Mods are nothing novel Left 4 Dead 2but since Valve added full Steam Workshop support, finding and installing user-created content is easier than ever. It’s as plain as locating a promising-looking mod on Steam and clicking the “subscribe” button.
There are so many Workshop-backed games these days that you can basically turn anything into an unrecognizable fiasco waiting to happen, and luckily Left 4 Dead 2 is no exception.
If, like me, you’re bored with the vanilla experience, here’s the best one Left 4 Dead 2 mods you can find, install and enjoy in one click on the Steam Workshop right now.
The best mods for Left 4 Dead 2
Back to school
It’s not as bad as the title suggests, I assure you. This mod doesn’t just add a novel map or quality of life features: it adds an entirely novel campaign to play, including six novel maps available in both Campaign and Versus modes.
If you want more Left 4 Dead 2but you don’t feel like playing the original campaign again, this is the mod for you.
I would have just rewritten the word in all caps, but Hamza beat me to it. While there are plenty of nippy replacement models for survivors (Borderland 2, Portal 2etc.), is distinguished by solid workmanship and original subject matter. And it’s true: who wouldn’t want to play the role of a dinosaur fighting the threat of the undead at least once? Scratch that – who wouldn’t want to play as talking dinosaur? Because they completely keep the original voices and it’s quite witty.
Commonly infected: Deathcraft zombies
You may be skeptical of this choice, as I was before installing it. Minecraft it has gotten out of control over the last few years; I saw many (yes, many) kids wearing Creeper hoodies that same day, and it wasn’t like I was looking for them on a scavenger hunt. Regardless of excess Minecraft gadgets, the game’s blocky undead fit shockingly well Left 4 Dead 2realistic art style. They’re also a lot of fun to photograph! Don’t knock it until you see this mod in action.
While the last recommendation required a bit of explanation, this one certainly doesn’t. I won’t go so far as to say that Tank is terrifying in his original, Valve-approved form, but he’s certainly not a pleasant sight (or hear) in the game. NO we are waiting about his arrival, I think we can all agree. But what if we did this? What if Tank was chubby and harmless? What did I… oh, good. You are already downloading the mod. To continue.
Honestly, there are times when I don’t feel like playing games with other people, even if they’re designed with that interaction in mind. That’s where this mod comes in – it’s designed to make AI-controlled survivors behave more like us. (Or “should” I should say.) Bots still aren’t perfect, but they’re definitely worth using.
Admittedly, it won’t look as good as you’d expect in-game, but fuck it. Replacing regular infected with xenomorphs is equal parts terrifying and amazing. Now all the creator needs to do is add the iconic death screech and that’s it.
Music: Benny Hill Witch and Tank
This pairs especially well with the Stay Puft Tank replacement, adding to the overall stupidity of this mod. The classical music it really sets the mood when you’re shooting at marshmallow men, and as for Maleficent, well – you should probably still stay away from her.
Survival Map: Pallet Town Panic
Since the first generation of Pokémon, I’ve always wanted to see Game Freak’s portable adventures expand into fully 3D worlds that could be fully explored. Hell, I’m still waiting for this to happen on a significant level. This mod beautifully recreates Pallet Town, both indoors and outdoors, for exploit in survival mode. I’d say it’s still worth checking out, even if you just want to make a quick trip and not, you know, try to survive the undead apocalypse.
Map: Left 4 Mario
Have you ever wanted to fend off the voracious hordes in the world of Mario? Well, thanks to this mod it is possible! Fight zombies in Mario’s wonderful world, full of fantastic textures and even those, um… green tunnels.
If you liked Mario as a child, the textures will be very well done and strangely nostalgic, even though Mario never had to fight any undead.
Campaign: City Flight
Another campaign mod worth playing, Urban Flight takes you through four maps as you try to escape the city during a zombie apocalypse. It’s fascinating gameplay that will leave you wanting more, but for now, four maps will be enough.
It’s a very well-designed and fun mod – definitely worth picking up if you want to come back to it Left 4 Dead 2 with a great mod.
Campaign: Day break
Okay, last campaign, I swear, I like them so much! Day Break is another great mod in which a group of survivors try to move into San Francisco space before the military bombs the city, flattening it and our survivors. It’s your job to guide them to safety while dealing with the hordes of undead roaming the city.
This mod introduces five novel maps that have been tested for the Co-op, Survival, Versus and Expedition game modes, providing great variety and an fascinating novel apocalypse scenario. Is that a bit of a cliché? Yes, but who cares – it gives us another chance to play Left 4 Dead 2.
Effects: cinematic lighting effects
This awesome little mod doesn’t do much. No crazy novel skins or substantial novel maps. Instead, you’ll just get better lighting. This seems to apply to most (if not all) lights in the game, and the effects are at least noticeable.
It’s a miniature quality of life improvement, but these little touches add up to an overall fresh gaming experience.
If you are a fan The walking deadyou may remember Negan. You’ve probably heard of him even if you haven’t watched the show, but perhaps the more infamous villain is Lucille, Negan’s barbed wire baseball bat.
Well, if you want to smash zombie heads with Lucille, you can do so with this mod. Just spare the main characters along the way, right? I won’t say more on this subject. There are no spoilers here.
Skins: Expanded item skin pack
And finally… well, maybe. If you’re tired of the same venerable items, this little mod will come to your rescue. This skin pack includes tons of novel skins for items and throwables Left 4 Dead 2. This does not change their effects, only their appearance.
The same developers, Manacat and Sir Wololo, have two other mods available: a Melee skin pack ia Firearm skin packif you want to completely change the skins in the game. And that’s it.
These were the mods that were at the top of my list. What about you? What mods do you think everyone should download, whether available through the Workshop or otherwise, to get the most out of them? Left 4 Dead 2?
