The Jockey

"That ain't right for a man to be ridden like that."

- Coach

"Is this thing humping me?!"

- Ellis

The Jockey is a Special Infected that appears in Left 4 Dead 2. He has the ability to jump onto the Survivors and cling to their head and upper-back. From there, he can steer the Survivor while clawing at their face.

Valve stated that the Jockey was made to work in tandem with the Spitter by "steering" Survivors into the Spitter's acid. However, they are much more notorious for steering Survivors into an early Tank fight or right into Witches if they are nearby.

The Jockey is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.

Official Description
Small and fast, Jockeys are excellent leapers and know how to hang on. Once they’ve locked onto the head of an unsuspecting Survivor, a Jockey can steer them away from their teammates into danger or behind obstructions.

Survivors have limited control over where the Jockey is directing them. The best antidote to a Jockey attack is a shove from a teammate.

Extent of Mutations
The Infection has caused the Jockey to develop a large amount of muscle mass on his upper back and neck, making him hop around in a spider monkey-like motion. His fingers and toes have increased in length, adding to his baboon-like profile. His lips, and the skin surrounding them, have deteriorated away, giving him a more skeletal look at the mouth area. This could possibly be due to him chewing and biting away at his lips because of mania, or possibly even clawing at his mouth due to the same reason. He wears a tattered white T-shirt and blue boxers. He has a gibbering vocalization, and cackles hysterically while riding a Survivor. According to Valve commentary, the mutations are the cause of the Jockey's mania, causing the Jockey to laugh. When playing as the Jockey, his hands are curved downward, similar to a praying mantis. The arms, however, stick out straight, and sport a coat of what appears to be blood. The hands are always twitching and shaking (the right one twitching notably more often than the left), and he doesn't stop laughing until death. When there is a Jockey on the back of a Survivor, the Survivor can still move to resist the Jockey's influence over them, though this only has a slight resistance and will merely slow the Survivor to a slow walk. Also, against what is commonly believed, moving in the same direction as the Jockey will not make it steer you any faster, even though, theoretically, it should.

Abilities
The Jockey is a Special Infected that has animal-like characteristics. He can use his ropey frame to jump long distances at a time, and about 15-20 feet when leaping upward. Though he can not jump as far as the Hunter, he does not have to crouch to charge up the ability. When the Jockey lands on a Survivor's head, he grabs onto them and claws at the Survivor with his free hand while leaning in a direction to cause the Survivor to stumble. The clawing does not do as much damage as the Hunter does (dealing only 1 damage at Easy difficulty, 4 damage on Normal). Some players may have noticed that this does not always require leaping, as sometimes just landing on them from a higher area will cause him to grab on. The player can try to steer in a better direction, but can't outright resist where the Jockey drives them. When a player is incapacitated, the Jockey leaps off of the Survivor.



When a Jockey successfully incapacitates someone and jumps off, it will take approximately 30 seconds before he can jump onto another Survivor. However, if the Jockey was knocked off, the recharge-rate will be considerably shorter — around 7 seconds. Jumping up and not successfully landing on a Survivor will enable an almost instant recharge for another attempt. In Versus, the Jockey does 4 damage per claw and can claw once every second, and 4 damage per second while riding on Survivors with no damage delay, meaning the Survivor will start taking damage the moment a Jockey lands on them. While riding a Survivor, the Jockey is able to steer Survivors away from a group or off a ledge.

Survivors

 * Keep an ear out for the Jockey's maniac laughter. It is a signal that the Jockey is near.
 * When a Jockey jumps towards you, do not attempt to melee him while he is jumping. Compared to the Hunter, it is much harder (you can shove a Hunter that is about to pounce you, as there seems to be a one-second delay from him pouncing the Survivor), and you will most likely end up being caught. Instead, have him jump at you, but move backwards just as he jumps. If nothing is behind you, the attack can be easily avoided. After avoiding his attack, run up and shove him.
 * Like Hunters and Chargers, the difficulty will not affect their reaction times; they seem to follow the same reaction time to perform their primary action on Easy and Expert; so Jockeys should be prioritized first on levels such as The Sugar Mill (due to the abundance of Witches).
 * Quickly kill the Jockey before he can regain control. It is not recommended to perform a follow-up shove, as like the other Special Infected, stunned Jockeys are still capable of clawing players, dealing hefty damage on Expert.
 * Even though the Jockey deals less damage per second with his special attack than the other Special Infected, don't underestimate one. All a Jockey needs to do is land on your head, and he will have the capacity to kill you singlehandedly by riding you until you are incapacitated. Even though he takes the longest of all the "pinning" Infected to incapacitate a Survivor, it does not really matter if you are the last Survivor standing, and being ridden by a Jockey can have devastating results.
 * Starting a Tank fight early when the team is unprepared.
 * Luring you into nearby Witches and startling them.
 * Riding you onto ledges, flames, groups of Infected or dropping you from a high distance.
 * Forcing you to stand in a Spitter's acid patch.
 * Making you touch a car alarm.
 * Luring you to other Special Infected, such as those that can pin you.
 * Despite their small size, crouching can help deal with Jockeys similar to Hunters. Using rapid-fire weapons (such as the Assault Rifle) will slow the Jockey down a bit and will kill him before he can reach you.
 * Jockeys do not make any warning sounds if they spot a Survivor, so be careful if one spawns, since it may be hard to determine where they are if the map's environment has a lot of hiding spaces for the Infected.
 * Bots rarely attempt to shoot the Jockey down if you or another Bot is being ridden by one. Instead, they will try to melee the Jockey off, (even though it would be better to shoot them) due to their coding — they're unable to inflict friendly-fire damage to other players and Bots.
 * However, even if a Bot shot the Jockey off, no friendly-fire damage would occur.
 * On harder difficulties, the AI Jockey's control over a Survivor is increased greatly, so it can be extremely hard to fight back. Like other pinning Infected, try to move the screen around so any attacking Common Infected will deal reduced damage on you. You should always try to fight back, since you can drop off high areas if you do not resist the Jockey's control.
 * Unlike other pinning Special Infected, once the Jockey incapacitates a Survivor, he will let go and search for other targets. Try to shoot the Jockey before he gets away, especially if there is only one healthy Survivor left.
 * On Versus and Survival, if a Jockey jumps on someone, nearby Survivors will be knocked back, similar to a Hunter pouncing a Survivor with others nearby. In some areas, this can cause Survivors to hang onto a ledge. Stay within reasonable distance from each other so the knockback effect does not occur.
 * On Realism, be wary of the Jockey if playing on a full human team. If the victim is unable to communicate with other players, the Jockey can put them in a spot where it can be hard to find the victim or the players may even pass through without noticing.
 * This does not apply with Survivor Bots as they will always follow the player and rush to another Survivor's aid if they need it.
 * In the Solo mutation Last Man On Earth, the Jockey is the most dangerous as it is the only Special Infected that does not retreat after the Survivor's incapacitation. A Jockey nearby after incapacitation by another Special Infected is certain death as it may immediately jump you as soon as you get back on your feet. However, as the Jockey does not retreat, getting incapacitated by a Jockey means you can dispose of it by swinging a melee weapon at your feet but it does leaves you vulnerable to nearby Hunters which may not retreat and may pounce while you are disposing of the Jockey.

Damage

 * Expert — 12 damage per second when riding survivors, 20 damage per claw.
 * Advanced — 8 damage per second when riding survivors, 5 damage per claw.
 * Normal — 4 damage per second when riding survivors, 4 damage per claw.
 * Easy — 3 damage per second when riding survivors, 1 damage per claw.

Infected

 * When riding a Survivor, attempt to continuously change directions. This will confuse the person you are riding, and they will have a hard time trying to figure out when to start resisting.
 * Jockeys do not actually have to use their leap ability to grab onto a Survivor. Simply landing on their head, such as from a fall from above, will trigger them to grab on. The leap is just a way to get them without having to go to a higher place. Do not leap if you can drop right down onto a Survivor's head, as you may overshoot your target.
 * It is also possible to use the "Jump" key instead of "Attack", or in tandem. The recharge time is shortened if the Jockey uses "Attack" and then "Jump," giving them a much faster cooldown.
 * An advanced method of handling him is to use Hunter tactics, such as going to the top of building and leaping down so you can get a better chance of hitting the Survivor. The Jockey is able to leap up to two stories when aiming directly upwards.
 * Jockeys are very useful when facing a lone Survivor, as they can lead the victim further astray: simply jump on them and pull them from their team until they're down.
 * However, Jockeys can adapt to almost any situation; pulling a Survivor away from the team into any kind of danger can easily turn the tables.
 * Keep in mind that Survivors can hear a Jockey's distinct laughter and often vocalize when they hear one. Stealth will not be on your side, so you will have to employ different tactics to get close to Survivors.
 * As always, attacking during a panic event can have dire consequences.
 * The Jockey's main job is to steer the Survivors apart. Try to pull a Survivor somewhere that will cause trouble for their friends; for example: towards a Boomer or a Charger, into a Witch's personal bubble, into fire, into Spitter acid, or towards an unaware Infected to wake them up and attack your victim.
 * When a Survivor is in a Jockey's control, the same rules regarding health and terrain apply. Survivors that have less than 40 health or are in water will move slower then a regular Survivor. In addition, a Survivor that has recently used an Adrenaline Shot will move faster.
 * If you're in a series of houses or hallways, try to pull your victims into other rooms and behind walls, buying you more time for your teammates to ambush/respawn while getting some more damage on your captive.
 * Just like the Hunter, the Jockey will cause nearby Survivors to stumble once it latches on. Use this to your advantage when possible, like following a mount with a teammate's Boomer attack to stun the masses. This tactic is especially useful along edges, cliffs and docks, which can lead to the incapacitation of one or more Survivor.
 * Jockeys can work well with other Infected. If someone else grabs your victim before you incapacitate them, your recharge meter will not have to fill up the entire 30 seconds. You can also pull your Survivor into an ambush by one or more of your teammates, such as Boomers or Spitters, or other Infected lying in wait.
 * A Jockey can force their victim off a ledge or a high fall. If a Survivor isn't trying to steer in the opposite direction, it's possible to steer them off a ledge without them grabbing on. However, most of the time they will grab onto the ledge. Be careful when attempting this, as pulling a Survivor off a ledge (such as one in Dead Center) might only put the Survivor in a hanging position with moderate damage and leaving your team an Infected short for some time.
 * In Dark Carnival, the Screaming Oak Crescendo Event is prime Jockey territory (as well as Smoker territory). There are numerous open sections to the theme park ride, and given one or two uninterrupted seconds, a Jockey can easily send a Survivor tumbling to a leg-shattering impact below, slowing down the Survivors and possibly spelling doom for them all.
 * If Survivors are covered in bile, the same tactics can apply with all infected, with an added twist. Stealing the only clean Survivor will put his/her teammates alone fighting a Horde blindly. By the time the Survivors realize what has happened, your victim may be incapacitated in a different section of the map, allowing your team a chance to take down the remaining or to kill your original victim.
 * If you steer a Survivor enough to incapacitate them, set up an ambush. Hide in a good place away from the incapacitated Survivor and be ready to jump out. Usually, Survivors may have one revive while the others watch if they come in groups. Depending on your situation, either choice is good. But if a lone Survivor comes to revive them, latch onto them and steer away from the incapacitated Survivor to avoid pistol fire. This can buy your allies time, or perhaps allow them to join you on the ambush. Also keep in mind that the others will have to eventually come back, so you could simply leave the Survivor incapacitated or have another finish them off, depending on the situation.
 * Keep in mind that, unlike the Hunter, the Jockey cannot act as a powerful Special Infected by clawing the Survivors. It is a much better idea to try to ride the Survivors instead of hiding in a Horde and attempting to claw them.
 * The Jockey's special attack is just a stronger jump, so tapping the Melee attack right after your attack can increase your chances of inflicting damage. By doing this, you can sometimes melee and latch on to the Survivor almost at the same time, and if you miss, you'll probably inflict damage anyways. CPU Jockeys do this all the time. You'll see that your Jockey will twitch twice when done right.
 * The exception to this tactic is if a Survivor is close to being downed, it would be a better idea to claw them so you won't have to wait thirty seconds for your leap to recharge.
 * You can also attempt to nab the last Survivor before they all go over a barrier that they either cannot come back over or takes an extremely long time to get around. Not only does this deny them a player, but also distracts them long enough for your allies to mount an offensive.
 * Good areas include:
 * Going over the broken barricade in The Mall of Dead Center.
 * Over the half broken fence in The Coaster of Dark Carnival right before they start the Crescendo Event.
 * It is however, easy for them to shoot you and it's harder to ambush them here.
 * Also note that both the previous examples are not strictly one way. The Survivors can go back, with a bit of time and careful jumping. Take advantage of the pause to add extra distance.
 * The large hole you must fall down into in the Tunnel of Love.
 * You can also nab a Survivor just before they all go down the steep hill in The Highway of Dark Carnival.
 * Jockeys are great distractions. If there is one Survivor pounced on by a Hunter, a Jockey can steer another Survivor away from the Hunter.
 * In Realism Versus, the Jockey is one of the best Infected to be. By jumping on a lone Survivor, or one that isn't being looked at, you can potentially take them far from the group and easily incapacitate them. Doing this makes it hard for the other Survivors to get to the fallen teammate and giving time for your teammates to spawn.
 * The Jockey and Charger are a good pair, especially in The Hotel in Dead Center. A Jockey can pull a Survivor off the ledge, making them hang on, needing help. Another Survivor will rush over, attempt to bring them up, and the Charger can push them off the ledge, resulting in an instant kill.
 * Sometimes, multiple Survivors may come over to help a teammate up. In this situation, you can get multiple kills.
 * The Jockey and Spitter are also a good pair. A Jockey can force a Survivor to stand in the Spitter's acid, doing enormous damage.
 * The Jockey can be very effective in Scavenge, especially in the Mutation Follow the Liter. If you spot a lone Survivor, leap on them and then try to steer them away from any Gas Cans, which is easier in this Mutation since only 1-3 cans spawn at a time. Since the ridden Survivor is not near any cans, it will force the other Survivors to decide whether to:
 * Go for more cans and points, but be one Survivor short and open for easy incapacitation,
 * Split up and save the ridden Survivor and get more cans, but be left open for easy incapacitation, or
 * Go save the ridden Survivor as a group and use up precious time.
 * When approaching a Survivor, aim the reticle at their head to maximize your chances of jumping on their head the first time.
 * When riding a Survivor, do not ride them further into the map (their intended path) unless a close hazard positioned ahead makes it worth doing so, as you will be giving the Survivors points for progress. If this is not possible to make them backtrack, try to steer them into a corner out of the line of fire. They will find you, but it's better than getting taken out right away.

Dead Center
The Hotel The Streets
 * Riding a Survivor off a ledge can be a good idea, but only when the Survivors are either distracted, too far away to help, or you have another Special Infected to help stall. Otherwise, you will die and the Survivors will be able to help their teammate up without any hassle.
 * If one of your teammates is a Charger, you may wish to simply keep your survivor near a ledge instead of riding them over. The Charger will be able to charge them off the ledge for an instant kill without much of a risk of missing.
 * Remember that, in this level, the Survivors are limited to their weapon choice, so you should be able to ride a Survivor further than other levels. Also, be sure to not get Survivors close to other ones, especially one with a melee weapon because if they hit you, you will die.
 * Riding Survivors through the fire is a good ride, especially if you manage to incapacitate them. This will either kill that Survivor, or make another one lose a lot of health helping the incapacitated Survivor up.
 * Certain fires throughout the level deal significantly more damage than others. Try to ride survivors into the fire that spills out of rooms into the hallway on the way to the elevators, or into the fire in the middle of the room immediately before the last room in the level.
 * This chapter has many turns and good places for riding. Try to confuse the savior by riding around corners or luring them into a trap.

The Mall The Atrium
 * Any point of no return is a good spot to ride a Survivor away. Remember though, when dropping into the street of the concrete barrier, try to ride a Survivor into the corner next to the broken fence; otherwise you will give the other Survivors a good chance to shoot you. Only ride them back into the building if the other Survivors aren't paying attention and/or are too far away so they get less points.
 * Try to partner up with other Infected to take out a team of two as there aren't too many good riding spots.
 * Try getting the last Survivor to go through the door. Be sure to have a Smoker/Hunter/Charger ready to help in case you jump too early and one hasn't gone over and comes to the aid of the other Survivor.
 * Try to go for people who wandered off by themselves. Also try to help kill a team of two with another pinning Infected.
 * If you wait at the top of the stairs, you can ride someone off and get them incapacitated, killed, or in a hanging position.

Dark Carnival
The Highway The Fairgrounds The Coaster The Barns The Concert
 * The first part of this chapter has many cars for you to ride around and confuse Survivors. Use this to your advantage.
 * Try to get the last Survivor to go down the hill for an easy kill.
 * Try to ride Survivors around rides or tents for more confusion.
 * When they get to the top of the building after Kiddie Land, you can ride Survivors off of the ramp and back into Kiddie Land. This will incapacitate the ridden Survivor.
 * Ride the last person to drop into the Tunnel of Love.
 * Try to ride people off of the Screaming Oak for a long detour.
 * Ride the last person who tries to drop off of the barns. This will make it easier to kill them during the Crescendo Event.
 * During the Crescendo Event, ride the last Survivor to run to the safe house. This will almost always result in an incapacitation.
 * Ride anyone into Spitter goo, Molotov/Gas Can fires, or Fireworks, as this area is an open space, making it hard to ride someone far.

Swamp Fever
Plank Country The Swamp The Shantytown The Plantation
 * During the Crescendo Event, ride someone into the water and then have a Charger charge their savior.
 * Try to ride someone off of the walkways. Any Survivor you get will have to make a long detour.
 * Ride anyone through the water or behind trees. The swamp water will slow the Survivors down, aiding your ride. You'll gain more time if paired with the Boomer as the horde attracted will slow the Survivors down even further.
 * Use the same tactics as in The Swamp.
 * Riding a Survivor off of the shacks will help slow them down.
 * Ride any Survivor who's gone exploring for more items.
 * Try riding a Survivor off of the second level of the Plantation. This might incapacitate them.
 * When the boat arrives, jump on the last Survivor to get off of the Plantation or get to the gate. This will most likely kill them.

Hard Rain
The Milltown The Sugar Mill Mill Escape Return to Town Town Escape
 * Try to ride a Survivor off of the docks. With the help of a Charger, this could be fatal.
 * Try to ride Survivors in and out of buildings or into alleyways. The more Infected you call out, the more likely it is the Survivor will die.
 * Try to steer a Survivor into a Witch. This will almost always result in a Survivor being incapacitated.
 * Try to ride a Survivor off of the sugar mill. This will not only slow down the Survivors, but will allow your teammates to execute their attacks.
 * With that being said, try to ride a Survivor off of the ledge near the elevator or the stairs.
 * Ride a Survivor through the cane field to add to the confusion.
 * The same tactics apply here as they did to The Sugar Mill, the only difference being the rain and water will help with a successful ride.
 * The tactics here are the same as The Milltown, only with more stormier weather. Use this to your advantage, especially when it starts to rain hard.
 * The Survivors will be unable to see each other, and they'll be dealing with a Horde to boot. The rain will cover you as you ride the Survivor away to their death.
 * Use the same tactics as you did during the beginning of The Milltown. Only now not is there only floods and deafening rain, but more Infected. Use this to your advantage.
 * The Survivors will most likely either go onto the rooftop or stay in the building to avoid the rain. If a Survivor dares to leave the building, show them how much of a mistake that they made.
 * Try riding them into the water, or let a Charger death charge your Survivor into the water. That way, the death of the Survivor is certain and you are still alive to ride some more.

The Parish
The Waterfront The Park The Cemetery The Quarter The Bridge
 * Try to ride a survivor into the alarmed car near the end of the level to activate a Panic Event.
 * Bienville Park is remarkably expansive. If a lone survivor wanders off and you can lead them behind obstacles, it will take some time for their teammates to reach them.
 * At the Bus Station Crescendo Event, try to carry survivors off the sides of the central scaffolding structure. This will temporarily prevent them from deactivating the alarm and cause fall damage.
 * Try to catch a Survivor before they drop down to the sewers. This is a point of no return, and trapping them on the surface without a teammate to free them will guarantee their death.
 * The drop from the highway into Saint Roches Cemetery is also a point of no return, and so the same strategy can be used here.
 * Grabbing a Survivor in the Impound Lot and leading them into the alarmed cars will spawn several hordes that will harass and slow the survivors, giving you and your teammates more time to attack them.
 * Saint Roches Cemetery is essentially a huge maze; if you can isolate a survivor and carry them along a random path, it will take longer for the others to find their way to their missing member.
 * Riding a Survivor off of the building or parade float during the Crescendo Event will force them to take a long detour to return to the rooftop, giving the Infected more time to spawn and deal damage.
 * There are two more points of no return in this level that a keen Jockey can use to his advantage.
 * Carry a Survivor off the side of the bridge to leave them hanging.
 * If a Survivor is rushing ahead, grab them and carry them further. You may be able to trigger a Tank before the other Survivors are ready.

Behind the Scenes
While the design of the Jockey was being worked on, an Infected wearing horse jockey satins was used as a placeholder. This was later changed to his current look at an unknown point. Also, concept art shows the Jockey as being gray-skinned, much larger and more ape-like, as well as being completely naked. Another shows him without a large amount of muscle mass around his neck and upper back, as well as being much more skeletal.

An early version of the Jockey's attack had the Survivor stay in first person with the Jockey's hands obscuring the screen. The Jockey was supposed to be the first Special Infected with the ability to dismount his targets after mounting or ensnaring them at his own will. However, this trait never appeared in the final version of the game.

Gallery
See image archive for more images…