{{Article|hl2}}
{{Otheruses|Mine}}
{{Cleanup}}
{{Weapon Infobox
| image=FileHopper1.jpg|250px
| name=Hopper
| affiliation=Combine
| manufacturer=Combine
| model=
| type=
| damage=Medium to High
| magazine=
| maxammo=
| fire=
| ammotype=
| operation=
| rate of fire=
| accuracy=
| range=
| usedby=Gordon Freeman
| counterpart=
| counterwep=
| entity=combine_mine
}}
{{Quote|Watch out for the Hoppers. They're everywhere!|Resistance|Rebel|Half-Life 2|Filec17 05 hoppers male.ogg}}
The '''Hopper'''''Half-Life 2 Prima Guide'' is an anti-personnel Wikipedialand mine|proximity mine that hops into the air towards the target before exploding, much like a Wikipedias-mine|bouncing betty. These mines are carried and deployed by Shield Scanners. They are vaguely dome-shaped with three sharp "legs". When dropped, the mines use these legs to bounce around until they land facing up on a smooth surface. They then jam the legs into the ground, attaching themselves very firmly.
==Overview==
When an enemy target comes close, the mines light up and give off a warning chirp. If the enemy target gets too close, the mines will toss themselves nearly two meters (six feet) into the air in the direction of the threat and explode upon contact with whatever they happen to hit on the way down. They also detonate if smashed too violently. Otherwise, they are impervious to nearly all forms of handheld weaponry, save for the Gravity Gun.
Because of their danger, immovability and extreme durability, Hoppers are impossible for most enemies to disable or defuse. Thus, they are used by the Combine almost exclusively to deter attacking enemy personnel, creating makeshift but often impassable barriers in seconds. They are used both indoors and outdoors, mostly in vital choke-points and occasionally concealed as traps.
===Friendly fire===
FileHalfLife2 Hoppermine.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A friendly (green) Hopper.
Hoppers use a friendly fire identification system which resets whenever they are picked up. The mines interpret a "friendly" unit as whichever faction placed it last. Thus, a mine placed by a Citizen with a Gravity Gun will attack Combine, and a mine dropped by a shield scanner will attack Citizens. This system is signaled through a color-coded light at the top of the device
*Green The mine is armed and considers whoever is close to it to be a friend.
*Red The mine is armed and considers whoever is close to it to be an enemy.
*Blue The mine is neutral and has not yet armed itself.
*Orange The mine is in panic mode, having been rooted from the ground (with the Gravity Gun) and is uncontrollably attempting to re-grip the ground.
*No light The mine has not yet been activated.
The ability to be turned against the Combine is most likely not an intentional feature of the mine or, instead, a reprogramming function built into the Gravity Gun, which may have been designed with mine removal in mind. When the Gravity Gun is first given to Gordon by Alyx, she mentions that she found the gun useful for clearing mine fields. Players have also theorized that this is because of a programming mistake by the Combine and that a Hopper will consider whatever placed it last to be an ally. Based on what Alyx said, this makes more sense. In any case, the mines are unlikely to be placed by anything other than the Combine's shield scanners. If thrown using the Gravity Gun's primary fire, the mine explodes on contact with whatever it hits first. Alternatively, as a last-chance effort, as a mine hops in the air it may be shot away using the Gravity Gun's primary fire. This is particularly useful if a mine remains unnoticed until after it has hopped. In addition, if the mine can be caught by the Gravity Gun before hitting something, it will not explode. The legs will flail in an attempt to jump, thinking it must still be grounded. After being dropped, the mine will reset itself and become friendly.
==Related Achievements==
{|class=wikitable style="vertical-aligncenter;" width=50%
|-
!colspan="2" style="text-alignleft"|The Orange Box Achievements Half-Life 2 game|Any ''Half-Life 2'' game
|-
|rowspan=2 width=64px|FileHlx kill enemy withhoppermine.png
!style="text-alignleft"|Deadly Harvest (5G)
|-
|''Kill an enemy by planting a Hopper.''
|-
|}
==Trivia==
*In ''Half-Life 2 Episode Two'', several mines are found in Resistance areas, and can be told apart from regular mines due to an orange "smiley face" or Lambda symbol painted on their underside as well as yellow paint coating on top.
*Sometimes the A.I. of the Hopper has a hostile relationship to the Manhack.
*If the player fires the Hopper into the air, then sends an ally to to its estimated landing position, the explosion will hurt or kill the ally. Firing it directly at the ally, however, won't hurt the resistance member at all. This is because direct friendly fire will not hurt the ally, due to friendly fire being cut in the development of the game (this also applies to explosive barrels).
*Hoppers appear to be waterproof; they function normally when placed underwater.
*A skilled player can "launch" Hoppers by dropping them with the Gravity Gun, then punting it before it can lock onto the ground. This can allow the mines to be placed on higher ground.
*The Hopper may be based on the "Bouncing Betty" Mine in World War 2.
==Gallery==
===Pre-release===
FileTemp hoppers nexus leak 01.jpg|Temporary Hoppers before the Overwatch Nexus in the playable ''Half-Life 2'' leak.
FileTemp hoppers nexus leak 02.jpg|Ditto.
===Retail===
FileD3 c17 070010.jpg|Unarmed Hopper in the City Square.
FileEp1 c17 02a0087.JPG|Hoppers near caged Combine Sentry Guns in the Hospital.
FileCombine defensive structure.jpg|Hoppers protecting a Combine barricade.
FileEp1 c17 050004.jpg|Shield Scanners about to drop Hoppers near the Technical Trainstation.
FileEp1 c17 050008.jpg|Shield Scanner about to drop a Hopper near the Technical Trainstation.
FileHopper antlions mine.jpg|Reprogrammed Hoppers in the Victory Mines waiting for Antlions to approach.
FileHopper2.jpg|Rebel reprogrammed Hopper.
FileHopper2 under.jpg|Ditto, underside.
FileHopper3.jpg|Rebel reprogrammed Hopper.
FileHopper3 under.jpg|Ditto, underside.
==List of appearances==
*''Half-Life 2 {{1st}}
*''Half-Life 2 Episode One''
*''Half-Life 2 Episode Two''
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Weapons}}
{{Combine}}
CategoryCombine weaponsCategoryWeapons
