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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait."
This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.

The Charger is a machine in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. It is a small Acquisition Class machine. As such, its function is the gathering and recycling of resources. Herds of Chargers are commonly found in the various tribal lands. A human equipped with the necessary technology can utilize a Charger as a mounted transport.

History[]

Chargers were designed by the artificial intelligence GAIA as part of the terraforming process that was the first step in restoring life to the planet after its eradication by the Faro Plague. As such, they were one of the machines first encountered by humans when they settled in their various tribal lands. Their main purpose seems to be the manufacture of Blaze through the conversion of grass, similar to Striders, Grazers, and Broadheads.

Like all other GAIA terraforming machines, Chargers were previously docile toward humans, and would normally spook and run when confronted by hunters. In response, the artificial intelligence HEPHAESTUS, which manufactured them, made them hostile toward humans, in a phenomenon that the tribes call The Derangement.

The Nora huntress Aloy discovered that ancient machines known as Corruptors possessed a component that allowed them to control any contemporary machine, in the sense that the machine fought alongside the Corruptor in battle. She was able to harness this component to override any specific herding terraformer unit. Furthermore, an overridden Charger, Broadhead or Strider became docile toward her to the point of being able to ride it as transport. This skill was observed and copied by the wandering maverick researcher Sylens.

Since Aloy first discovered the trick, Chargers have become a common mount for those capable of overriding machines, including Aloy's allies and Regalla's Rebels.

Appearance[]

A Charger’s chassis very closely resembles that of a Strider or Broadhead. However its head resembles that of a bighorn sheep. Two large, forward-curving horns, similar to the horns of a bighorn ram, are located on its head. Both horns are equipped with a tool that resembles a chainsaw. An optical sensor array consisting of a sensor partially surrounded by four smaller sensors is located at the end of the snout. A single Blaze canister is located between the haunches. The chassis is composed mainly of synthetic muscle, with white armor plating partially covering the head, neck, shoulders, hips, forelegs and hind legs.

Behavior[]

Chargers are always found in herds busily grazing on grass, which they convert into Blaze. Charger herds are usually accompanied by patrolling Watchers or Longlegs and/or Sawtooths, in order to protect them from hunters and maximize efficiency. Chargers are skittish, but less so than Striders or Broadheads; should a perceived threat be identified, such as a nearby human, Chargers are more likely to attack rather than run. They can deal devastating damage if the player is at a low level.

Chargers are the only small mountable machines to be found in the Cut or the Forbidden West.

Abilities[]

On encountering a perceived threat, Chargers are capable of charging at high speed with their heads lowered to ram the enemy. Additionally, they employ a variety of kicks like the rams they resemble. However, if a Charger is overridden and used as a mount, these same kick attacks become weapons that can be employed by the rider against hostile machines or humans.

Attacks[]

Horizon Zero Dawn[]

Name Damage Type Primary Damage Trigger Range Description
Charge Melee 100 15m - 50m Charges and rams enemy at high speed
Double Strike Melee 200 0m - 7m Forward twin front leg kick
Hind Leg Strike Melee 175 1.5m - 3.5m Twin hind leg kick straight behind
Rodeo Kick Melee 200 0m - 2.5m Multiple twin hind leg kicks in a circle
Spin Kick Melee 225 1.5m - 3.5m Single 180-degree spinning twin hind leg kick
Mounted Combat[]
Attack Name Trigger Direct Damage Impact Severity Description
Charge Contact while Sprinting 60 120 Charges and rams enemy at high speed
Double Strike R1 35 100 Forward twin front leg kick
Hind Leg Strike R1 + left stick backwards 70 100 Twin hind leg kick straight behind
Pivot Kick R2 70 100 Single 180-degree spinning twin hind leg kick

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Name Windup Time Damage Type Damage Trigger Range Description
Front Kick Short Melee 137 0m - 7m Rears up on hind legs and lunges forward a short distance while kicking twice with front hooves.
Back Kick Very Short Melee 137 1.5m - 5m Fast and powerful backward kick with hind legs.
Spin Kick Short Melee 137 1.5m - 5m front

0m - 7m the side

Spins its body 180o and performs a swift roundhouse kick with hind legs.
Rodeo Kick Medium Melee 137 0m - 2.5m Rotates 360o while kicking with hind legs.
Charge Medium Melee 180 15m - 65m Assumes aggressive posture and charges in target's direction.

Attack disabled when Slowed.

Components[]

Horizon Zero Dawn[]

Component Image Information Weakness Strength
Body Charger-Body Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. None None
Blaze Canister Charger-BlazeCanister Blaze storage canister. Shoot with Fire arrows to trigger an explosion. Shoot off this component to collect the resource inside. Fire-Icon Fire
Tear-Icon Tear
None
Horns Charger-Horns Destroying this component disables the charge attack. Tear-Icon Tear None

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Name Image Description Attributes
Body Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. None
Horns Large metal horns used to dig up natural resources. Detach or destroy to disable charge attack.
  • Detachable
  • Attack Removal
  • Destroyed When Killed
  • Key Upgrade Resource
Blaze Canister Blaze storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with a Fire Arrow to detonate.
  • Chain Reaction
  • Detachable
  • Contains Valuable Resources
  • Destroyed When Killed

Loot[]

Horizon Zero Dawn[]


Horizon Forbidden West[]

Body

Horns

Blaze Canister

Trivia[]

  • It is possible that the Charger's name is a reference to the American muscle car of the same name, built by Dodge. Dodge uses a ram as its logo.
  • Chargers possess a marginally larger capacity to sustain damage than Striders, allowing them to just barely survive unupgraded Silent Strikes, which instantly kill Striders.
  • Chargers can be utilized as flying mounts by performing a trick in Brightmarket.[1]
  • Chargers are one of only three machines (the others being Bristlebacks and Glinthawks) to resemble a creature which is definitively not extinct during the in-universe present, namely the bighorn sheep.

Gallery[]

References[]

Machines
Horizon Zero Dawn
Acquisition Class Broadhead - Charger - Fireclaw - Frostclaw - Glinthawk - Grazer - Lancehorn - Rockbreaker - Scrapper - Snapmaw - Strider - Trampler
Chariot Class Corruptor - Deathbringer - Metal Devil
Combat Class Ravager - Sawtooth - Scorcher - Stalker - Stormbird - Thunderjaw
Communication Class Tallneck
Recon Class Longleg - Watcher (Redeye Watcher)
Transport Class Behemoth - Bellowback - Shell-Walker
Unknown Class Control Tower
Horizon Forbidden West
Acquisition Class Bilegut - Bristleback - Clamberjaw - Fanghorn - Plowhorn - Scrounger - Spikesnout - Stingspawn - Sunwing - Tideripper - Waterwing - Widemaw
Combat Class Clawstrider - Dreadwing - Grimhorn - Shellsnapper - Slaughterspine - Slitherfang - Specter - Specter Prime - Tremortusk
Recon Class Burrower - Skydrifter
Transport Class Leaplasher - Rollerback
Unknown Class Defense Drone
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