Panzersoldat

The Panzersoldat (German for Tank Soldier) is an enemy that appears in the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies map Origins, and in the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies map Der Eisendrache. It takes the appearance of a zombie in an armored suit, and will jump in from outside the map boundaries using a rocket pack to attack players. First seen in the map Origins, it is very tough to kill, and is armed with a Flamethrower and a giant claw to grapple players. The first Panzersoldat in a game always appears in Round 8 and drops a piece for the Staff of Fire when killed, which is the only way to obtain the piece. Every third round after Round 8 also includes one or more Panzersoldats. The first Panzersoldat of each group in subsequent rounds will drop a random Power-Up. In Der Eisendrache, the first Panzersoldat will spawn in round 12, and many other changes were made. It also spawns every five to six rounds after that, immediately after returning to present time (only if doing Easter egg or getting free GobbleGum), and during the Keeper boss fight.

Appearance
The Panzersoldat, in both Origins and Der Eisendrache, takes the appearance of an orange/yellowish-eyed zombie in a large armoured suit. However, in Origins, the suit has a built-in flamethrower on the right, and a claw on the left, which can be shot to grab players from a distance. In Der Eisendrache, the suit has the built-in flamethrower on the right, and a electric arm cannon (They work similar to Shock Charges) on the left. Both versions of the Panzersoldat have a rocket pack on their back and smaller rocket thrusters on the back of their boots. The Panzersoldat has a highly visible bright light on its forehead. All these features make it similar to Brutus. There is also an unusually large amount of condensation on its visor, probably due to the foggy air inside the helmet. The suit's mask is similar to the Face Screen of the Zombie Shield. There is also a small smokestack behind its head. It makes a strange robotic noise before it lands.

Attacks
The Panzersoldat has multiple attacks and is a formidable foe in any situation.

In both Origins and Der Eisendrache, it has a flamethrower attack with low range, but deals moderate damage and impairs its target's vision with flames. It also has a powerful melee attack, which can down a player with Juggernog in two hits and a player without Juggernog in one hit.

In Origins, its other ranged attack is its claw, which is shot out of its left arm and can grab one player at a time. While a player is grabbed, he/she is vulnerable to zombie strikes and will be slowly pulled towards the Panzersoldat. Once the target is within range, the Panzersoldat will attack him/her with its flamethrower. It is possible to free yourself or another player caught in its claw by shooting the part of its arm the claw was fired from, marked by a small red light. It is possible to melee the light when close enough to it, also freeing the player. Finally, if sufficient damage is dealt to the Panzersoldat (by shooting it in the head) the player will be released. The Panzersoldat stands still while attacking with the claw and flamethrower.

In Der Eisendrache, the Panzersoldat's rotating claw has been replaced by an arm cannon that shoots electric projectiles that briefly stun players if they are hit by one, and that give an electric aura to zombies. The electric cannon is only shot when the Panzersoldat is standing still, however it is now capable of using its flamethrower while running.

Trivia

 * In-game quotes reveal that the creator of the Panzersoldat's armoured suit is Edward Richtofen.
 * Richtofen also reveals that the suit's operator was infected during the dig in a separate quote.
 * It is not affected by Monkey Bombs.
 * It appears to shake its head while using the flamethrower on a player caught in its grappling claw.
 * While it is idle, it will slowly move its arms as well as look to its left and back again. This can easily be seen if the player is playing Solo and is in Zombie Blood.
 * If the player is on the Tank, and the Panzersoldat happens to pass by it and the player activates the tank, the Panzersoldat will fly away and will land again once the tank has stopped moving.
 * If it misses a player with its grapple attack, it will sometimes grab a zombie instead.
 * Sometimes the staff part drops higher than the player stands, forcing them to jump to reach it.
 * The Weaponized 115 Pack features the Panzersoldat in the Multiplayer Calling Card.
 * The Panzersoldat will not appear in the Crazy Place.
 * If the Panzersoldat is in the path of one of the robots and it steps on the Panzer Soldat, the lower half of his body will be buried in the ground for a short period of time.
 * If a Panzersoldat is killed by a player wielding a Pack-A-Punched shotgun, it will explode into a cloud of blood, as if it was a standard zombie, damaging any nearby players, though the explosion when it is normally killed will still happen afterwards.
 * On Der Eisendrache, there are three hidden Panzersoldat arms. When shot, they will activate and launch forward, killing any zombies, including Panzersoldats, in its path.
 * If the player uses all three to kill Panzersoldats, they will receive a Panzersoldat claw helmet, which reduces damage from the Panzersoldat.