Semtex


 * Not to be confused with Sticky Bomb.

Semtex is a type of grenade containing C4 that sticks to the first surface it touches, including other players, before exploding. It is featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Campaign
Semtex is briefly seen in "Contingency" if the player does not shoot down the helicopter before Price enters the submarine, in which case Ghost will 'knock' it out of the air with Semtex. The same applies for the BTR. Some bricks of Semtex can also be seen on the table full of explosives in Makarov's safehouse during "Loose Ends".

Special Ops
Semtex replaces flash grenades in 'Body Count' and 'Wreckage'; it is rather strange that the player can carry two types of lethal grenades. Nevertheless, they are very useful, being able to destroy BTRs with a direct hit in 'Body Count' and it can also blow up standard vehicles in 'Wreckage'.

Multiplayer
Semtex takes up the equipment slot. It is comparable to the standard Grenade but with some differences. It is actually a ball of C4 explosive with a timed detonator attached to it, thus, it cannot be cooked, though the timer is shorter than a Frag grenade's fuse. At close range, the delayed explosion gives opponents time to escape. However, the timer counts down while the Semtex is in flight and will explode almost immediately after landing if thrown over long distances. It has a blinking red light and beeps softly, making it easier to spot and avoid. This makes it useful for flushing enemies that have hunkered down, as they may run from cover if a Semtex charge is tossed in proximity, and if they do not run fast enough, they will be killed or severely injured. Because the grenade sticks to the first surface it touches (except glass, which shatters while the Semtex trajectory remains unaffected), it will not bounce and roll past the desired target. This is very useful for accurately sticking the grenade to the Headquarters, narrow platforms, or hillsides. Additionally, it can be stuck to the window sill in front of an enemy rather than actually requiring the grenade go through the window (a throw which, if missed, often means a cooked grenade comes bouncing back at the thrower.) Additionally, Semtex grenades cannot be thrown back at the original sender.

Semtex is more powerful than a Frag Grenade: it has a larger explosive radius and the highest explosive damage of any equipment in the game. It is the only grenade that, without Danger Close, can destroy the large gas tanks found in Highrise, Underpass, Overgrown, Derail, and Terminal. Unlike the fragmentation grenade, Semtex cannot be overcooked, though sticking a Semtex too close will still cause a suicide.

Due to its stickiness, it is very useful for taking down Riot Shields, which it attaches itself to. However, if the shield user has Blast Shield they may survive even a direct stick to the shield. A lot of player will also run away from the riot shielder and throw it on the ground while running resulting in the shielder running over the Semtex and dying.

Less frequently some people will stick Semtex to a team-mate and have them run into a group of enemies - mainly for the "The Resourceful" challenge, in an attempt to kill at least one or two enemies. This works best in Domination or Headquarters, where larger groups of enemies will likely be trying to capture an objective. It is not recommended to try this in Hardcore modes, where friendly fire may kill teammates in the process.

The explosive power and blast radius of Semtex also make it useful for rushing classes because it can clear larger areas than a fragmentation grenade and does not ever require cooking.

Since Semtex cannot be cooked to detonate sooner, it is advised to arc the throw upward if possible. This will allow the explosive to still reach its target, but detonate sooner relative to the enemies noticing. Consequently, the enemies will have less time to react and are more likely to be killed if the throw was accurate.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
Semtex returns in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is briefly seen in the campaign and can be used on both Multiplayer and Zombies.

Campaign
It first appears in "Victor Charlie " and is detonated remotely, after arriving in the village, before detonating the explosives, Woods will say, "Alright, Mason, let's see what this Semtex can do." In "WMD", Hudson plants what appears to be a remote Semtex charge on the power boxes of a Soviet installation, destroying them.

Multiplayer
Semtex is unlocked at level 4 along with Create-a-Class and costs. Semtex takes 0.6 seconds to prepare with a two second fuse. The damage for Semtex is 15 direct damage on stick with 200 damage, and a 4.4 meter lethal blast radius. It seems to be similar to its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 counterpart. A friendly Semtex will have a green blinking light instead of all Semtex blinking red like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It retains the ability to stick to enemies, teammates, and various objects. It cannot be "cooked" like a regular grenade. The Semtex has a lower kill radius than its fragmentation grenade counterpart.

Many players use this grenade instead of the Fragmentation grenade because it always kills an enemy it sticks to, unlike a frag, which will bounce off. However, Semtex does not work as well in attacking a second floor of a building, where an experienced frag user could cook and throw a grenade from in front of the entrance of the building and it could enter room from the window and kill any enemies by the window instantly, whereas they would have some time to run from a Semtex and could get out of the range in time.

Zombies
Semtex appear in the Zombie maps Call of the Dead, Shangri-La and Moon. Semtex replaces default Frag Grenades, and are significantly more powerful. Upon replenishing Semtex grenades off the wall, it will only cost the player 130 points, despite still displaying the original 250 cost. It is unknown if this is intentional or a glitch (Confirmed on Xbox 360, PS3, & PC). An interesting thing to note is that the grenades in Zombies get an increase of damage every round, but unfortunately they stop being a one hit kill past round 4.

Special Ops
Semtex is seen in the mission 'Fatal Extraction' where it sticks to anything it touches, much like the multiplayer variant.

Multiplayer
Semtex returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It is somewhat weaker than its Modern Warfare 2 counterpart, and more grenades cannot be obtained through the use of Scavenger. However, it can be thrown further than in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Prior to a patch, Semtex was capable of killing a Juggernaut with a single grenade if it stuck.

Semtex's beeping noise is almost completely gone in third person, players being able to hear it only when priming the grenade, the player throwing it, and in killcams.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II
"Grenade that sticks to surfaces before detonating"

- Create-a-Class Description. Semtex returns in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It appears both in campaign and multiplayer. In 80s part of the game, it is thrown normally, but in 2025, it is launched by the same device as the XM31 Grenade. However, this only applies to Strike Force missions.

Zombies
The Semtex appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies in Town and Tranzit. It can be bought off the wall for 250 points, and replaces the grenades players start with. It loses its effectiveness pretty early in the game, losing killing ability sometime after round 10. Until round 10, it has the same killing potential as normal grenades. Due to its relatively low use, it is not recommended to make crawlers. Despite all this, a Semtex may be used to gather points, as it may stick to a zombie and affect multiple areas of the zombie without killing it. Semtex may also be used as a mine of sorts, as one can stick it to a window and let it damage breaching zombies while the player kills zombies that are already in the area. Another advantage is that it may be replenished, since you can buy more.

Call of Duty Online
Semtex is scheduled to appear in Call of Duty Online

Trivia

 * The Semtex grenade is actually a lump of timed C4, as evidenced by the "C4" marking on the side. However, for the sake of fairness, it has identical explosive power to frag grenades, most probably to stop players from tossing it anywhere just to get easy kills.
 * If a player is stuck with Semtex and they kill the player who stuck them before it detonates, it will count as a "payback" kill.
 * Sticking Semtex to an enemy with Painkiller active will not kill them, except in Hardcore game modes.
 * In Call of Duty: Black Ops, when a Semtex is thrown from a long distance, all that can be heard is a "charging" sound, similar to that of a charging . The beeping sound is absent unless very close-up.
 * Unlike the frag grenade, the player can put the Semtex away after taking out the pin by pressing the Weapon Switch button.
 * Semtex will not explode in one's hand when cooking.
 * In Zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, when the player retrieves his/her Tombstone, it doesn't give them their semtex back.