The Witch generally only appears a few times per campaign, and is passive unless provoked by flashlights, gunfire, or Survivors in close proximity. She is the second "Boss Infected." Pistol fire does not provoke her easily, but it will do only a small amount of damage. She is very powerful, capable of incapacitating, and even killing Survivors with one hit. When the Director spawns a Witch, the faint chord of the Witch music will play, allowing veterans of the game to quickly prepare for the "obstacle." The Witch cries loudly, which Survivors will mention they hear, warn you to turn off your flashlight, and dramatic music will play. While the Witch can be killed, it is best to avoid startling her unless absolutely necessary. The most common means of her being startled is by staying near her too long or bumping into her. The flashlight will quicken her agitation rate, as she stands up faster with a flashlight shone near (or on) her. If you attack her, or if someone else startles it, it will say "[Survivor's name] startled the Witch". If a Special Infected like the Jockey or Charger gets too close to the Witch and a person was targeted and hit her, it will say, "You startled the Witch! Best not to disturb her next time."
The Witch is very rarely found in small rooms and normally stays off the main route, but has been found in front of safe rooms (or even inside the safe room), doorways, and in the middle of streets. Once a Witch has killed a Survivor, she will retreat out the area and completely disappear. However, in some strange cases, the Witch has been known to kill the closest Survivor to her. This does not usually happen, and when it does, the Witch runs off as normal after killing the Survivor. Also, if a survivor blocks the Witch from attacking the Survivor who startled her, she will attack the Survivor blocking her and either incapacitate the blocking player and run away or incapacitate both the blocking player and the player who startled her. If the Witch is lit on fire (Molotov, Incendiary ammo, Gas can) while she is chasing a Survivor, she will immediately start chasing after whoever burned her. Even if she is retreating, if she is lit on fire, she will go after that Survivor even though she either killed another Survivor or one locked themselves in a safe room.