"Oh great, now they're spitting shit at us!"

―Ellis

"So that's a Spitter, huh? Do you think she's single?"

―Nick

The Spitter is a Special Infected that made her debut in Left 4 Dead 2. Her mutations enables her to spit out a ball of mutated bile acid^[1] which, upon hitting the ground, spreads out into a large pool. Any Survivors standing within the pool of acid take increasing amounts of damage based on how long the acid has been down; this can be on average of up to 45-82 (based on difficulty) health with a single spit.

Overall, the Spitter's acid does the most total damage of any playable Infected, but is also the least reliable, as it only lasts for a short time, and once it pools out, it is stationary and relatively easy to escape.

When killed, the Spitter leaves a smaller pool of acid around her corpse. She can sometimes be a bit difficult to hear, making faint squealing noises as opposed to the more distinct noises other Special Infected make, but the hacking noises she makes when she actually spits are relatively easy to hear. After the Spitter spits, it takes 20 seconds for her to be able to spit again.

The Spitter is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.^[2]

Official Description

Spitters spew a corrosive ball of steaming acid that coats the ground in a pool. When stepped in, it can be incredibly damaging to Survivors.

Spitters can make life difficult for Survivors by preventing them from clustering together in enclosed areas, and by blocking their path at unfortunate moments.^[3]

Appearance

She is clothed in a gold lamé bra with dark stains, torn dark indigo capris and, perhaps humorously, as well as disturbingly, a pink thong. She also wears a number of rings on her fingers, including a wedding ring, hinting that she was possibly married before becoming Infected. Her hair is chestnut brown and kept in low pigtails, and depending on her model in the CGI movies or in-game, may have green or brown eyes.

It can also be noted that the Spitter's skin glows a luminous green when alive, yet when killed, her skin becomes a normal pink color. This could be due to all the acid being spontaneously released from her body upon death. Moreover, her acid glows in the dark.

Extent of Mutations

Through mutation of the Infection, the Spitter has developed the ability to project an extremely corrosive ball of acid from her mouth in a mortar-like fashion. This projectile will collide with a ceiling or wall and drop down to the nearest solid walkable surface, and upon contact will spread into a large pool of acid that increases in damage over time. It's possible, from the way the acid is spat, that the Spitter encases it in a thin sort of membrane or bolus (likely in her body or throat/mouth) which is either dissolved by the acid or breaks on impact. It is evident that the Infection has caused the Spitter to suffer from mega esophagus, or her stomach has eroded all organs found in her neck. This could be the cause of her hacking and gurgling, as acid could be in her lungs. From how heavily the Spitter secretes the acid, and constant screeching to force her acid ball out,^[1] it seems that she cannot stop producing at will, and must excrete it from her body in such fashion (as salivating it) to prevent herself filling up and rupturing with acid, similar to the Boomer.

The Spitter's lower jaw, cheeks, nose and lips seem to have become noticeably eroded, suggesting she may not be entirely resistant to the acid she is coughing up. It appears that all around her mouth, the skin has disappeared. Also, just above her breast and on the top of her stomach are two red sores, most likely eroded spots from where the acid drips down from her mouth. Her proportions are awkward and stretched, including the sagging breasts, elongated neck, and bloated stomach, which are most likely used to accommodate and produce the fluids. Her elongated neck may also give her the advantage of being able to spit acid at long distances and high velocity. Her baggy skin and stumbling gait could be caused by the virus or even the acid itself eating away at her connective tissues. The big toe on her right foot has shifted to the side of the foot like the thumb of a hand. While running, a trail of acid can be seen dripping from the Spitter's mouth. This can be used to track the Spitter, although it disappears shortly after she walks away from it. The Spitter's fingernails are very long but not particularly sharp, doing about 4 damage per hit.

Left 4 Dead: Survivors

The Spitter has various variants of her regular form that appeared in special limited events in Left 4 Dead: Survivors, they're referred to as Enhanced Special Zombie form (強化特殊 ゾンビ Kyōka tokushu zonbi).

The High-Spitter (ハイスピッター Hai Supittā) appeared in the first Forbidden Versus Mode! (禁断の対戦モード! Kindan no Taisen Mōdo!) Versus event. The High-Spitter has a yellow body and beige bra, she was able to spit 1.5 times the normal distance.

The Double-Tap Spitter (ダブルタップスピッター Daburu Tappu Supittā) appeared in the third Versus event: The Giant Rooftop (巨大屋根の死闘 Kyodai yane no shitō). The Double-Tap Spitter has a yellow body and pink bra, she spat twice in a row.

Both the Machine Gun Spitter (マシンガンスピッター Mashin Gan Supittā) and Shotgun Spitter (ショットガンスピッター Shottogan Supittā) appeared in the sevent Versus event: Layers of Massacre (殺戮の階層 Satsuriku no Kaisō), and the More! Lanky & Chubby (もっと！のっぽとふとっちょ Motto! Noppo to Futoccho) and Floating! Lanky and Chubby (ふわり！のっぽとふとっちょ Fuwari! Noppo to Futoccho) events. The former had red skin and a black bra and fired multiple acid balls sequentially and vertically, the latter had white skin and a black bra and spat five projectiles simultaneously.

The Landmine Spitter (ランドマインスピッター Randomain Supittā) appeared in the eighth Versus event: The Garden of Terror (恐怖の庭園 Kyōfu no Teien), and in the Floating! Lanky and Chubby (ふわり！のっぽとふとっちょ Fuwari! Noppo to Futoccho) and Soaked! Lanky and Chubby event (すぶぬれ！のっぽとふとっちょ Subunure! Noppo to Futoccho) events. She had black skin and wore a white bra and green pants, she wasn't able to attack but spread a wide pool of acid on death.

The Ignition Spitter (イグニッションスピッター Igunisshon Supittā) appeared in the tenth Versus event: Abandoned Factory Battlefront (廃工場戦線 Haikōjō Sensen). She had reddish skin and wore a orange bra, she was able to ignite Gas cans and Propane tanks.

The Trap Spitter (トラップスピッター Torappu Supittā) appeared in the event: The Highest Difficulty in History - Part 4 (史上最高難度 第4弾 Shijou Saikou Nando Dai 4 Dan). She had brown skin and her bra had reflective spots, her acid pool lasted longer.

Tactics

Survivors

Detecting a Spitter

• Whenever a Spitter spawns, a high pitched series of sounds will indicate her presence.
• A Spitter will leave behind a small trail of acid leaking from her mouth, which can give away her position.
• The Spitter will make a high-pitched screech upon making eye contact with a Survivor.

Handling a Spitter

• Just as a Spitter launches her acid, there is a delay that varies depending on the angle of the spit and how far it travels. Survivors who spot the incoming projectile will warn others of it, thus making it fairly easy to avoid.
  • AI Spitters are generally not a threat in most circumstances due to this as they will only spit at medium range, and will usually approach the Survivors without any sense of tactic. Player-controlled Spitters should be handled more seriously, as they will always attempt to coordinate with other Special Infected and make use of more advanced tactics such as spitting from higher elevations, as the Survivors won't notice the acid until they start getting damaged by it.
  • After launching spit, the Spitter's speed is temporarily lowered for a few seconds. This can be used to kill her before she gets away.
  • Due to gravity physics, the Spitter's acid will drip downwards if it lands on a higher elevation with further objects below them, such as a pile of crates. If the acid is launched on a lower elevation, then anything above it is generally safe to stand on.
• The acid that the Spitter launches will grow to a medium patch after a few seconds. While the Spitter deals the least amount of individual damage, the pool deals more damage the longer a Survivor stays on it, up to 45 on Easy, and on average of up to 81-82 on Normal, Advanced, and Expert difficulty. Try to get out of the pool as soon as possible.
• When camping or holding an enclosed position, Spitters become a high-threat target, as their spit can force the team to scatter into a less desirable position.
• During Versus modes, the Spitter's spit will be able to destroy gas cans that had been picked up by Survivors. During scavenge-style finales, Survivors should be mindful of this and avoid stockpiling strategies.
• The Spitter, as with all other Special Infected, can claw Survivors next to them. Survivors should be mindful of this and avoid approaching AI Spitters, as they will claw them if they cannot run.
• Survivor Bots don't tend to avoid Spitter acid until they take damage. If they do take damage, they will stop following the player until the pool dissipates. In order to have them fluidly avoid damage, the lead player has to keep moving forward.
• If a Survivor is incapacitated and surrounded by acid, wait for the pool to dissipate. The pool deals less damage to them, and it's best to avoid unnecessary damage, unless said Survivor is near the edge of the pool.
• After the Spitter is killed, she will drop an acid pool around herself. This is the same as the acid she spits at Survivors, but with a smaller radius. This is generally not an issue unless the Spitter charges towards the Survivors.
• Jumping over a pool will result in Survivors taking damage regardless, so don't bother doing so.

Infected

• The Spitter is mainly a support Infected, her acid spit deals very low damage intially and increases its damage overtime, but Survivors will avoid it if you attack alone, and her melee deals low damage. Your spit should be used in conjunction with other Special Infected's attacks as they immobilize their victims.
  • The Charger and the Hunter are usually the best to aid with your acid spit. The Charger has high health and separates a Survivor, and the Hunter deals a lot of damage in a short amount of time which could weaken and lower the Survivor's speed. They also force the Survivor to play an animation when they're rescued, this makes their victim stay longer in the acid pool and they'll take more damage.
    • The Jockey and Smoker can pull their victims behind cover, this could allow you to go ahead and melee them to increase damage further, and then run away when the other Survivors come.
    • Spitting at a Survivor surrounded by Common Infected is also a good choice as it can be harder to get rid of them quicker compared to Special Infected (if they don't have a melee weapon), specially if they've been vomited on by a Boomer.
• The best spot for a Spitter to hide is on rooftops, it'll allow you to hide for as long as you want but still be able to attack anywhere.
  • You can jump and spit at the same time so you'll attack and land near a Survivor to melee them.

• If you are for some reason unable to spit on the Survivors directly in a tight hallway on Versus, spit in their path. They will have two choices: Go through the acid and take damage, or wait until it disappears. If they choose to wait, this will allow your teammates time to respawn.
• Remember that your acid does more damage to Survivors who are still standing, and less to incapacitated Survivors. Usually the only advantage to a spit-covered incapacitated Survivor is the fact that no one can revive them without taking massive damage.
• Spit when you know the Survivors won't move from the area for a while, preferably bunched together in a room.
• The Spitter is one of the most valuable Infected in Scavenge mode for two reasons: the Survivors cannot pour gasoline when there is an acid pool around the generator, and the Spitter's acid can light Gas Cans the Survivors have picked up and dropped (outlined in yellow) on fire. If you are a Spitter in Scavenge, get to a good spot and spit away!
  • The above also applies to Gas Cans in the finales of Dead Center and The Passing that have a yellow outline, at least in Versus. Spitter players should take advantage of this, as the gas cans are what increase the opposing team's score during this finale.
  • Computer controlled Spitters are also able to spit on cans in Dead Center and The Passing but only when a Survivor is actually nearby a can. The spit normally doesn't set cans ablaze when the spit came from a computer controlled Spitter but to be safe than sorry, it's probably best to pick up the can as soon as possible.
• Try to spit as far away as possible from the Survivors, making it less likely for them to kill you (unless you are right in front of them). Remember that after you spit, you'll move slower than usual for a few seconds.
• When playing as a Spitter and you're assured to die, try to die in front of the Survivor's path. The acid pool created by your death will delay them and give your teammates time to respawn and group.
• Try attacking from unusual positions; above the Survivors, for example. By spitting down, you can get several attacks in without being killed. If you don't reveal your position, it's possible to incapacitate everyone. This works best if the Survivors are in a cramped area.
• The Spitter's spit travels in a straight line and then plummets straight down. If you know the distance it travels you can use it to hit Survivors behind walls.
  • If your crosshair is red it means your spit will hit the surface you're looking at, and if it's white it means it'll fall down eventually.
  • When the spit-projectile hits a vertical surface, it drops straight down. This is extremely helpful when you are far away or behind a wall when the Survivors are in a small space. Spitting onto the wall above them or into a window where they are will cause the spit to drop on top of them, doing major damage, and the Survivors will have an extremely difficult time locating where the spit came from.
• If one of the Survivors is incapacitated and there is another Survivor nearby to revive them, try saving your spit until the other Survivor is reviving the fallen. This will cause their rescuer extra damage and force them to stop reviving the fallen Survivor. Unless it seems likely that you can kill the incapacitated Survivor, focus on doing damage to the ones that are up. You might just incapacitate them too! Spit does greatly reduced damage against incapacitated Survivors, and is unlikely to kill them unless they are already near death (it WILL take multiple applications to kill a freshly incapacitated player).
• Even if you spit just as the incapacitated Survivor is helped up, their 30 temporary health will not last long standing in spit, especially if they try to heal as soon as they get up. Most likely, they're going right back down.
  • Aim carefully when spitting from a high vantage point. If the goo glob hits any horizontally flat surface that is above the Survivors, the pool will float above them and do no damage.
• On the fourth level of Dead Center, The Atrium, you can easily climb all the way to the top level of the area. From there, you can spit slobber to your heart's content on those below. Aim for Jimmy's car when the Survivors are refueling. Also, it would be advised to take cover once you spit, You are an easy sight to a Survivor that isn't in a panic trying to get out of the spit.
• Remember, even though the Spitter is designed for long range, don't forget she can scratch. If you are caught up close with the Survivors and have no way to escape, try clawing away at a Survivor in a corner or surrounded by Common Infected. If you're lucky, you will get some melee damage in and then die in a steaming pool of corruption right under the Survivor's feet.
• Ladders are a great spot to trip up a team. Spitting at the top will force them to run through the goo or drop back down. The spit will often fall onto the lower level as well, trapping them. If your spit lands at the bottom of a ladder, any Survivor on the ladder will be damaged as if standing directly in the spit.
  • Possible oversight is that the spit can also reach Survivors that are still hanging around on the ladder. Combined with a Hunter pouncing and dropping the Survivor back to the bottom of the ladder, this is a very deadly combination.
• Even though the Spitter's claw attack does 4 damage per hit, you can still use this on Survivors' low on health. You could damage a Survivor into the red zone (causing them to move slower) and then have a Boomer vomit on them. Hunters and Jockeys should be used on would-be rescuers.
• The Spitter will deal immense damage to any Survivor with her acid. The acid pool will damage Survivors every 0.2-0.4 seconds and last for roughly 5 seconds, dealing about 9 damage within second 1, 16 damage within second 2, 23 damage within second 3, 20 damage within second 4, and 14 damage within second 5.^[4]
• Keep in mind that the acid will set off gas cans, oxygen tanks, and propane tanks. You can take advantage of these to create an even more hazardous area then what you normally can. If you notice a particular player carrying these items, wait until they toss it and set it off early and delay them, or crush a strategy to set the Tank on fire without Molotovs, or just simply damage them.
• In places where fire is present, particularly Dead Center, some teams will run or jump through the fire. Spitting into the fire will increase the damage they take dramatically, and may even slow them down enough or force them to use their health kits earlier then usual.
• Despite the spit-projectile being halted by vertical surfaces, you can still spit through metal fences, such as the ones during the Crescendo Event of the second chapter of The Parish. Doing this is a good tactic, since Survivors may become confused as to your whereabouts, and you can hide behind the wooden parts of the fence, meaning you can repeatedly stop them in their tracks.
• If you manage to spit on the Survivors in the elevator in Hard Rain or in The Passing, this will cause massive damage, as the elevator is very small. (A patch has been issued for this where if the Spitter spits in a moving elevator, the pool will fizzle out quicker.)
• Although it is not visible in first person mode, spit still drips from the Spitter's mouth in Versus. While this dripping spit does no damage, it can be used to track down Spitters because the bright green spit shows very easily in dark places.
  • If a Spitter is standing on the edge of a ledge, spit will drip from its mouth and onto the first horizontal surface it comes into contact with. This means Survivors with a sharp eye may see the dripping spit and spot the Spitter.
• Hit and run attacks can be easily used to continually bring down the health of the survivors and to slow them down. The spit attack recharges rapidly and often survivors will simply be too busy running from the burning acid to notice where you are.
• On the second level of Dead Center, you can stand of top of the roof right next to the safe room door at the beginning of the level. You can spit in front of the safe room door which traps the Survivor in the safe room. This tactic will be helpful with the Boomer since he can vomit on any Survivor who dares to leave the safe room bringing a Horde of Common Infected to attack the Survivors. If the Survivors are incapacitated after the vomit attack, spit on them to inflict serious damage.
  • On an additional note, a Spitter spitting on a charge drastically increases damage to the Survivor who just got charged. The Charger's slam does 15 per slam, and that added with the Spitter's acid damage increasing then decreasing almost makes for a certain incapacitation of that particular Survivor. If the Charger should die before the Survivor is incapacitated but the acid is still up, the Survivor may still be incapacitated while getting back up from the charge.
• If you have spit recently and there is an incapacitated player shooting the Infected around them, remember that the Spitter leaves a pool of acid when she dies. If help is approaching for the fallen Survivor, it may be beneficial to move right up to them and attack with melee. In their current state, they may shoot you and you will cause extra damage before their help arrives, as well as delaying their team as they wait for the acid to dissipate.
• Spitters can spit while they are on "Infected ladders" and ladders themselves, this can be very useful since the Survivors are less likely to see her. However the spit that drops from her mouth can still be seen.
• Always remember that you leave a pool of acid on death. If you and the survivors are in a tight hallway or small room, you can block the doorway or hallway with your acid on death, forcing them to take damage to leave or wait. As mentioned, if they wait, your teammates have time to respawn and attack.
• If cornered, it is best to run into the Survivors instead of trying to flee since the Spitter leaves a pool of acid upon death.
• The Spitter will have an easier time spitting on players in an enclosed space than an open one.
• If a Survivor stands on your spit in mid-air, the spit's speed will be transferred onto them, making them be launched at high speeds. This is highly impracticable due to the small hitbox of the Spitter's spit, but using this, the Spitter has potential to instantly kill Survivors by launching them far up if spitting upwards from below a Survivor, leading them to fall to their deaths, or if the Spitter is above a Survivor and spits downwards at them, pushing them down at high enough speeds to kill them with fall damage.
  • An easier way of performing this is in the Impound Lot in The Cemetery, Survivors will need to climb up of a ladder to get out of the sewer, if a Survivor sees a Spitter on top of the ladder they might attempt to jump out of the ladder to escape (since the Spitter's acid can still hit them while they're climbing), you can use this moment to spit at them while they're in mid-air to push them downwards and greatly damage them.

Spitter Tips and Tricks Video

Good Ambush Spots

The Spitter doesn't need to be close to the Survivors to inflict damage, making her very useful for long-ranged purposes.

Left 4 Dead

No Mercy

The Apartments

• Spit into enclosed corners to split up the Survivors and help out your teammates.
• Spit in the stairways and the hallways — they're enclosed so the Survivors will be forced to move.
• Spit in front of the safe room doors so the Survivors cannot escape.

The Subway

• Spawn in the hole right above the safe room and spit in front of the safe room door.
• Hide under the safe room and spit where the Survivors will drop down.

The Sewer

• Spit in the hole that the Survivors go through after the Crescendo Event — they'll be forced to leave.

The Hospital

• There are a lot of tight hallways that you can spit on. Use the surrounding rooms for cover.

Rooftop Finale

• Find someplace high and spit anywhere the Survivors are camping to cause serious damage.
• Spit in front of the helicopter so the Survivors cannot escape.
• Spit at the Survivor using the minigun. They'll be forced to move or take a lot of damage.

Crash Course

The Alleys

• Look for enclosed areas to spit into.

The Truck Depot Finale

• Spit on the Survivor restarting the generator.
• Help out your teammates — if a Smoker, a Hunter, or a Charger has someone pinned, spit on them. They'll take increased damage from the acid.

Death Toll

The Turnpike

• Spit on the stairway that the Survivors head down.

The Drains

• Spit on the Survivors during the Crescendo Event — force them down into the waters.

The Church

• If they're camping in a corner, spit on them, especially in the church.
• Spit into the watchtower near the beginning of the chapter, or spawn up there and melee them.

The Town

• Spit into the safe room area.

Boathouse Finale

• Spit onto the docks to prevent the Survivors from escaping.
• Help out your teammates — spit on any pinned Survivor.

Dead Air

The Greenhouse

• Spit in the stairways and tight hallways.

The Crane

• Spit into the crane in order to impede their progress.

The Construction Site

• Spit on any camping Survivors.

The Terminal

• Spit in front of the safe room doors.
• Spit at the alarm right before the Survivors go through. If the alarm is triggered, they'll have no choice but to push forward.

Runway Finale

• Spit on any pinned or camping Survivors.

Blood Harvest

The Woods

• Spit on the Survivors when they're on the bridge.

The Tunnel

• Spit into the enclosed areas.

The Bridge

• Spit at the safe room door.

The Train Station

• Spit on the bridge before the ending safe room door.
• Spit when the Survivors are in the house.

Farmhouse Finale

• Spit in the cornfield! The tall plants along with any nearby common infected makes it harder to spot you or your spit.
• Spit in any camping places.

The Sacrifice

The Docks

• Spit into the buildings.
• Spit right before a Survivor opens the train car door.

The Barge

• During the Crescendo Event, spit into the crane.

Port Finale

• Spit at the generators when a Survivor is trying to start it.
• Spit at the Survivor sacrificing themselves close to or at the generator.

Left 4 Dead 2

Dead Center

The Hotel

• Spit on the stairs when the Survivors try to go to the lower floor to allow other Infected to hurt them.
• If you are a floor above them, sometimes your spit will still cause damage to them.
• Try spitting on them while they are near the ledges to make them hang, or sometimes even fall.
• Spit on them when they enter the elevator.
• When they have left the elevator you can use the smoke to hide better.
• Spit on them when they are close to the fire to do more damage.
• Spit on any biled Survivors — you'll cause plenty of damage.
• Spit when the Survivors try to get into the safe room to prevent them from getting in.

The Streets

• Spit on the door of the market to prevent them from entering or leaving.
• Spit inside the gun shop to cause massive damage.

The Mall

• Spit on the Survivors way when they go to the upper floors.
• Add extra damage with your spit when they are attacked by the Common Infected.

The Atrium

• Spit on the path to the elevator.
• Spit on the Survivors from the upper floors. (The fourth floor can only be accessed by the Infected).
• Spitting on gas cans that have been picked up and dropped by the Survivors will make them explode and cause a fire.
• Spit on the car when they try to fill it with gas.

The Passing

The Riverbank

• When the Survivors reach the wedding, try to force the Survivors to the Bride Witch with your spit. Work with your teammates to ensure their movement.

The Underground

• Spit in the water! The Survivors will be slowed down.

The Port

• Spit on the generator when the Survivors try to fill it with gas.

Dark Carnival

The Highway

• From the Whispering Oaks billboard, you have a good vantage point to force the Survivors to take a certain path, aiding your teammates in coordinating an attack pattern.

The Fairgrounds

• Use the Clowns to your advantage and spit where they're attacking.
• Spit at the fence that encases the merry-go-round.

The Coaster

• There is an area where the Survivors drop down to the lower half of the Tunnel of Love. Spit onto the Swan boat directly under this hole while the Survivors jump down.
• During The Screaming Oak gauntlet crescendo, spit in front of the Survivors' path on the coaster to stall them. Be warned that on such rare occasions, the roller coaster cars can run over Infected, and such events can kill anything on its way.
• Spit onto the control box the Survivors have to use to shut down the Roller Coaster.
• Spit on the control box the Survivors have to use to open the Roller Coaster.
• Spit on the Roller Coaster to delay the Survivors and allow your teammates to respawn. In several parts, you can spit on it, and either the Survivors must help anyone stuck below, or will have to wait. If they continue, they will most likely jump, causing them to take heavy damage (especially if a Tank is trying to catch up).

The Barns

• Spit up top on the barns.

The Concert

• Spit in front of the helicopter when it arrives to keep the Survivors from escaping.
• Try spitting on any gasoline the Survivors have spread out to take away their plans on killing any Infected.

Swamp Fever

Plank Country

• While on the roof of the building next to the ferry switch, try to spit on the ferry before it leaves. The Survivors will have a hard time avoiding the acid on such a small platform.

The Swamp

• When the Survivors reach the crashed plane, find out where they are going to camp and spit right on them to make them split up.

The Shantytown

• Spit in the tiny houses.

The Plantation

• Spit at the docks.
• Spit at the Survivor wielding the minigun.

Hard Rain

The Milltown

• Spit into the restaurant at the beginning of the level.
• This chapter is open, with a bunch of long streets. If the Survivors get cornered, spit on them.

The Sugar Mill

• Use the Witches to your advantage! If a Witch is wandering towards the Survivors, go behind them and spit on them. They'll instinctively run away from it, but it'll be in the direction of the Witch.
• Hide behind a Witch. They'll shoot you and possibly startle the Witch.
• Spit into the elevator when the Survivors get in.
• Spit into the sugarcane field ahead of where the Survivors are going.

Mill Escape

• Spit at the entrance to the elevator when the Survivors come up. They'll be forced to walk through the acid.
• Spit in the cornfield like above.
• There's less Witches in this chapter, but you've got the storm to help you out. When it starts raining hard, the Survivors will be blinded and attacked by a Horde of Common Infected. Spit on them then.
• Team up with a Boomer during the storm. When the Survivors get biled, spit on them.

Return To Town

• This is like The Milltown, but the storm is still happening. Spit during the storm.

Town Escape

• Spit on any pinned Survivors.
• Spit in the restaurant.
• Spit at the docks right before the boat arrives.

The Parish

The Waterfront

• Spit right when they turn the corner on the ramp at the beginning of the level.
• If they're at the jukebox and are hanging out, spit on them.

The Park

• This is a pretty open chapter. Team up with a pinning Infected and spit on pinned Survivors.
• Spit on them during the Crescendo Event — if the alarm is on, they'll have to run through it or fend off a Horde.

The Cemetery

• Spit in the sewers.
• Spit at the lot with alarmed cars. They may step on an alarmed car when trying to avoid your spit.

The Quarter

• This can be a confusing chapter, but there's a lot of enclosed spaces. Spit into those areas.
• Spit on the survivors camping on the roof.
• Spit on the float just as soon as it stops.

The Bridge

• Spit on the broken road just near the end of the bridge.
• Try to spit into the chopper at the end of the bridge; this will keep the Survivors from escaping and give more time for the Tank to catch up with them.

Achievements

Survivors

	ACID REFLEX	(15G)
	Kill a Spitter before she is able to spit.

Infected

	GREAT EXPECTORATIONS/SPIT HAPPENS	(15G)
	As the Spitter, hit every Survivor with a single acid patch.

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	A SPITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS	(15G)
	As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor being choked by a Smoker.

PC exclusive

	ACID BATH
	As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor who is pinned by a Hunter.

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	I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE
	As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor who is pinned by a Charger.

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	SPITFIRE
	Destroy 20 gascans as the Spitter.

Behind the Scenes

The Spitter once had a "tramp stamp" with Chet Faliszek's name in her design.^[5]

As seen in the concept art, the Spitter's pigtails originally were not tucked behind her head, but stuck out like antennas.

The Spitter also had a large, rounded stomach to give her a logical place to brew her acidic goo. However, during playtesting, it became apparent that many playtesters thought she was pregnant or called her pregnancy-themed names. Valve decided that this was rocky territory and made her stomach flatter to avoid any confusion.

In addition, one of her concept arts had shown that she was going to have her arms missing with bone exposed, and she had an unusual habit to excrement constantly, leaving her legs stained and a trail of feces on the ground.

She also had a comical pigeon-toed bird walk, changed for being more humorous than frightening.^[6] Her unused idle animation can still be seen in-game when a Spitter does her stumble animation, she will stumble then return to the unused pigeon-toed stance before her new idle animation takes over; the other scrapped animations are still present in the starter kit.

The Spitter's primary attack was going to behave in a manner similar to the Boomer's bile attack in which the acid would stick to the Survivor that it came in contact with. This concept, however, was scrapped since it made it too easy for Spitters to incapacitate Survivors.

In earlier versions of the game, the Spitter ran much faster and did not release any acid from her body when she died. She also had an acid-like mist that would float for a few seconds in mid-air after she spat at the Survivors; this was the older version of tracking the Spitter before the glowing drool. Her viewmodel hands also seemed to be bloodier, and were closer to the screen as seen in the Xbox 360 manual.

Originally, the Spitter's acid would change colors as it became more potent. It started as a greenish yellow, then turned orange and quickly became red.^[7] Another version had the acid as colored orange throughout the entire duration.^[8]

Notes

• The Spitter is the only Special Infected to have a special attack that can destroy items.
• The Spitter is also the only Special Infected who can use their primary attack while jumping, and on a ladder.
• According to Steam's global stats, as of March 2010, the Spitter has the most easily acquirable Game Achievement with the "Acid Reflex" achievement being awarded to 83.6% of all players of the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2.
• In Mercy Hospital there is an X-ray of an elongated neck, despite its absence in L4D. It is possible that this X-ray is a person that has been Infected with the same strain of the virus as the Spitter
• The Spitter's attack icon more closely resembles its concept art (seen below) than its final design.
  • The Spitter's multiplayer symbol is the only Special Infected symbol to not be completely black and white but also includes green.
• Sometimes, Ellis may add "dude" while calling out a Spitter.
  • When Bill or Francis kills a Spitter, they may say "He's dead" or "Popped a cap in his ass!", even though the Spitter is a female. This is due to the lines being reused from Left 4 Dead into Left 4 Dead 2, where all special infected save for the witch are male.
• Whenever Ellis kills a Spitter, occasionally, he may bring up unique dialogues, apart from generic dialogues upon killing any Special Infected, where he either criticizes the Spitter's appearance or tease Nick by treating the Spitter as his ex-girlfriend or mother. Unique dialogues also apply to the Witch Bride, only this time from all four survivors.
• The Spitter is among the few Special Infected not to appear in The Sacrifice Comic.
• The Spitter is the only Infected of any type who has the same amount of max health as the Survivors, being at 100 points. The only difference is the Spitter takes full damage from weapons like any other Infected while the Survivors do not (unless playing on Expert), making her as fragile as the Boomer.
• When you see the Spitter's foot you will see it is deformed in her right foot, but the left foot is normal.
• The Spitter occasionally makes bird-like sounds, which are also similar to HL2 headcrab pounces.
• Strangely enough, the Spitter's acid "floats" in mid-air upon death. This can be seen by killing the Spitter in areas such as the ledges of The Hotel and the unfinished floor of The Hospital in No Mercy.
• Even though the Spitter spits acid, none of the Survivors mention the word "acid"; they usually refer to the acid by the word "goo", "fire spit", or describe what it does instead.
• The color of the projectile which the Spitter launches is colored brown (and sometimes black), which should be green, because of the acid. Also, the Spitter's projectile in the Zombie Survival Guide is green liquid, but when in-game, it is a dark-colored solid which turns to liquid when on the floor.
• Despite her skin not being immune to her own acid, she doesn't take any damage if she steps on it.
• For balancing reasons, Survivor bots take reduced damage from acid on Normal/Advanced/Expert difficulty; they take same damage as on Easy difficulty.

Gallery

See image archive for more images…

See Also

• The Spitter's "Bacteria"
• Spitter sounds

References

External Links

• GameSpy Video: Left 4 Dead 2 Xbox 360 Gameplay — Shanty Town — Where a beta-stage Spitter can be heard preparing its attack at 0:49 seconds, and releasing it a moment later.
• SDCC 09: 360 Swamp Fever Gameplay — One of the first videos showcasing the Spitter's potent attack.
• Left 4 Dead 2: Highway Footage — The first video featuring the Spitter's current model.

The Infected
Playable
Introduced in Left 4 Dead				Introduced in Left 4 Dead 2
The Boomer	The Hunter	The Smoker	The Tank	The Charger	The Jockey	The Spitter
Non-Playable
Introduced in Left 4 Dead				Introduced in Left 4 Dead 2		Cut Infected
The Witch		Common Infected		Uncommon Infected		The Screamer