Infectious Smile Bat: Stats, Map Spawns, and Combat Tactics

The Infectious Smile bat serves as the default free melee weapon handed out at spawn by Rob. It deals 10 damage across 10 durability with a one-second stun, making it a reliable crowd support tool when fighting alongside other survivors.

Bat Base Stats and Mechanics

The bat is the first of the six primary weapons introduced to players upon joining the game. It costs nothing to obtain and acts as the baseline melee instrument for uninfected survivors. Each swing deals 10 damage and inflicts a 1-second stun on contact. The attack speed is classified as fast, paired with a 2-second cooldown between swings.

Durability is set to 10 total uses. Each successful hit against an infected target yields 1 coin, allowing a single bat to generate up to 10 smile coins before it breaks. Prior to the Spring 2022 balance patch, the bat delivered a 2.5-second stun that allowed continuous stun-locking against single targets. The adjusted 1-second stun duration requires tighter spacing, as smilers possess 110 base health and can initiate grab attacks quickly if a swing misses.

Holding the bat also contributes to obtaining the all weapons badge, officially titled Obtained All Weapons In One Life. Fulfilling the achievement criteria demands holding the bat alongside seven other pieces of gear: the bottle, knife, handgun, shotgun, hatchet, ice potion, and invisibility potion in a single life without resetting or succumbing to an infection.

Spawn Locations and Map Pickups

Survivors collect the bat at the start of every life directly from spawn. The friendly NPC Rob sits behind the counter and offers the item alongside a glass bottle. Attempting to take a duplicate bat prompts refusal lines such as "No means no" or "Who do you think I am, a genie?" When selected as the player's active primary loadout, an additional supply box containing the bat appears at the Fortress safe zone wall at the far end of the stages.

Stage-specific pickups also feature the bat independently, allowing survivors who selected an alternate main weapon to pick up an auxiliary bat from the environment:

• Am-Bush: Placed behind the jungle barriers.
• Cargo Shipment: Found inside train container crates alongside various supplies.
• Conveyor Transport: Positioned along the left elevated walkway.
• Corridor: Resting on the floor between the zigzag infected patches.
• Headcam: Hidden within the interior wall section.
• Raided Hideout: Tucked inside the cracked concrete wall opening near the living quarters.
• Steel Bridges: Located along the intersecting catwalk structures.
• Subterranean Jungle: Spawning on the elevated upper platforms above the pit.

Picking up a map-spawned bat lets players carry it in conjunction with other items. If the chosen primary weapon breaks later in the round, collecting a replacement from an item crate directly fills that open weapon slot.

Combat Tactics and Weapon Matchups

Surviving melee encounters depends on understanding swing timing. Because smilers move faster than base human walking speed, swinging wildly leads to vulnerability during the 2-second cooldown. Against a single infected opponent, connecting consecutive swings keeps the attacker interrupted, but dealing with two or more smilers simultaneously requires positioning near teammates.

Pairing the bat with heavy weapons creates reliable offensive setups. Branch users deal significant damage but suffer from a slow swing cooldown and reduced movement speed. When a bat user lands a hit, the 1-second stun window immobilizes the target, allowing a nearby Branch wielder to connect without missing.

Group Defense and Team Roles

In solo situations, relying entirely on the bat exposes players to grab attacks, especially when attackers approach in numbers. Smilers attempt to bait an early swing before moving in during the weapon recovery window. When learning how to survive as a human, maintaining line-of-sight with other survivors prevents isolated deaths.

If a teammate gets grabbed, the bat can disrupt the attacker before the infection process completes. Sticking close to fortified choke points, such as the depressing light barriers at spawn or the Fortress entrance, provides safe zones to retreat to whenever weapon durability runs low. Upgrading to alternatives like the katana offers superior speed, but the default bat remains a functional defensive tool for survivors working in organized groups.