine gun was added to Left 4 Dead 2 post-release. It is found in five campaigns: L4D2's ports of No Mercy, Death Toll, and The Sacrifice from L4D1, as well as The Passing and Cold Stream. The M60 carries 150 rounds of ammo and cannot be reloaded or resupplied; once the 150 rounds are used up, the gun is immediately dropped much like with the Grenade Launcher. If an incendiary or explosive ammo kit is used with the M60, its remaining rounds will be converted to that ammo type.
An Achievement called "Till it Goes Click" (a reference to The Big Lebowski) requires the player to mow down 25 infected with the M60 without letting go of the trigger.
=Other=
==M79 grenade launcher==
The M79 grenade launcher acts appears as a special primary weapon with an uncommon spawn rate. It deals high explosive damage but is single shot, requiring a reload after every shot, and its explosions can easily damage other survivors. The M79 comes with 30 grenades plus one already in the weapon, and cannot be resupplied; once all the ammo is used up, the M79 is dropped and the survivor is left with just their secondary weapon.
The M79 can kill a Tank in only 2-5 hits (on Normal difficulty). It can also use incendiary and fragmentation rounds if incendiary or fragmentation ammo boxes are used. For some bizarre reason, the M79 can also use a laser sight, even though it grants it with almost no benefit.
=German/International Version=
Because of the strict censorship in Germany (and also in Australia and elsewhere in the world), Valve decided to add 4 Counter-Strike: Source weapons (excluding the combat knife) to those versions of the game as compensation. Players were able to use them in non-censored versions of the game if they play with someone with the German version or in custom campaigns set to spawn them, before they were officially added to all versions of the game with the Last Stand update in 2020.
Aside from the addition of the shove animation (which are extremely generic), all of the animations for the international weapons are identical to their animations in Counter-Strike: Source.
==Heckler & Koch MP5N==
The MP5N is one of the four international firearms in L4D2. It has a lower rate of fire than the normal SMGs in the game, but it has a slightly higher accuracy than Uzi while its damage per shot is almost the same as the MAC-10 while keeping the Uzi's damage-per-second stat. Like all SMGs in the game, it has a 50-round capacity, incorrect for this weapon instead of the real 30.
==Steyr Scout==
The Steyr Scout with a left-handed bolt and an extended magazine adapter is one of the four international firearms in L4D2. It has a lower rate of fire than other sniper rifles in game, but good accuracy. It also erroneously holds 15 rounds instead of 10.
==Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum==
The Accuracy International AWM is one of the four international firearms in L4D2. It appears with a left-handed bolt and has the slowest rate of fire (excluding the Grenade Launcher) in the game but inflicts a high amount of damage per shot. In-game it holds an impossible 20 rounds instead of the real AWM's 5.
==SIG SG 552==
The SIG SG 552 is one of the four international firearms in L4D2. It has a 2x scope and two rates of fire, determined by whether the scope is in use. Without looking down the scope, it has the highest automatic rate of fire out of all assault rifles. Incorrectly holds 50 rounds instead of 20.
=Unusable Weapons=
==AK-74M==
The AK-74M appears in several concept arts and in-game campaign posters. It is worth noting that developer commentary says that the in-game AK-47 is partially AK-74, indicating that AKM might have replaced AK-74M at some point in development.
==Beretta 92F/FS==
A Beretta 92F/FS appears in the menu icon for the "Lone Gunman" Mutation game mode.
==Colt Python==
A tattoo shop in the add-on campaign The Passing contains a panel with several tattoo designs, one of which appears to be a stylized Colt Python illustration.
==High Standard Model K-1200==
The "Pump Shotgun"'s HUD icon still shows its HUD icon from the first game, which resembled a High Standard Model K-1200 Riot Deluxe Model, even though its actual model has been changed and now resembles a different shotgun.
==Mk. 18 Mod 0==
The Mk. 18 Mod 0 appears in several concept arts and in-game campaign posters. It also appeared in several concept arts/posters for the previous game, specifically in Francis' hands. This may or may not be the same model later used in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as its "M4A4".
=Whitaker's Gun Shop=
Category:Video Game
Category:First-Person Shooter
Category:Horror
Category:Zombie
Category:Post Apocalyptic