The Spitter

"Oh great, now they're spitting burnin' shit on us?"

- Ellis

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

- Nick

The Spitter is a Special Infected that made her debut in Left 4 Dead 2.

The Spitter's mutations enable her to spit out a ball of mutated stomach acid which, upon hitting the ground, spreads out into a large pool. Any Survivors standing within the pool of acid take increasing amounts of damage based on how long they stand in it; this can be up to about 3 quarters of their heath with just one puddle. Overall the Spitter's acid does the most damage of any Infected, but is also the least reliable as it only lasts for a short time, and once it pools out it is stationary and relatively easy to escape. When killed, the Spitter leaves a smaller pool of acid around her corpse. She can sometimes be a bit difficult to hear, making somewhat faint squealing noises as opposed to the more distinct noises other Special Infected make, but the hacking noises she makes when she actually spits are easy to hear.

Appearance
She is clothed in a yellowish-beige bra, dark indigo capris, and, perhaps humorously, a pink thong. She also wears a number of rings on her fingers, including a wedding ring, hinting that she was possibly married before becoming infected.

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

Extent of Mutations


Through mutation of the Infection the Spitter has developed the ability to project an extremely corrosive ball of acid from her mouth in a mortar-like fashion. This projectile will collide with a ceiling or wall and drop down to the nearest solid walkable surface, and upon contact will spread into a large puddle of acid that increases in damage over time. This damage increase is a part of the puddle, not a Survivor standing in it, as such moving through a puddle about to dissipate will cause a massive amount of damage. It's possible, from the way the acid is spat, that the Spitter pre-encases it in a thin sort of membrane or bolus, (likely in her body or throat/mouth) which is either dissolved by the acid or splits on impact.

From how heavily the Spitter secretes the acid, it seems that she cannot stop producing at will, and must excrete it from her body in such fashion (as salivating it) to prevent herself filling up and rupturing with acid, similar to the Boomer.

The Spitter's lower jaw, cheeks, nose and lips seem to have become noticeably eroded, suggesting she may not be entirely resistant to the acid she is coughing up. Also, just above her breast, and on the top of her stomach are two red sores, most likely eroded spots from where the acid drips down from her mouth. Her proportions are awkward and stretched, including the sagging breasts, elongated neck and bloated stomach, which are most likely used to accommodate and produce the fluids. The big toe on her right foot has shifted to the side of the foot like the thumb of a hand. While running, a trail of acid can be seen dripping from the creature's mouth. This can be used to track the Spitter though it disappears shortly after she walks away from it. The Spitter's fingernails are very long but are not particularly sharp, doing about 4 damage per hit.

Survivors

 * If players kill a Spitter with a close combat weapon, they should immediately leave the area before the acid damages them.
 * When the Spitter spits, she'll be slow for a few seconds, then return to normal. Try to use this time to kill her.


 * The Spitter's acid projectile takes a moment to travel to its target, giving alert Survivors some time to get out of the way. You can also listen for the hacking noise the Spitter makes.
 * If someone is incapacitated whilst in acid, it is better idea to simply wait out for the pool to dissipate. It is a frequent mistake to think that you can revive the person before the acid knocks you down, but this is hardly ever the case.
 * If you and your teammates are separated by a pool of acid, wait for the pool to dissipate before you rejoin.
 * Do not attempt to jump over a Spitter's acid pool, because it can still hurt you even if you do so.
 * Do not try to get through a Spitter's entire acid pool. You can go through thin patches only taking minimal damage - try to spend less than one second in the acid. Only do so if necessary (i.e. a Hunter pounces a teammate and an acid pool is in your way).
 * Try and find some sort of furniture over the acid. Usually tables are free of acid when the ground under them is not.
 * When playing Scavenge or the Dead Center finale on versus, remember that Spitter goo will destroy gas cans bathed in it. Try to spread gas cans far apart so they cannot be hit by a single puddle, or place cans inside a puddle of water if there is one around. (Spitter goo will appear above the water, while the gas can will sink below and not be harmed)
 * You can avoid the acid quickly if there is a object higher then where the Spitter spat at (tables, boxes, stair rails, ect) by simply jumping onto said item. This can however leave you vulnerable to other infected, and occasionally the AI and players will catch on to this and spit on a nearby piece of furniture.
 * Spitters have a tendency to close up to Survivors as much as possible after spitting in order to make a final attempt to burn the Survivors. Player-controlled Survivors have a habit of shooting Spitters ignoring the fact that they leave their acidic residue after death and are within range of them. Remember, that Spitters can be meleed/shoved back(like most Infected). Try to play safe by shoving Spitters before shooting them.

Infected

 * If you are for some reason unable to spit on the Survivors directly in a tight hallway on versus, spit in their path. They will have 2 choices: Go through the acid and take damage, or wait until it disappears. If they choose to wait, this will allow your teammates time to respawn.
 * Remember that your acid does more damage to Survivors who are still standing, and less to incapped Survivors. Usually the only advantage to a spit-covered incapped Survivors is the fact that no one can revive them without taking massive damage.
 * Spit when you know the Survivors won't move from the area for a while, preferably bunched together in a room.
 * The Spitter is one of, if not THE most valuable Infected in Scavenge mode, for two reasons: The Survivors cannot pour gasoline when there is an acid pool around the generator, and the Spitter's acid can light gas cans the Survivors have picked up and dropped (outlined in yellow) on fire. If you are a Spitter in scavenge, get to a good spot and spit away!
 * The above also applies to gas cans in the finale of Dead Center that have a yellow outline, at least in Versus. Spitter players should take advantage of this, as the gas cans are what increase the opposing team's score during this finale.
 * Try to spit as far away as possible from the Survivors, making it less likely for them to kill you (unless you are right in front of them). Remember that after you spit, you'll move slower than usual for a few seconds.
 * When playing as a Spitter and you're assured to die, try to die in front of the Survivor's path. The acid pool created by your death will delay them and give your teammates time to respawn and group.
 * Try attacking from unusual positions. For example, above the Survivors. By spitting down, you can get several attacks in without being killed. If you don't reveal your position, it's possible to incapacitate everyone. This works best if the Survivors are in a cramped area.
 * If one of the Survivors is incapacitated and there is another Survivor nearby to revive him/her, try saving your spit until the other Survivor is reviving the fallen. This will cause their rescuer extra damage and force them to stop reviving the fallen Survivor. Unless it seems likely that you can kill the incapacitated Survivor, focus on doing damage to the ones that are up, you might just incapacitate them too! Spit does greatly reduced damage against incapacitated Survivors, and is unlikely to kill them unless they are already near death (it WILL take multiple applications to kill a freshly incapacitated player).
 * If a Survivor is surrounded by Infected, or even covered in Boomer bile make their day worse by spitting on them. If they are covered in bile they may be so worried about killing all the Infected around them that they will panic and possibly be either too distracted by the spit to kill the Infected, or too distracted by the horde to get out of the spit.
 * Help out your friends! Spit on Survivors who are being choked by a Smoker, pounced by a Hunter, or pounded by a Charger.
 * When the spit-projectile hits a vertical surface, it drops straight down. This is extremely helpful when you are far away or behind a wall when the Survivors are in a small space. Spitting onto the wall above them or into a window where they are will cause the spit to drop on top of them, doing major damage and the Survivors will have an extremely difficult time locating where the spit came from.
 * Aim carefully when spitting from a high vantage point. If the goo glob hits any horizontally flat surface that is above the Survivors, the puddle will float above them and do no damage.
 * On the fourth level of Dead Center, Atrium, you can easily climb all the way to the top level of the area. From there, you can spit slobber to yer hearts content on those below. Aim for Jimmy's car when the Survivors are refueling.
 * Remember, even though the Spitter is designed for long range, don't forget she can scratch. If you are caught up close with the Survivors, and have no way to escape, try scratching away at a Survivor in a corner or surrounded by common zombies. If you're lucky, you will get some melee damage in and then die in a steaming puddle of corruption right under the Survivor's feet.
 * Ladders are a great spot to trip up a team. Spitting at the top will force them to run through the goo or drop back down. The spit will often fall onto the lower level as well, trapping them. If your spit lands at the bottom of a ladder, any survivor on the ladder will be damaged as if standing directly in the spit.
 * Even though the Spitter's claw attack does 4 damage per hit, you can still use this on survivors low on health. You could damage a Survivor into the red zone (causing them to move slower) and then have a Boomer vomit on them. Hunters and Jockeys should be used on would-be rescuers.
 * The Spitter will deal immense damage to any survivor with her acid. The acid pool will damage survivors every 0.2-0.4 seconds and last for roughly 5 seconds, dealing about 9 damage within second 1, 16 damage within second 2, 23 damage within second 3, 20 damage within second 4, and 14 damage within second 5.
 * Keep in mind that the acid will set off gas cans, oxygen tanks, and gas tanks. You can take advantage of these to create an even more hazardous area then what you normally can. If you notice a particular player carrying these items, wait until they toss it and set it off early and delay them, or crush a strategy to set the tank on fire without molotovs, or just simply damage them.
 * In places where fire is present, particularly Dead Center, some teams will run or jump through the fire. Spitting into the fire will increase the damage they take dramatically, and may even slow them down enough or force them to use their health kits earlier then usual.
 * If you spit on the boat in the first section of Swamp Fever you can make the Survivors lives miserable, as it will be very difficult for them to avoid the ooze.
 * Despite the spit-projectile being halted by vertical surfaces, you can still spit through metal fences, such as the ones during the crescendo event of the second chapter of The Parish. Doing this is a good tactic, as Survivors may become confused as to your whereabouts, and you can hide behind the wooden parts of the fence, meaning you can repeatedly stop them in their tracks.
 * If you manage to spit on the survivors in the elevator in Hard Rain, This will cause massive damage as the elevator is very small.
 * Even though you can't see it during first person mode, you DO drop spit from your mouth, although this does no damage, it can be used to track you down as in certain maps, (Dead Center Mall) because bright green shows very easily in these dark places.

Behind the Scenes
The Spitter was originally going to be able to vomit on Survivors much like the Boomer rather than forming puddles. In addition, the acidic bile would stay attached to the exposed Survivor until it cleared off much like Boomer Bile. This was likely changed due to how overpowered her attack could be if this remained.