Stalker

— **Stalker description**

The **Stalkers** are four-armed mutated zombies. They belong to the Stinger family of the Ridden which also include the Basic Stinger, Hocker, and Urchin variants. All Stinger variants are very agile; they can jump far and cling to walls.

## Overview:

All Stingers are very fast and mobile, much more so in comparison to other Ridden, and use their speed to leap from point-to-point before attacking the Cleaners. With the exception of Stalkers, Stingers are primarily long-ranged enemies and have less health than other Mutations.

The Stalker is a close-ranged variant of the Basic Stinger that replaces its signature projectile attack with a melee attack, in addition to a pounce attack that allows the Stalker to grab a target and drag them away from their teammates. The Stalker can deal significant damage at close range, especially to a victim grappled by a pounce, but is more vulnerable than other variants, especially while it has hold of a Cleaner.

### Abilities:

**Melee Attack**
—Quick close-range strikes that slow down with each successive attack.

The Stalker swipes at the Cleaner with its claws, slowing down with each attack that lands on it's prey.

**Pounce**
—Leap through the air, grab a target, then drag them away.

The Stalker leaps onto a Cleaner and locks them into a hold. With their helpless target in their grasp, the Stalker drags them away from their teammates.
The captured Cleaner can be freed by dealing sufficient damage to the Stalker, the usage of Bash from another Cleaner, using the Stun Gun, card effects like Breakout and Slippery When Wet or outright killing it.

**Leap**
—Leap long distances and cling to walls.

The Stalker jumps from one location to another to mobilize across the map and can cling to walls to evade melee attacks.

### Upgrades (Swarm Mode only):

For the Stinger/Hocker/Stalker/Urchin upgrades see it here

## Strategy

* **Stay alert.** The Stinger is, by far, the most mobile of the Ridden and can traverse long distances quickly and effectively. Unlike most other Ridden, Stingers will actively try to maintain distance from the players and will primarily attack from afar (the Stalker is the only exception to these methods). Tag the Stinger to not lose sight of it; it can prove to be a nuisance if left alive. The Stinger also makes a distinct coughing noise to announce its presence and will usually attack the players from the rear, so be ready to turn around if it doesn't immediately show up.
* **Wait for the chance to strike.** The aerial mobility of the Stinger makes it difficult to hit while it's on the move. Wait for it to stay still, such as when it clings to a wall, and then open fire; it should not take too many shots to kill, especially when aiming for its weakspot.
* **Aim for the head.** Unlike other Stinger variants that have a weakspot on their stomach, the Stalker's weakspot is located on its head in the form of a glowing, tumorous growth. The weakspot becomes the most vulnerable while the Stalker is dragging a player away, as the Stalker's head will be positioned above the player's own head.

## Notes:

* Due to their high agility and similar strategies, the Stingers bear a striking resemblance to Hunters from the *Left 4 Dead* series. They also resemble Smokers with their ability to pin Cleaners and reduce their health as long as they remain pinned, and eventually killing them should they continue to attack uninterrupted.
	+ In addition, the Stalker's ability to drag players away from their teammates is identical to the functionality of Jockeys from the aforementioned game's sequel.
* The Stalker the the only variant who has +20 more health from it base, since it will be getting in between crossfires.
* The Stalker share one same thing with the Retch, and the Crusher. Which is their weakspot being on their head
	+ The Stalker and Crusher also have the same way of executing Cleaners. Exception that the Stalker freely moves, while Crusher doesn't.

## Gallery

Stalker profileThe Stalker shown with its ability, in the middle of the Mutations icon.Promotional material featuring lore text of the Stalker.