Back 4 Blood: How To Kill a Snitcher


As if having to fight for the world against hundreds upon hundreds of zombie-like creatures wasn't bad enough for The Cleaners in Back 4 Blood, they also have to deal with Snitchers who can ruin any plans they have of sneaking around. We are going to show you how to kill Snitchers and how to beat them if you want to avoid the risks that come with killing them.

Read More: Back 4 Blood: Can You Remove Weapon Attachments?

How To Kill a Snitcher

We've mostly been avoiding Snitchers when we encounter them, finding it the best way to keep them from alerting the horde. Some players have been coming up with ways to kill them before they trigger an alert though, as detailed in this Reddit post (post by u/MythicDO). In the same thread, you'll see other methods that you can try including a classic move of distracting them then attacking them. If you have a Sniper on your team then they can get a clean kill if they're aiming directly at the Snitcher's head.


How To Beat a Snitcher

The easiest way to beat a Snitcher is to keep it alive and figure out a way to sneak around it without being spotted. It sounds a little unorthodox to leave an enemy alive, especially in a game where your whole goal is eliminating them but Snitchers work a little differently from other Ridden. You can beat Snitchers by killing them too but if you want to save your bullets and your health, it can be easier to avoid them altogether.

Back 4 Blood Dead Snitcher
click to enlarge
A dead Snitcher is as bad as an alive one!

How To Avoid a Snitcher

You need to outsmart Snitchers to avoid them and to do this you'll need to quickly change to stealth tactics. If you're in a large and open area you can sneak around the edges of that area to avoid being spotted. This will not work if the area is compact because a Snitcher will sense you, if you're too close to them they will find you regardless of if you're being stealthy or not.

You will generally want to avoid firing any guns around a Snitcher too if you're going to use the avoidance tactic. Loud noises such as gunfire or explosions will get its attention and it will start to search around the area that it heard the noise coming from which will mean it will inevitably find you too.

What Is a Snitcher?

A Snitcher is a type of Special Ridden that can appear in different levels and mutated versions can be added to a level if the game director plays their Corruption Card. Snitchers are essentially a walking alarm for the Ridden. It looks around the area it's in for any intruders and if it sees any, it lets out a high-pitched shriek that will alert the horde to your location and every single Ridden in the area will bombard you.

The Mutated Corruption Card

At the beginning of your level, the Game Director can play a Corruption Card called "The Dark" that will turn off the power and release mutated Snitchers into the level. Mutated Snitchers are more alert than their original counterparts because they can alert the horde even when they're dead. Attempting to kill or successfully killing a mutated Snitcher will still cause hundreds of Ridden to descend on you so it's advisable to use the avoidance tactic if this card is active during your run.

Snitchers add another challenging element to the levels in Back 4 Blood but once you know how to beat them or avoid alerting them, it does get a bit easier. We also have guides on defeating other Special Ridden including how to beat Reeker, Retch, and Exploder enemies or you can find out how to Unlock All Cleaners to be able to choose between all 8!

For more articles like this, take a look at our Back 4 Blood and Guides page.