The Boomer



The Boomer is an extremely bloated Infected that can projectile vomit at the Survivors, blinding them and attracting the Horde to them. When a Boomer dies, it explodes and discharges large amounts of gore and viscera, which attracts Common Infected if a Survivor is caught in the explosion. Boomers can also drop from tall buildings into/onto a group of survivors, and once they impact on the streets, they "pop" exploding in the aforementioned manner having the same effect as the vomit attack. This skill serves as an effective method for ambushing the survivors. As of recent game play changes, the Boomer no longer damages when detonated, but hinders survivors' sight and attracts large amounts of the infected horde. Like most other boss infected, a melee hit from the Boomer will do about 2 times the damage as a normal infected.

Survivors
General:
 * Listen for the heavy breathing, gagging sounds, and the music cue that heralds the presence of a boomer
 * Keep an eye out for defensive positions, that way you'll be ready when the boomer blinds you
 * Avoid being too bunched up with the other survivors (i.e.: no sense all four getting stricken at once)

Before bile spit or boomer death explosion:
 * If boomer is too close, you need to melee him then run away to a safe distance (approx. 25 feet away) before shooting or you'll get slimed and become mob bait
 * CAUTION: you can only melee a boomer twice, a third time will cause him to blow up on you
 * If boomer is sufficiently far away from both yourself AND all other survivors, only then should you shoot it

After getting slimed:
 * Know that a massive horde will immediately descend upon you (and any others who have been slimed)
 * Hold your fire! Since you can't see, friendly fire is the most likely result. You need to:
 * Run to a defensive position (corners and doorways are particularly good)
 * Crouch! Other survivors will be able to shoot over you safely if you do so
 * Use melee continuously to survive the incoming zombie horde
 * Once your sight clears, mop up with your weapon

Helping a slimed survivor:
 * Stay close to the stricken survivor
 * Help melee the horde back or shoot if the blinded survivor stays safely crouched

Infected
While it may be difficult to be completely stealthy as a Boomer, try to hide in shadows or within crowds of Common Infected. To ensure that you slime the Survivors, vomit on them at close range, then run up to attack them so that they will be more likely to shoot you. You will explode and spread the bile within a certain radius. Your best teammates are the Special Infected.


 * The Hunter can pounce on the Survivor covered in bile to add significantly to the damage being inflicted by the Horde.
 * The Smoker can constrict a Survivor from a relatively safe distance, although the Smoker itself will not be inflicting much damage.
 * The Tank can distract those who are not covered in bile.
 * While a Survivor is covered in bile, they cannot see the outlines of the other Survivors. While another Infected is attacking a straggler, take the opportunity to cover the other Survivors with bile.  While this may cause the Horde to spread out, it is important to impair the other Survivors' vision so that it becomes more difficult for them work together and to aim.
 * The Boomer can hide beside cars with alarms and Witches to trick Survivors into shooting them. The nearby explosion will cause the alarm to be triggered or the Witch to be startled.
 * Waiting behind doorways and in small rooms will guarantee at least one successful slime.
 * If you are stuck outdoors hide in a place where the survivors cannot see you and wait for them to be distracted by something else then run in and vomit.
 * Because the vomit takes a long time to recharge you will generally only get one chance to use it therefore it is generally a good idea after vomiting to run into the middle of the survivor group and start clawing them and you will usually be shot and explode on the survivors.
 * Vomit on incapacitated survivors.
 * Vomit on survivors pinned by hunters or smokers.
 * Hunters are a great distraction and can let you close the distance without being noticed.
 * In areas with alley ways or other high roofs, jump down into the middle of the survivors. You'll either be shot in surprise or get an excellent chance to vomit on all four survivors in quick succession.

Survivors
Blind Luck You or another Survivor take no damage after being vomited on by a Boomer.

Clean Kill Shove a Boomer and then kill him without him splashing on anyone.

Outbreak (Only For PC) Catch a rare strain of infection, then pass it on to someone else.


 * The "Outbreak" achievement is unlocked by being vomited on by a player who already has that achievement.

Infected
Barf Bagged Cover four Survivors with Boomer bile at once.

Trivia

 * In the game's commentary, it's mentioned that originally the boomer's explosion simply caused damage to nearby players, and that the horde-attracting abilities were assigned to the Screamer, an infected class that was cut from the game. The Boomer was then assigned its vomit attack, and its explosion would also draw the horde.


 * It is possible, though extremely rare, to kill a Boomer and have it not explode. It will simply collapse like a typical infected.