C4


 * For similar explosives, see Thermite and Satchel Charge.

Composition 4, also known as C4, is an explosive featured in Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Sticks of C4 are used in "Mission: Matmata" and "Raiding the Fortress" to destroy certain structures as objectives.

Singleplayer
The C4 is constantly seen in the campaign as the primary weapon to take out key objectives, where the player would have to arm the explosive and travel to a safe distance before detonating the weapon. An example of this would be in the level "The Bog", where the objective is to destroy the ZPU-4 in order for a friendly helicopter to pass by. Also, the player will have to destroy an electric tower with C4 in the level "Ultimatum".

Multiplayer
The C4 is a first tier perk and the player will get two when it is used, it has a higher damage than the claymore and also has higher splash damage than the claymore. When the perk is used, press left on the D-Pad and a detonation trigger will be pulled out, then by pressing the special grenade button (L2 on PS3, Left Trigger on Xbox 360) the C4 will be thrown, which will stick to walls, cars, etc. Pressing the equipment button (R2 on PS3, Right Trigger on Xbox 360) will then detonate the C4, albeit with a .83 second delay. Alternatively, C4 can be detonated by double tapping the reload button (use button in PC version) while the player's main weapon is out. Unfortunately the C4 is not popular in multiplayer modes due to the necessary remote detonation of the C4 which proves troublesome for Snipers and is commonly used by those who wait for someone to walk into the C4 then detonate it. The claymore is preferred more by Sniper players who rely on actually sniping, cutting off their view of the C-4. They often have no time to detonate the C4, whereas the claymore detonates automatically when an enemy walks in front of it. Most players use C4 in the Domination game mode and drop it at their flags. Since the game tells the player when they are losing a flag the C4 is then detonated. The disadvantage of this is that if the player dies, the C4 must be replanted. Another disadvantage of planting C4 at a friendly flag in Domination is that the C4 can be seen beforehand by the enemy and detonated by gunfire. This can be avoided if the player camps in a hidden location to watch the flag, to know when to detonate the C4.

Singleplayer
C4 appears in Modern Warfare 2 as an explosive used by Task Force 141 and by the U.S. Army Rangers. It appears in three campaign missions, "Of Their Own Accord", "Cliffhanger" and "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday".

In Spec Ops, C4 appears in the missions, "Acceptable Losses", "Wreckage", "Hidden", and "Suspension".

Multiplayer
C4 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this time in the equipment slot instead of via perk. Another change is players are given only one C4, but it is arguably more powerful and has a bigger blast radius than in ''Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. ''However, the throwing range of C4 is very low, requiring deliberate placement rather than throwing. Also, because it is in the equipment slot, it can be placed with a single button. This is noticeably faster than Call of Duty 4's method, which required switching to C4 as a weapon via the directional pad and then throwing it. But detonating is slower, since there's an animation of pulling out the detonator and activating it, in contrast with having the detonator already equipped in Call of Duty 4. Single player retains the method of assigning C4 to a directional pad button. However, C4 will detonate instantly if reload is pressed twice, essentially negating such disadvantages.

As with the previous game it is useful to place it on objectives (I.E. Domination flags, Sabotage targets, etc.) and use it as a mine whenever an enemy nears it. It can be used as a rudimentary grenade, but cannot be thrown as far and must be detonated by the player. However, unlike fragmentation and Semtex grenades, there is no warning indicator for a nearby C4 satchel, and C4 can be detonated in midair by pressing reload twice quickly.

C4 will detonate if the player presses reload twice very quickly, (Except on the PC Versions, where the player must tap the "Use" key twice: "F" by default), which can be useful if the player has C4 previously set that needs to be detonated, but already has C4 in inventory from Scavenger or One Man Army. In this case, pressing the equipment button will not detonate the C4, it will simply cause the player to throw another C4.

There is a glitch that causes a detonated C4 pack to do no damage to an opponent whatsoever (no hit marker appears) no matter how close the enemy is to the C4 pack, or whether Danger Close is equipped or not. This glitch is currently active, though it may just be due to lag. This may be connected to another glitch that causes the C4 to show the explode animation but cause no damage. If any players walk into the explosion spot after a time of around 5 seconds, they will die (tested on PC in a private match via shared LAN connection).

A tactic used now with C4 is to plant C4 in front of a Claymore, so when an enemy activates the Claymore it will set off the C4. The best perks to use for this tactics are One Man Army and Danger Close.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
"Two plastic explosives devices that are detonated remotely with the clacker or by double-tapping "use" button"

- Create-a-Class 2.0 description

Singleplayer
C4 is first seen in the level "Executive Order," where Mason uses it to blow up a wall to access the controls to the Soyuz 2. It is later seen in "The Defector," where Mason uses it to blow up the ceiling beneath a ZPU-4. It's final use in the level "Victor Charlie", where the player is tasked with covertly planting C4 in a Vietamese village and running to a safe spot. The player then detonates the C4 to ambush Viet Cong. The only time when the player can use it at will is in The Defector, when at the end of the mission where the player has to defend the docks. C4 can be found on a crate (like the claymores) and used normally to help defending.

Multiplayer
C4 is available in multiplayer for. It can be bought after Create-a-Class is unlocked at level 4. The C4 in Black Ops is almost the exact same as the Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 versions (featuring nearly the same skin, but lacking the flashing red light), but the player is armed with two C4s that can be placed and picked up after being deployed, unlike in Modern Warfare 2. They are deployed via the "aim" button, and can be detonated by either quickly double-tapping the reload button or using the detonator. The C4 can be thrown much further than in previous games.

Trivia

 * The C4 makes an appearance in the extended level of "F.N.G.", where Newcastle teaches the player how to arm and detonate a C4 block. He says "Looks like my ex-wife was kind enough to donate her car to further your education Soap." Watch the video.
 * In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, when the player sprints, a package of C4 explosive can be seen in his left hand, even after he has no more C4 packs left.
 * In Call of Duty: World at War, the C4 is replaced with the similarly-working Satchel Charge."
 * In Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, if C4 is stuck to a pane of glass then the glass is broken, the C4 will appear to be floating in midair.
 * In Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, in 3rd person mode, when the equipment button is pressed the player's character will hold the C4 and throw it, even if there is no C4 left.
 * C4 does not stick to a Riot Shield or other players. It will just bounce off and land on the ground. The C4's adhesive might not attach to the shield's rounded surface, though this was likely for balancing reasons.
 * In Modern Warfare 2 C4 is affected by Flash and Stun grenades, being unable to detonate until the effect wears off, similar to the Claymore. If C4 is placed by a planted bomb, before dying, detonate the C4 while it's being affected by the grenades, there's a big chance that it will blow up while the enemy is defusing the bomb due to the effect wearing off.
 * A fake packet of C4 can be found on the RC-XD that is included in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition.
 * In Call of Duty Black Ops, C4 when thrown at an enemy will cause a hit marker indicating damage but barely harms the victim.
 * In Call of Duty: Black Ops, C4 cannot be destroyed by the Ballistic Knife, or any Grenade Launcher.
 * Its usage is always designated "Plan B" by John "Soap" MacTavish.
 * In Call of Duty: Black Ops, placing C4 on an enemy RC-XD will cause it to explode. However, if placed on a friendly RC-XD, it will not do any harm.
 * In the Wii version of Black Ops, detonating C4 on the right place when it is placed on the rocket in Launch causes hitmarkers to appear.
 * According to Tank Dempsey's quote, the Monkey Bomb has C4 strapped in it.