H&K MP5

"Oh, MAN! This is just like Counter-Strike!"

- Louis

"Going with the machine gun."

- Nick

The H&K MP5 is a Tier 1 weapon in Left 4 Dead 2. It is a variant of the Submachine Gun: compared to its counterparts, it has a lower fire rate, slower reload speed, slightly higher accuracy, and its damage is one point higher than the Silenced Submachine Gun - overall, this translates to it dealing more damage per second than the Submachine Gun, but less than the Silenced. In sustained fights against the Tank, the MP5's stats cause its performance to be near identical to the Submachine Gun (with a margin of a second if consistently landing shots).

The MP5 is superior for longer ranged engagements in early chapters if fired in short bursts thanks to its accuracy - its high bullet damage and slow firing speed also gives it more firing control compared to the other two submachine guns. Despite its slower firing speed, It is just as good for room-clearing as its counterparts, although its slower reload means the user is left more vulnerable when they run dry.

Like all international Counter-Strike: Source weapons, the MP5 was only available in the censored German version of the game prior to The Last Stand Community Update. As of said update, it is half as likely to replace any Tier 1 Submachine Gun variant.

Tactics

 * Best used at medium-long range, as its rate of fire is lower, thus giving it low effectiveness in close combat. Take advantage of its accuracy!
 * Best combined with a Magnum Pistol for long range and Special Infected.
 * During Hordes, keep a distance from the main body of them. You do not want to get surrounded by a Horde without a melee weapon.
 * Always shoot in bursts to save ammo and to preserve its high accuracy.
 * With Special Infected at long ranges, always crouch to improve accuracy and shoot in longer bursts to ensure more bullets have chance to hit.
 * With Incendiary and Explosive ammunition, wait until the Common Infected get closer to you and shoot in bursts. This will drastically decrease the chance of wasting precious ammo upgrades.

Pros

 * High accuracy at medium ranges.
 * Very large reserve ammo supply.
 * Easiest submachine gun to conserve ammo with due to the lower fire rate.

Cons

 * Low spawn rate.
 * Lowest rate of fire of the submachine guns.
 * Burst shooting is not as effective as other submachine guns although the method is advisable.
 * Slowest reload of any submachine gun.
 * Slightly lower damage per second than dual P220 Pistols, if the pistols are fired as fast as possible.
 * Lower damage per second compared to the Silenced Submachine Gun despite its high bullet damage.