The infected
Types of infected
The ordinary infected and the special kinds. Sight is how far one notices you in daylight; hearing multiplies how far every noise you make carries to it. Share is how often each special turns up among specials.
| Walker | 260 | Shambles | 38 m | x1 | x1 | The ordinary infected. | |||
| Runner | 180 | Sprints | 65 m | x1.3 | x1 | Faster and keener than a walker, but easier to put down. | |||
| Bull | 1,400 | Walks fast | 45 m | x1 | x2.4 | 3 | Charges from 7 to 20 m away and knocks you down for 3 seconds. It wrecks vehicles 3 times as fast. | Weapon Parts, Metal Plate, Steel Plate (III), Bone | 23% |
| Springer | 220 | Sprints | 60 m | x1.4 | x1.2 | Leaps 6 to 15 m, pins you for 2.6 seconds and does 18 damage on landing. | Adrenaline Shot, Springs, Sinew, Infected Tissue | 31% | |
| Swell | 300 | Shambles | 35 m | x1 | x1 | Bursts 1.2 seconds after you come within 2.4 m: 30 damage out to 6 m and 8% to 16% infection. | Chemicals, Antibiotics, Bloom Spores, Infected Tissue | 23% | |
| Crier | 200 | Runs | 55 m | x1.6 | x0.6 | Screams when it sees you within 45 m. Every infected within 90 m hears it and 3 to 5 more come. It keeps 12 m away from you. | Electronics, Battery, Speaker, Broken Phone | 15% | |
| Chorister | 420 | Walks fast | 50 m | x1.2 | x0.8 | Stands back 14 m and gets up to 2 fallen infected within 22 m back on their feet, every 12 seconds. | Wild Herbs, Antiviral, Scrip | 8% |
By day about 12% of the infected are runners. About 8% are a special kind, more where the danger is higher.
A body stays on the ground to search for 90 seconds.
Day, night and their senses
What changes how easily the infected find you.
| Night | From 21:00 to 05:00 there are 1.5 times as many infected and 35% of them are runners. |
| Sight in the dark | They see 55% as far at night. |
| A flashlight | Shows you from 1.35 times their daylight sight. Headlights at night: 1.6 times. |
| Crouching | An infected that is not already after you sees a crouched survivor 70% as far. |
| Rain and fog | When the weather cuts their sight they listen harder: hearing is 1.1 times as sharp in clearing rain, 1.1 times as sharp in fog, 1.3 times as sharp in rain. |
| Snow | In snow and blizzards they move at 85% of their usual pace. |
How far noise carries
The distance at which an ordinary infected hears each sound in calm, dry weather. A type's hearing multiplies it, and walls and floors dampen it. Each weapon's own noise is on its page.
24 rows
| Crouch-walking | 2.5 m |
| Standing still | 3 m |
| Whispering on voice chat | 4 m |
 Hunting Crossbow | 6 m |
| Walking | 7 m |
 Air Rifle | 10 m |
 Pneumatic Nail Gun | 12 m |
| Talking on voice chat | 14 m |
| Running | 15 m |
| Sprinting | 25 m |
| A suppressed shot | 28 m |
 VSS Suppressed Rifle | 28 m |
 AS Val | 28 m |
| An idling engine | 30 m |
| Shouting on voice chat | 47 m |
 Bottle-Can Rifle | 70 m |
| Pistol shot | 95 m |
| Submachine gun shot | 110 m |
| A horn | 130 m |
| Shotgun blast | 140 m |
| Rifle shot | 150 m |
| Machine gun shot | 170 m |
| Sniper rifle shot | 200 m |
| An explosion | 260 m |
A moving vehicle adds 1.2 m for every meter per second of speed, and up to 25 m more at full revs.