Strangler

"VICIOUS. DERANGED. CACKLING."

The **Strangler** is one of the four Fiends. He is sufficient in ranged attacks, trap utilisation and picking off classmates individually but loses power in group scenarios.

He was introduced with the Discord launch of Last Year as part of the original trio of Fiends.

## Lore

*Whatever dark desire drives the Strangler to choke the life from his victims, wrap them up in chains, is of little import: what matters is that a broken mind and twisted morals make his every move impossible to predict. Beware the vents: the Strangler loves to lurk within and send his deadly chain to choke his victim before pulling them in to a grisly death.*

## Appearance

The Strangler appears as a tall pale-skinned homeless man with a strong build, with pale blue and bloodshot eyes, missing several teeth, and a greying beard with most of his face concealed by bandages.

His clothes consist of a grey hoodie, a green jacket with torn sleeve, black pants, a single black glove, and black boots wrapped in duct tape; all of which appear dirty and tattered.

On his jacket, he has dog tags and a sort of pin on his chest which indicate he was possibility in an army before becoming homeless.

## Tips

### Classmates

* The Strangler is the worst Fiend in the game to attempt to fight alone. Don't be fooled by the Strangler's low health - even without his Chain Grab, the Strangler's Claw attack is relatively quick and easy to land compared to the other Fiends' attacks, and can deal 100 damage in 5 hits. As with other Fiends, it's best to take him on as a group.
* If you see a long line of traps, it is likely that the Strangler is waiting at the other end. The Strangler is especially dangerous around traps, as he can easily pull a Classmate over to himself while the rest are forced to dismantle the line. If possible, try to steer clear of the choke point or start breaking the traps early.
* Watch out for the Strangler on high areas - unsuspecting Classmates can be dragged and pushed off for an easy kill. Barricading exits to the outside of high areas can help mitigate this.
* Exercise caution when using Pipe Bombs and Molotovs against the Strangler. Both his Chain Grab and Smoke Bomb will make you drop the throwable at your feet, or worse he can pull another Classmate in to bring down with him.
* Keep in mind that the Strangler can instantly execute a Classmate if he's grabbing them and they are below 10 Health. Seek cover if you are close to death. Likewise, if one of your Classmates is around 10 Health, prepare to tank the Chain for them to avoid an otherwhise sure kill.
* The Strangler can be a significant nuisance if he is picked during the escape sequence. Being grabbed in the escape area generally spells doom, as all escape areas have drops for him to shove you off, killing you (or at least slowing you down enough for the door to close). Always be sure to pack a Smoke Grenade or a Shocker as a preventative measure.
* The Strangler can shove Classmates into trapdoors to kill them (or at least separate them from their team). Be cautious around trapdoors - or better yet, barricade them off.
* While pulling a Classmate, the Strangler cannot turn his camera: this gives the Scout ample opportunity to Flash him and force an early release.

### Fiends

* The Strangler thrives in narrow hallways. Bear trapping the entire hallway can make it very difficult for Classmates to cross, allowing you to grab one classmate and deal substantial (if not terminal) damage to them before they can crouch-walk across.
* The Scout should generally be your first target. Aside from the Shocker, a Tracker flash is the only way for the Classmates to interrupt a grab. Targeting them first will make it much harder for Classmates to escape you.
* You are unable to move or turn when dragging a Classmate and have very limited movement while grabbing one making you very vulnerable to attacks and blinds. Lay some traps around yourself before attacking to slow down the Classmates.

## Executions

 **Front** | The Strangler holds down the Classmate and uses his scissors to stab them in the back twice. The Strangler then lifts the Classmate's head and slices their throat.

## List of changes

**1.0.0**

* **[BUFF]** Fiend health has been increased.

**1.0.2**

* **[BUFF]** Claw attack range increased.
* **[QUALITY OF LIFE]** Improved hit reaction animation on Chain Grab.

**1.0.3**

* **[FIX]** A rare crash can no longer occur when Strangler chains a Classmate wearing a Helmet.

**1.0.8**

* **[BUFF]** Base attack now deals 25 Damage.
* **[BUFF]** Health increased to 230.

**1.0.9**

* **[FIX]** Strangler will no longer do double damage using his base attack when his chain grab is on cooldown.

**1.0.10**

* **[FIX]** Classmates will no longer "krump" when Strangler chain grabs them at the same time as a base attack.

**1.0.11**

* **[FIX]** Strangler will no longer be visible inside of his own vents during ambushes.
* **[FIX]** Strangler no longer loses functionality of his left click when clicking it once in an ambush.

**1.0.13**

* Implemented Resistances and Vulnerabilities.
* **[BUFF]** Health increased.
* **[BUFF]** Attack damage increased.
* **[NERF]** Ability cooldowns increased.
* **[NERF]** Chain pull speed decreased.
* **[BUFF]** Chain now grabs through helmets.

**1.0.14**

* Removed Resistances and Vulnerabilities.
* **[NERF]** Chain hold time reduced from 3 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
* **[NERF]** Movement speed decreased by 10.
* **[NERF]** Health reduced by 40.
* **[FIX]** Strangler's chain grab cooldown will still stay active after an execution.

**1.0.15**

* **[BUFF]** Attack damage increased.
* **[REWORK]** Chain grab hold times are scaled on drag distance. Grab hold times are now 2.5 seconds from close and 1 second far away.
* **[REWORK]** Ability cooldowns changed for successful and missed attacks.

**1.0.17**

* Added new Smoke Bomb utility.
* **[BUFF]** Attack damage increased.
* **[QUALITY OF LIFE]** Strangler's speed has been adjusted to compensate for Fiends no longer having collisions with the Cryptids.

**1.0.18**

* **[NERF]** Increased utility cooldown to 12 seconds.
* **[NERF]** Reduced Smoke Bomb throw distance.
* **[NERF]** Reduced Smoke Bomb duration.

**1.0.19**

* **[QUALITY OF LIFE]** Improved Strangler's chain aim responsiveness.

**1.0.21**

* **[BUFF]** Ability cooldown reduced to 15 seconds for successful and 8 seconds for unsuccessful.
* **[BUFF]** Base movement speed increased to 260.
* **[BUFF]** Chain pull speed increased to 2200.
* **[BUFF]** Chain pull damage increased from 12 damage per second to 18 damage per second.
* **[NERF]** Chain pull damage now caps at a maximum of 36 damage.
* **[BUFF]** Chokehold time increased to 5 seconds at any distance.

**1.0.23**

* **[NERF]** Chokehold time reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
* **[FIX]** Strangler's chain will no longer hold Classmates indefinitely if they're chained while the Strangler is on a different elevation.

## Trivia

* The dog tags around the Strangler neck hints that he has past experience in the military. Though, he may have been discharged or abandoned the cause, which explains why he is homeless.
	+ This could also means he suffers from war related PTSD, which would explain his behavior.
* His main ability appears similar to that of The Smoker from Valve's Left 4 Dead..
* The Strangler is the only Fiend with no elemental resistances or weaknesses.
* According to lore shared by Elastic Games, the Strangler inhabited the Mall with another "friend" that was teased as a potential future Fiend.
* The Strangler is currently the only Fiend to actually speak, rarely uttering "Bye bye!" when entering Predator Mode.

## Gallery

Character PortraitPromotional art for the Strangler.