Talk:The Witch

Cr0wned
Has anyone been able to get the Cr0wned acheivemnt? We have tried close range hunting rifles, shotguns and more...

I think it might be a joke one, Cr0wned 
 * First of all, sign your posts, guys. Secondly, Valve never makes "joke" achievements, and they've used "tubespeak" (as I call it) in achievements before...remember the pyro pack's "OMGWTFBBQ?" And they had another "0wned" one before too, I just can't think of it at the moment. takua108 18:36, 21 November 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm sure it's spelt Cr0wnd, and Takua108 could it be Hot PotatOwned you were thinking of :) -- [ IzTheWiz ] 21:47, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

Wandrian Wvlf 00:17, 7 December 2008 (UTC)Stand close enough to the Witch so that she starts standing up but isn't startled. Blast her with your shotgun.

A player named Exile gave me a handy script that makes it trivial to get this achievement (I used it for practice). It basically spawns a witch in front of you, gives you an auto-shotgun (regular shotgun works too) and then turns on god mode after your first shot (in case you missed, so you don't die needlessly). He said he was posting it on the internet, so in the near future there should be a Google result for "ezWitch.cfg". If you don't want to wait, you can just type: "sv_cheats 1; give auto_shotgun; z_spawn witch; god 1; sv_cheats 0;" in your console while pointing at where you want the witch to spawn, and then practice from there. Denkkar 22:37, 8 December 2008 (UTC)


 * But where's the fun in that? :P Ashsflames 07:50, 9 December 2008 (UTC)


 * The fun is the false confidence it gives you. After practicing and then starting a game, you yell to your friends, "STAND BACK, I'M A PROFESSIONAL", run up to the witch, and promptly get destroyed. The humiliation doesn't end there though, because the process repeats itself as soon as you meet the next witch :( Denkkar 18:55, 10 December 2008 (UTC)


 * To practice cr0wning a witch,just go into NM3 on commentary.There's commentary node at the end that spawns the witch everytime it's used and if you don't kill her in one shot,she won't attack and you can just keep practicing.--76.242.46.206 19:41, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

It's easy an possible. However you can only do it with the shotgun at execution range. Even the Hunting Rifle requires more than a single shot.

Expert incapacitation exploit?
The shooting a teammate on expert so that the Witch won't kill that teammate sounds like an exploit to me. Also kind of funny that you even discovered this... guess someone got in your line of fire :)

Denkkar 20:21, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

The Witch's health.
Wandrian Wvlf 00:15, 7 December 2008 (UTC)I haven't but a few dozen hours playing the game, but in my experience the Witch normally has 1000 health although for some reason I've tooled around on the easy difficulty and seen the damage done total up to 2000 a few times.

In retrospect, it may have just been that I'd encountered a Witch twice in the same chapter. Wandrian Wvlf 00:43, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, one suspects you may also have encountered 2 tanks in the same chapter as well. It happens and it does screw the stats! Denkkar 18:50, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Is there any way to move the dead witch pic to the right side of the page like the other pics as it looks out of place on the left and disrupts the flow of the text--Spygon 16:21, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Reupload it, I suppose. I'll give it a try. ZombieRevolution

A Section on her inspiration?
Just the other day, I viewed the popular Spanish movie REC. It is considered one of the finest zombie films and documentary style fictions of recent years and was recently remade in the US and released as the movie Quarantine.

In the film's finale the two protagonists run into an infected woman. She is seriously deformed and carries many traits of the Witch.

Here is a picture of the character:



Notice the similar looking attire. Of course Left 4 Dead's Witch isn't topless but the visual similarities are obvious. You can't tell from that picture, but she has claws in the feature. Furthermore in the film she did not get aggressive until startled by the protagonists. Characters made it an important precaution not to make noises or shine lights on her or other infected persons.

Here is a clip of the movie's finale where she appears. Of course it carries many spoilers, and I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes horror movies and zombie fiction.



Note the glowing eyes due to the effects of night vision and bloodcurdling shriek.

Although it's only speculation, I would like to add a section about the REC zombie as the basis for the Witch. My reasoning being that it's informative and that on the Francis and Louis pages, it states that they're modeled after Mike Booth and Shaun from Shaun of the Dead without completely conclusive evidence. However the similarities with all of these characters is obvious and they without a doubt stem from them. REC has become a highly talked about movie with zombie and horror enthusiasts in recent years and received a large audience and rave reviews across the Spectrum.

I say go for it, but since none of it is confirmed by Valve, I'd make sure to emphasize that all information therein is speculative. - ZombieRevolution

I remember a VERY old article about L4D in 2007 and it mentioned the Witch,so I doubt it.--76.242.46.206 19:38, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

Removed this tidbit:
"*In one of the trailers, where an arm bursts through a doorway besides Louis, who then shoots it, it is believed that this is a Witch due to the fact that it has the strength to hit through the door and the fact that it has claws. This is verified in the games opening cinematic."

It's not informative, the game is out and everyone knows this.

Eminem?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJpNCcKk__Q&feature=related

Is he talking about Left 4 Dead?

In any case, people have picked up on it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQGWQpN6oF4&feature=related
 * I think it was supposed to be talking about another Witch, not the one from Left 4 Dead. I believe it was used for promotional means in another series. - §tigma-231  ¤ ৳ here's a hole in my neighbourhood [ talk  ][ cont ] 16:36, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Tank can kill Witches
Simply put, if you're a Tank and you punch a Witch, you'll instantly kill her. This happens a lot when a Witch is in front of a closed door, and a Tank Player tries to reach the survivors from a distance away.

Playing as the Witch:
This would be an interesting add-on to the game. To play as a Tank, someone is randomly chosen to massacre the survivors (You will be the Tank). Well, they could do the same thing for the Witch. If someone startles the Witch in versus, someone could be randomly chosen to play as her. Her main attack is incapacitating a survivor in one hit (Long recharge rate though), secondary is slashing with her claws and her health would be 1000-2000. Achievement: Witch's wrath: Kill one of the survivors. Desterbing: As a Witch, kill two survivors.
 * As cool as playing as the Witch could be, it would be a little disorienting for the player to suddenly become the Witch once she is startled. It would take the player a second or two to get their bearings, and by this time the Survivors are already shooting at her.  If a player was allowed to start as the Witch, that would solve this problem, but cause another.  If the Witch spawns in a spot off the main path, or if the Survivors sneak by her without startling her, the Witch player would be stuck doing nothing.  Also, having a player play as the Witch would take away her uniqueness.  --MadDawg2552 20:47, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


 * You make a valid point Mad Dawg, this is how choosing who to play as her would go out: Once a player gets close enough to her that she startles growling, the special infected you are curretly playing as (remember, the person controling the Witch is picked randomly, like a Tank) will be moved to idle, and you will be in the Witchs view; if she is shot at or eventually gets up, you will then play as her, unless she is "CR0WNED". Or, in your scenario, if the players do get past her, she will eventually revert back to crying, and you will move back to your special infected, and the witch will stay where she is, without the player being in limbo with nothing to do. -- User:Monobrow1 16:23, 22 Febuary 2009 (UTC)

I the witch wasnt made a playable infected for a reason due to if a person controled the witch they whould either waste alot of time just sitting there crying also when alerted the witch is surposed to attack the person who set it off to players just running around like an idiot shooting randomlyor you have the other problem of a infected that can one hit incap people so with 4 swipes could end the round in secounds.I feel the witch is fine she just needs slighty more health. Spygon 09:46, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


 * UHH! You arn't listening! The person playing as the Witch WON'T sit there the whole time until someone comes. Once she is starting to growl, someone will be choosen (icon will say "You may play as the Witch, be ready", similar to Tank icon), then once startled the person can play as her. If they sneak past, then nothing happens. Also (you didn't read it) the Witch can't just keep doing her "incap. claw attack". It will have to recharge after some time until she can utilize that attack, like boomer bile and smoker tongue; You have to wait to use your main attck. So after the incap. claw attack is used, she will only be able to melee, with a bit more damage than other special infected. And for HP, 2000=too much, 1000=too little...1500=just right. -- User:Monobrow1 3:27 PM Febuary 23 2009 (UTC)

New Witch Skin?


I'v looked round on fpsbannana.com and playin onlin and alot of ppl think the witch skin is funny, should someone make a new witch skin like this??? versus the original (concept art image, not actual Witch):
 * Weird image. Why would you want to put pants on it, though?  I think the Witch looks perfectly fine without them, though sometimes I wonder...why does she sit around in nothing but undergarments? - §tigma-231  ¤ ৳ here's a  hole  in my neighbourhood [ talk  ][ cont ] 02:52, 24 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I think the Witch would look cool with pants and blood 2. Like at first she is crying, but when people get up to her, she has her shirt and pants covered in blood (at least by pic), so it matchs her role in da game, innopcent and CREEPY LONG FINGERED WITCH CLAWIN THE CRAP OUTA ME! ther wuz already a skin like that but they over did the blood and added cuts, and the pants were skin tight jeans, not shorts. Thta skin is kk. But someone could make a skin like that, idd download that, but honestlly, the witch is fine the way she is.


 * I would'nt go so overboard with the Witch like in the pic (blood, ect.), just add shorts really. The fact that she is in undergarments all the time it just...well it is not sexy if thats what the design was for...it is funny, but is the Witch supposed to be funny?...Giving it shorts would just make more sense. I think the question is, if someone made a Witch skin with shorts rather than undergarments...would you download that, would you rather have the skin with shorts, rather than the one with panties. I think I would. -- User:Monobrow1

I think that image is from the strategy guide.--76.242.46.206 19:35, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

Recent Patch
Because of the recent patch, does the Witch spawn directly on the main route to the saferoom now? The patchnotes said she and the Tank spawn "directly on the escape route," so what does that mean, exactly? BlackliteWrath 12:38, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure it means that the Tank and Witch are now much more likely to spawn in the way of the route(s) to the safe house. - §tigma-231 ♠ ৳ hаt i ɯill nəvər escaρe [ łalk  ][ ςont ] 15:45, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

"Don't scare me twice"
The Witch, obviously, can be startled; Once the Witch has killed whoever startled her, it IS possible, to scare her, again. When she is running, if a player has a molotov, and ignites her, she will go after THAT player too. This is something people should be weary of, especially on versus, or on expert. The Witch if startled twice, she has the potential to kill two survivors, this incident has happened once while I played. It is also rumored, that if you stay in the Witch's path when she is fleeing, OR shoot at her as she is running, she will attack you still. Is that possible, has THAT ever happened to anyone? --User:Monobrow1
 * Yeah, the trapping her as she was running happened to a friend of mine when we were playing on Expert, and I've startled a Witch when she was running away before. I've also seen Witches (only on Expert, though) run away and go right back into hiding (i.e. starting to cry again) after she kills a Survivor if she doesn't get killed before she flees. It kind of sucks. --User:Chitinous Necross
 * Most of the time, we're able to kill the Witch before she successfully kills any one of us, so there's not really a large window for her to go running off, screaming her head off. However, there have been some slightly awkward occasions where I've accidentally opened/shut a door on her, and she has a seizure and runs away.  Once I did it on The Town, and she just stood behind a truck and screamed until the AI brought her down.  Needless to say, it was...strange. - §tigma-231  ♠ ৳ hаt i ɯill nəvər escaρe [ łalk  ][ ςont ] 16:11, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

Fuel bottle for Burn the Witch achievement
About a week ago, I was playing L4D on Live, and I was carrying a fuel bottle. I managed to get the witch angry a bit, then was unable to escape her proximity before she got pissed enough to attack. She knocked me down and started mauling me, and I looked over and saw my fuel bottle. I shot it and the witch lit up like a Christmas tree. I then get the popup saying I got the Burn the Witch achievement. Now I noticed the achievement details saying a fuel bottle does not work, but I think I've seen myself that it does, in fact, work. Unless it doesn't work on the PC version, I think the article should be changed to reflect the fact that it does work. MaverickStevens 08:24, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

Why Does the Witch act this way?
This is what I have narrowed it down to: 1.) This is just an act, she does this to fool survivors into helping her, which results in their death.

2.) Unlike other infected, she does have a brain, and has prezombie memories which means she may be recalling the killing and death of friends and loved ones.

3.) She chooses not to fight, starving herself (pain of starvation=crying, also explains why she looks skinny).

So if that is why she crys, why does she kill survivors, but not consume them, and why does she run after they die? Is this a variation of "The Rage" virus, so she just kills survivors out of spite...or is there a good reason behind it all.... --User:Monobrow1

I'd say that it was just the first one if the Witch attacked any Survivor immediately on sight, with no warning, growling or startling, and she attacked all of the Survivors, not just one (or, very rarely, two). However, since that was the original design and it was deemed too harsh by Valve, her new actions may be just for gameplay balance. The attacking all survivors, not necessarily the no startling or provoking.

i feel theres a slight bit of Humanity left in the witch but is struggling to fight off the infection causing the witch to have a very shattered and mucked up mind that can lead to outbursts of total rage.She is crying due to trying to hold on to her humanity while being bombarded with the urge and memories of killing people but when she it startled or attacked her shattered mind is over come by the infected rage impulses  and instanly kills the person that caused the outburst but after quickly realising what she has done she escape the scene to try to stop her totally losing it.