Left 4 Dead 2 Server Hosting

Left 4 Dead 2 on Game Lords

Left 4 Dead 2 is Valve’s cooperative zombie survival game. Our L4D2 servers provide excellent performance for both campaign co-op and versus gameplay, with full SourceMod support for custom content.

Server Setup

Initial Configuration

Select “Left 4 Dead 2” from game list
Choose game mode:
- Campaign: 4-player cooperative story mode
- Versus: 4v4 survivors vs infected
- Survival: Wave-based survival mode
- Scavenge: Competitive fuel collection mode
- Realism: Hardcore campaign mode
Configure basic settings:
- Server Name: Displayed in server browser
- Difficulty: Easy, Normal, Advanced, Expert
- Campaign: Choose starting campaign
- Max Players: 4-8 depending on mode

Recommended Specifications

Game Mode	Players	RAM	CPU	Storage
Campaign	4	2GB	2 cores	15GB
Versus	8	3GB	3 cores	20GB
Custom Content	8	4GB	4 cores	30GB
Modded Server	8+	6GB	4 cores	40GB

Server Configuration

server.cfg

Essential L4D2 server configuration:

// Server Information
hostname "My L4D2 Server"
sv_contact "admin@example.com"
sv_password ""
sv_region 255

// Network Settings
sv_lan 0
rate 30000
sv_maxrate 30000
sv_minrate 5000
sv_maxcmdrate 100
sv_mincmdrate 10
sv_maxupdaterate 100
sv_minupdaterate 10

// Game Settings
mp_gamemode "coop"              // coop, versus, survival, scavenge, realism
z_difficulty "Normal"           // Easy, Normal, Hard, Impossible
sv_gametypes "coop,versus,survival,scavenge"

// Campaign Settings
sv_search_key ""
sv_steamgroup ""
sv_steamgroup_exclusive 0
sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0

// Director Settings (AI Director controls zombie spawns)
director_afk_timeout 45
director_no_bosses 0
director_no_mobs 0
director_no_specials 0
director_panic_forever 0
director_versus_tank_bonus 0

// Versus Mode Settings
versus_tank_chance_finale 1.0
versus_tank_chance 1.0
versus_tank_flow_team_variation 0.25
versus_witch_chance_finale 1.0
versus_witch_chance 1.0
versus_witch_flow_team_variation 0.25

// Admin Settings
rcon_password "your_rcon_password"
sv_rcon_banpenalty 0
sv_rcon_maxfailures 5

// Logging
log on
sv_logbans 1
sv_logecho 1
sv_logfile 1
sv_log_onefile 0

Game Mode Configurations

Campaign Mode

mp_gamemode "coop"
z_difficulty "Normal"
survivor_limit 4
z_max_player_zombies 0
sb_all_bot_game 0
allow_all_bot_survivor_team 1

Versus Mode

mp_gamemode "versus"
z_difficulty "Normal"
survivor_limit 4
z_max_player_zombies 4
versus_round_restart_delay 15
l4d_ready_enabled 1
l4d_ready_cfg_name "versus"

Survival Mode

mp_gamemode "survival"
z_difficulty "Normal"
survival_round_restart_delay 15
survival_max_rounds 10

Scavenge Mode

mp_gamemode "scavenge"
z_difficulty "Normal"
scavenge_round_restart_delay 15
scavenge_round_setup_time 45
scavenge_overtime_grace_time 15

SourceMod and Plugins

Installation

SourceMod comes pre-installed on Game Lords L4D2 servers:

MetaMod:Source: Plugin framework
SourceMod: Admin and plugin system
L4D2 Extensions: Game-specific functionality

Essential L4D2 Plugins

Administration

L4D2 Admin System: Enhanced admin commands
Basic Commands: Core admin functionality
L4D2 Vote Manager: Improved voting system
Anti-Grief: Prevent griefing behaviors

Gameplay Enhancement

L4D2 Director: Enhanced AI Director control
Survivor Bot Improvements: Better AI behavior
Tank Control: Manage tank spawning and behavior
Versus Spawn Control: Balanced infected spawning

Quality of Life

Readyup: Team ready system for versus
Score System: Enhanced scoring for versus
Spectator Manager: Improved spectate features
AFK Manager: Handle idle players

Custom Content

L4D2 Weapons: Additional weapons and items
Custom Campaigns: Community-made campaigns
Survivor Characters: Additional survivor models
Special Infected Mods: Enhanced infected abilities

Plugin Configuration

Example plugin configurations:

Readyup Plugin

// Readyup settings
l4d_ready_enabled 1
l4d_ready_cfg_name "versus"
l4d_ready_both_halves 1
l4d_ready_minimum_players 8
l4d_ready_delay 3

Versus Score System

// Enhanced scoring
l4d2_score_bonus_per_survivor 25
l4d2_score_damage_multiplier 1.0
l4d2_score_pills_bonus 1
l4d2_score_medkit_bonus 5

Campaign Management

Official Campaigns

L4D2 includes many official campaigns:

Original L4D2 Campaigns

Dead Center: Mall and city environment
Dark Carnival: Amusement park theme
Swamp Fever: Bayou and plantation setting
Hard Rain: Town during severe weather
The Parish: Military evacuation from city

The Passing (DLC)

The Passing: Crossover with original L4D survivors

The Sacrifice (DLC)

The Sacrifice: Prequel to The Passing

Cold Stream (DLC)

Cold Stream: Industrial and creek environments

L4D1 Campaigns (Ported)

No Mercy: Hospital evacuation
Crash Course: Short campaign through industrial area
Death Toll: Rural escape to boat
Dead Air: Airport evacuation
Blood Harvest: Farmhouse finale

Custom Campaigns

Add community campaigns:

Download campaigns from L4D2Maps.com
Install to addons folder: Extract to “left4dead2/addons/”
VPK format: Most custom campaigns use .vpk files
Test thoroughly: Verify campaign functionality

Campaign Rotation

Configure campaign cycling:

// Host commands for campaign changes
map c1m1_hotel                    // Dead Center
map c2m1_highway                  // Dark Carnival
map c3m1_plankcountry            // Swamp Fever
map c4m1_milltown_a              // Hard Rain
map c5m1_waterfront              // The Parish

Admin Commands

Setting Up Admins

Edit “addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini”:

"STEAM_0:1:12345678"    "99:z"    // Full admin access
"STEAM_0:1:87654321"    "bc:z"    // Basic moderation

Basic Admin Commands

sm_kick <player> [reason]          # Kick player
sm_ban <player> <minutes> [reason] # Ban player
sm_unban <steamid>                 # Remove ban
sm_slay <player>                   # Kill player
sm_respawn <player>                # Respawn player (if possible)

L4D2 Specific Commands

sm_giveitem <player> <item>        # Give items (medkit, pills, etc.)
sm_givemelee <player> <weapon>     # Give melee weapons
sm_infected <player>               # Change to infected team
sm_survivor <player>               # Change to survivor team
sm_spawn <type>                    # Spawn special infected

Director Control Commands

director_force_panic_event         # Force panic event
director_panic_forever 1           # Continuous panic mode
z_spawn tank                       # Spawn tank
z_spawn witch                      # Spawn witch
z_spawn mob                        # Spawn common infected horde

Versus Mode Configuration

Competitive Settings

For competitive versus play:

// Confogl/ZoneMod configuration
sm_cvar confogl_match_execcfg_off 0
sm_cvar confogl_addcvar mp_gamemode versus
sm_cvar confogl_addcvar z_difficulty Normal

// Tank spawning
sm_cvar versus_tank_chance 1.0
sm_cvar versus_tank_chance_finale 1.0
sm_cvar versus_tank_chance_intro 0.0

// Witch spawning
sm_cvar versus_witch_chance 1.0
sm_cvar versus_witch_chance_finale 1.0
sm_cvar versus_witch_chance_intro 0.0

// Health and items
sm_cvar pain_pills_decay_rate 0.27
sm_cvar survivor_revive_health 30
sm_cvar survivor_max_incapacitated_count 2

ZoneMod/Confogl

Popular competitive configurations:

ZoneMod: Modern competitive config
Confogl: Classic competitive framework
EQ: European competitive config

Installing ZoneMod

Download ZoneMod from GitHub
Extract to addons/sourcemod/
Configure match settings
Load with sm_zonemod

Performance Optimization

Server Performance Settings

// FPS and performance
fps_max 300
host_thread_mode 0

// Network optimization
sv_parallel_sendsound 1
sv_compressskeletondata 1

// AI optimization
nb_update_frequency 0.1
z_common_limit 30
z_mob_spawn_max_size 30
z_mob_spawn_min_size 10

// Physics optimization
phys_pushscale 1.0
phys_timescale 1.0

Memory Management

// Memory settings
sv_memory_pool_chunks 256
sv_memory_pool_maxsize 128

// Garbage collection
host_speeds 0
con_timestamp 1
developer 0

Mutation Modes

Official Mutations

L4D2 includes various mutation modes:

Last Man on Earth: Solo survivor vs AI
Ironman: One life only
Four Swords: Melee weapons only
Headshot!: Headshots only kill
Bleed Out: No healing items

Enabling Mutations

// Enable specific mutation
mp_gamemode "mutation1"            # Last Man on Earth
mp_gamemode "mutation2"            # Headshot!
mp_gamemode "mutation3"            # Bleed Out
// ... and so on

Custom Mutations

Create custom gameplay modifications:

Use existing mutation frameworks
Modify weapon spawns and availability
Adjust infected spawning patterns
Create unique win conditions

Custom Content

Weapon Modifications

Add custom weapons:

Melee weapons: Additional melee options
Firearm variants: Modified existing weapons
Special items: Unique throwables or tools

Character Models

Survivor skins: Alternative character appearances
Infected models: Custom special infected designs
Common infected: Varied zombie appearances

Map Modifications

Lighting changes: Atmospheric improvements
Layout modifications: Gameplay balance adjustments
Detail additions: Enhanced visual elements

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server Crashes

Plugin conflicts: Disable recent plugins
Memory issues: Monitor RAM usage
Campaign corruption: Verify map files
SourceMod updates: Keep framework current

AI Problems

Bot navigation: Verify nav mesh files
Stuck survivors: Check map navigation
Director issues: Reset director settings
Infinite spawning: Check spawn rate limits

Connection Issues

Steam authentication: Verify Steam connectivity
Lobby problems: Check lobby connection settings
Version mismatch: Ensure server is updated
Firewall blocking: Verify port accessibility

Debug Commands

developer 1                       # Enable debug output
net_graph 3                       # Network statistics
nb_debug 1                        # AI debug information
director_debug 1                  # Director debug info

Community Features

Statistics Tracking

HLstatsX: Comprehensive player statistics
Custom databases: Track player progress
Achievement systems: Custom goals and rewards
Leaderboards: Competitive rankings

Events and Tournaments

Versus tournaments: Competitive 4v4 matches
Campaign challenges: Speedrun competitions
Custom events: Holiday-themed modifications
Community nights: Regular gathering events

Integration Options

Discord Integration

Server status bots: Real-time server information
Match notifications: Game start/end alerts
Player statistics: Stats lookup commands
Community chat: Bridge in-game and Discord chat

Web Features

Server statistics: Web-based stat viewing
Match scheduling: Tournament organization
Player profiles: Individual player pages
Demo downloads: Match replay access

Getting Help

L4D2 Resources

Steam Community: Official guides and discussions
L4D2Maps.com: Custom content repository
GameMaps.com: Additional map resources
AlliedModders: Plugin development community
Reddit: r/l4d2 community discussions

Game Lords Support

Specialized L4D2 support includes:

Plugin configuration assistance
Custom campaign installation
Versus mode optimization
Performance troubleshooting

When requesting help, include:

Server configuration files
Plugin list and error logs
Description of the issue
Steps to reproduce the problem

Enjoy your Left 4 Dead 2 server experience!