Sometimes you come across a mod that's too good not to use, but the creator is someone you really don't want to support. Maybe there's an ethical or moral reason, or you just don't like them as a person; whatever the reason is, you refuse to subscribe to the mod to avoid boosting their popularity within the workshops algorithms and giving them the recognition and attention they desperately want.

If you still really want to use the mod however, here's how you can do it.

Step 1: Go to the Steam Workshop and find a mod you like, made by a creator you don't like





















Step 2: Subscribe to the mod












Step 3: Look for the URL at the top of your page. At the end of it, there should be a string of numbers, around 8-10 digits long. Keep a copy of this number somewhere for later




Step 4: Start Left 4 Dead 2, and wait for your addons to load





















Step 5: Once your addons are loaded, tab out of the game and open your file explorer






















Step 6: Navigate to Left 4 Dead 2s files, and open "common\Left 4 Dead 2\left4dead2\addons\workshop". You should now be in a folder with a bunch of VPK files and images. These are all the workshop mods you've subscribed to.























Step 7: Search through the list until you find the one whose name is the same as the string of numbers from the workshop URL link

















Step 8: Copy this VPK and paste it in "common\Left 4 Dead 2\left4dead2\addons"




















Step 9: Unsubscribe from the mod, then restart Left 4 Dead 2. When you restart, you'll still be able to use the mod (you'll know you've done it right if the thumbnail is gone and the description is different), but the workshop page won't count you as a subscriber, which brings the rating of the mod down. In addition, this can also make your game load faster on startup.