I’ve been asked by several people how I manage crowning witches, especially with pump shotguns and chrome shotguns, and though I have explained to them with brevity, given these were done during game play, I’ve decided to compile my general thoughts into a guide for ease of access and hopefully, for your perusal.

I’d like to assert that I am by no means an expert at crowning (I make mistakes from time to time and sometimes seek out mistakes as a means of learning). This is a layman’s guide, and will also not feature meleeing, something which I am atrocious at.

I have tried to be as concise as possible when writing this guide, out of consideration for your time. And have added some artwork/diagrams of which I’ve drawn for the sake of this guide in lieu of screenshots.

My intent is to give you several pointers and ideas on how to crown, that you may improve your witch-crowning game and treat this special infected like a mere inconvenience, rather than a force not to be trifled with.

Witches are some of the strongest special infected that exist in the world of Left 4 Dead in terms of damage output. This guide will hone in on ways to deal with them without expending health.

The prime weapons of dealing with witches are the shotguns. Rifle mains tend to opt for shooting them as they approach and others set them on fire and run like hell. I personally prefer to give them the pellet treatment and like anyone, hope for the best. So lets talk about these barrel blasters. From the worst to the best.

The pump shotgun and chrome shotgun.

Pump Shotguns
Pump shotguns. The worst, but with the capacity to get the job done – the pump shotgun has the widest damage spread, sub-optimal when it comes to crowning, because there’s a higher chance you’ll miss your mark and meet the floor. And because of its inability to shoot in quick succession, it comes down to pure accuracy, steady nerves and grit.

The remedy? The best remedy to crown with a pump shotgun is to get in as close as you possibly can and aim for the head as she stands (with the most stationary she is being when she shakes her head). You can also implement the shove technique for a safety net in case the entire spread doesn’t connect, which I’ll discuss later.

Chrome Shotguns
Chrome shotguns. The better of the pump-action shotguns, the chrome shotgun has increased accuracy and range but still falls flat when you consider the auto shotgun and combat/spas shotgun’s accuracy and fire rate. The most consistent crowns can be achieved with this in comparison to the pump shotgun.

The remedy? The best remedy for crowning with a chrome shotgun is to get in close though it isn’t required to get as close as you would need with the pump shotgun due to its compact spread and range. You have more freedom, but its definitely recommended you get in as close as you can to avoid any mishaps. The shove technique can also be used with this shotgun.

The auto shotgun and combat shotgun.

Auto Shotguns
Auto shotguns. The fire rate of this shotgun ranks it second highest (personally) when crowning. It’s accuracy is less than the combat/spas shotgun, but this doesn’t make much of a difference due to its fire rate.

Combat Shotguns
Combat/spas shotguns. The best kind of shotgun to use as its high accuracy and combined fire rate make it the true bane of a weeping witch.

The witch.

The Head
What you should strive to aim for. The head is the weakest part of the witch as is with all special and common infected, and with pump-action shotguns in particular - the part that will help you walk away from a witch encounter.

The Body
Recommended for when you want a larger surface area to work with and have an auto or combat shotgun at the ready. Several shots required to land to bring this special infected down and the second option to aim for.

The Legs
No point in aiming there. There isn’t enough surface area to ensure the entire shotgun spread of any shotgun connects.

Crouching
While not crucial for the auto shotgun and combat shotgun, crouching is useful when using single-shots, as this increases accuracy by shrinking the crosshairs, which constricts the damage spread.

Double Tapping
A tactic for the auto shotgun and combat shotgun. Firing twice at a witch’s head just in case the first one doesn’t make the cut. It can mean the waste of a bullet, but an incap is simply worth more than a shell, and is less of a hassle for your teammates.

The Shove Technique
For pump-action shotguns, but can work with the auto shotgun and combat shotgun (though irrelevant unless you’re down to two bullets and would rather shove tech than double tap). Crouch in front of the witch and aim for her head – fire and shove straight away to decrease the reload time and fire again. The point of this to ensure that in case you fire and the witch is still alive, the shove will give you enough time to fire a second shot before she incaps you.

It’s important to keep in mind that sometimes you can mistakenly shove before you fire, which will only aggravate her, leading to an incap. This is not a method I prefer but works as a good safety net if you can learn to fire-shove on a consistent basis without mis-pressing.

Gutsy
Recommended for experts. It saves a lot of time but a misfire can lead to an incap. Stand over the witch and aim at her entire body and/or head, then shoot several shots with an auto shotgun or combat shotgun while ensuring she doesn’t swerve under a shot as she stands and winds up her claws. Keep the witch in the crosshairs by moving as she moves and fire until this special infected is done.

Failure and the Learning Journey
Just because you’ve failed several times doesn’t mean it’ll be a thing you’ll never be good at. Our capacity to adapt is our strength, and every failure is simply a redirection – a show of what you need to fix in order to git good. You’ll eventually crown your first witch, and it will get easier with time. Deliberate practice, like with anything (slicing smoker tongues, skeeting hunters, bunny hopping) is how you get better. You have to start somewhere to get somewhere!

Music and Atmosphere
Music and atmosphere have quite a lot impact on nerves when it comes crowning. I find myself tensing from time to time as I line up a shot, but eventually you get used it. Familiarity breeds confidence, which in turn (with practice) breeds competence.

Standing Versus Sitting Witches
In my experience, standing witches are tougher to crown with pump-action shotguns because they cover their face. If you want to get them to uncover, bump into them so they part their arms wide and scream. You have around 3 seconds to line up a shot to this special infected’s head before they attack. You can also shoot first so they part their arms, then shoot again (you can use the shove technique to speed up the reload time with a pump-action but this won’t be necessary).

Sitting witches on the other hand (for me personally) are easier to crown with pump-action shotguns.

Both are easiest to crown with the auto shotgun and combat shotgun. Just aim for the head or the body and shoot several times. A standing witch is easier to Gutsy than a sitting witch, because a standing witch is always standing, while a sitting witch is more dynamic with how she jolts to a stand (a dynamic target is harder to shoot) which can be a bit startling, therefore leading to more mistakes made.

1. I prefer to crown with combat shotguns and chrome shotguns. Both due to their accuracy, which has given me the most consistent crown streaks without being incapped by a witch.

2. Shooting a sitting witch from the back seems to give you more time for extra shots because she has to turn before she delivers her claw attack.

3. Having two standing witches in the same vicinity is a Herculean task to work with, as shooting one can hurt the other or cause one of them to get startled as you are focused on another, leading to an incap. The best way to deal with this is to have them walk away from each other so you can focus on one and then go to the next.

4. Entering the ending safe room of the level with a witch chasing after you will cause the witch to look around and run away.

5. Be weary of other special infected and common infected in the area before you engage a witch, as they can significantly alter the crowning process by grabbing you and more commonly in versus, dragging you to a witch, which will startle her and lead to your character’s incap.

6. When starting out, take your time.

7. Once you get enough crowns under your belt, be mindful of arrogance, as it will make you pay less focus to the important methodology required in crowning, which will lead to an incap. Approach each witch with a level of humility, and with the swift handling of the shotty. Once it becomes second nature, you won’t need to think too much about it.

This has been the Beginner's Guide to Witch Crowning by myself. Hopefully this has left you with enough knowledge of the crowning process to blaze through each level without shuddering to the sound of incessant weeping. Your teammates will thank you for it.

Here’s to more crowning, and have a great day.