Uncommon Infected

Not to be confused with Special Infected

The Uncommon Common Infected, Uncommon Infected, or simply the Uncommon are new forms of the Common Infected introduced in Left 4 Dead 2. They have the same general weaknesses as their common brethren, but they have slightly more health than them. Each one has unique properties that can impede the Survivor's progress.

The Survivors often comment on the Uncommon Infected, with the exception of the Worker Infected, noting their unusual attire and abilities.

Reflective Appearance
Each Uncommon Infected have reflective clothing, helping differentiate them from the regular Common Infected: These reflective areas can be easily seen by turning your flashlight on.
 * The CEDA Worker Infected have reflective areas on their suits.
 * The Clown Infected wear reflective makeup, which is arguably the least noticeable.
 * The Mudmen's mud is reflective.
 * The Worker Infected have reflective vests, which are most noticeable during the storms.
 * The bands on the Riot Infected's arm, along with the word "Security" on his chest are reflective.
 * Some Fallen Survivors have reflective bright red first aid kits on their backs.

Tactics

 * See Common Infected's Tactics and Tips

Much of the same tactics for Common Infected will apply to most of the Uncommon Infected, as the Director will control them in the same way as normal Common Infected. However, Uncommon Infected benefit off increased damage resistance; such examples are prominent in Advanced and Expert where high power weapons like a Hunting/Sniper Rifle will take two shots to kill an Uncommon Infected compared to one for Common Infected. Their attire and appearance also give them extra advantages over their common brethren.

Additionally, certain Uncommon Infected carry valuable supplies that the Survivors could make use of. Strategically choosing when to shoot at them may be necessary to ensure the supplies are not dropped out of reach.

Types of Uncommon Infected
There are several different types of Uncommon Infected, which are generally restricted to certain chapters of campaigns.

CEDA Worker Infected
"Guess those suits don't stop bites."

- Nick "Fireproof zombies. Hooray!"

- Rochelle

The CEDA Worker Infected was the first Uncommon Infected to be announced and appear in the Left 4 Dead 2 campaign, Dead Center in The Hotel and The Streets. Players will occasionally come across Common Infected wearing a hazmat suit (which appears to be of Level A (U.S.)/Type 1 (EU) rating), which was worn prior to the person being Infected. When killed, there is a chance of them dropping a Bile Bomb (in which case it will be seen strapped to their side). When shot in the face, blood will splatter across the visor, and the sound of air hissing out of their now-punctured hazmat suit can sometimes be heard.

Their limbs are detachable but players cannot cut them in half, even with a chainsaw. This fact means the hazmat suit was intact after its occupant had become Infected. The most logical explanation is that hazmat suit wearers were Infected prior to donning their suits, thus rendering this ostensibly protective gear redundant. An alternative theory based on the "escaping air" sound heard when these enemies are shot assumes that different parts of the suit have independent air supplies. Through development of Left 4 Dead 2, the campaign the CEDA Worker Infected appeared in changed from The Parish, to extend to Dead Center, to being removed from The Parish completely, having been replaced by the Riot Infected.

Due to their hazmat suits, they are resistant to fire, as they do not burst into flames when in the middle of a Molotov's fire, and incendiary ammunition just ricochets off them. If idle within fire for extended periods of time, they will die due to the heat. They come in two different varieties: yellow suits and green suits. There were also white suits, but these were only seen in the "Survival" trailer or spotted as ragdolls scattered about certain areas of The Parish.

Tactics and Notes

 * Collecting ten jars of Bile bombs from CEDA Worker Infected will earn the Achievement ROBBED ZOMBIE.
 * As they are immune to fire, do not bother using Molotovs on them. Either use firearms or a melee weapon.
 * If your primary weapon is loaded with incendiary ammo, it will not light them on fire, but they will still be hit from the bullet.
 * Despite that the CEDA Worker Infected doesn't have more health points than the Common Infected, they appear to be much more immune to damage from firearms (usually it takes about two times more hits from any weapon to kill them).
 * The CEDA Worker Infected makes its second canon campaign appearance in the Left 4 Dead 2 DLC, The Sacrifice along with the Left 4 Dead 2 ports of No Mercy and Dead Air, along with the Worker Infected.
 * If one looks closely at the CEDA Worker Infected, one will notice that the gloves are on the inside of the suit and the boots aren't part of the suit. Therefore, the suit is not sealed, proved by the fact that they are able to smell Bile bombs. This is against standard hazmat protocol as this allows unwanted agents into the suit, although that might be the reason they were Infected. It is also possible that they were already Infected without knowing it, and when they were putting the suit on they started to turn into an Infected.
 * Sometimes, CEDA Infected members can be seen throwing up through their suits, which is impossible.

Jimmy Gibbs Junior
"If the laws of nature allowed it, I would bear that man's children."

- Ellis "Dibs on Gibbs"

- Rochelle

Jimmy Gibbs Junior was a famous race car driver from the Southern United States, writer of at least one autobiography called "SPEED", and considered an idol in the eyes of Ellis and Coach. The Survivors steal his race car to escape the mall. He is dressed in his racing suit and only spawns in the The Atrium, with a 5% chance of spawning, so he is extremely rare to see in most games. He is mentioned by the Survivors briefly, saying things such as "If we see him, someone else is going to have to kill him".

Nick makes a point of cursing his name regularly though, normally when something goes wrong with his car. This may be another play on the remake of the movie Dawn of the Dead, where the Survivors could see Infected versions of famous people that they knew from the mall. He has 1000 HP, no detachable limbs, and is fireproof (thanks to his racing suit). He can also blind players with motor oil (similar to the Mudmen's splatter effect) and is not drawn to Pipe bombs or Bile bombs. Like any other Infected, he can be spawned using a console command. On his shoulder, he has the word "GOODBYE," a parody to the tire company Goodyear, a well known supplier and participant in many forms of motorsports.

Tactics and Notes

 * Despite the fact that Jimmy Gibbs Junior has 1000 HP, he can instantly be killed by a headshot or a melee attack. Valve may have deliberately set this up due to his high health and the fact that he is fireproof.
 * As Jimmy Gibbs Junior is immune to fire, do not bother using Molotovs on him. Either use firearms or a melee weapon.
 * If your primary weapon is loaded with incendiary ammo, he will not be lit on fire.
 * A possible explanation for his oil-blinding effect is that he was doing repairs on his cars when he got Infected, possibly due to either that he was repairing his car for a show, or that he insisted that only himself should do repairs on his car.
 * According to the giant poster in The Atrium, he won the Supercup in 1977, 1981, 1984 and 1986.
 * If you go to the far right side of The Streets map in Dead Center near the first safe room (you may need to be playing as a Special Infected), there is a billboard featuring none other than Jimmy Gibbs Jr. — at least in his uninfected form.
 * His autobiography, Speed, is never mentioned in-game, but can be found in a commercial on the Midnight Riders website, where it claims that it is the fastest written autobiography of all time.
 * His race car resembles the 1969 Dodge Charger
 * Jimmy Gibbs Junior is the rarest of all Uncommon Infected to encounter and the only one that is exclusive to a campaign's finale, appearing in the Atrium Finale with only a 5% chance to spawn.
 * Ellis will hysterically scream "NOOOOO!!!!!" when Jimmy Gibbs Jr. is shot by a Survivor, even when he is shot by Ellis himself.

Fallen Survivor
"That zombie's got something!"

- Coach "Is that Keith? Oh wait, no it's not. Never mind."

- Ellis

The Fallen Survivor was evidently a fairly well-equipped Survivor from the initial outbreak, but unfortunately became Infected later on. He appears in the DLC campaign The Passing wearing militia attire including a boonie cover and three ammo belts with a strap carrying visible Molotov, Pipe bomb, Pills and a First Aid Kit.

While classified as an Uncommon Infected, the Fallen Survivor is actually a "rare" Uncommon Infected, as he only appears at the start of The Waterfront and The Underground and does not appear as a pre-placed Uncommon Infected elsewhere. He can appear in both panic and crescendo events, though even then it is rare to see one in such circumstances.

Unlike the average Common Infected, he has an extremely high amount of health, to the point of being able to withstand multiple point-blank shotgun blasts. The only ways to kill him in one hit are explosive ammunition, melee weapons, the M60 or headshots. Headshots are very difficult to strike because you must actually hit his head or his helmet will deflect the bullet and startle him, causing no damage and making him run, making headshots near impossible. He is not immune to the lure of Bile Bombs or Pipe Bombs though; if a Survivor uses one, the Fallen Survivor will run to the location it is used. The Fallen Survivor can be wearing a blue, white, or green shirt.

He was going to be in Left 4 Dead 2 from the start, but was cut from the final version due to people having trouble in the beta version with him. He can be seen here, with mods. However, it was extremely glitchy and his ragdoll had collisions, or rather, where his items are. Picking up the items, which became invisible upon his death, would remove one's primary weapon, and give the HUD icon it would give with a real pipe bomb/molotov/pills/first aid kit, but it can't be used. Picking the weapon back up, or another weapon, would drop the Fallen Survivor's item. His character model is nearly identical to that of Whitaker. He can also be seen briefly in the "Zombie Survival Guide", running towards the Survivors in The Plantation.

A Fallen Survivor can carry any/all of the following items, which may be randomly dropped upon his death:
 * Molotov
 * Pipe bomb
 * Pain pills
 * First aid kit

Tactics and Notes

 * As The Fallen Survivor will run away when shot, use a melee weapon to kill him in a single hit.
 * Alternatively, if one of the team is carrying a Magnum or a M60, let them attack the Fallen Survivor first, as both weapons can kill the Fallen Survivor in one or two hits.
 * A Sniper Rifle or Hunting Rifle is also able to kill the Fallen Survivor in one hit in any mode other than Realism Mode.
 * Using explosive ammo with a firearm can kill the Fallen Survivor much faster.
 * A bile bomb or pipe bomb will lure him towards the location it was thrown in, even if he is running away.
 * Somehow, he is immune to the fire from the Molotov as he will be able to run through the flames with ease. In fact, he will not catch on fire.
 * Melee shoving the Fallen Survivor will temporarily stop his attempts at running away.
 * Taking ten of the Fallen Survivor's equipment will earn you the GRAVE ROBBER Achievement.
 * Whitaker's appearance is extremely similar to the Fallen Survivor, only uninfected and no blood stains. This model is likely only an in-game placeholder used merely because there was no design for the character. Artwork used for promotions when Valve debuted the ability to purchase hats in Team Fortress 2 featured a completely different version of Whitaker.
 * The Fallen Survivor can be seen briefly in the plantation part of the Left 4 Dead 2 Survival Guide intro.
 * He is currently the only Uncommon Infected to have a behavioral modification, behaving like a Survivor Bot with Infected abilities and the command to stay away from Survivors. However, his higher health is likely due to all the items strapped to his person, as well as possible armor underneath his clothes.
 * When the Fallen Survivor attacks, he makes a clawing sound, much like a Special Infected, unlike the pounding sounds other Common Infected makes.
 * You can run up to him and shove him, shooting him as he attempts to get up. Once he looks like he is up, shove him again! Do NOT attempt to kill him by only using shove attacks, as shove fatigue will eventually force you to wait five to ten seconds before being able to shove again, giving him an opportunity to escape.
 * The Fallen Survivor has a pistol holster strapped to his leg, but does not have a gun in it. This may be due to the Infection overwhelming him as he used his gun, causing him to drop it since Infected can't carry objects, or the Infection overtaking him while he was unarmed.
 * While the Fallen Survivor may run and get away, he does not disappear. He may inadvertently traverse to inaccessible areas of the map, attempt to hide, but will more likely just be further ahead when he stops running. With luck he may eventually be found at the end of the map or a choke point.
 * Other than The Passing, the Fallen Survivor appears in the ported versions of Death Toll and Blood Harvest.

Clown Infected
"That clown's bringing friends! Take him down!"

- Ellis "Kill every Clown you see!"

- Nick

Once lovable (or slightly disturbing) fun park entertainers, the Clown Infected are now victims of the Infection. They wander around the Dark Carnival campaign and when they spot Survivors, they will charge, calling in other Infected with their noisy, squeaky shoes for a mass attack.

No new Common Infected are spawned during these events, but an agitated Clown in attack mode attracts Common Infected and other Clown Infected loitering nearby. If a Clown is killed at a distance, all Infected following him will stop, mill around swatting at the air around his corpse, though they will soon attack the Survivors shortly afterwards.

The effects of the Clown Infected are nullified during horde attacks, as the horde is programmed to attack the Survivors immediately.

Clown pants come in a variety of colors, including pink and blue, red and yellow, blue and white, pink and green and white and red as seen in the accompanying illustration.

Tactics and Notes

 * A shove will honk the Clown Infected's nose. If done ten times, the shover will be awarded the CL0WND Achievement, a reference to Left 4 Dead ' s CR0WND Achievement. A single Clown Infected's nose can be honked up to four times in succession, as any more shoves will kill the Infected.
 * The German and French descriptions for this achievement erroneously state that you must kill 10 Clowns.
 * In the Mutation Headshot!, all Infected are immune to any attack except a shot to the head. This allows players to shove the Clown Infected endlessly and score the achievement CL0WND off a single Clown Infected.
 * If the player ignites a Clown Infected who is leading ten or more Infected, they will be given the FRIED PIPER Achievement, a reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin legend.
 * The Clown's role as an Infected agitator is acknowledged by Survivor characters who will often shout out an instruction to "Kill the Clown" when one is seen or heard nearby.
 * If a Clown is killed while leading Common Infected, they will stop for a brief while after the Clown dies. Use this moment to kill them quickly before they realize that you are there.
 * Clowns may sometimes actually help the Survivors; when they are leading a Horde of Common Infected, the Horde following them will be in a tight group, and heading straight to where the Clown is going. Shooting a tight group of Common Infected running from one direction, following a Clown, is in most cases much easier than sniping them out while they stand around or run at Survivors from different directions. In this sense, despite the fact that they are bringing Common Infected to attack the players, the Clown acts as a sort of a Pipe Bomb, and may be quite useful in clearing out large areas with lots of Common Infected around.

Mud Men
"They really are mud people."

- Rochelle "I tell ya, Mud People take all the fun outta Mud."

- Ellis

The Mud Men appear in the campaign Swamp Fever. They are similar to the Common Infected, except that they are covered in mud and use this as camouflage. Mud Men sprint on all fours low to the ground, although they stumble back on two feet when shoved. (Moreover, they stand on two legs when idle). Their sprinting crawl allows them to travel at a faster speed than the Common Infected can, and they are not slowed down by water.

A hit from a Mud Man obscures a player's screen with mud, like Jimmy Gibbs Junior's motor oil effect. The mud on their screen increases with successive hits, blurring the screen in a way similar to Boomer Bile. The Mud Man's movement can actually be observed in Left 4 Dead. If a player enters an area that requires them to crouch, the Infected will follow them in, but instead of crouching, they will crawl on all fours to get to them.

Tactics and Notes

 * Killing ten Mud Men who are in the swamp water will earn the Achievement DEAD IN THE WATER.
 * Shoving the Mud Man into the swamp then killing him also counts for the achievement.
 * Throwing a pipe bomb into the swamp will drag any of them nearby to the bomb, and it will easily kill them. Several of them can be blown up at once.
 * Throwing a bile bomb into the swamp can help gather Mud Men in one spot to kill.
 * It is worth mentioning that the Infected running towards Coach in the GameStop Pre-Order trailer is a Mud Man, and therefore, it should have sprinted on all fours rather than just running, besides the fact that there are no Mud Men in Dark Carnival.
 * In the censored versions of the game, the Mud Men are incapable of blinding with their mud attack due to the blood graphics being censored. This is weird for an obvious reason: Mud doesn't have anything to do with gore. However, it may have been programmed as blood and the developers just removed everything associated with this effect. Therefore, the Mud Men were less of a threat in the censored version.
 * The Mud Men make their second official appearance in Cold Stream, although it is not following the canon storyline of the Left 4 Dead 2 series. They also appear in the ports of Death Toll and Blood Harvest.

Worker Infected
When this unfortunate demolition crew received orders to tear down an old sugar mill, they became Infected. Dubbed Worker Infected, these Infected populate the Hard Rain campaign. Workers are equipped with ear protection, hardhats, and reflective vests which makes them easier to spot in the downpour.

Their unique ear protectors make them unable to hear pipe bombs and their blunt melee resistance is greater than usual. Like other plain Infected, Worker Infected can be attracted by bile. However, due to their programming (either being intentional or an oversight), the Worker Infected will immediately go for the Survivors if the bile bomb does not hit any Infected.

Tactics and Notes

 * Their hard hats offer no protection against bullets or melee weapons. They are immune to the lure of pipe bomb beeps, however, due to their ear protection. They are also immune to the lure of bile bombs, if the item in question is hurled on the ground without hitting any Infected.
 * Since the bile uses the same attention-drawing programming as the pipe bomb, it may be considered an oversight, as they do not appear to have any physical protection against it.
 * If the bile bomb is thrown without hitting any Infected, they will spawn, but will instead attack the Survivors. Use the bile bomb carefully and try to hit multiple targets with it.
 * Worker Infected are never commented on by any of the Survivors.
 * Worker Infected also appear canonically in the Left 4 Dead 2 DLC, The Sacrifice and the Left 4 Dead 2 ports of No Mercy and Dead Air, along with the CEDA Worker Infected.
 * Although their ear protectors enable them to be immune to the lure of pipe bombs, they still react to the sounds of the chainsaw by going after the Survivor with it.
 * Though they are reported to be a demolition crew, they are referred to as "common_male_roadcrew" in the files.
 * The Worker Infected do not trigger unique responses when a Survivor spots them. They are also the only Uncommon Infected to appear throughout the whole chapter.

Riot Infected
"Ah hell! Now they're bulletproof?"

- Ellis "That zombie's got armor, I want armor!"

- Coach

The Riot Infected appears in The Parish campaign. While human, they were members of a private security firm hired by CEDA to protect civilians. They turned into the Infected while still wearing their armor. This gives them immunity to bullets and to melee attacks from the front by blunt or sharp weaponry, but not the rear. They are also vulnerable to chainsaws regardless of area, and they are still harmed by fire and explosions. Some Riot Infected carry a nightstick which is dropped upon death.

They don't have any Achievements linked to them, not even "CRASS MENAGERIE", as they were formerly unavailable in the German and Australian versions of Left 4 Dead 2. They briefly appear in the Zombie Survival Guide Trailer, in the censored versions despite this. Riot Infected were first featured in the demo and were part of the censorship controversy in Germany due to rules regarding violence against authority figures. As Valve just used the same German version for the Australian release, they unfortunately suffered the unneeded cut; however, they were recently restored in both versions, with some minor differences, having the word "SECURITY" removed from the front of their armor.

Tactics and Notes

 * Upon sighting the Riot Infected, the Survivors will sometimes comment on shooting it in the back. This is precisely how to kill them; they must be attacked in the back. Use a melee shove to stun them before moving around them. Sometimes, the melee shove will spin them around, in which case movement isn't required.
 * The spin shove for exposing a Riot Infected's weak side may be done by not directly shoving them from the center, but from the off-center. It is worth remembering that L4D uses a sophisticated physics engine and that most laws of physics apply.
 * Like any other Uncommon Infected, a single shot from a Grenade Launcher will kill it instantly. This is possibly the most effective weapon against them, given the range and power, though its limited ammo means that they should just be shoved and killed normally.
 * Chainsaws retain their ability to kill the Riot Infected from any position, be it the front of the Riot Infected or from behind, as the chainsaw literally tears right through their armor.
 * When attacking a Riot Infected with a melee weapon, if you keep attacking from the front, he will constantly stumble (when you melee against Common/Uncommon Infected). Blood will also splatter on your screen (provided that your gore setting is on full) even if you hit him in the front. Where the blood comes out from is unknown, as the Riot Infected doesn't have any exposed skin (this is believed to be an oversight by the developers).
 * Headshots from a shotgun or Sniper Rifle will stun them back like a melee attack or shove would.
 * Molotovs and pipe bombs will work as the Riot Infected's armor does not give it any immunity to fire or explosions.
 * Incendiary ammo upgrades will burn the Riot Infected just like how a Molotov would. Explosive ammo will kill the Riot Infected in a few shots even from the front. M60s or Magnums, however, will not penetrate the armor and, like all guns, will require a shot to the back to kill them.
 * Riot Infected are particularly dangerous to Incapacitated players, as it is often impossible to land a shot on their backs from the floor.
 * The Riot Infected is significantly harder to defeat in the Mutation Headshot!, as the only vulnerable point of the Riot Infected is at the back of the head.
 * A Riot Infected appears in the intro trailer of Left 4 Dead 2, when Ellis shoved him in the finale of Dead Center. However, Riot Infected can be found only in The Parish & Cold Stream and in the Left 4 Dead 2 ports of No Mercy and Dead Air.
 * Riot Infected are not seen in The Cemetery or The Bridge because the military was in control in those areas.

Achievements

 * See Main Article: Achievements