Charger

The Charger is a large, heavily armored Terminid that can first appear on Medium difficulty as an Elimination Target or sometimes guarding the Shuttle Bay in Emergency Evacuation. It spawns naturally and more frequently as difficulty increases.

It is unclear where the Charger fits in the Terminid's life cycle, but it is believed that when Hive Guard reaches a certain age or some other environmental pressure, it will molt into a Charger. The head crest of the Charger is very similar to that of the extinct strain of Terminid, known as Impaler, only smaller. This leads some to believe that Super Earth genetically altered the Impaler Terminid strain to make them less dangerous, which they both succeeded in and failed.

Living up to their name, Chargers charge at Helldivers in an attempt to bash or trample them, dealing a significant amount of damage. This can concuss and potentially launch Helldivers. Chargers will also use their claws at close range.

Tactics

 * Found on medium to hard-level difficulty planets with bug missions, They are sometimes assigned their special mission like Brood Commanders and Bile Titans. They start spawning as part of the ambient horde on challenging or higher-level difficulties.
 * The most straightforward way to dispatch a Charger is to use heavy armor-penetrating weapons such as the Railgun and aim its forelegs; this can stagger the Charger and eventually break the armor on its forelegs. Once that is achieved simply use conventional firearms to shoot the exposed flesh underneath, it takes only 1/3 of a SMG-37 Defender's magazine to take down the hulking freedom hater, making this method far more efficient than aiming for its exposed abdomen.
 * For Helldivers who are unable to requisition the more advanced weapons, the Expendable Anti-Tank, Recoilless Rifle, or Quasar Cannon can be used to instantly kill a Charger upon a well-placed headshot, or shatter the Charger's leg armor in just 1 hit, then mag dumping the exposed flesh with your primary.
 * For Helldivers who do not have the requisite anti-armor weapons, hitting the underside of the abdomen until it takes on a popped or shredded appearance means the Charger will die shortly after (within 10 seconds). While any weapon will do, explosive attacks will cause the most democracy to the underbelly.
 * The MG-43 can damage the charger's legs without removing the armor. This can be achieved by shooting the joints of the legs or the forelegs, which will count as weak spot damage. This, however, is quite difficult to pull off due to the joints being tiny targets.
 * The Autocannon can also be used to quickly take down the Charger by aiming at the unarmored back of the leg first, which can be done by evading the Charger's attack. After that, one additional shot to the same leg will be enough to bring down the charger.
 * A Flamethrower is a practical yet risky method to dispatch a Charger; as the Flamethrower ignores physical armor, several seconds of sustained fire from it will bring down a Charger. However, this forces the Helldiver to engage the Charger at close range.
 * As of minor patch 1.000.102, a direct hit to the Charger’s head with an Expendable Anti-Tank, Recoilless Rifle, or Quasar Cannon is enough to take it down, much like with the Hulk.
 * Chargers tend to hone in on one team member at a time and then put all their efforts into taking them down. They're almost entirely armored, except for the yellow patches on their body. While it may seem like these are their weak spots, they aren't considered so, and any non-explosive damage to these areas will instead deal 10% of the original damage.
 * The charger will eventually outrun players, regardless of their armor; running away from them in a straight line is not recommended. As much as possible, wait for them to get close, then dodge or run to the side. It is much faster than you but has a wide turning radius and cannot readily change direction mid-sprint.
 * An effective evasion strategy is to remain close to the charger and circle it. It probably won't be able to turn fast enough to attack. But don't get too close, or it will trample you.
 * Chargers are vulnerable to stun grenades and EMS strikes. They can be pacified with either to make them susceptible to retaliation.
 * Attempting to trick the charger into hitting a wall or rock is a valid strategy, as the Charger will be stunned upon impact and be rendered immobile for a short while. However, they can traverse smaller rocks and walls, so caution must be exercised.
 * The FX-12 Shield Generator Relay will stop a charging charger dead in its tracks if it collides with the shield when fully deployed. However, the shield will not prevent the charger from walking up to the shield relay to destroy it.
 * The Jetpack provides enough ground clearance to jump over a charger at full jump. However, ensure enough time to gain lift, as you can still be gored while in mid-air if done too close.
 * Coordinated attacks and teamwork are needed to defeat them more effectively. Have one person attempt to draw its attention while other divers target one of the front legs. If you blow off the armor on a front leg, it will open up a weak spot and be much easier to take down. Destroying its rear will cause it to bleed out and take damage over time.
 * The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit can reliably take down a charger by breaking its leg with rockets and killing it with a few seconds of sustained fire from its Gatling gun or striking its head twice.

Variations
Behemoth Charger: has more armor and is easily distinguishable from the standard charger by its elongated horn/tusk-like armor on its head.

Another variant, which has been only documented by Super Earth Intelligence, appears much like the standard one, but the abdomen is colored green. The exact capabilities of this variant are unknown, but it has been noted that the coloration is similar to that of "Bile" Terminid species.

Changes

 * Version 1.000.100: the Railgun's projectiles will ricochet off the charger's legs on safe mode, making the most viable option unsafe for surrounding helldivers, and take more shots (around 3-4) to break off the charger leg armor


 * Version 1.000.300: the Railgun's projectiles can now pierce the charger's legs again in safe mode, requiring about 4 shots to break it, or 2 shots with a 70% unsafe mode charge (which can be achieved by charging for about 1 second), making it viable again against chargers.

Trivia

 * There is an achievement/trophy for killing a Charger by dropping a Resupply pod directly onto it. To obtain this achievement, it’s advised to throw the beacon at the Charger so it’s attached to the bug’s body, as support weapon/backpack hellpods can homing into blue beacons.
 * The Charger is the subject of a meme in the Helldivers 2 player base, which depicts a Charger in front of a laptop, indicating that it's posting fascist propaganda and misinformation online to hinder the Helldivers. This is usually followed by purposely incorrect information to make fun of various aspects of the game and sometimes used to make fun of players who give hot takes or questionable advice to others out of inexperience or a desire to troll greenhorn players.
 * The Charger is likely based on the Tank from the first game, having a similar appearance and virtually identical behavior of charging mindlessly at Helldivers, crushing them.