Panzersoldat

The Panzer Soldat (German for Armoured Soldier) is an enemy that appears in the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies map Origins. It takes the appearance of a zombie in an armoured suit, and will jump in from outside the map boundries using a rocket pack to attack players. It is very tough to kill, and is armed with a Flamethrower and a giant claw to grapple players.

Appearance
The Panzer Soldat takes the appearance of a orange/yellowish-eyed zombie in a large armoured suit. 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, as well as a rocket pack on its back and smaller rocket thrusters on the back of its boots. It has a highly visible bright light on its forehead, much like Brutus. There is also an unusually large amount of condensation on its visor.

Attacks
The Panzer Soldat has multiple attacks and is a formidable foe in any situation. Its flamethrower attack has low range, but deals moderate damage and impairs its target's vision with flames. 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 Panzer Soldat. Once the target is within range, the Panzer Soldat 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. 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.

Strategy
Any of the elemental staffs are the most effective weapons against the Panzer Soldat, as one charged shot from any upgraded staff should kill the Panzer Soldat if it is a direct hit, rarely surviving past two charged shots. Other effective weapons for killing the Panzer Soldat include the Ray Gun, the Ray Gun Mark II, the upgraded Mauser C96, multiple Claymores, and other explosives. Despite its armor, it is very vulnerable to headshots, and smaller weapons can be effective as well if concentrated on the visor of its helmet. The Mist Maker (Pack-a-Punched KSG) is also very useful, killing it with only 3-4 shots to his head. It is also possible to kill it with weaker weapons by "training" him (repeatedly sprinting away, then turning around and firing).

When stepped on by one of the Giant Robots, he becomes stuck in the ground for a brief period of time (about 30 seconds), and cannot attack. Doing this may give the player a good chance to gain some distance between it in an effort to escape or get ammo to better prepare for its next arrival. While it is stunned it is possible to deal a great amount of damage depending on the gun used - enough to kill it when it stands up.

When killed, it will drop one of the parts required to build the Staff of Fire. If the player already has acquired a part this way, it will not.

With Stamin-Up, it won't keep up with a player as the player flees. This makes it easier to use a weaker weapon to kill it.

Trivia

 * Its suit shows signs of damage, such as cracked glass on its visor.
 * Despite being very strong, the Panzer Soldat is still affected by Insta-Kill, making it only one shot to kill as long as the shot comes in contact with its skin, and not the suit.
 * It does not seem to appear before round 8, but one will always spawn at the start of round 8.
 * It is easy to tell if one is around, as it constantly makes noise and its footsteps can by felt by any player within close range.
 * In-game quotes reveal that the creator of the Panzer Soldat's armored suit is Edward Richtofen.
 * Richtofen also reveals that the suit's operator was infected during the dig in a seperate quote.
 * It is not affected by Monkey Bombs.
 * The Panzer Soldat is similar to Brutus, as both are difficult enemies that are extremely susceptible to headshots when their initial defense is taken down. Multiple versions of both can appear, given the right circumstances, and both have a mounted light on their bodies.
 * This marks the second time in which a zombie uses a ranged weapon (flamethrower) instead of a melee attack, with the first being the Avogadro with its electric bolt.
 * It appears to shake its head while using the flamethrower on a player caught in its grappling claw.
 * It cannot be damaged from behind.
 * A common bug may occur where it will chase a player and suddenly stop and stand still.
 * Also, if the player(s) get on the Mark IV Tank while it is chasing them, it may not start chasing them for several minutes after they get off the tank.
 * While it is idle, it will slowly move its arms as well as look to its left and back again.