First thing to understand is the infected behavior mechanics, since you can't directly control them but timing their movements is crucial. When spotted by runners they'll charge in immediately so use that 15-20 second window after they notice gunfire to position yourself. The sweet spot for luring clickers is about 30 meters - throw bottles or bricks and wait 3-4 seconds for their echolocation ping before they investigate. Really important detail: stalkers take exactly 2 seconds to emerge from cover after detecting movement, so time your shots carefully.

For the faction fights specifically, you'll want to position near the edges of combat zones, where infected typically spawn. Wlf patrols follow fixed 45-second routes while seraphites maintain shorter 20-second patterns, making them easier to predict. Once combat starts, you've got roughly 8 seconds before nearby infected respond to gunfire - use that window to get to high ground. Bloaters are the most predictable, taking 6 seconds to wind up their spore throws, so lead enemy groups into their radius when you see that animation starting.

Tip: infected won't investigate areas more than 40 meters from their spawn point, so use that outer boundary to funnel enemies together. When stalkers are present, they'll always check the closest cover point first, giving you about 3 seconds to set up crossfire situations with other infected types.