Melee

Melee (pronounced Mell-ay in British English) is a form of attack which shunts back the target rendering them stunned for a small amount of time (1-3 seconds, depending on infected type). It is extremely useful in defense against large hordes of Common Infected and rescuing other Survivors caught by Hunters or Smokers.

It takes around five melee attacks to kill a Special Infected, regardless of health.

Rescuing other Survivors
When another Survivor is pinned by a Hunter or snared by a Smoker, the best and quickest way to help them out is to melee them, which will free them instantly.

Hunter attacks
A Hunter will quickly tear away at a Survivor's health, so if you're low on ammo, or reloading, it can be best to melee the Hunter off to save them. Once a Hunter is knocked off, they will be stunned temporarily, and after this time can sometimes make an escape to set up another ambush, or they could pounce immediately after.

Smoker attacks
A Smoker's drag can be interrupted with a quick swipe of melee, rendering it harmless for another 15 seconds. This means an effective team can save a Survivor from taking any damage if they quick enough reactions (though in Versus the Smoker will damage as it drags). Some people make the mistake of trying to kill the Smoker instead of freeing the Survivor, but this wastes time and health, as it is quicker to free the Survivor than to kill the Smoker. You can also melee the Smoker to free the Survivor. A Smoker will be stunned for about 1 second after their tongue breaks, meaning you have some time to deal damage to it before it retreats.

Melee Spam
Melee spam is a phrase used to describe the constant and prolonged use of the melee attack to prevent attacks from hordes of Common Infected and pounces from Hunters. Usually when a Survivor becomes a victim of a bile attack they will back up into a corner and continually melee until the hordes of infected have died down. This is because they cannot see their surroundings or the auras of other Survivors, and so the general panic of a massive attack causes them to go totally defensive.

Corner meleeing (also corner stacking, corner spamming) is when one or more survivors sit in a corner and continually melee spam, making an almost impenetrable defense against all types of attacks. Attacks which can have an effect include a Hunter pouncing above the Survivors and landing on one of them, a well timed Smoker attack, and a Tank attack. A Boomer will only extend the amount of time they spend in the corner, giving the other infected on the team time to respawn and set up an ambush.

Common times to see melee spam include:
 * Crescendo Events,
 * Panic Events,
 * Boomer attacks.