Uploaded February 2009 | Updated September 2026, 52 minutes ago
Common Infected, also known as The Horde when they are encountered in large numbers, are the most commonly-faced enemy and the easiest to defeat. They are completely AI-controlled and fairly weak. Their strength lies in the fact they attack in groups sometimes as large as several dozen, known as hordes. While they seem capable of ignoring pain, they can still be killed as easily as a normal human can. They are capable of climbing ladders and scaling objects. The default number of infected that are spawned in a mob is around 30.
Common Infected are drawn to loud noises and bright lights. There are several times throughout the campaigns where the Survivors must do something to alert the horde, such as opening an emergency door that will set off an alarm, and there are other times where the Survivors may accidentally alert them, such as setting off a car alarm or metal detector. All of these trigger something called a Panic Event. When a pipe bomb is thrown, all of the Common Infected in the immediate area will come to investigate the loud beeps and flashing lights - chasing after the pipe bomb and clustering around it until it explodes, killing them.
Common Infected come in variety of appearances, both male and female. They are the victims of the vicious virus only known as The Infection that is sweeping through the area. Common Infected do not differ in appearance from a healthy human as much as special infected do. Some infected models can be seen in any scenario of the game, while others, such as the infected patients in Mercy Hospital or airport custom officers in Dead Air are only encountered at certain areas. When not attacking, they are very vulnerable, usually sitting down, leaning on walls, or simply standing. They are easily provoked by light, sound, or touch, but are normally only dangerous in large groups or when completely surrounding a player. The heads, arms and legs can all be shot off, this happening easiest using a shotgun or hunting rifle. The Infected react naturally to gunfire in their vicinity, turning towards the sound to attack the shooter. Shooting one in the foot will cause a very different reaction than shooting one in the chest with a pump shotgun. They are often seen engaging in bizarre activities (e.g. vomiting, attacking inanimate objects, fighting each other) when unaware of the Survivors, but begin to rush at the Survivors the very moment they see them. A common infected's attack slows down the target player, making it exceedingly difficult to run away from a mob of them that is close to you.
The infected appear to lack a sense of self preservation, as they will actively charge into flames, explosions, and against superior forces of the survivors and their weapons, even if they have encountered these things before. A possibility is that the infection has affected their brains to such a degree that they only think of spreading it, and that this is possibly what the infection is attempting to do, which is spread as far as possible. The infected also are not known to feed or drink, and it is possible that the infection has caused them to no longer perform these necessary life functions. This may indicate that the infected may eventually die of starvation or dehydration, and possibly even exposure to the elements as the infected do not seem to seek shelter in conditions that non-infected would. according to the game commentary, they designed multiple types of faces and bodies, and would have the computer pair them when spawning infected, ensuring a variety of characters. this allowed for "something around 1500 possibilities".
The Common Infected have been mutated by this strain of the infection, though not by a large degree. They have apparently lost many of their higher brain functions and a sense of pain or self-preservation, and it's also possible that their sense of smell and hearing have greatly improved. They also appear to have higher strength, speed and endurance and are capable of scaling walls, climbing up buildings, breaking down doors and walls, and running as fast as a car. They tend to act viciously against anything not perceived as being infected, though one may see a normal infected attacking another. Their mentality has greatly decreased, and they are easily distracted by loud noises and flashing lights. They have also been rumored to speak. Example: When hiding in a safe room, a player may hear a common infected saying "let us inside"; other occasions show them trying to speak, but only to hear "Ragishmutalfish". They do however seem to have some minor understanding of their situation. Some idle infected have what seems to be an illness, holding their heads in pain and vomiting.
Source: Left 4 Dead Wiki
Common Infected, also known as The Horde when they are encountered in large numbers, are the most commonly-faced enemy and the easiest to defeat. They are completely AI-controlled and fairly weak. Their strength lies in the fact they attack in groups sometimes as large as several dozen, known as hordes. While they seem capable of ignoring pain, they can still be killed as easily as a normal human can. They are capable of climbing ladders and scaling objects. The default number of infected that are spawned in a mob is around 30.
Common Infected are drawn to loud noises and bright lights. There are several times throughout the campaigns where the Survivors must do something to alert the horde, such as opening an emergency door that will set off an alarm, and there are other times where the Survivors may accidentally alert them, such as setting off a car alarm or metal detector. All of these trigger something called a Panic Event. When a pipe bomb is thrown, all of the Common Infected in the immediate area will come to investigate the loud beeps and flashing lights - chasing after the pipe bomb and clustering around it until it explodes, killing them.
Common Infected come in variety of appearances, both male and female. They are the victims of the vicious virus only known as The Infection that is sweeping through the area. Common Infected do not differ in appearance from a healthy human as much as special infected do. Some infected models can be seen in any scenario of the game, while others, such as the infected patients in Mercy Hospital or airport custom officers in Dead Air are only encountered at certain areas. When not attacking, they are very vulnerable, usually sitting down, leaning on walls, or simply standing. They are easily provoked by light, sound, or touch, but are normally only dangerous in large groups or when completely surrounding a player. The heads, arms and legs can all be shot off, this happening easiest using a shotgun or hunting rifle. The Infected react naturally to gunfire in their vicinity, turning towards the sound to attack the shooter. Shooting one in the foot will cause a very different reaction than shooting one in the chest with a pump shotgun. They are often seen engaging in bizarre activities (e.g. vomiting, attacking inanimate objects, fighting each other) when unaware of the Survivors, but begin to rush at the Survivors the very moment they see them. A common infected's attack slows down the target player, making it exceedingly difficult to run away from a mob of them that is close to you.
The infected appear to lack a sense of self preservation, as they will actively charge into flames, explosions, and against superior forces of the survivors and their weapons, even if they have encountered these things before. A possibility is that the infection has affected their brains to such a degree that they only think of spreading it, and that this is possibly what the infection is attempting to do, which is spread as far as possible. The infected also are not known to feed or drink, and it is possible that the infection has caused them to no longer perform these necessary life functions. This may indicate that the infected may eventually die of starvation or dehydration, and possibly even exposure to the elements as the infected do not seem to seek shelter in conditions that non-infected would. according to the game commentary, they designed multiple types of faces and bodies, and would have the computer pair them when spawning infected, ensuring a variety of characters. this allowed for "something around 1500 possibilities".
The Common Infected have been mutated by this strain of the infection, though not by a large degree. They have apparently lost many of their higher brain functions and a sense of pain or self-preservation, and it's also possible that their sense of smell and hearing have greatly improved. They also appear to have higher strength, speed and endurance and are capable of scaling walls, climbing up buildings, breaking down doors and walls, and running as fast as a car. They tend to act viciously against anything not perceived as being infected, though one may see a normal infected attacking another. Their mentality has greatly decreased, and they are easily distracted by loud noises and flashing lights. They have also been rumored to speak. Example: When hiding in a safe room, a player may hear a common infected saying "let us inside"; other occasions show them trying to speak, but only to hear "Ragishmutalfish". They do however seem to have some minor understanding of their situation. Some idle infected have what seems to be an illness, holding their heads in pain and vomiting.
Source: Left 4 Dead Wiki
![Left 4 Dead - Francis [Crash Course]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pL-jMV_Kbgk/mqdefault.jpg "Left 4 Dead - Francis [Crash Course]
The voices for Francis in the new DLC update.
Louis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGaMvx0a8qQ
Zoey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3mS14k54c")
