The Witch

"I'm gonna give that Witch something to cry about..."

- Rochelle/Francis

"RUN LIKE HELL!"

- Zoey

The Witch is a member of the Infected, and the only one initially passive to the Survivors. She is also the only non-playable Special Infected, deemed to be "too dangerous" by Valve. She resembles the average female Common Infected, except with some notable mutations. The Witch makes loud and eerie noises which resemble sobbing when in her 'passive' state. The noise can be heard long before the Witch is ever seen, allowing the player a chance to prepare a plan to deal with her. In the nighttime she crouches and slumps over, mostly immobile. During the daytime (in Left 4 Dead 2 only), she will sob standing up and will slowly wander, with her hands up to her face.

The Witch, like the Boomer and a few other Special Infected, can cause problems when you shoot her. When a Survivor gets too close to a Witch or damages her without killing her outright, she becomes 'startled'. When she is startled, she screams and advances on the Survivor that has startled her with great haste. Once she has reached the Survivor, she will slash at him/her, instantly incapacitating (or actually killing, only on the Expert mode or Realism on any difficulty) him/her. If the Survivor is incapacitated by her attack, she will continue to claw at him/her until either the Survivor or the Witch herself is dead. If she is still alive and the Survivor is dead, she will run off sobbing out of sight. The exceptions to this result of damaging her being a close up head-shot with a shotgun, a well-placed Pipe bomb, or (on Easy difficulty) one hit with the Chainsaw.

Extent of Mutations
The Witch has been heavily mutated by a strain of The Infection in terms of physical strength rather than appearance. Though resembling a typical female Infected, she has sharpened elongated fingers, similar to an effect of Marfan syndrome known as Arachnodactyly. Sometimes when a Witch is around Francis might say "I smell a Witch *sniff* *sniff* and she is close," and in the beta version of the opening trailer Louis comments upon startling the "Funky smelling bitch!" which means the Witch could have a putrid odor. Similar comments are made about the other infected, meaning they could all have their own distinguishing odors. In an interview with Chet, he claims that the Witch has a strange attraction to the smell of sugar, explaining why there are a large number of Witches near the Sugar Mill in Hard Rain.

Due to her mutation, the Witch has gained a massive increase in strength, enabling her to incapacitate or instantly kill Survivors in one hit. Needless to say, great care is vital on Expert. Her strength is not visible via muscle growth, unlike the Tank. She is known to cry when not aware of the Survivors, though the exact reasoning behind it is unknown. It is possible that it was an evolutionary advantage, meant to lure unsuspecting survivors to her, as further demonstarted in the intro of Left 4 Dead when Bill and Zoey go to investigate her crying, thinking she may be a survivor. Even though her mentality is largely similar to that of the typical Infected, she is not distracted by things like the flashing lights and beeps of a pipe bomb. She is also not apparently attracted by things such as car alarms going off, though this will alert her of the Survivors' presence. Oddly, she glows red in dark areas.

General Information



 * It is a widely-held belief that it is never worth starting a fight with a Witch. However, she is often unavoidable, sometimes spawning directly in the path of the Survivors with no alternative route. The Director will sometimes give a sign that a Witch has spawned on the map; there's a split second where a faint chord of the Witch's Theme will sound, after which you can hear the Witch crying.
 * She can and will appear on every difficulty and level (except in Chapter One, or in Survival mode), sometimes even twice or more. Her first strike on any Survivor will incapacitate them, after which she will pause and then begin ripping them to shreds. An exception to this is on Expert difficulty or Realism Mode, where she instantly kills the Survivors instead.
 * Witches have quite a long reach due to their long arms and claws, and have been known to incapacitate Survivors in mid-air causing them to land, incapacitated, in areas inaccessible to fellow Survivors.
 * After she has killed her target, the Witch begins to run around screaming and covers her head with her hands, seemingly to escape further hostility. She will still attack anything in her way, pushing Survivors back if they run into her. If she manages to escape from the Survivors, she mysteriously disappears once she is completely out of sight.

The Wandering Witch
During daylight time in Left 4 Dead 2, the Witch changes her behavior; instead of sitting in one spot, weeping, she walks aimlessly through the map, crying as bitterly as ever. In this state, they are referred to as Wandering Witches (also known as the Walking Witch or Daylight Witch) In the Hard Rain campaign, the Witches wander during daylight but become idle when night sets in.

She is still zoned out like the original Witch and still cries, but has different sounds and a new music cue. When a Survivor is near, the music cue gets more intense, as she starts growling, with her hands slowly moving away from her face. As she grows more agitated, she may stop moving, and may start looking around for the Survivors with her arms spread to maim whatever is disturbing her. When she is startled, her music cue becomes the startled music cue from the first Left 4 Dead. The Witch does not like the light, based on the way she covers her eyes and moves. This would explain why flashlights startle her in the original Left 4 Dead. This is probably the reason why flashlights do not anger her as much in the day as she is already in sunlight, hence this extra light would not startle her very easily if kept at a smaller distance to her than at night. The Wandering Witch is sometimes hard to avoid, leaving the Survivors in a situation that they must kill her to get past her. However, the range for angering the Witch due to proximity appears to be severely reduced to the point where one can nearly touch or even slightly damage her without startling her. thumb|250px|right

Despite the Wandering Witch's unpredictable nature, they are often easier to handle during the day than during the night. She is much harder to anger by proximity and presents a larger target, making it relatively easy to simply walk up behind her and fire a single shotgun blast to the back, killing her instantly. However, her height, motion and level lighting makes it harder to tell her from a Common Infected quickly and at range, and a hasty shot can easily set her off. Once startled, her actions are the same as at night; if she kills a Survivor she will immediately flee. Shooting the Witch while she is running away may cause her to attack the person who shot her. The Witch may sometimes stumble into hazards the player has created, such as patches of fire, so that she becomes startled and attacks. Her gait appears to be moderately slow, but do not be deceived: just like at night, she can move surprisingly fast even before being startled.

The Witch will also throw out her arms in a running pose when touched or run into by Survivors; a second later she will be startled.

When the sun goes down, the Witch will act the same way she does in Left 4 Dead, sitting and sobbing while waiting for the Survivors. Oddly, the Witch is significantly less aggressive during the nighttime in Left 4 Dead 2, even compared to the original game. Players can stand close enough that she looks up at them and growls, but she won't stand up or attack them unless they stand within poking distance, shine a light in her face, or attack her.

Events/Actions that startle the Witch
A Witch will at first growl threateningly and stand as a warning. If left alone she will eventually return to kneeling and sobbing. She will only attack upon being startled, homing in on specifically the character that startled her; however, if she is blocked by another Survivor in pursuit, she will attack that one instead, ignoring her old target. There is a long list of things that she does not appreciate:


 * Touching the Witch (though on rare occasions you can actually jump on or jump past the Witch in Left 4 Dead), or standing near her for too long. The Wandering Witch has a much higher tolerance for this.
 * Staring at her for too long, even from VERY far away. This usually only applies if she is aware of your presence (such as staring at her back from far away will not startle her, because she doesn't know you're there). The Wandering Witch has a much higher tolerance for these actions.
 * Explosions near her. Explosions will at first cause her to stumble, followed by attacking the Survivor who caused the explosion. If a Boomer is killed within her proximity, this will also startle her. If the Witch is not within a Survivor's line of sight, this will not startle her. You will simply hear the Witch scream, followed by sobbing.
 * Being within the Witch's "anger" proximity. In other words, if one Survivor makes the Witch start growling, another Survivor standing stock still and outside the Witch's usual personal space (being totally innocent) may startle her.
 * Shooting the Witch. If you don't actually hit the Witch, shots can land quite close to her without disturbing her, but you have to be far away; if you are too close and shoot near her (especially with shotguns), she will be startled immediately.
 * Setting her on fire. Even if another person has already startled the Witch, setting her on fire will cause her to change targets to the one responsible. This also means that setting the Witch on fire after she has killed her target will cause her to continue her attack until both the person who startled her and the flamer are dead. This means that two players with incendiary ammo upgrades can take turns firing at her one at a time, so she will keep running back and forth, not ever reaching a target. This can also be used to save someone from certain death on Expert.
 * Throwing a Bile bomb at the Witch. As long as it doesn't hit her, it can land very close to her, but Common Infected will not damage her.
 * Medium proximity with a flashlight pointed at the Witch. The Wandering Witch has a much higher tolerance for this.
 * According to in-game cvars, see console commands for details, one can discover that z_witch_personal_space 100 and z_witch_flashlight_range 400
 * In other words, a flashlight will startle the Witch at exactly four times the distance mere proximity would.
 * In extremely rare situations, the Tank will actually attack the Witch and startle her, but the Tank will kill her before she attacks anyone.
 * On rare occasions, if a Witch is approached from behind, she will not immediately notice that Survivor. But if she begins to stand and comes under large amounts of retaliating gun fire (from about three Survivors), instead of targeting the one who shot first, she will cover her head with her hands and try to run away. If she cannot escape the Survivor's line of sight, she will simply stand in a defensive position, covering her head. This sight is extremely rare since Witches are usually killed before they gain the opportunity to retreat.
 * A laser sight will NOT startle a Witch, unless you are too close (as always).
 * In The Passing, playing the sound system to the right of the Bride Witch may cause her to become startled and attack the person who turned it on.

Cr0wning the Witch
The achievement "Cr0wned" is awarded for killing a Witch with a single shot from any shotgun. Despite the implication in the name and common FPS logic, it is actually inadvisable to aim for her head: the back presents a much easier target. As the Witch has 1000 hitpoints and a shotgun blast does just slightly over that, every pellet from the shotgun must hit the Witch or she will only be startled (if the player is using a tier 1 shotgun they will not have time to fire a second, killing, shot before the Witch can incapacitate or kill them). The easiest way to do this is to walk up behind the Witch, wait for her to stand up (to give you a bigger target), and fire at point blank just before she startles.

Many players use "cr0wn" as a verb, meaning simply to kill the Witch with a shotgun before she can attack anyone. This includes conditions that would not result in the achievement being awarded, such as killing her with two quick shots from an automatic shotgun, a much easier proposition. Sometimes, if you try to cr0wn the Witch via headshot and she sees you when you fire, the game will state that you have startled the Witch.

Tactics

 * Avoid confrontations with Witches whenever possible. If you are skilled at cr0wning, you might want to kill her that way, as it will save you the trouble if you wander off near her previous location when under attack by a Tank or other Special Infected (sometimes even Common Infected).
 * If sobbing is heard, it means a Witch is nearby, so it's well advised that you switch off your flashlight, as they startle her from a further distance. When you hear the distinct Witch music, it means she is close, and this music will get louder the closer you get to her. You should alert your team once you hear crying, then again when you hear the music, so turn up your volume. If seen, tell the other Survivors exactly where she is. It helps a great deal to know they cast a red glow on themselves and their surroundings in dark areas. If there are Common Infected blocking your alternate path, try to snipe them from a distance or move through quickly using melee attacks, and avoid landing rounds anywhere near the Witch. This means to never use the shotgun near the Witch, as the shot pellets spray. Should the Witch be inside a room, the best solution is to shut the door and notify your teammates to not open that door. If low on ammo, or no one has explosives, the best solution would be sending in the Survivor with the least health. That way, if the Witch incapacitates them, there won't have been a very large health loss.
 * Inevitably, however, Witches will be provoked. The Director loves to put a Witch at choke points, such as outside the doorway of a safe room or underneath a Panic Event trigger, and it often places them in areas where Hordes arrive due to Panic Events. Sometimes, if feeling particularly cruel, the Director will place a Witch just outside the safe room, making progress difficult. If the Witch is obstructing a choke point and must be startled, set up a defensive line and throw explosives before opening fire. Use obstacles like subway cars, escalator ramps, office partitions, etc. to slow her down so that she never catches up to you.
 * Occasionally, players may successfully cause the Witch to fall off a building or ledge while she is in pursuit, especially across the rooftops in Dead Air. In the event that this happens, players MUST be on high alert. The Witch can and will survive the fall even if it's fatal to other Infected and will try to climb back up to continue attacking the Survivors. The Witch usually has a nasty habit of appearing elsewhere when successfully scaling to the top, thus allowing her to get the drop on unsuspecting Survivors. This in turn makes the situation more dangerous whenever she falls down out of sight. The only exception to this is in No Mercy in the construction section as shooting her will make her fall and die. Witchretreat.png
 * Another alternative is to have your team stand a fair distance from her, and bypass her one at a time. Move quickly so you can get past her before she even fully stands up, and duck out of her line of sight. As soon as she's back to sobbing, have another teammate cross her path, and repeat until all four Survivors have made it past her without trouble. If the Witch is accidentally startled (for instance, when a Smoker is choking an ally and you must shoot, or during a Horde attack), backpedal away from her while firing. The Witch pursues and will incapacitate or instantly kill the Survivor that startled her if she reaches him/her. It is also a good thing to keep in mind that Witches are slightly faster than the Survivors, so it is always a good idea to attack her at the farthest range possible (unless using the cr0wning tactic or carrying a shotgun which can be used to unload lead into the Witch, effectively killing her). However, lighting her on fire, such as with a Molotov, will startle her as well, and make her slightly slower, giving a Survivor a tiny advantage in speed.
 * Another method for avoiding her one-hit kill on Expert is being incapacitated by a teammate. The Witch will try to shred the incapacitated Survivor, allowing the others a chance to kill her before she kills the Survivor. Only attempt this if the Witch has already been startled.
 * Another tactic proven to work on all difficulties is to sneak up behind a Wandering Witch and fire a shotgun into her backside as fast as possible from a very close range. A Tier 2 shotgun is more preferable due to increased damage and faster firepower. If done fast enough, the first two shots should have been fired without her reaction, and she should be dead before the she can make a move to attack you. This is very useful in The Sugar Mill, but it is advised to practice it first.
 * In Left 4 Dead 2 you can use a Chainsaw on her back. She should stay paralyzed, and should die immediately. However this tactic has been known to encounter failure on Advanced and Expert difficulties; on these difficulty levels, avoidance remains the best strategy.
 * Another way to deal with the Witch is to unload an entire magazine of Explosive Ammunition on her, which is effective (since the explosions will stun her long enough) as long as there's enough Explosive Ammunition to spare. Regardless, avoidance still remains the best strategy.
 * The Witch, unlike the Tank, can't break down the safe house door after it's been opened and closed again, so of course, there are a few tactics to exploit this fact. One tactic, if the Witch is close to the beginning of the level, would be for three Survivors to hide in the safe house with the door open and for the Survivor with the most/least health to startle the Witch and get inside the safe house before the Witch incapacitates/kills them and close the door. As soon as the player enters the door, the Witch's AI acts like the player has been killed. The Witch will run away after a few seconds, and as soon as she does, it is safe to leave the safe house again. Although It is to be noted that Witches seem to be able to attack further through a safe room door, so It is recommended to stand well back from the door.
 * Be careful around Jockeys when there is a Witch around. Jockeys almost always steer Survivors toward Witches, given distance factors.
 * Amazingly enough, you can get the Witch to kill herself. Set up a Gas can behind a door. Shoot the Witch, close the door, and when she swings her arms to tear down the door, this will also destroy the Gas can, causing a fire to spread, she won't kill anyone, and you may shoot her to help speed up the process.
 * Also a good strategy if you cr0wn the Witch is to shoot a second time to make sure you didn't startle her so she does not move. Do this quickly, so if you shoot her in the head and shoot a second time right after the first shot ensures you killed her.
 * If a Survivor manages to startle her, and she kills him, don't keep shooting her as it is a waste of ammo for she'll have escaped by then.
 * If at least two Survivors melee a Witch, it will kill her instantly while possibly startling her at the same time.
 * The Witch and Wandering Witch can be stunned with explosives like the Grenade Launcher, Pipe bombs, or Explosive Ammo, but the Wandering Witch cannot be stunned by a headshot with a Hunting Rifle or Sniper Rifle.
 * If playing on Versus, it is always a good idea to have someone on your team use a Hunting or Sniper Rifle, therefore if a Jockey is steering someone towards the Witch, you can eliminate the Jockey without going near the Witch.
 * The Witch can be killed with an AK-47, but it involves a bit of skill. Stumble her with an explosion, (for example, a Propane tank) crouch, and unload a full magazine of rounds at her. Even when she is charging towards you, it is important that you do not move, as your crosshairs will widen, causing you to miss more shots. The closer she gets, the more accurate your shots will be (because you have a larger target). It takes almost a full magazine (about 35 shots) to kill her. It is only recommended to practice this on lower difficulties in case the Witch incapacitates or kills you. It is also a good idea to get as much distance as possible before shooting the Propane Tank and having someone else with you.

Preparing for a Witch

 * It is wise to have at least one person on the Survivor side armed with an Auto (Tactical) Shotgun or a Combat Shotgun, or at the very least a Pump Shotgun or Chrome Shotgun. That way, if you have no way of sneaking past her, you will have a better fighting chance against her. Shotguns have the remarkable ability to "cr0wn" Witches — kill in one headshot — whereas the other weapons cannot. The Hunting Rifle and Sniper Rifle have much longer range, which can prove useful in striking the Witch from a further distance - especially if there are several terrain impediments the Witch must cross. This gives your team more time to eliminate her.
 * A Molotov is able to slow a Witch down slightly as well as doing damage to her. Gas cans have the same effect as lighting her on fire, though Survivors will have to shoot the gas can near her. A Propane tank, when used correctly, can stun the Witch and make her stagger momentarily, as well as inflicting damage. Putting the propane tank in her running path and exploding it at the right moment can allow more time for the Survivors to shoot her.
 * A burning Witch moves slower and will die after 15 seconds.
 * Potentially dangerous, but useful, it is smart to locate the Witch first. That way, if you are retreating or need a place to hide during a Crescendo Event, you will know where not to go.
 * Turn off your flashlight, this way she is less likely to be startled.
 * Even without the flashlight, she can still be seen as she casts a red glow on herself and the area around her; watch out for her glowing red eyes!
 * Make sure you are reloaded and stocked with ammo; you don't want to upset her and have nothing to back you up.
 * It is often best to have three or more players equipped with Tier 2 weapons or, failing that, at least have variety in your weapons, as it truly helps it to make her go down faster.
 * If you're going Witch hunting in Left 4 Dead 2, have the Witch Hunter be equipped with a Magnum Pistol and a Tactical Shotgun or Combat Shotgun. The Tier 2 shotguns, with their short delay, are excellent for cr0wning Witches, and if the Witch Hunter is incapacitated, a Magnum with the force of the other teammates' bullets will down the Witch in seconds.
 * The best secondary weapon against Witches is the Chainsaw. With the Chainsaw, rev it up and charge the Witch. It is most effective when you attack her in the back. She will be surprised and start growling, but it is possible to kill her without startling her; it kills Witches very quickly (as aforementioned, not recommended on Advanced or Expert difficulty).
 * If two Survivors have melee weapons, they can kill the Wandering Witch before she can incapacitate anyone on any difficulty. It is unknown if this works for the normal Witch, and was only tested with Nightsticks, Katanas, and Machetes (the fastest weapons according to Tank killtime). It is possible to kill the Wandering Witch alone with a Machete, but it is more luck-based, requiring you to dodge the Witch's first slash in order to squeeze in all four attacks.
 * The best primary weapons against the Witch in Left 4 Dead 2 are the Grenade Launcher, the Sniper Rifle, the Combat Shotgun, and the Tactical Shotgun. The Grenade Launcher is effective with its ability to stumble the Witch, however it lacks the damage to kill her in one or even two hits, leaving you fairly vulnerable to her attack. The Combat Shotgun with its tight spread will also down the Witch. The Tactical Shotgun is also effective, but with its wide spread one needs to be close to the Witch.
 * If you have Adrenaline, take it before you attack the Witch. The speed boost will keep you out of her range until your teammates shoot her down, as long as you keep moving away from her. However, if the Witch is not killed before the speed boost runs out, she can catch up with you and incapacitate or kill you (depending on the difficulty).
 * Explosive Ammunition is incredibly useful, as it causes the Witch to stumble, allowing more time to do damage to her. You can also shoot a Witch with a full magazine of Explosive Ammunition, and an AK-47 will do enough damage to kill her. This has the added benefit of not causing her to become startled - so long as she never gets the chance to recover - like a proper cr0wning, handy for achievements.

Witch tactics that do not work

 * Meleeing against a Witch with the butt of your gun, unless she is stunned.
 * Only the shotgun can deal a great amount of damage to the Witch at close range. Attempting to use anything else in a confined space with little means of escape will cause you to get incapacitated or killed by her.
 * Startling a Witch from several rooftops away (especially on the Dead Air campaign) and expecting the Witch to have difficulty reaching you. Unfortunately, she can climb buildings quickly out of sight, so stay cautious.
 * If the Witch killed a Survivor and is fleeing, do not attack her. This would waste ammunition, and it is possible to startle the same Witch more than once by setting her on fire. Also remember to stay out of her way, as she may hit you if you block her path when she's retreating. Eventually, she will disappear and respawn somewhere else in the map.
 * Closing a door on her while she's chasing you. Although the Intro Scene shows the Witch having difficulty destroying a door, she tears it down in one or two hits in-game. Though this may buy you some time to get farther away; on most occasions it does the opposite, as you waste time closing the door when you could be running for your life. The only doors you should close are the safe room doors, which are impossible for the Witch to break and thus make her simply flee.
 * Using a Bile bomb. It will not slow her down like when she is on fire, and the Witch is usually already gunned down once the Horde arrives (which means the Horde will attack you since its target is gone). However, if thrown at a great distance, a Bile bomb will cause a Witch to become confused and retreat.
 * Blocking her path in a narrow space (such as a doorway) when another Survivor has startled her. If a Survivor is blocking the only available path to her original target, the Witch will forget her first victim and instead attack the Survivor standing in her way.
 * Setting her on fire. If the Witch has killed her original target and someone sets her on fire, she will get startled and attack that Survivor, although this Survivor may be able to escape the Witch due to her slowed speed.

Hit & run
The best strategy for defeating the Witch relies on her established tendency to attack only the person who startled her. There are many tactics to exploit this:


 * Have a designated runner to disturb the Witch from afar while the other Survivors form a defensive line between the runner and the Witch. The runner should attack the Witch, preferably with a Molotov cocktail or a Gas can detonated by gunfire to ignite the Witch. While the runner is being chased, all the other Survivors must concentrate fire on the Witch, who generally moves in a straight line towards her target. If the runner is sufficiently far away and the other Survivors are sufficiently competent at aiming, then the Witch would be unable to inflict any damage. Keep in mind, however, that the Witch can switch targets if a Survivor other than her initial victim blocks her movement for too long. For example, she shoves you back but you are on a narrow catwalk and continue to block her path, or if she climbs something and you are right in front of her when she gets up. For the latter, no knocking back from her is needed. Also, in Left 4 Dead 2, she may change targets to a closer aggressor if the initial target doesn't attack her/does not do enough damage to her. The behavior seems somewhat similar to "threat" from MMO games.
 * In Left 4 Dead 2, the above strategy is even more effective if the runner uses Adrenaline prior to disturbing the Witch.
 * If you're fortunate enough to find her at the top of a ladder that has a space Survivors can use, use it by having the person who startled her climb a ladder and make the Witch follow. You can trap her under or above the Survivor and she can be easily picked off with any weapon (though you should be very careful with the shotgun, to avoid harming the bait).
 * Fire does damage over time to a Witch, and will kill her in 15 seconds. She will do a weird swayed run at you that is slower than usual, screaming from the heat, but can still attack you, unlike normal Infected. Throw a Molotov at the Witch from as far away as you can, then run back towards the beginning safe room (if close enough) while your allies open fire on the Witch. Also, make sure you close the safe room door behind you.
 * The Witch will retreat if someone startles her and runs into the safe room at the end or at the beginning of the chapter.
 * It is possible to just run away from a Witch. All you have to do is shoot her once and then turn and run. Don't look behind you at her, just keep running and looking ahead, as Source games are programmed to let people run slightly faster forwards. Just make sure nothing gets in your way and you know where you are going. After a bit she stops chasing you and goes into retreating mode, meaning she won't attack again unless startled again, but she will disappear if left alone for a bit.

Startle to kill
This is one of the easiest and the most effective tactic according to most players. This tactic is very easy to use, you don't even need to practice it. All you need is an Auto Shotgun. If a Witch spawns, get prepared with your Auto Shotgun. With you Auto Shotgun, walk or run beside the Witch with you flashlight open. At this point, the Witch will start growling, wait until she stands up and when she is about to attack you. Shoot the Witch at the torso with only a shot or two to ensure she's dead. Or you can also try to shoot her back about 2-5 times until she is dead. For the Wandering Witch, get near to her, and when she is about to attack, shoot her on the head. Note that all these actions will startle her, if not done properly, meaning the Witch will also might damage you.

Hunting Rifle/explosion melee
It appears that, somehow, if one stuns the Witch via a Hunting Rifle headshot, or if she is blown up using a Propane tank, Oxygen tank or Pipe bomb, she can be still stunned by your melee attacks, which makes her an idle victim. To perform this tactic, you must stun (shooting her when she is crying, not growling) her with a headshot or explosion and start using your melee attack on her before she can recover - then unload your ammunition into her. Once you need to reload, switch to your Pistols and continue. Is also possible to melee her when she's on fire. However, it's not recommended do so. In Left 4 Dead 2 headshots with a Hunting Rifle only stumbles stationary Witches but does nothing towards the Wandering Witch. Pipe bombs and Oxygen tanks still work, however.

Note: This does not count as startling the Witch.

Other Witch-killing tactics

 * At maximum possible distance, have your Hunting Rifle/Sniper Rifle player shoot the Witch in the head as many times as possible. One can kill a Witch by unloading a full magazine into her from the Hunting Rifle, however the larger magazine size and rate of fire of the Sniper Rifle is clearly better for taking down a Witch. It is always wise, however, to have the other Survivors around you, just in case.
 * As an added variant of the above, you can use a Molotov, Gas can, or a Propane tank to finish the Witch if you are on a wide even ground. This tactic needs preparation and foresight, and works better with the regular Witch rather than the Wandering Witch. You must use Sniper Rifles for this to be effective. Lay down said items to the path in front of you, preferably midway. Set your distance. Then shoot the Witch as many times as you can. When she approaches the area where you laid down the said items, shoot those to inflict more damage. If you used Molotovs instead, keep shooting, as when the Witch approaches the fire, she'll be engulfed in flames and will be depleted of health faster. On easier difficulties, the fire or blast will finish the Witch off. If you used a propane tank, this will stumble the Witch, buying more time to finish her off.
 * Line up your team like a firing squad, within suitable distance from the Witch. Using one of the scoped rifles, a well-placed headshot will stun the Witch and knock her back before she is startled. During these few seconds of startled time, have everyone open fire on her and she will die surprisingly fast. This method is also extremely useful against Tanks if you're not using shotguns, which have an aggressive damage drop off.
 * Using a Minigun if one is nearby. It has the power to kill a Witch so quickly that it may not even be startled. This is rare, however.
 * Form a square. While not that complex or daring, it is possible, with enough firepower to have her switch targets just before incapacitating/killing the player. Keep on shooting to make sure she's dead, because if one person thinks she's dead, she may strike down a Survivor. Don't use shotguns, because the wide spread will not be effective, and possibly hit other teammates.
 * A good strategy (especially on easy when the Witch has less health) is if someone has a Grenade Launcher and shoots the Witch with it. This will not kill the Witch, not even on Easy, but it will make her stumble, and give plenty of time for the team to kill her.
 * Using any melee weapon, you may be able to kill the Witch quickly by running up to her and hitting the back of her neck twice. This works well if everyone else is shooting at her while you do this (make sure that they only start to shoot it after you have already hit it the first time, otherwise it will proceed to attack whichever Survivor shot it). However, this method is in no way advised, as it usually results in the melee person being incapacitated or killed by the Witch.
 * "Using" a Tank to kill a Witch. It has been seen by some people where the Tank hits a Witch, killing her instantly. This is usually done by accident, however, but it is possible.
 * Going out of the map. In some campaigns in Left 4 Dead, you can glitch outside the map, shoot her, and she will run away.
 * In Left 4 Dead, en route to The Sewers, the Witch may spawn near a destructible gasoline station near the lift that takes you to the rooftops. If the Witch is located very near the gasoline pumps, you can destroy the gasoline station and the Witch along with it. The environmental damage it causes will kill her outright.
 * Other map hazards can be exploited either to kill the Witch or buy time to kill the Witch. One such example is the cliffs in The Highway in the start of Dark Carnival. Have the startler provoke the Witch if she's down on the river. Once startled, let two or three members (human-controlled) go down the cliff and unload on the Witch while she's climbing up. Keep distance and shoot only when she's climbing. This may not be a good idea if the other three Survivors have incendiary rounds, as this will cause the Witch to fall from the cliff and switch targets.
 * Having high ground is always an advantage. If you spot the Witch on an extremely low ground, do not hesitate to open fire. Just make sure she will die before she can even reach you. Sniper rifles are the best weapon to use in this situation. This is best done on maps such as on the slides in The Fairgrounds.
 * Kill any Witches first before starting a Crescendo Event. This means before summoning endless Hordes, eliminate the greatest danger first; in this case, the Witch. This is advisable on The Barns approaching the safe room leading to The Concert, especially if the Witch is inside the fence.
 * At the start of The Tunnel, once you have gone down the stairs, there is a good chance of a Witch spawning. If that happens, there is a narrow ledge at the other end. Stand or crouch on it and find the Witch. If you have a pipe bomb (you WILL need it for this to work), throw it at the Witch. Stay on the ledge while she chases you down. She will then run HALFWAY up the yellow door (the one at the 45 degree angle) and then fall off. She will repeat this until dead.
 * Arm two (or more) people with Incendiary Ammo, then have the people surround the Witch (give yourself some distance) and fire at her one by one. She will rage and switch targets over and over with each shot, ensuring that she will not reach any one of the Survivors.

Non-violent tactics

 * Without touching the Witch, Survivors file past her one-by-one, each waiting for her to go from growling back to the "safe" crying state before making their move. If you don't wish to wait so long, you can try a more risky option and file past her two-by-two. Remember to turn off flashlights so the Witch isn't aggravated as quickly.
 * In rare situations, the Witch will spawn in an open doorway. If you can run up and close the door on her body without startling her, thereby jamming her in the doorway. She will get up and run away without a fight. In addition, if the Witch spawns on the opposite side of a closed door, one can open the door on her with the same result. This has been confirmed on Normal, Advanced, and Expert modes. Just keep an eye on Suvivors' positions so you don't block her fleeing path.
 * A risky tactic is to run and jump over her if she's blocking a choke point such as a doorway. This is possible on Easy or Normal. This will aggravate her a lot, but if done correctly, she will not be startled. It is not advisable to do this if the Witch is in front of stairs.
 * Another quite useful and easy tactic is to crouch by her and repeatedly melee her. She will not move at all while you are doing this, and eventually will sit back down on the ground. Once she is on the floor again, she will proceed to ignore the Survivors unless shot. Valve has confirmed this was not intended, but decided to leave it in the game for humor's sake. This does NOT work on the Xbox 360 Game of the Year version. It will just make her angrier.
 * If someone startles the Witch, have them hang off a ledge. A good level is The Hospital. The game counts as the player being downed, and the Witch will just run off. If the player is helped up, she won't attack them because she thinks she killed that player. This is a good alternative to downing the player to friendly fire on expert to avoid the one-hit kill, because hanging deals no damage to the player. It will, however, lower your health once you've been helped up if you've been hanging for a long time.
 * A tactic with Wandering Witches is to simply watch her until she exits the path, and when the path is clear, you run past the Witch without disturbing her. This, however, risks for the AI Director to think you stayed in one place for too long and may summon a Horde.

Infected
Although you cannot play as the Witch, you can "use" her:
 * Smokers can drag Survivors to the Witch.
 * Jockeys can steer Survivors towards the Witch.
 * This works especially well on the Sugar Mill
 * Hunters and Boomers can crouch in front of the Witch, obscuring her from the Survivors' sight. Alternately, if a Boomer is killed while the Survivors are relatively close to the Witch, the explosion will startle her, sending her after the person who killed the Boomer. It is also useful to crouch behind her, as they will not risk trying to kill you if it would alert the Witch.
 * Spitters can protect the Witch by spitting acid near her. As instinct, Survivors will usually attempt to get away from the acid puddles quickly, which may cause them to touch the Witch or get near the Witch, which will force them to deal with her quickly.
 * If you pounce a Survivor as a Hunter while the Witch has already incapacitated someone and is attacking, you will not be damaged, and the Survivor will die twice as fast. You will also get points for the damage she inflicts, but very rarely, if a Survivor disturbs a Witch and you pounce on the fleeing Survivor, the Witch will attack and instantly kill you.
 * Some Hunter players crouch just out of sight near the Witch, waiting until a player runs up to attack the Witch, then pounce them just before they get a chance to fire. This gives the Witch the potential to do a lot damage, possibly even killing the Survivor if timed properly.
 * The Tank can throw Survivors when he punches them, which could be used to get a Survivor near a Witch. It would be difficult to actually get the Survivor to hit the Witch.
 * Most experienced Survivor teams will have three players take up defensive positions while one goes up to cr0wn the Witch. As a Smoker, you can strangle the player who was tasked with Witch-killing just as he/she is about to cr0wn her. The Witch will be startled, and the Survivor is basically a sitting duck.
 * An Infected player can melee the Witch just as she looks up when a Survivor gets too close, sending her after them. Melee damage is negligible for all Infected other than the Tank.
 * Chargers can bring a Survivor to a Witch, but this requires a lot of work and proper aim. Instead, try using a Charger to protect the Witch from Survivors (auto shotgun or chainsaw-wielding Survivors.) When the Charger grabs one, the other Survivors will run to their rescue, which is prime time for a Jockey or Smoker to pull a Survivor right to her.
 * If a Wandering Witch is around in an area Survivors must go to, attempt to cause some panic near her. Survivors may hit her by mistake or move too close, attempting to kill you or your teammates and startle her.
 * Remember that the Wandering Witch's movements are erratic. Smokers and Chargers may miss bringing Survivors close to her, attempt to predict her movements and grab Survivors when she stands still or in enclosed spaces, so it is advised to use a Jockey.
 * If a Survivor has set the witch growling, you can claw her, which will send her rage to its peak, making her "personal space" area much larger.
 * In the first Left 4 Dead, it has been known for several players to, as the Hunter, crouch by her, claw her until she gets startled, and leap away toward the Survivors, where she will proceed to kill the player playing the Hunter, then angrily incapacitate or kill one or two Survivors.

Cr0wnd (30G)

 * Kill a Witch with a single headshot.

Contrary to popular belief, this achievement cannot be earned in the conventional way with a Hunting Rifle, usually taking 12-15 shots even with a headshot.

The achievement is surprisingly "easy" (if nerve-wracking) to do if you have a Pump Shotgun, and even easier with an Auto Shotgun. To get the cr0wnd achievement, you have to kill her before she is startled. The achievement name "cr0wnd" splits into two words; "crown" (as in crowned) and "0wned", and can also refer to "crowned", referring to the placing of a 'crown of lead' on the Witch's head (also meaning "crown"). Crone is another name for a Witch. 0wned is a common gamer term used when the victim is very easily slaughtered. The word combination leads to cr0wnd — an effortlessly killed Witch. Another possible origin comes from the fact that "crown" is an archaic term for head.

It may also be a nod to the less obvious (but more gruesome) fact that when someone is shot through the head, the initial exit of the bullet, bone and blood from the skull can briefly resembles a tiara or 'crown'. Normally too fast for the eye, it is usually seen on slow motion video and only if the victim has been shot with a small caliber weapon, such as a pistol. Grimly ironic, a shotgun would be too powerful for this task.


 * Approach the Witch without startling her, preferably quickly to give you a chance to do something while she starts moving to get up. Aim your shotgun at her head when you are in extremely close proximity. If you fire your shotgun and miss with the weapon's spray, the Witch will become startled and attack you. If the Witch is approached from behind, she will even present her face as a prime target by looking over her shoulder. From there, a single blast from the shotgun will defeat her (though as a cautionary measure, always shoot more than once). If feeling particularly audacious, another tactic involves running at the Witch and shooting straight downward into her face while jumping over her. Make sure the Witch is still kneeling before attempting this, however, because if she is standing, the only thing this tactic yields is a freshly-opened chest cavity. Also note that this will not count against Do Not Disturb, as she will die before becoming startled. To get the achievement, you need to make sure every pellet from the shotgun's blast impacts her head. Some things to remember include:
 * You do not have to shoot her in the head to get this achievement. The real point of this achievement is to kill her without startling her. If multiple shotgun blasts make contact, but it never said she is startled, it will count as a cr0wn. It may be easier to shoot her in the back, rather than the head, due to a larger target area. It is possible to kill her from the front, side, or even from below if she is on a platform (as long as you are close to her - doing it from below will not work if she is much higher than you are).
 * Some players prefer crouching in front of the Witch, thereby tightening the shotgun cross-hairs and increasing the chance of getting all the pellets in the Witch's face. The only downside to crouching is that it does not let the Survivor run away fast enough from the Witch if the first couple of shots fail.
 * Don't hesitate. If you approach her and hesitate to fire, you may find she'll be startled before you attack her. If she's startled, it will be extremely hard to kill her before she gets you. However, if you try to kill her too quickly, you are likely going to miss and lose. Take your time and preferably wait for her to stand up to get a clear shot.
 * The flashlight will affect the speed at which the Witch gets aggravated before being startled. If possible, turn off the light before attempting to cr0wn her, as it may mess up your timing.
 * With an Auto Shotgun you can get in two shots if you are hasty, but you'll want to be sure your teammates are still there to get her off you before you try this, unless it's Expert difficulty, in which case you'll be instantly killed.
 * Practice will easily teach you when to shoot and when not to. This can be achieved in the Developer Commentary on the level The Sewer. At the very end of the level, in front of Mercy Hospital's entrance, there is a commentary node that when activated, will spawn a Witch. The Witch can be killed and respawned for an infinite number of times. This way, you can practice killing her in one shot. However, the achievement itself cannot be unlocked in "Commentary Mode". It is only useful for practice. It's important to note that she can still attack any bot teammates, and if shot with a hunting rifle she will stumble, then attack you.
 * It is possible to cr0wn the Witch with a Minigun, although this may be rare, as Witches generally do not spawn near turrets.

Do Not Disturb (20G)

 * Sneak past all Witches in a campaign without disturbing one.

Successful Cr0wning does not disqualify the player(s) from getting the "Do Not Disturb" achievement. This can be difficult if trying to achieve by yourself. The Director seems to like putting them in the way, particularly at the bottoms of ladders, or in front of an invitingly open door to a safe house, and realistically every group of Survivors finds they absolutely must come into conflict with the Witch. This is why getting the "Do not Disturb" achievement is considered somewhat hard to obtain, as it depends on The Director not placing one in the way of the Survivors, and because your bot teammates usually fail at sneaking past her. It is quite possible for two Witches to spawn near each other, so it's best to leave your flashlight off until you can no longer hear her crying. Your bot teammates will usually notify the team if they hear another Witch. This can even occur on Easy. Your best bet would be to play through the Blood Harvest campaign, Death Toll campaign or the Crash Course campaign. The Witch sometimes spawns in the woods, and makes sneaking past her a breeze. It’s important to note that when the Witch threateningly growls and stands, this will not count against this achievement. Once you get the "X has startled the Witch" message, it isn't possible to get the achievement on that play through.

Witch Hunter (20G)

 * Kill a Witch without any Survivor taking damage from her.

This is more difficult than "Tankbusters" (a similar achievement for the Tank), but the easiest way is to do it in levels with platforms, like the No Mercy campaign. Just try to get above the Witch, and then have everyone unleash hell on her. If there is plenty of space between you and the Witch, and you are playing with two or more person-controlled players, just make sure everyone has a full magazine in an Assault Rifle and start unloading on her from a safe distance. She should die before reaching you. It is best to do this on Easy mode. It'll take her a while to reach you. This achievement can be automatically awarded upon achieving Cr0wnd. This achievement can also be easily achieved on easy by releasing several shots from the Auto Shotgun in close range, killing her easily, make sure to back up as you are doing this as she will get close. You can also try setting a gas can at a door, shooting the Witch and closing the door. She will claw down the door, breaking the gas can, and since YOU did not set her on fire, the Witch will simply run in a straight line, screaming.

Burn the Witch (10G)

 * Light a Witch on fire with a Molotov.

"Burn the Witch" a reference to a medieval practice where people (usually older women) believed to be witches were burned in public. You still get this achievement if you do it with gasoline; this also applies to the Towering Inferno achievement. Just like Witch Hunter, try to get onto a platform above the Witch for the easiest shot, since she'll be immobile and you can take aim. If there are no platforms, just get at the closest range you can without her reacting.

Sob Story (30G)

 * Navigate the Sugar Mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches.

If you do happen to startle a Witch, letting a teammate die will not ruin your chance at the achievement, nor does making her retreat (though this is very rare). It is recommended that players use melee weapons and grab any Defibrillator the Survivors find. If used properly, Bile bombs may also be useful for non-lethally removing any Witches in your way.

Behind the Scenes
Originally, the Witch was to attack the entire group upon being startled. However, this was cut from the final game because it was deemed too difficult, as she would often wipe out the whole group with little trouble. Despite only attacking one person in the final game, writing about the Witch on a safe room wall reads "I once saw one tear apart 10 people!", implying that the Witch may still attack entire groups, even if she doesn't during gameplay. But if the Witch has been startled by someone and someone else threw a Molotov at the Witch, the Witch will attack whoever burned her, even if she already incapacitated someone.

Glitches and Oddities

 * Sometimes, if you are in a room directly above the Witch, you will hear her growl softly like you entered her territory, despite the fact that you cannot see her and she can't see you. This happens in areas like The Crane, in the office buildings.
 * If a Witch is in a closet and you pass by, she will notice. You will hear her growl. If you stay in that area, she will continue to be angered, despite the wall. After about thirty seconds, she will become startled. This may be a glitch.
 * When being healed by an AI-controlled Survivor and a Wandering Witch is in the area that would cause her to become startled, she won't attack until the AI is done healing the player.
 * When the Witch is examined up-close, it can be noted that her face was not given any facial animations like the Common Infected. This is also the case with most Special Infected, except for the Boomer, who slightly moves his mouth.
 * On rare occasions a Witch will be startled and freeze with her arms raised and her head, and will keep following the person who startled her. This will sometimes even happen after she incapacitates the person who startled her. She may also glide in the direction she was running instead, not being able to move and stopping all her animations after incapacitating the Survivor.
 * When examining a Wandering Witch up-close, it can be noted that her footsteps are not in sync with her movement, thus making her appear as if she is 'gliding' on surfaces or 'moonwalking'.
 * In Left 4 Dead 2, never use Incendiary Ammo on a Witch if you didn't startle it, especially after the Witch incapacitated or killed its victim. Setting it on fire will make it immediately go after whoever shot them, even if it just killed or incapacitated the person who originally startled her.
 * This has been fixed on PC, but is still present in the Xbox 360 version. Cr0wning the Witch with incendiary ammo will glitch her into becoming invincible, and the bots will not register her alive and attempt to revive you while you are down. She will continue to attack until you die, but instead of running away after the player is killed, she runs around in a certain area with her arms flailing instead of over her head. If you do cr0wn her with Incendiary ammo in the Witch Hunter screen, it will show that you did enough damage to kill her (near 1000), even if you unloaded many more shots than what would do that amount of damage.
 * Sometimes, if you cr0wn a Witch, it will say you inflicted more than 1000 damage to her (often between 1020 to 1050.) This is probably just the extra damage during her dying animations. Also, if you use a Molotov to kill a Witch, it rarely states that you actually inflicted any damage to her (sometimes saying you inflicted about 30 damage.) This is likely because it was the fire, not you directly, that killed her. The small damage that it does registered to her in this way is probably from the the initial explosion the Molotov gives off.
 * If a Witch slashes a door that is indestructible (like a freezer door), blood will come out the door, despite the fact she didn't hit anything living, like a Survivor. However, it could be the blood from her claws.
 * If the Witch misses at attempting to slash a Survivor somehow, blood will still splatter. This is probably because Valve set this up so whenever the Witch would attack, she would hit her target. This shows that the blood splattering effect is actually a product of the Witch's attack, rather than its impact with a Survivor. This could also indicate that her claws either have blood on them from another attack, or possibly that her hand is bleeding from some area.
 * If a pipe bomb is set off right next to a Wandering Witch, you will see a blood spatter and hear her scream, but her corpse will just disappear. The game will also show that you only dealt about 15 damage.