How to Add Custom Campaigns to a Left 4 Dead 2 Server

To add a custom campaign to a Left 4 Dead 2 server, subscribe to it on the Workshop, then copy its .vpk from your own left4dead2/addons/workshop/ folder into left4dead2/addons/ on the server and restart. Start it with changelevel <first map name>, or set that map as the server's default map. Every player needs the same campaign installed or subscribed, because L4D2 clients cannot download .vpk addons from a server. Keep the server's copy updated when the author updates it.

What you can and cannot add

What goes where

On Windows the Steam folder is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\, and on Linux ~/.local/share/Steam/. Workshop files are named by their Workshop ID, such as 121068229.vpk, so match the number to the ID in the campaign's Workshop URL. You can rename the file on the server to something readable, like mycampaign.vpk.

Before you start

• Pick the campaigns with your group. Everyone will need them, so post the Workshop links first.
• Back up. A one click backup before adding addons costs nothing.
• Play it locally once. Some old campaigns broke after game updates. Start it on your own PC to check it loads.

Step 1: Subscribe and let it download

Subscribe on the Steam Workshop and start Left 4 Dead 2 once so the file downloads. It appears in left4dead2/addons/workshop/.

Step 2: Stop the server and upload the .vpk

Stop the server and upload the .vpk into left4dead2/addons/ on the server, not into a workshop subfolder and not into the game root. Big campaigns run to hundreds of megabytes, so SFTP is more reliable than a browser upload.

Step 3: Find the first map's name

Campaigns are started by map name, not by campaign title, and the names are rarely obvious. Ways to find them:

• The Workshop page or the author's notes often list the map names, such as mycampaign_m1_start.
• Start the campaign on your own PC and type status in the console: the map line shows the name.
• Open the .vpk with Valve's vpk.exe (in Left 4 Dead 2/bin/) or a VPK viewer and look in maps/. Every .bsp there is a map, usually numbered in order.

Step 4: Start it

Start the server and switch to the campaign:

changelevel mycampaign_m1_start

To make the server boot into it, set the first map as the Default Map in our panel. For a Versus server, also set mp_gamemode versus and sv_gametypes versus in server.cfg.

Step 5: Get players in

There are two ways to bring the group in:

• Direct connect: with sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0 in server.cfg, players press ~ and type connect <ip>:<port>.
• From a lobby: the lobby leader picks the custom campaign in the lobby, runs mm_dedicated_force_servers <ip>:<port> in the console, and starts with Best Available Dedicated. The lobby lands on your server.

The gotcha: players cannot download the campaign from you

In most Source games a server can send custom maps to players. Left 4 Dead 2 cannot do this for .vpk addons: there is no FastDL for campaigns. Every player must already have the campaign, either subscribed on the Workshop or copied into their own addons folder.

The version matters too. If the author updates the campaign, players' Workshop copies update on their own and the server's copy does not. Players then fail to load or get kicked on map change. When a campaign updates, copy the new .vpk from your addons/workshop folder to the server again. Players who installed by hand need the new file as well.

Common problems

• "Map not found" on changelevel: the map name is wrong, or the .vpk is in the wrong folder. It must sit directly in left4dead2/addons/.
• Players drop back to the menu when the map loads: they do not have the campaign, or have a different version. Check subscriptions and update the server copy.
• Lobby goes to an official server instead: the force servers command was not run, or the server was full or on another game mode. Check sv_gametypes.
• Direct connect refused: add sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0 to server.cfg and restart.
• Odd behaviour with many campaigns installed: some addons override the same files. Remove campaigns you are not using.

Campaigns on GamezServers

On a Left 4 Dead 2 server from GamezServers, campaign files go into left4dead2/addons over the SFTP login in Settings or through the file manager, which also extracts zips and can download a file from a link straight to the server. The starting map is the Default Map setting, Backup is one click before you add addons, and the server stays up for campaign night without anyone's PC on. For server.cfg and lobbies, see how to host a Left 4 Dead 2 server.

FAQ

Do players need the custom campaign to join?

Yes. L4D2 cannot send campaign .vpk files from the server, so every player needs it subscribed or installed, in the same version.

Where do custom campaigns go on an L4D2 server?

In left4dead2/addons/ as .vpk files. Do not put them in a workshop subfolder.

How do I start a custom campaign on my server?

Run changelevel with the campaign's first map name, or set that map as the default map and restart.

Can I run several custom campaigns at once?

Yes. Put each .vpk in addons and switch between them with changelevel. Remove ones you no longer play to avoid conflicts.