Infector

Infector
Gender	Female
Abilities	Spits out a saliva ball projectile that can infect players from a distance Runs from survivors to safely recharge her saliva if far away enough from her after spitting Regenerate back to full health if taken down without being properly finished off and can do so multiple times Spews her infectious saliva while attacking, infecting players up close
Attacks	Spitball (Non-damaging) Spewing swipe
Other names	Spitter

"Holy shit. Call me a crackpot again." ― Timur

The Infector is a special zombie in World War Z. She became a permanent addition to the undead horde in the Undead Sea Update.

The Infector's toxic saliva will quickly turn any living person unfortunate enough to get spat on into a zombie if they do not clean it off in time.

Physical Appearance

The Infector is a zeke dressed in a torn straitjacket and ripped blue jeans. A yellow medical knee brace is attached to her right knee. A green hospital bracelet with writing on it is worn on her right wrist. Several catheters going through the right side of her neck are secured with catheter dressing. An eye pad covers her right eye and is anchored there by some bandages wrapped around her head. Two syringes containing different colored liquids, red and greenish-yellow respectively, are plunged through the back of her right shoulder and through her straitjacket.

The Infector's straitjacket has been ripped up in a few areas. The right arm sleeve and the straps that restrain it have been torn off, freeing her right arm. The sleeve on the left arm has been partially torn open, revealing her left hand. However, it remains restrained, unlike her other arm. Her blue jeans are also tattered, torn up around the ankle for the right pant leg, and up to the knee for the left pant leg. The straitjacket is slightly loose-fitting, revealing from behind that the Infector does not appear to wear anything underneath of it. She is one of the only zekes to completely lack footwear.

The Infector's mouth and cheeks are heavily damaged. Her lower lips have been torn and pulled down, and some of her teeth are missing. The damage has resulted in her mouth constantly remaining open and leaving her tongue to stick out prominently.

Her fingernails are painted pink and her hair is dyed a tinge of green.

Abilities & Behavior

The Infector proves to be fairly calculating and cunning compared to other zekes. Given her strange abilities, she is capable of attacking from a distance and running away during combat. Due to her condition, she produces a lot of gurgling and drooling noises as opposed to the more usual moaning and groaning sounds regular zekes make.

The Infector has several abilities that make her an exceptionally dangerous threat. Her main ability is to spit a large ball of toxic saliva that can infect humans if they do not wipe it off in time shortly after getting splashed with it. In addition to spitting out her saliva as a projectile, she also spews it out of her mouth while swiping at her targets in melee range, enhancing her melee attacks. After sustaining a lot of damage, the Infector collapses on the floor and writhes around for some time. If she does not get killed during this time, she will get back up at full health while shedding some blood.

The Infector's ability to spit out her fluids as a projectile is quite impressive as a means of spreading the infection. Equally impressive is her proficiency to aim her spitballs with enough accuracy even from considerably long distances. Most oddly though, the Infector proves to be very resilient to damage, being capable of absorbing all sorts of damage despite not wearing anything that could even remotely be considered protective. The Infector's unnatural toughness also lends to her near-supernatural ability to regenerate some time after being taken down and left without being properly handled afterward. The combination of abilities she possesses makes her quite an enigma amongst the undead.

Strategy & Tactics

"The Infector's spit is extremely dangerous. If you get hit by it and don't disinfect quickly enough, you'll immediately become a zombie."

"The Infector is resistant to bullets and can get back up after being knocked down, but she can be finished off with one melee strike when she's on the ground."

"If you get hit by the Infector's spit, getting up from incapacitation or healing with a medkit will also remove your infection." ― Tutorial Tips

Role

The Infector is capable of quickly killing survivors with an infection if they do not clean themselves in time. After taking enough damage, she falls to the ground where she becomes an obstacle that must be finished off for good within a certain amount of time or else she will force players to deal with her again.

General

• Work together. The Infector can be a difficult zeke to put down and may require everyone alive to work together to kill. While an Infector can certainly be killed by just a single person, your odds against her are simply greater when others are around to help. A collaborative effort with other survivors can swiftly eliminate an Infector without risk of anyone getting slimed, and if someone does happen to be get spit on, they can rely on others to cover for them while they clean themselves off.
• Listen carefully. The Infector makes unusual gargling sounds while chasing players and spitting at them. It is fairly easy to make out her distinct noises, so be ready for her appearance when you hear her arrive.
• Always mark your targets. As with all special zombies, marking lets players know where a particular threatening zeke is and/or where it is about to go. The red outline can be seen through obstacles and is hard to miss, so press the key that marks them and make their appearance even less of a surprise. The Infector is a very tough opponent that should generally be prioritized first whenever she appears.
• Be aware of alternate routes. Most special zombies prefer to arrive through paths and areas that are less common than the ones where many zekes congregate towards. Be mindful of your surroundings, watch your back, and keep note of any uncommon spots where special zombies may appear from.
• Communicate. If you have a microphone, use it. Let others know if you have been infected. Ask teammates for help. Request for cover while you clean yourself or call them for immediate support if you have been incapacitated while infected.
• Bots cannot be infected. Do not worry about them if they happen to get hit with some of the Infector's toxic saliva. They will not suffer any sort of consequence from getting splashed with the her fluids, unlike player-controlled survivors. The same is also true for NPCs.

Against

• The Infector produces infectious saliva that can infect survivors. The Infector has a remarkable and deadly ability that makes her a formidable opponent that can take down a survivor with full health into a zeke from varying distances while dealing little to no damage to do so. By utilizing her own semi-congealed bodily fluids, she can splash it all over a survivor to put them in an infected state. When infected, instant zombification will occur around 12 seconds after getting hit with the Infector's fluid. For an infected person to rid themselves of infection, they must disinfect within that 12 seconds of getting spit on. Survivors that fail to disinfect themselves during that time will die and turn into a zeke shortly afterward. This will entirely skip over any remaining incapacitation phases that a survivor had, removing any chances of getting back on their feet after being taken down.
  • When infected, the screen will be covered in dark red blotches which quickly gets absorbed and disappear. Immediately afterward, pulsating dark red vein patterns slowly grow from the border of the screen and covers it while the player's vision slowly becomes progressively darker and blurrier. Heartbeat noises and the sound of trickling liquids can be heard while infected.
• If you get spit on, you must clean yourself off as soon as possible. The typical method of disinfection simply involves wiping it off. This method only takes three seconds and is the quickest and easiest method. Make sure you are not currently being attacked by zekes and in a safe spot when you decide to disinfect. Having yourself surrounded by teammates to cover and protect you would be highly ideal.
  • Another option is to use a Medkit. Although Medkits take a slightly longer four seconds to apply, this is largely negligible since you can heal yourself at the same time. If you are low on health (preferably) when you get infected by the Infector, using a Medkit allows you to multitask and be more efficient. If you also have a perk that speed up healing times, this option could be helpful in a pinch since you could clean at a faster speed than if you were to only wipe it off.
  • If you get incapacitated while infected, you can clean it off by being revived. Obviously, you must be revived by your teammates to clear yourself of infection. However, a few perks that allow you to revive yourself can also work. However, if you do not have such perks active or your teammates are too far away and/or preoccupied themselves, you can be in serious trouble with little hope of surviving. Infected players do not ever show any outward signs that they are infected. The same is true of those that are incapacitated. The timer that appears when they are down does not change in any way to reflect the fact that you are infected or that you only have a brief amount of time before you turn. Without this knowledge, teammates can be led to take a bit more of their time before reviving you, leading to the sudden loss of a teammate to infection.
  • In all cases of infection, it is possible to exceed the regular 12-second timer as long as disinfection is underway. What this means is that cleaning yourself off or getting revived at the literal last second will still work since the timer will halt itself to give you the necessary remaining time to remove the infection.
• The Infector's main method of infection is the spitball. The Infector is capable of launching infectious ink-black projectiles from a distance. However, the spitball that the Infector hurls at the survivors cannot deal any damage at all. It takes about three seconds for the Infector to spit out her spitball. When launched, it travels relatively fast and far, and it leaves behind a trail as it flies through the air. The spitball splashes when it hits a surface, meaning it still has a chance of hitting and infecting you if you were standing very close to it when it splatters all over the wall or floor. After spitting, the Infector must wait for some time to recharge before being able to spit again. What she does from here depends on how close someone is to the Infector. If a survivor is fairly close to the Infector shortly after spitting, she will resort to attacking you with her swipe attack. However, if there is enough distance between her and the survivors, she will run away somewhere relatively safe but close to recharge undisturbed. Approaching her in this state will force her out of hiding to attack you. However, if you get spit on and she runs away, you can user the opportunity to retreat back to a safe spot to disinfect yourself.
• The spitball is always launched in an arc. This can sometimes allow it to land on survivors hiding behind very short cover from above. On the reverse side, if you stand on an elevated spot in front of an area with a low ceiling, the spitball could end up being shot too high and end up hitting it instead. Keep in mind that the spitball can easily be stopped by a multitude of environmental obstacles. Hiding behind decently sized objects or walking past a corner can more easily and reliably protect you from an incoming spitball. You can also lead Infectors to spit in front of tall obstacles or environment set pieces as well. Do not be afraid to hide behind things like chain link fences or closeable doors. The Infector's spitball won't pass through them like bullets can, and will instead splatter against them.
• Dodging a spitball is simple enough. If you are anticipating the Infector to spit, move or sprint to the sides just as she expectorates. She makes a particularly distinct sound before and after she projects her spitball, meaning it's possible to dodge it just by listening as long as you know her current position beforehand.
• The Infector's ability to spit out projectiles gives her something other zekes lack: range. While this range may not be all too impressive to most players, the Infector does not always need to be right up against a survivor to engage with them. Once she is in a suitable range of them, she will begin readying herself to project her toxic saliva ball. This range can sometimes put her just shy of the most effective range for short-ranged weaponry such as shotguns or submachine guns unless survivors choose to get close. However, most weapons will suffice when it comes to shooting the Infector down as she stands in one place while attempting to launch her disgusting projectile, making her a fairly easy target to take aim at.
  • While she is vulnerable standing around, it would still be best to keep a decent distance away. The closer she is to you when she hurls her saliva ball, the easier it is for it to hit you as there is less time for you to react and dodge or get behind cover. While charging a spitball, the Infector cannot be pushed back or stumbled by melee attacks and explosions. Being in melee range also puts you at risk of getting attacked with a swipe attack shortly after she finishes spitting.
• The Infector's alternate method of infection is her swipe attack. Just like every other zeke and special zombie in the game, the Infector has a swipe attack to harm survivors that get within arm's reach. However, her swipe attacks are enhanced by the fact that the Infector spews out her infectious spit while she attacks. This can sometimes make melee fights extremely risky as running up an Infector head-on without a plan could result in getting yourself infected. Since this method of infection can also deal damage, unlike her spitball, the Infector is capable of incapacitating you at the same time, leaving you helpless on the ground while you slowly wait for infection to kill you. While in lower difficulties, this is far less likely and would probably require the aid of a group of regular zekes to achieve the same results, the increased damage received from enemies in higher difficulties makes this more likely. Unless you are prepared, avoid getting too close to the Infector to avoid getting hurt and infected at the same time.
  • When you are infected, you can only get re-infected once the previous infection has been cleaned off. If you get covered in the Infector's spit, do not worry about getting splashed on with even more spit since it will not cause any further effects while already infected. (This also applies if you happen to be carrying a damaged Virus Sample.) However, you should worry if an Infector is approaching you while you are getting rid of a previous infection as she could hit you with her spewing swipe and deal damage while infecting you all over again, putting you through the same arduous process once more. If you cannot down and/or kill the Infector while infected, simply push her away with a melee attack or stumble her with your weapons to momentarily stop her while disinfecting.
• Other special zombies and regular zekes work very well with the Infector. Both the Lurker and the Bull are capable of pinning down a survivor and rendering them helpless. Regular zekes can potentially pin someone down if enough of them manages to surround them, or if one is strengthened by the Booster. If any of them manage to hold down a survivor, a nearby Infector is absolutely free to splash them in toxic saliva while they are unable to defend themselves. Once they incapacitated you, it is only a matter of time before you succumb to immediate zombification. While you should be very careful of a Lurker or Bull's presence, you should be even more watchful if you know an Infector is around as they can work together to quickly eliminate one of your teammates.
• The Infector is considered one of the toughest special zombies you can face, and a surprising one at that. Despite her stature, appearance, and total lack of any sort of protective gear would lead you to believe, the Infector has durability nearly on par with that of the Bull, a fully-armored riot police officer zeke. She is capable of soaking up a lot of damage, able to take many bullets to the body and multiple melee strikes. Fire damage takes time to burn her and electricity seldom kills. Although the best way to kill her is through headshots, the Infector is strong enough to survive several of them.
  • Killing the Infector takes more than just riddling her full of bullets. On top of her insane resistances, dealing enough damage will usually only down the Infector first, assuming a certain damage threshold has not been exceeded. In this state, the Infector will fall down to the ground and writhe, unable to attack, fight back, or do anything to harm anyone. However, she is still an active threat and will need to be put down for good. Apart from shooting more bullets at her while she lays on the floor, the best method of executing and killing her once and for all is with a melee finisher. If it can be done, approach the Infector while she is down and use a melee attack. Not only is this the most effective that guarantees her death, it can save on resources that would have been spent on her. However, if this cannot be achieved, shooting and throwing everything you got at her until she is killed will also do the trick.
  • Despite the Infector's extraordinary strength, explosives are still highly effective against the Infector. The Infector is less tolerant to explosive equipment or weapons due to their high damage output, which easily shreds through her unnatural armor and more quickly puts her into her downed state. Explosives are also responsible for outright killing her more often than not. In many cases where an Infector suffers a lot of damage, they are down but not out. However, the damage of explosives has a great chance of exceeding the damage threshold that puts the Infector in her downed state in the first place, meaning you will not have to deal with her afterward if you are lucky enough.
• If left alone or insufficiently damaged while in her downed state, the Infector can rise back up from her injuries. This allows her to undo a lot of the progress the survivors had done to bring her to that state. The Infector will regenerate back up to her feet in just 13 seconds. In the last three seconds, she will slowly get back up on her feet which signifies she is almost completely regenerated. The Infector is capable of regenerating up to three times and dying immediately on the fourth. It is vital that she is killed for good the first time the survivors manages to bring her down. If the Infector is left to come back from possible death, she will become an obstacle for the survivors that takes much longer to kill and more resources to achieve it.
• Use heavy weapons. Heavy weapons, while mostly intended for zeke swarms, can also be used against tough enemies. Given how ridiculously resilient the Infector is, heavy weapons can easily decimate her due to how much damage heavy weapons can cause. If it can be spared, unload some of your heavy weapon ammo onto the Infector. Using each heavy weapon effectively allows you to maximize damage and successfully kill the Infector with efficiency.
  • The Payload Rifle is very well suited to be used against the Infector given its somewhat lackluster crowd control capabilities. Focusing its explosive firepower on the Infector instead is highly recommended as a direct hit can easily down her while a follow-up shot can quickly kill her for good. The Payload Rifle's scope also makes it perfect for killing the Infector from a distance and with accuracy.
  • The RPG Launcher is an extremely powerful heavy weapon to use against the Infector. Firing it directly at or very close to her should produce some devastating results. It is best to use it from a safe distance to avoid friendly fire as well as accidentally hurting yourself. Despite how powerful this weapon is and how it is guaranteed to kill the Infector, it would be best to only use it against her as a last resort or if she arrives with others.
  • The Machinegun can deliver a constant stream of explosive ammo towards an Infector from a distance. The Machinegun is one of the best heavy weapons to use against the Infector due to its high ammo count and being able to deliver extremely powerful headshots if aimed more accurately.
  • The MGL is a powerful explosive weapon that can work great against the Infector if you can line up the grenades well enough. Although the grenades bounce and are on a timer, this could be overlooked as the Infector stands perfectly still for a few seconds while charging up her spitball projectile. Keep your eye out for her spitball if she does manage to fire it out, and shoot the grenades on the floor carefully so that they roll and explode very closely to the Infector. However, you should be careful to aim carefully or else you may put yourself at risk of self-damage. Additionally, do not fire out too many rounds at once as you have the potential of overshooting/undershooting the grenades and possibly waste ammo.
  • The Heavy Assault Shotgun is another excellent heavy weapon to use while fighting the Infector due to its high damage output and fast fire rate. While you do need to be close, body shots tend to trip her around and make her an easy target. If the Infector has gone into preparing to spit out a projectile, she will become a still target that is just asking for a few headshots. This can easily put her down if not outright killing her.
  • The Chainsaw is the best melee option against the Infector if you plan to approach her directly. Aiming the weapon and letting the teeth tear into her will not only down her, but finish her off for good as the Chainsaw can be used as an alternative melee finisher. Even if she is not killed after projecting her spitball, she will likely be pushed back before she has a chance to hit you with an infection-spewing swipe.
  • The Flamethrower can easily roast the Infector to a crisp. The high damage of the flames will quickly down the Infector, and the afterburn can eventually kill her before she gets the chance to regenerate.
• The Infector cannot be stopped by Barbed Wire. She will consistently be able to climb over it. Do not expect it to do much against the Infector apart from briefly slowing her down as she climbs over it.
• The Infector can drain a High Voltage Grid dry. As stated, the Infector can absorb a lot of damage that would normally kill others. While she can be stunned by a High Voltage Grid, the Infector will end up using a lot of power from it if she is not taking damage from other sources. The Infector's high health will not only end up saving her from electrocution but render the grid powerless. If you catch an Infector getting fried, take the opportunity to shoot and finish her off to prevent her from using up any further power from the grid.

Class-specific

Gunslinger

• The Gunslinger starts with a core perk called Gimme a Reason. This perk starts you off with the Frag Grenade. Throw it at an Infector to deal major damage.
• At level 7, the Gunslinger can unlock a perk called Heavy Metal. This perk starts you off with an improved Machinegun with better damage and more ammo. Any and all Machineguns that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.
• At level 10, the Gunslinger unlocks a core perk called Seek and Destroy. This perk's utility gives all teammates an advantage on any special zombies that come within range. Given how dangerous the Infector, marking her is especially important to do.
• At level 11, the Gunslinger can unlock a perk called Bounty Hunter. This perk's utility expands across every special zombie in the game. Given how much damage the Infector is capable of soaking up, this perk is substantially helpful when fighting against her.

Hellraiser

• The Hellraiser starts with a core perk called Demoman. This perk equips you with C4 and an MGL. These powerful explosives can be used to devastate any Infectors you come across with proper use.
• At level 2, the Hellraiser can unlock a perk called Here Kitty. This perk allows you to draw in zekes towards a C4 charge shortly after deployment. Against the Infector, this can be used to distract her and lead her into a devastating explosion you have complete control over. Blast her once she is lured to the C4 and deal some serious damage.
• At level 22, the Hellraiser can unlock a perk called Deep Pockets. This perk grants more ammo for heavy weapons that you find. This can be highly beneficial as no matter which weapon you find, the extra ammo can allow you to spare more of its incredible firepower on an Infector but still have plenty left over for regular zekes and/or weaker special zombies.
• At level 26, the Hellraiser can unlock a perk called Heavy Rain. This perk starts you off with an improved MGL with better damage and more ammo. Any and all MGLs that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.

Medic

• At level 2, the Medic can unlock a perk called Triage. This perk allows you to apply Medkits faster, giving you a quicker option for cleaning off an infection for yourself or a teammate you witnessed getting spit on. As stated earlier, it is best to use the Medkit method of disinfecting to clean off an infection and heal most of your wounds at the same time.
• At level 20, the Medic unlocks a core perk called Fighting Chance. This perk allows you to easily save anyone who is incapacitated using the Stim Pistol. It is extremely safe to use, gives the survivor you shot a much-needed temporary health boost, and will instantly clean off their infection.
• At level 26, the Medic can unlock a perk called Secret Ingredient. This perk grants five seconds of the masking effect after firing a stim. The masking effect is great for allowing targeted teammates to disappear, giving them both temporary health and cover for cleaning off the infection without worry.

Fixer

• The Fixer starts with a core perk called Mule. This perk starts you off with the Supply Bag. Supply Bags are easy and effective equipment for taking down Infectors as the explosive ammunition provided by the bag makes any primary weapon suitable for direct confrontations with the Infector as the sheer damage will easily taker her down.
• At level 4, the Fixer can unlock a perk called Night Owl. This perk replaces your Supply Bag in exchange for the Masking Gas Grenade. Using a Masking Gas Grenade allows survivors that walk into the gas to become invisible to the zekes. Masking Gas Grenades can easily allow anyone currently infected to easily disinfect themselves under its effects. Additionally, the gas will also grant a small amount of temporary health for when the gas eventually wears off.
• At level 5, the Fixer can unlock a perk called Side Effects. Similar to the Night Owl perk, you gain the Masking Gas Grenade that you can use to provide the perfect cover to easily clean an infection. However, instead of granting some temporary health, the gas now does damage and can kill anything within its area of effect. Given the Infector's unusual strength, it may take longer for the gas to kill her.
• At level 10, the Fixer unlocks a core perk called Please Stand Up. When the Fixer gets up as a result of everyone on the team being either incapacitated, dead, or pinned, they will revive themselves and remove the infection.
• At level 27, the Fixer can unlock a perk called My Round II. This perk allows everyone, not just the Fixer, to benefit from a little extra ammo for any heavy weapon that they find.
• At level 29, the Fixer can unlock a perk called The Big Five 0. This perk starts you off with an improved Payload Rifle with better damage and more ammo. Any and all Payload Rifles that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.

Slasher

• The Slasher starts with a core perk called Shock Troops. This perk starts you off with the Stun Gun. Typically used for crowd control, it can also be used to stop the Infector from hurling a saliva projectile. You can also use it to stop any nearby zekes from attacking you as you attempt to wipe the infection off.
• At level 11, the Slasher can unlock a perk called Trophy Hunter. This perk functions exactly the same as the Bounty Hunter perk.
• At level 17, the Slasher can unlock a perk called Heavy Metal I. This perk starts you off with an improved Chainsaw with better damage and more fuel. Any and all Chainsaws that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.
• At level 18, the Slasher can unlock a perk called Heavy Metal II. As an alternative to the previous perk, this one starts you off instead with an improved Heavy Assault Shotgun with better damage and more ammo. Any and all Heavy Assault Shotguns that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.

Exterminator

• The Exterminator starts with a core perk called Firestarter. This perk makes you deal 25% more damage to all enemies during swarm events, Infectors included. You also start with Molotov Cocktails that deliver a great deal of fire damage.
• At level 8, the Exterminator can unlock a perk called Heavy Metal. This perk starts you off with an improved RPG Launcher with even greater damage. Any and all RPG Launchers that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefit.
• At level 9, the Exterminator can unlock a perk called Heavy Metal II. As an alternative to the previous perk, this one starts you off instead with an improved Heavy Assault Shotgun with better damage and more ammo. Any and all Heavy Assault Shotguns that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits.
• At level 21, the Exterminator can unlock a perk called Broad Shoulders. Similar to the Hellraiser's Deep Pockets perk, it grants more ammo for all heavy weapons that you find. However, the amount of extra ammo gained is slightly less than that of the Hellraiser's.
• At level 29, the Exterminator can unlock a perk called Ghost. This perk will periodically give you a few seconds of masking effect while everyone else on your team is either incapacitated or dead. The masking effect provides you with a temporary safeguard that can be used to provide the precious seconds needed to clean yourself of infection. However, since the perk functions in intervals, the masking effect may not always set in when you need it to. Remember that it will not work once you are pinned down.

Dronemaster

• The Dronemaster starts with a core perk called Flying Start. This perk starts you off with a Quadrocopter armed with a Stun Gun. If an Infector gets too close, the Quadrocopter will stun her for a slighter higher charge cost than normal.
• At level 9, the Dronemaster can unlock a perk called The Big Five 0. This perk starts you off with an improved Payload Rifle with better damage and more ammo. Any and all Payload Rifles that you pick up throughout the game are also improved with the same benefits. However, unlike the Fixer's version of the perk, the Payload Rifle you start off with (and the ones you pick up along the way) will only be half as strong and have slightly less ammo in comparison.
• At level 16, the Dronemaster can unlock a perk called Saving Grace. This perk can save you from incapacitation/death by covering you in masking gas moments before losing the last of your health while infected. Now masked, you can quickly clean yourself off of the Infector's spit and make a hasty retreat or attack her with the remaining seconds of the masking effect. Remember that there is a three-minute cooldown until it can work again so do not rely too heavily on it.
• At level 19, the Dronemaster can unlock a perk called Coming In Hot. This perk can turn the Quadrocopter into a powerful kamikaze. If a Quadrocopter is low on charge (displaying a yellow light) or it can truly be spared, command it to explode right into an Infector to cause high damage.
• At level 23, the Dronemaster can unlock a perk called Eye In The Sky. This perk functions similarly to the Gunslinger's Seek and Destroy core perk but with slightly less range and only when the Quadrocopter is out.

Creation

Nickname

The nickname "Infector" stems from her ability to spread a zombifying infection onto healthy individuals. An Infector is described as something or someone that spreads/causes infection, which is exactly what she does by spraying survivors in her contaminated saliva.

Origin

The Infector was likely a patient at a general hospital. It is unknown if her hospitalization was related to any zombie attacks or if it was for a separate and completely unrelated incident. Her eye, knee, and possibly her jaw injuries are the reasons for why she was hospitalized. Unlike her jaw, her bandaged eye and knee brace likely mean that they were already treated and attended to. However, it is unclear if her jaw injury happened before or after she became infected. Her most notable attire, the straitjacket, suggests that she was physically restrained to keep her from harming herself or others. As straitjacket are rarely, if ever, used in modern times due to improved restraining techniques, highly-trained staff, and the fact that their use is considered cruel by today's standards, it might be possible that she was only restrained in this fashion as a very last resort, and not indicative of any sort of serious mental health issues/illnesses prior to infection.

On top of her physical restraints, she has most likely been chemically restrained too. This is highly suggested by the two partially-plunged needles sticking into her back. The different colored syringes likely mean that the substances in either one are different from one another. The use of drugs to subdue a patient can be dangerous as using a large-than-necessary dose can put the patient in serious harm. This method, along with the use of straitjackets, likely only came into practice after the institution the Infector was staying at was under siege by zekes, breaking down the staff into panic and forcing them to resort towards less ethical and aggressive methods to control their patients while trying to contain the chaos. Given how some of the medication can still be seen inside the syringes, it may suggest that the administration of these drugs were rushed. The location of where they were administered leads to the possibility that the straitjacket-bound Infector struggled and was forcibly injected from behind. At that point, she fell prey to zekes when they managed to overrun the facility where she was staying. Either during her futile struggle against the zekes or some point later, her straitjacket was torn, granting her back the full use of her right arm.

Sounds

As with all special zombies, the Infector produces unique sounds to differentiate herself from regular zekes. As a result of the damage done to her jaw, the Infector is only capable of producing sounds comparable to bubbling liquids in the mouth, sucking in saliva, and a myriad of other wet-sounding noises. These sounds are far from the usual groans made by the zekes and even those made by the other special zombies. Additionally, they are also fairly high-pitched, making it easy to discern in a large zeke crowd.

Intelligence & Physical Abilities

The Infector is shown to be very versatile, working with what she has to be a threat to the survivors. Being able to perform unnatural feats to both infect humans with her saliva and soak up loads of damage without any protective gear, the Infector utilizes her body to the fullest to be a deadly obstacle. On top of her strength, she also possesses a decent level of self-preservation as she will temporarily flee from battle if survivors are not close enough to her after she launches a spitball.

The Infector being able to spit infectious fluid and withstand tons of damage is unlike anything that has been seen so far with regular zekes. How the Infector developed all of her incredible abilities could be the combination of a couple of factors.

One of these factors could be the chemical effects of the drugs leftover in her body. It could be possible that the two syringes stuck to her back are largely responsible for both her abnormal toughness and ability to overproduce saliva. As a result of these drugs, they have hijacked the Infector's entire body to render her resistant to damage, allowing her to withstand multiple deadly headshots and a ridiculous amount of bullets to the body. This goes beyond ballistics too since she is also capable of withstanding a lot of damage from fire, electricity, and even deadly gasses. She can even survive a few weak explosions or a moderately powerful one. After enough harm has been done to her, she will finally fall to the floor from the accumulated damage taking its toll on her body. However, by waiting a short while after being taken down, she can rest long enough for her to use her body again and return to a stable condition. The drugs may have also caused her hypersalivation, which could be why the Infector is capable of drawing up a large amount of fluid to splash the survivors with. Since her projectiles do not deal damage when it is splashed on a survivor or deal any additional damage when the Infector attacks with her spewing swipe, this removes the possibility that she is coughing up any harmful stomach acid, meaning she solely spits out saliva. Since she is a zeke though, her body would be full of deadly material brought on by the virus. This is likely what makes her saliva appear ink black and carry the infection in it. Given that the survivors simply wipe the saliva off within a certain period after getting hit with it, it demonstrates that getting splashed with a zeke's saliva is not as deadly as a bite would be. However, her spit always seems to splash into/around her target's eyes, still allowing it to be equally fatal just as long as the victim does not fully clean it off in time.

Another factor may have been the influence of the virus. The fast-acting virus in World War Z is highly speculated to bring a human it infects to a more primitive and animalistic state. The animalistic side of the virus has resulted in the turned humans exhibiting behavior more akin to creatures of the animal kingdom. In the case of the Infector, her knack for spitting on survivors could be acquired from animals with liquid projectiles as some utilize their fluids as either a means of attack or defense. Due to the large amount of saliva she produces, she may have adapted to using it as a projectile as an unconventional but effective means of spreading the infection.

When preparing to project her fluid, she first sucks up a lot of it towards her mouth until a sizable amount has been built up to form a decently-sized ball that can retain its surface tension until it makes contact with surfaces or living beings. The strange thing about her spitting is just how far her projectiles can travel. Despite the superhuman expectorating skills the Infector displays, the reason for this incredible power could also be attributed to the virus. The virus has shown that it hardly lets zekes rest and they are always ready to put every ounce of strength into chasing healthy survivors when alerted. This suggests that many limits imposed on the body by the brain have either disappeared or have been heavily suppressed after a person has turned. In the case of the Infector, it has given her greater use of the muscles in or around areas of her mouth to allow her to spit large balls of saliva at great distances. Her damaged jaw may also play an additional and inadvertently beneficial role in this as her gaping maw allows her to release bigger balls of spit, which would more likely be able to infect someone with the splash than if she only projected relatively normal-sized spitballs.

After spitting, the Infector tends to run away to a safe location such as behind walls and other obstacles to safely recharge some fluid after spitting. This behavior may have been brought on as an effect of her spitting ability as she needs to wait a bit of time before being able to spit projectiles again. As a method of preservation, building back up saliva uninterrupted can be highly beneficial for infecting humans. However, this only occurs when some distance is kept between her and survivors, proving that she is not required to hide behind cover or run away from battle to build back up saliva to hurl at survivors again. If survivors are close enough after she spits, she will revert to the usual aggressive nature of zekes and run up and physically attack survivors until she can spit out another ball.

Related Achievements

There is one achievement related to the Infector that can be earned.

Icon & Name	Description	Gamerscore (XB)	Trophy (PS)
Effective communication	Mark special zombies 50 times	20	Bronze

Notes

• The concept behind the Infector and her ability to turn survivors with her saliva appears to be inspired by a scene from the movie where during a struggle against a zombie while escaping an apartment building, Gerry Lane gets some of its spit in his mouth. Afterwards, he stands on the edge of the building and begins counting down to 12 with the intention of jumping off in case he ends up succumbing to the infection, which he ultimately does not. In-game, the Infector weaponizes her spit as a means of a unique ranged attack. Although the saliva of a zeke is proven to not be as deadly when it is not directly injected into the body by a bite or quickly entered through an open wound, whenever the Infector lands her saliva onto a survivor, it always happens to land in their eyes. This is may explain why her spit is so deadly, as the eyes can serve as an opening to allow the infection to be absorbed into the body.
  • In the movie, Gerry had it land in his mouth, which he then quickly tries to cough out to prevent it from entering his body any further. In a similar manner, survivors disinfect themselves mainly by rubbing out their eyes when they get splashed with the Infector's spit. As demonstrated in both cases, if a zombie's saliva entered an orifice of the body, but near-immediate action is taken to remove as much of it away as possible, the infection present in the fluid will not be able to last long enough to overcome the body.
• Although the Infector's left arm appears to be bounded by her straitjacket, this does not mean that the hitbox for the left arm has entirely disappeared. By using the Flaregun and firing a flare into the area around where her left arm would be if it were not restrained, one can see the flare floating seemingly in midair. This effect is seen even better while she is down on the floor after taking too much damage since her arm movements are more exaggerated.
• The Infector's infection mechanic was reused for the Virus Sample when it was introduced in the Crossplay Update.

Trivia

• The Infector's green hospital bracelet on her right arm upon very close inspection reveals a few extra details about herself.
  • The green color of the bracelet itself indicates that she had a latex allergy.
  • Her age was 26 at the time of her hospitalization.
  • She was assigned to bed #42 at the facility that treated her.

Gallery

World War Z - Undead Sea Update

The update trailer where the Infector was officially revealed

World War Z - Infector

Segment from the trailer specifically focused on dealing with the Infector

Infector art from the Season 1 roadmap

Kimiko walking up stone steps with a dead Infector laying nearby