Zombie Class

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The Boomer

 

The Boomer is a Special Infected that vomits a special bile at Survivors, which temporarily blinds them and draws a Horde of Common Infected to them. At a distance the Boomer isn't much of a threat; their large size and low health make them an easy target against any weapon at mid or long range. However, if within range, they can vomit on Survivors, attracting the Horde.

When they die, they explode, covering any Survivors who are close enough with bile, blinding them and causing them to stumble backwards. The Boomer is notorious on the Expert difficulty for being able to snipe Survivors. Boomers can be anticipated because of the near-constant gurgling they make. In Left 4 Dead 2, there is also a female Boomer, although the gender has no effect on gameplay.

The Hunter

 

The Hunter is a Special Infected that has the least visible mutations, and can be mistaken for a Common Infected. The Hunter is absurdly fast and agile, capable of quickly scaling walls. Additionally, he can pounce and pin down Survivors, clawing at their abdomen until either the victim is dead or the Hunter has been knocked off or killed by another Survivor. Hunters are not the most physically robust Infected, having relatively low health, and thus it doesn't take very much to kill them.

When the Hunter crouches down in preparation to pounce, he growls, giving himself away to any nearby Survivors. However, whilst standing, he makes no noise. The Hunter is the only Special Infected that can remain absolutely silent. In Left 4 Dead 2, they can be killed with a melee weapon while in the state of pouncing by aiming upwards and hitting, although this is fairly difficult, as timing is vital and it's easier to kill them from a distance with a high-powered primary weapon.

The Smoker

 

The Smoker is an ambush class that can strangle Survivors with their long tongue, similar to Half-Life's Barnacle. The help of another Survivor is required to escape from a Smoker's hold (There's a short delay before it starts to drag you, during which a shotgun blast may kill it in easy, and doing so successfully grants an achievement). As the name implies, Smokers emit smoke when killed to impair Survivors' vision.

A Smoker also will frequently cough, letting the Survivors know when he is in the area. The Smoker can drag players that he has captured with his tongue towards himself, though he remains stationary and cannot move. The Smoker is also momentarily paralyzed for a few seconds after having his tongue removed from his captive by another Survivor. In Left 4 Dead 2, the Smoker has six tongues, the addition seems to be cosmetic.

The Tank

 

The Tank is the biggest and strongest of all the Infected and is reasonably fast, only slowing if hit with large amounts of automatic weapons fire or when lit on fire (Versus in Left 4 Dead only and any mode aside Versus on Left 4 Dead 2). He is the only player-controllable "Boss Infected." If any Survivors at 40% or above health (including health gained from pain pills or the Adrenaline Shot) are running away from the Tank, it will not be able to catch them, as they can run slightly faster (unless the Tank in question is an AI Tank in Left 4 Dead, which can catch up).

The Tank has incredible strength and resistance―his punch can send Survivors flying, rendering them temporarily defenseless, and in Expert mode, instantly incapacitate them. The blow can send Survivors off high hazards to their deaths. He is also capable of throwing chunks of concrete that he rips out of the ground to momentarily stun Survivors, dealing the same amount of damage as a punch would. He can also punch large objects (e.g. a car) in the direction of Survivors with enough force to incapacitate them instantly. The fact that the Tank is absurdly tough and its massive amount of attack damage, combined with its extreme mobility, makes it hard to take out without teamwork or strategies.

Nevertheless, the Tank will die within 30 to 45 seconds if set on fire (varying with the difficulty), except in Versus. When controlled by a player, the Tank has a "Control Meter"; unless the player is able to locate and hit one of the Survivors, the Control Meter of the Tank will slowly lessen, and once it runs out, the player will lose control of the Tank to another randomly assigned player or eventually, an AI. When idle, the sound that a Tank makes is heavy breathing. The Survivors are alerted of an approaching Tank by dramatic music, furious roars and, when they are dangerously close, the screen will start to shake.

• The Tank's music cue.

The Charger

 

The Charger is a Special Infected that appears in Left 4 Dead 2. The Charger's main attack is charging forward and plowing into the Survivors, hence the name. On a successful charge, he will grab and carry a single Survivor while knocking down the others. Once the Charger has hit a wall or other surface, or after he has run a certain distance, he will begin slamming his captive into the ground (and also into the wall and the ceiling if there is one) until an ally frees them. If he misses and hits a wall, he will stumble for a few seconds and becomes vulnerable. If a Charger smashes into anything when not grabbing a survivor, he takes 2 damage instead and is stumbled for 1 second.

The Charger can be detected by the Survivors by the warped growling noise he makes. He will announce his charge with a loud bellow. The Charger appears to have a rocky or calloused surface on his larger right arm, which is what he uses to inflict most of his force when charging, while his other arm appears to have no bones or muscle, flopping around uselessly.

Because of his hulking size, the Charger cannot be shoved off with melee, and must be killed in order to release his victim. If a Survivor has explosive rounds, they will dislodge the Charger from the Survivor and cause him to stumble. Any Survivor that has been knocked out of the way during his charge will fly a considerable distance and slowly stand back up, making the Charger a deadly foe in cramped hallways or near high passageways, but not in open areas. He is also the third strongest special infected — with a whopping 600 health, only losing to the Witch's 1000 and the Tank's 3000; additionally, his melee attacks are very strong and can easily incapacitate a weakened Survivor.

The Jockey

 

The Jockey is a Special Infected that appears in Left 4 Dead 2. He is a small Infected that attacks Survivors by clinging to them from behind and literally riding the Survivor while attacking them. He can shift his weight around and cause the Survivor to stumble in his desired direction, giving this Special Infected a type of control over the Survivor. He will only let go if his victim becomes incapacitated, or if he gets knocked off/killed.

Survivors who are being ridden by the Jockey can attempt to "resist" the Jockey, causing the Jockey to slow and even pause for a second, which allows other players a chance to catch up and knock the Jockey off. Jockeys can ride Survivors into dangerous situations, such as into natural hazards, Witches, or other Infected; a Jockey can also pull a Survivor off a ledge, causing them to become incapacitated, or riding them to their death if they are not resisting. The Jockey seems to have a spinal disease, similar to kyphosis, giving him a hunched appearance. He also has a maniacal laugh (which gives away his location) and is constantly twitching, giving him a sort of hyperactive nature.

The Spitter

 

The Spitter is a Special Infected in Left 4 Dead 2. She possesses the ability to spit a green ball of acid from long distances, which, upon hitting the ground, will expand into a large puddle and damage any Survivors who make contact with it. After spitting, however, the Spitter is temporarily paralyzed for a second, giving the Survivors a chance to kill her. The Spitter makes these high-pitched noises that gives away her location.

The longer the Survivor stands in it, the more damage the Survivor takes from the goo. This ability allows the Spitter to aid other Special Infected; for instance, if a Hunter pounces a Survivor, a Spitter can spit upon that Survivor, causing even more damage. However, in spite of such a useful ability, the Spitter is very weak in terms of health, so taking out a Spitter is an easy task.

Upon death, the Spitter leaves a similar, smaller kind of puddle that has the same effect on the Survivors. She is one of the most powerful Infected if Survivors are caught standing in her spit, and are too distracted to move quickly due to other Infected or a lack of awareness at damage being dealt. On Scavenge Mode or any finale requiring gas cans, when they are dropped, the spit will ignite them if left in the goo long enough.

Computer-Controlled Only

The Witch

 

The Witch generally only appears a few times per campaign, and is passive unless provoked by flashlights, gunfire, or Survivors in close proximity. She is the second "Boss Infected." Pistol fire does not provoke her easily, but it will do only a small amount of damage (in Left 4 Dead 2, causing any damage to the Witch will instantly startle her). She is very powerful, capable of incapacitating and even killing Survivors with one hit. When the Director spawns a Witch, the faint chord of the Witch music will play, allowing veterans of the game to quickly prepare for the "obstacle."

The Witch cries loudly. When nearby, Survivors will mention they hear her and warn teammates to turn off their flashlight. While the Witch can be killed, her high health makes this difficult (at least 1/3 of the easy mode Tank). It is best to avoid her if possible. Witches can be startled if a Survivor stands too close to her, damages her, or shines their flashlight on her from a close to moderate distance. She will also start to growl if a Survivor looks at her through the Hunting Rifle/Sniper Rifle's scope for a long time.

The Witch is very rarely found in small rooms and normally stays off the main route, but has been found in front of safe rooms (or even inside the safe room), doorways, and in the middle of streets. Once a Witch has killed a Survivor or cannot pathfind to her target, she will retreat from the area and despawn. However, in some strange cases, the Witch has been known to kill the closest Survivor to her. This does not usually happen, and when it does, the Witch runs off as normal after killing the Survivor.

Also, if a Survivor blocks the Witch from attacking the Survivor who startled her, she will attack the Survivor blocking her and either incapacitate the blocking player and run away or incapacitate (or kill on Expert or non-easy Realism mode) both the blocking player and the player who startled her. If the Witch is lit on fire (Molotov, Incendiary ammo, Gas can) while she is chasing a Survivor, she will immediately start chasing after whoever burned her