Left 4 Dead 2 Weapon and Items Primer

Since most people will be jumping in cold for clan night tonight, here's a few tips from my midnight play testing to help you get started.

Pistols: L4D2 has the familiar single and dual pistols from the first game, but also introduces the single-wield only Magnum (pictured). Though the Magnum deals 120% more damage per round than the regular pistol and has longer range, my recommendation for pistol users is to still go with dual-wielded regular pistols. The overall damage per second of dual pistols is 54% higher than a single Magnum.

SMGs: There are tier-1 SMGs available in the game, the regular Uzi and the silenced MAC-10. They are very similar, but the silenced SMG is slightly superior. It can be spotted by the large silencer barrel on the front.

Assault Rifles: There are three ARs available in the game, the standard rifle (based on the M16), the "desert rifle" (based on the SCAR) and the AK-47. The M16 has the highest continuous rate of fire, the desert rifle fires in continuous 3-shot bursts, and the AK-47 deals out the most damage and damage per second. All three weapons are very effective, but the AK-47 is probably the best of the three in this game. It can be identified on the ground by its distinctive banana clip. Players should be careful when grabbing ARs, especially the M16, because the the HK41 sniper rifle looks very similar.

Shotguns: There are actually two tier 1 shotguns and two tier 2 shotguns in the game. The tier 1 shotguns come in standard pump action and "chrome" variants, both are nearly identical and just like the ones from L4D1. Tier 2 offers the familiar "auto shotgun" and a new "combat shotgun" based on the SPAS12. These can be identified by their pistol grip configurations, the combat shotgun found with no shoulder stock. Both tier 2 shotguns function nearly identically and both are good choices for shotgun users. They deal massive and fast damage but trade-off longish reload times. Easily the weapon of choice for Tanks.

Sniper guns: There are two sniper rifles available in L4D2, both function very similarly with the new "sniper rifle" holding more ammo. That's almost irrelevant though, because ammo is rarely a concern for snipers. Players should be careful when grabbing ARs, especially the M16, because the the HK41 sniper rifle looks very similar.

Melee weapons: There are several new melee weapons in L4D2, including the baseball bat, cricket bat, nightstick, crowbar, electric guitar, fireaxe, frying pan, katana, machete and tonfa. They function fairly similarly, with the guitar, fireaxe, frying pan and katana dealing the most damage per blow. Surprisingly, the frying pan deals the most damage over time since it has the fastest animation and re-fire speed. It can most often be found in kitchens. Note that a melee weapon replaces your pistol, so is not a great choice for pistol users, but is good for those who often run out of ammo because they prefer not to use the infinite ammo pistol.

Special weapons: There are at least two special weapons available in the chainsaw and the grenade launcher. Neither are reloadable, but both are *extremely* satisfying to use. I recommend enjoying the carnage that they can deal out. Achievements are available for both special weapons.

Items: L4D2 brings back pipe bombs, molotovs, health packs, and pain pills. It also adds Boomer Bile (which attracts the horde to the space or object hit), adrenaline (which makes you do run and perform actions faster) and defib units (which allow you to revive dead players). Team coordination and item choice becomes even more important now. Boomer Bile is a "thrown item" and goes in the same space as pipe bombs or molotovs. Adrenaline shares a space with pain pills, and defib units share a space with health packs. You can only care only item in each space.

Weapon upgrades: Finally, there are three weapon upgrades available to the survivors - Incendiary ammunition, explosive ammunition, and laser sight. They pretty much do what they say they do. I've only seen the laser sight in practice, which attaches to the gun you put it on - does not transfer between weapons if you pick up a new gun. They appear on the level in weapon crates like the image pictured on the left.