Melee vs Pistols in L4D2

[rossatdi]

I was absentmindedly looking at a L4D2 guide on a very popular gaming website, and was slightly shocked to see it recommend, flat out, that you take a melee weapon instead of a pistol.

I can't follow this advice, I can't see the logic. Pistols, especially dual pistols, are fantastically useful to sweeping out areas and picking off infected at quite long ranges. Importantly they take the ammo concerns about low threat sweeping out of the way.

If I walk round a corner into 5-15 infected a quick blaze with my pistols will thin it out almost completely, leaving me with the stragglers to pick off with my ak. Alternatively a shotgun blast or two followed by cleaning up with pistols.

Secondly, special infect. Melee weapons are completely god awful against the majority of special infected. Distant Boomer? Pistol. Smoker? Pistol. Hunter pinning friend? Run forward with pistols!

Thirdly, melee weapons might as well be retitled friendly fire magnet.

---

What about you lot? I don't even touch melee weapons unless I drop into a game where I already have them but a lot of people seem to run from the humble 15 infinite ammo beast.

 

[Lordmarkus]

Valve made the double glocks wortless peashooters so people rather picked up a melee weapon or search for a Deagle. Comparing L4D and its successor in terms of stopping power in pistols, I refer to the differences between the pistols in Halo: CE and Halo 2.

The melee weapons are one hit kill, the Glocks takes you about ten rounds. Just like in Counter-Strike.

Why does Valve discriminate Glocks?!

 

[azncutthroat]

Lol, you're complaining about LOGIC in a zombie apocalypse game?

 

[iFail69]

I only use a single pistol. Don't ask why... I just prefer it. I use it purely as a sidearm to my main weapon (usually the hunting rifle, because again, it just feels so right) so I only use pistol when main weapon has no more bullets, or when I don't have time to reload in the middle of a horde. switching to your pistol IS faster than reloading!!!

 

[Bob_F_It]

Distant Boomer? Assault rifle. Smoker? Assault rifle. Hunter pinning friend? Run forward with assault rifle!

Fixed.

Whether I take melee or pistols depends on what my main weapon is. If I have a shotgun, I'll take pistols or magnum. I'll only take dual pistols when I have a grenade launcher, and melee easily covers a scoped rifles weakness. It isn't one size fits all in these choices.

 

[Heracles]

yeah, Melee is the way to go, one hit kill, able to kill the horde that can gather around you.

 

[hazabaza1]

I prefer melee. Hell, I end up hardly using my primary because I'm too busy cuttin' spooks with a machete!

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I think it's about preference. You can get good with either type of weapon in that game. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

*Shock*
You mean to say Valve made a game that is balanced?
How absurd.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Melee is too much fun to ever pick pistols. I only pay attention to my weapon load-out when playing Expert or Realism or something. Anything else is pump action/SPAS-12 + machete/axe.

 

[Sir Kemper]

Melee or Pistol's.

The never ending debate, personally i ppick one based on which ever weapon i'm useing at the time, useually if i'm useing a shotgun, or something with much closer range i tend to go with pistol's, to help me pick off what ever might be over the horizon.

However, i'f i'm carrying something that can blow the head clean off of whatever's comeing over that horizon, i tend to stick with a Melee as my fall back.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Call me old-fashioned, but I still stick with the handguns (Desert Eagle if I can find it, paired 9mms otherwise). The fact that my preferred primary weapon is the M16 probably shows that I prefer taking down threats from a distance.

I do admit that the frying pan gives a nice, satisfactory "thunk", though.

 

[Koganesaga]

Well if you happen upon the chainsaw, somebody should pick it up, because it does wonders to tanks, also the katana is a powerful melee weapon in terms of balance, and I've solo'ed the train ride event with the fire axe before. Though I will say in general desert cobra is probably the best secondary weapon, as it may lack clip size, it makes up for it with massive power.

 

[Agayek]

I use pistols exclusively. I hate melee on any difficulty higher than normal. Way too easy to get killed when everything's piled on you as you try to kill it.

My ideal set up is Shotgun + Magnum. Shotgun for big groups, Magnum for everything else. It's quite handy on hordes, just because it goes through 3-4 normal infected and kills them all.

 

[Meggiepants]

I've found melee to be very helpful when you are up high, like on a roof. You can easily cut the climbing zombies off at the hands this way. Or if you have a bottleneck point. One guy has melee and stands in the doorway chopping zombies to bits.

But double pistols have their advantages as well. If you get knocked down and you have a melee weapon, obviously you can only defend yourself with the one pistol.

And someone already said it, but chainsaw vs tank is pretty damned awesome.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Depends on the melee weapon I can find. I love slashing through the horde ninja-style with a katana...

 

[That Other Fat Guy]

Quite honestly, this is a valid concern. The secondary is all you should ever worry about during the game. On Hard and Expert, you run out of Primary weapon ammo quite easily, making most players toss their favorites for anything with ammo in it. Their secondaries, in the event that a primary switch off can't be made, need to be to the tastes.

For me, its quite simple. Katana or dual 9s. I don't use the deagle for one thing and that's clip size. Sure, it packs a punch, but most infected die within the first two shots from a 9. The katana, my melee weapon of choice, simply deals out massive amounts of damage while swinging fairly quick.

 

[rossatdi]

Good to see people feel both ways! Valve are of course, genii (sp?) of the highest order.

I definitely agree with this point:

I use pistols exclusively. I hate melee on any difficulty higher than normal. Way too easy to get killed when everything's piled on you as you try to kill it.

I think the way I think about it is the only times that are worth worrying about are when everythings running at you and trying to tear your bollocks off. Despite one commentator's protestations I find the glocks pretty potent when you're aiming at head height. Anything other than a large horde one or two people with pistols can clear them out easily, swapping to primary as they get close.

Maybe its just a factor of being a long term zombie film fan:

Me+Gun -----------------------> Zombies = Good (well not optimal)
Me+Club -> Tasty Snack = Better
Me+Club -> Zombies = Bad

 

[Red Bomb]

For me personally it's all about the fire axe or the chainsaw. They are just alot of fun for that particular game.
L4D2 is all about having a bit of a giggle anyway.

 

[The Austin]

I would take my baseball bat over a peashooter pistol any day.