The Charger

"He's bashing me into shit!"

- Ellis

"Don't just stand there! Kill this thing!"

- Coach

The Charger is a Special Infected that knocks down any Survivors in its way. The Charger's main purpose is to separate a group of Survivors who are tightly joined by grabbing one and sending the other ones flying through the air. While he matches the Survivors' pace, he speeds up considerably when charging them. However, this increase in speed leads to a slow stop and difficulty in turning.

Appearance
The Charger is a large Infected, close to the Tank in height and about half as wide. Unlike the Tank, however, only one of his arms has been mutated while the other is very small and presumably useless (it flails uncontrollably while the Charger is slamming a target). The Charger does not use its arms for movement, as its legs are still capable of supporting it. He sports blue overalls and a muddy work boot on his right foot.

Extent of Mutations
The Charger has been heavily mutated by a strain of the Infection. While not quite possessing the hulking appearance of the Tank, the Charger does sport a substantially enlarged torso, right arm and legs, which attests to his abilities. His overalls have slightly burst due to his malformations. While pounding on a Survivor, the Charger's shriveled left arm flops around comically. Possibly due to its choice of attack, the Charger looks severely damaged; the creature's scalp and face appear smashed or caved in. Along with this, half of his face is missing, revealing the skull, and the nose has been torn off clean. In addition, his large arm seems badly burnt and scarred, possibly due to damage inflicted from Survivor attacks or from previously charging into solid immovable objects such as walls, causing his wounds to scab over intensely.

He is not as powerful as the Tank, but can still take a beating and do half of his damage by charging. He is also less maneuverable, making it easier to dodge as he charges around. The Charger knocks the Survivors off their feet if they are too close when he charges past them, making it harder for the Survivors to free the charged victim. He does 15 damage per hit when picking up and grabbing Survivors in a "pinned-style" much like the Hunter and Smoker until reaching a wall or other viable hard surface (since the update). He then begins pummeling them repeatedly into the ground until either he gets killed by the other Survivors, the Survivor in his grasp dies, or when stunned by a nearby explosion (explosive ammo also works). When pinned by a Charger, Common Infected can still do damage to the Survivor. The Charger may punch multiple Survivors if they are bunched up together, as the Charger's punch can do 10 damage per punch.

The Charger can be most dangerous when the Survivors are standing in front of an area they can be thrown or pummeled into. The Charger will scatter them, launching anyone unfortunate enough to be hit after the Charger picks up his first victim either backwards into a possible Horde or into a deadly zone (such as into water or off the Hotel's ledge), killing them instantly. The Charger will then proceed to stomp its victim into oblivion. A good example of this is the dock section of The Parish. From far away, the Charger can often be confused with the Tank--with the exception of the fact that the Charger does not trigger special music.

Like most other Special Infected, the Charger has a distinctive sound. He is loud, making noises vaguely similar to human speech and barking at enemies in a high-pitched tone. He will also screech upon spotting Survivors or starting a charge.

Abilities
Note: The following damage is calculated on normal difficulty.

While charging, the Charger will run quickly forward with his right arm raised in front of him, using it to grab a Survivor. He will run faster than a Survivor with full health, and will grab the first Survivor he charges into, holding the Survivor out in front of himself while continuing to run through anything (including other Survivors, doing about 8 damage) until he slams the Survivor into a wall, doing 10 damage upon impact. The Charger himself also appears to receive damage when he hits a solid object, although he will receive less if he has a Survivor, and more if he misses and hits a wall. After that, he slams the Survivor in a pinned style in 1.6 second intervals until either the Survivor or the Charger itself is killed. This attack does 15 damage per slam regardless of difficulty (possibly an oversight, as Smokers and Hunters do considerably more damage on higher difficulties, but Chargers retain 15 damage on Expert).

Infected

 * Once a Charger grabs his victim, almost nothing will force him to let go. Melee shoves will do nothing, and other Infected can't grab the Survivor from him. The only way a Survivor can escape the Charger is to kill him, hit him with an explosion (propane tanks, pipe bombs, or grenade launchers), or shoot him with explosive ammo.
 * The good thing about being a Charger is that he is immune to shoving at all times, he has a powerful punch that does 10 damage per hit, and he has the largest amount of health of all Special Infected excluding the tank - 600 HP. Use these factors to your advantage.
 * Try to catch the Survivors in either an extremely narrow or extremely open space. A narrow space - such as a hallway - will allow you to knock over all the Survivors at once. An open area - such as The Park - lets you snatch a Survivor and drag them far away from the group. This can be combined with the Jockey, Hunter, and Smoker. If done right, you can take out the entire Survivor team bunched in a small place. Chargers can be good for surprise attacks. For instance, if a Horde is coming and the Survivors attempt to run, the Charger can slow them down, giving the Horde a chance to catch up.
 * In the first level of The Parish, a Charger can instantly kill a Survivor by running into them on the gangplank, sending them flying off and killing them.
 * Similarly, in the finale of The Parish, it is also possible to do a kamikaze style charge into a Survivor, taking them off the bridge with you, and, if you are lucky, you may also knock Survivors off the bridge in the process, although this trick is easier said than done.
 * The same tactic is possible on the first level of Dead Center. A Charger can kill Survivors by running into them on the ledges outside of windows and on Swamp Fever by running them into the river.
 * On Hard Rain, there are two spots where you can get an instant kill: at the building where the elevator is, and the Burger Tank restaurant. At the elevator, you have to charge a Survivor off the ledge which is CLOSEST to the lift. At Burger Tank, charge Survivors into the water at the spot where the the rescue boat arrives. It is even possible to charge Survivors into the water from the roof of the restaurant.
 * Chargers work well in ambush situations, as they can instantly take one Survivor far from the group and delay their saviors.
 * Be careful while charging a Survivor in a narrow space. Any static objects will stop you. (Trash piles, piles of wood, walls, etc.)
 * Push for the Survivor with the most health and try to reach a high distance with your charge, as it will take longer for the weaker Survivors to help him/her due to lack of speed.
 * Try to spawn up ahead, sidestep suddenly in front of the Survivors and charge at them so they have less chances to dodge you.
 * However, try not to spawn too early on, as the Charger is among the noisiest Special Infected. While he's not as easily dispatched as the Boomer, experienced Survivors will most likely avoid your charge if they know you're lurking somewhere nearby.
 * Use shadows and dense vegetation to hide and startle Survivors who pass by. Corners are an equally good opportunity, though if they lead to a narrow alleyway, the Survivors will be expecting you and will need to be distracted.
 * Avoid charging from a long distance. The Survivors will react quickly enough to dodge you (unless they are distracted) or worse, stop you dead in your tracks. Also, you might not be able to carry them far enough to do substantial damage.
 * Chargers can begin their attack from a high place without stopping. Use this to deliver surprising ambushes.
 * The rooftops in the fourth chapter of Dark Carnival - The Barns - are a great place to charge Survivors. A good ambush will result in them flying everywhere.
 * In a similar fashion, the top of the roller coaster in the third chapter of Dark Carnival is a good place for Chargers if all the Survivors come up at once, because you'll grab the first one and instantly incapacitate them if their health is low enough, and the other three may go flying off the sides of the coaster to their deaths if you're lucky.
 * The Charger can knock down doors instantly by charging into them. Use this to surprise Survivors on the other side.
 * Try to snatch lone and/or healing Survivors. Charging a Survivor who is busy reviving an incapacitated teammate is also a viable tactic, especially since these Survivors won't be able to stop what they're doing and dodge you in time.
 * The Charger does damage to whoever it grabs plus all the Survivors who get knocked aside. Knocked Survivors are unable to fire for several seconds, which means your main victim will take more damage before they can be rescued. Try to bowl over as many people as possible.
 * A Boomer is a Charger's best friend. Attacking when Boomer bile has JUST covered the Survivors is a useful tactic. Aim for the Survivors that aren't covered, and by the time the slime drips from the eyes of their friends, you can deal serious damage or death to the Survivor you abducted.
 * Chargers are useful on roof tops and are very rare on higher buildings. Try to charge at Survivors in-line with another Survivor. If you have a charged Survivor, hit another. Chances are that they will fly off to the sides of open areas.
 * The Charger has the second most powerful melee attack, delivering a whopping 10 damage per strike, and capable of punching once per second . Therefore, it would only take ten hits to incapacitate a Survivor with full health. If you get the chance to melee, it's highly recommended you do it.
 * If one of your teammates is a Tank, don't simply stand there, cover them! If a Survivor comes up to hit the Tank from behind, charge them. This will not only add confusion, but will also distract Survivors from the Tank to save their teammate.
 * Another useful tactic is camping near an incapacitated Survivor and waiting for the others to huddle around him/her and revive them. With good timing you can not only bowl over a good portion if not all of the team, but you also delayed the Survivors by possibly incapping another Survivor and spreading them out, allowing your friends to either spawn or set up an ambush. This technique is easier in areas with lots of cover or are relatively narrow where the Survivor has been incapped.
 * After killing a Survivor, the Charger has no recharge time; due to this, double-incapped Survivors are great targets for the Charger.
 * A good tactic to use with inexperienced players is to simply run up and start punching them when fully charged, thereby taking them by surprise when you charge them from a very short distance, making it impossible to miss.
 * A highly effective, if suicidal, way of getting instant kills is to line up a survivor in front of water (on Swamp Fever) or the air (The Parish bridge finale) and charge them. This pushes you and the Survivor far away from the ledge into mid-air and offers them no way of escape, getting an instant kill at the expense of your own life. But as you can respawn much faster then them this is always a good strategy for cutting down the number of Survivors.
 * When ever possible, attempt to bowl through the survivers when they are coming up an incline such as a stairs or a ramp. If hit correctly the survivors will take fall damage and will either take severe damage or be incaped. Right before going to the elevator on The Passing,or the escalators in Dead Center Mall.
 * If you notice a Jockey player in trouble while riding a survivor, simply charge the survivor in a direction that will save the Jockey player. Upon impact with the survivor the Jockey will be launched similiar to a survivor being punched by a tank or hit by a charger who has already grabbed a victim. This can potentially save the Jockey AND deal even more damage as well as cause more confusion.

Survivors

 * Try to spot the Charger before he charges.
 * Try not to get into situations where the Charger can knock you off a ledge or roof or any height if possible.
 * If you do, make sure he misses and falls to the ground.
 * If a firearm is unavailable, sidestep his charge and melee him as he passes you, or when he hits an obstacle. Remember, he can still grab you even if you're not directly in his path. So, a weapon with a longer reach may be necessary. Note that the sidestep tactic will only work if the Charger is at a reasonable distance.
 * Fan out if you hear a Charger. (But don't separate too far, or else the Infected can easily pick your teammates off quickly.) His ability to scatter close-knit Survivors will hinder their ability to quickly save the Charger's victim that is being pummeled.
 * Chargers are immune to shove attacks, so don't bother shoving him if he is pummeling a Survivor; shoot or hit with a melee weapon.
 * Avoid the Charger's melee attack, even when it misses the charge it can still cause a lot of damage.
 * Chargers are notorious for not charging when in Hordes and simply running up to the Survivors and punching them.
 * Make sure you and your teammates do not form a straight line at any time.
 * Try to stay on dry land if you hear a Charger nearby, as the water slows you down and makes you an easier target to hit. This also gives the Charger a larger window of opportunity to do heavy damage to you before your fellow Survivors can rescue you.
 * Treat a Charger as you would a Tank by keeping a healthy distance. Not only does the Charger have a large amount of health, but his charging ability and strong melee attacks make him a formidable foe in close quarters. It only takes a few swipes from him or a few seconds being charged to bring your health down to yellow.
 * The Charger is extremely vulnerable after missing a charge and should be prioritized, unless another Survivor has been pinned by other Special Infected. Shoot him to death while he is stunned, or, if within a reasonable distance, use a melee weapon to take him out quickly.
 * When he is not charging, the Charger is vulnerable to headshots. Regardless to difficulty, it takes around 8 bullets from any submachine gun, 5 from M16/Sig552, 4 from M60 or Desert Rifle, 3 from AK47 and 2 from any sniper or Magnum. Don't try to headshot him during a charge - it's impossible.
 * The Charger may be more vulnerable on the lower waist and legs due because his giant arm only shields his torso. If you are in the possesion of a submachine gun or any other assault rifle, aim for his legs. If armed with a melee weapon, go for his back.
 * You can use a melee weapon to kill the Charger in one blow with a headshot, which can be utilized to kill a Charger when he is charging at you if you have the right timing. This is easier with a fire axe as the hit rays of a fire axe are all horizontial during the first swing.
 * Only use a melee weapon when necessary, or when a viable opportunity presents itself, such as during a charge, as you may have to reload if you have a near-empty magazine. As such, guns may be unreliable at that time.
 * Keep in mind the Charger can only run so far before his charge wears off. This, however, does not mean he is incapable of carrying a Survivor a great distance.

Good Ambush Spots
As a general rule, always attack Survivors that are in a narrow area, in a straight line, or otherwise tight clump. Take advantage of the larger open areas; the further away you can take a Survivor, the harder it is for their team to rescue them. Your charge is deadly near ledges and cliffs.

Dead Center

 * On The Hotel, if a Survivor is by a window that doesn't have a railing on the ledge, charge at them, and you should bring the Survivor to their death. You'll die, but you respawn and they don't.
 * On the first floor, try to pin them in the fire. You will survive for a while, and do a good amount of damage to your victim. If you can incapacitate them in the fire, the other Survivors will have a hard time saving them, losing plenty of health themselves.
 * On The Streets, the best you can do is try to carry a Survivor far away from the group. There are plenty of good spots for this.
 * Inside The Mall, try to carry the Survivors off of the higher floors. Also try to split up the Survivors during the Crescendo Event. This could be fatal to the team.
 * In The Mall during the Crescendo Event, you can either try to death charge the Survivors through the glass railings at the beginning or charge down the escalator when there's multiple Survivors running up it, as you'll likely knock one of them towards the bottom floor.
 * Before the Survivors get to the stock car, try to grab them from the far side of the hallway they must go through.
 * While the team is collecting gas, one Survivor might go off by themselves on the upper floors. You can knock them off the upper areas and incapacitate them instantly.
 * Escalators are always great points to choke off Survivors' progress. Wait for all of them to start going up/down, and as soon as the first Survivor reaches the end of the escalator, charge straight through the escalator and all of them. The teammates who are sent flying might receive fall damage.

The Passing

 * At the beginning of the Riverbank, try to charge a Survivor who wandered too close to the water's edge. There are a few low fence areas where a well-aimed charge can rush the Survivor into the river for an instant kill.

Dark Carnival

 * In the motel, try to grab a Survivor that is on the upper walkway. Pull them off to delay and damage them. There's a very good point in the motel which is when the Survivors are forced to enter the motel rooms on the second floor. This is when the Survivors go through the broken walls in the second floor of the motel. If one of them exits through the window and your aiming is right, you can take them over the fence blocking access to the hill from the lower levels. As such, making them all go in a big circle back into the parking lot. Charging the last Survivor before he/she can jump down the hill into the swamp will cause your victim to be stranded, and will eventually perish.
 * On The Motel, charge a Survivor all the way back down the hill near the end of the level. This will delay them considerably and do some damage if you can mow down the others.
 * At the start of the Tunnel of Love when the Survivors open the safe room door and go up the stairs, charge from the opposite side of the stairs, slamming all of them into the wall and plummeting the first Survivor you hit back into the safe room. A good variation on this is to spawn in the safe room, charge from the opposite direction towards the tunnel, because everyone is expecting a charge from the tunnel.
 * On The Coaster, look for anyone who breaks away from the pack during the Crescendo and carry them even farther from the others. There are also various areas along the actual roller coaster where you can charge Survivors. Survivors are always closely packed while traveling the tracks; and so, one can easily charge, grab a Survivor, and knock the others to their deaths. (Do not spawn too early as the the coaster will kill you on contact)
 * During The Concert, try to separate the Survivors, as always. This is especially useful during the Tank attack, when everyone would be focused on him instead of you.

Swamp Fever

 * In the Plank Country, when the Survivors are on the dock right before the Crescendo Event, try to grab, or better yet, knock one into the deep water. This will kill the Survivor you grabbed and the ones you hit instantly. Also, while the Survivors are on the walkways, try to get them to fall down into the swamp. This will slow them down considerably.
 * In the Swamp, taking the Survivors into the water is useful because their team will be slowed down by the water.
 * On The Plantation, just before the Survivors go up the ladder try carry them back down the way they came this will force them to backtrack and really annoy, also attack the Survivor who goes to answer the rescue vehicle. Also, if they hold out by the Heavy Machine Gun, grab a Survivor and carry them off the upper areas. You can also charge Survivors off the bridge to the rescue vehicle, causing them to die.

Hard Rain
(These attack spots apply to both the first and second trip.)
 * After the Survivors enter The Milltown, there are multiple places you can carry a Survivor very far away from the pack.
 * When the Survivors are on the upper floors of The Sugar Mill, try to knock them off of them. If they are on the highest floor, you'll kill them instantly.
 * Charge past or into Witches in The Sugar Mill. Survivors will, by instinct, shoot at you when they see you charge, and a few stray shots is all it takes to startle a Witch.
 * Survivors tend to travel in straight lines when going through the cane field. Use this for a quick separation or scatter an entire team.
 * Once the rain starts, take advantage of (and note of) the reduced movement speed of Survivors in water. Paying attention to this will make it easier to lead your attacks. If you can carry your victim out of the way and into a large area of water, it will significantly slow down the Survivors, as their teammate will have to catch up.
 * Your primary goal in the return-to maps is not, actually, carrying the Survivors away, but knocking the others off the roofs. Survivors are fairly easy targets in the water, and it would be pretty hard to release the carried one from you. It is especially effective when the rain starts, as of the Survivors is likely to survive something like that.
 * In the finale, try catching the ones who went down into the Burger Tank for ammo. This won't hurt anyone a large amount, but will cause some attention, thus giving a chance for the Tank to come in.
 * Also in the finale, charge Survivors off of the dock where the boat will eventually appear. If they go into the water, they're dead.
 * Many people are not aware that the Charger's attack will override a Smoker capture. With the permission of the human-controlled Smoker, of course, charge a Survivor while he/she is being constricted by a Smoker near the beginning/ending dock. Your charge will free the Survivor but also carry the Survivor into the water.

The Parish

 * Right at the beginning of The Waterfront, charge at the first two Survivors that go up the gangway. If you can knock a Survivor upward into the water, your team shouldn't have much more trouble to finish the enemy team off.
 * When the Survivors are in The Park, there are multiple places you can attack the enemies and split them up by carrying them away from the group, such as the hedge maze.
 * When the Survivors are doing the Crescendo Event, charge one all the way back down one of the fenced-in alleys, giving the Horde time to attack.
 * When the Survivors are about to enter the sewers before The Cemetery, hide in them and charge the first that you see. The sewer is a very large, open area, and the Survivors are slowed down by the deep water, making the trip to save your victim take a bit longer. You may also ambush the one who was about to be the last to enter the sewer, making an ideal attack position. It is best to have a Jockey and/or Smoker up above.
 * Another great strategy on the Sewers is to have a Charger and a Spitter wait at the end of the tunnel for the Survivors. When all four are down in the Sewer have the Charger knock down all four and have the Spitter attack right as the Charger does. The spit will do a good amount of damage while the other Survivors are getting back up.
 * On The Bridge, hide behind vehicles and wait. If you can grab a Survivor and carry them off of the bridge in any way, they'll be dead in the water.
 * Even if you don't bring the Survivor off, if any of their friends are close to the edge, the impact can send them off the bridge.

Behind the Scenes
Concept art shows that the developers had planned for the Charger to be either a large zombie with an armored upper skull yet tiny 'T-rex arms' or a 'tripod' dog-like animal. Traits of both can be seen in the final version: the Charger has three functional limbs and one floppy tiny arm, as well as an exposed skull.

Before the Charger's design was finalized, it used a re-skinned Hunter model so that the team could test out how the Charger would play while the art team was designing it. When the Charger design was finished, as like any other Infected, they recorded temporary sounds. The Charger's temporary warning call was "AY!AY!AY!", as said in the Developer's Commentary.

Originally, the Charger had many different series of attacks and has gone through multiple versions with different twists on his charge attack. In one version of his build, his charge attack caused him to trample over Survivors rather than grab them, and his melee attack was replaced with an overhead strike that smashed the Survivor to the floor before the Charger started pounding them. This behavior can be seen here. In another build, the Charger used to use his mutated arm during his charge. At this point in the game, the Charger would stop after grabbing a Survivor; however, when the Charger could carry the first Survivor they tackled, this animation was cut.

When most of the Charger's model was finalized, he had a much more bloody and gaunt face that exposed his skull.

Gallery
See image archive for more images...