Packmaster

The Packmaster (Also Known as a Hookrat) is one of the Enemies in Vermintide 2.

Description
The Packmasters of Clan Moulder excel in driving packs of ravening beasts into battle, but in the crush of the swarm they favour other tactics. Clan Moulder is ever seeking new subjects to further its vile breeding experiments, and every Packmaster covets the bounty paid for a particularly noteworthy prize.

Thus lone Packmasters eschew their commonplace whip for a ‘things-catcher’– a barbed polearm, capable of strangling a foe into submission, and leaving them prone to later harvesting. Once caught in such a manner, the prey has no chance of escape, unless he or she has friends close by. Otherwise, the laboratories of Clan Moulder beckon…

Strategy

 * Packmasters pose as much of a threat as they did in the previous game, although tuned down a notch. Compared from the previous game, they seem to be appearing a lot more often on their own or sometimes with another special enemy. Let this not drop your guard, as they can still appear in swarms and are as difficult to spot as usual.
 * Keep an ear out for the sound of rattling skulls, wheezeful howling and ragged breathing. These can be a sign of a Packmaster nearby.
 * The Packmaster's Polearm Hook can be avoided by dodging to the sides or backwards if you have enough space behind you.
 * Using a ranged weapon is often a preferred method when taking them out. Even though they are not terribly durable, they can still soak a few hits from your melee weaponry, which is often enough to catch you in their hooks if you are on your own.
 * Unlike most specials, when downing a hero, they will raise their hook up with the captured hero in it and stick it into the ground, holding their prey in a chokehold above the ground and then proceed to run off, while causing continious damage and often a certain death for the unfortunate hero if not rescued immedietly, especially in the middle of a swarm of enemies. In order to get the hero back up on their feet they need to be rescued, twice.