Poison Zombie

Entity: npc_poisonzombie

When a Poison Headcrab attaches to a human host, it produces a bloated, reddish-purple skinned zombie.

The first Poison Zombie the player encounters is in a courtyard-like area in Chapter Seven, We don't go to Ravenholm

Capabilities
Poison Zombies are quite slow, hulking figures. They are very commonly seen providing transport for 3 to 4 Poison Headcrabs by letting them hitch a ride.

Poison Zombies also are strong, and can take alot of damage before being incapacitated.

If the player is far away, the Poison Zombie can throw the headcrabs riding on him with great accuracy. The riding headcrabs can also leap off.

When the player is in range of a melee attack or when the Poison Zombie has thrown away all his riding headcrabs, he will attack the player with his claws in the same manner a normal zombie would.

In Ravenholm, Poison Zombies can decommision the spinning blade traps.

Tactics
The Poison Zombie is strong, and can take alot of hits. Your best strategy is probably to equip your crowbar and let the zombie throw all of his headcrabs at you. When the zombie has thrown all his headcrabs, you can either attack it with your ranged weapons or simply move on, as they cannot do much more after their headcrabs have been thrown away.

The Poison Zombie can be detected by its muffled, strangulated breathing.