Throwing Knife

The Throwing Knife is an equipment choice in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Players receive only one knife if they choose to use it as their equipment; however, the knife can be recovered after throwing it from wherever it was thrown by pressing F, square, or X for the PC version, PS3, or Xbox 360 respectively. The Throwing Knife is a one-hit kill weapon regardless of where it hits or how far away the target is. The only time this versatile weapon wouldn't be able to do so is when it is being used in a private match where the health has been set to double (as with melee knifing, the throwing knife only does 135 damage, therefore it cannot kill a target with 200 health).

When the player throws a knife and misses their target, the throwing knife will most likely hit the ground or a wall; if it hits the ground, it will sometimes ricochet and flip an extra several feet. The player will have to find and pick it up to use it again. If it hits the wall, the player can simply go up to it and pick it up. However, if a knife ricochets off a wall or the ground, it is still deadly and can kill as long as it hasn't stopped moving. Players are also able to pick up knives that have been thrown by someone else, but only if they selected throwing knife as their equipment.

The throwing knife is popular with stealth classes as it is silent, gives no warning (unlike grenades), and even if the player misses, there is a good chance the target will not notice (unless they see the knife go straight by or hear it ricochet off a wall).

However, it has a very short range, as it rapidly descends towards the ground the farther it is thrown. Only at very close range will it throw perfectly straight. Thus, similar to the Grenade Launcher, at longer ranges it is necessary to aim above the target for the throw to be accurate. The throwing knife is considered one of the hardest weapons to master because it requires practice to aim at targets and throw it, usually in a quick succession. Many user-made throwing knife montages exist on the internet.

Though sometimes considered something of a novelty, the Throwing Knife is particularly useful in several scenarios:
 * As a ranged, silent, one-hit kill for any class, useful either during infiltrations (in which using a "loud" weapon would give the player away) or when a standard knife attack would be difficult or impossible.
 * As a ranged option that does not consume ammunition for classes that do not have the Scavenger perk (Bling or Marathon classes, typically). For such classes, using the Throwing Knife literally as an alternative to standard weapons allows the player to extend their useful lifespan well beyond what would be considered typical if they were using ammunition constantly.
 * As a counter for "witch" classes. (Marathon, Lightweight, and Commando) that can kill them in one hit outside their knife range (though this takes practice against such a maneuverable target). Conversely, the throwing knife can be used by such "witch" classes to eliminate a target that is outside of knifing range quickly and easily.
 * As an indirect form of attack over obstacles or down staircases. This tactic can be used to great effect in narrow staircases such as the small, cramped staircase in Skidrow, where one can throw a knife straight forward and it will automatically curve down and hit any opponent that is anywhere on or near the staircase.
 * As a ranged weapon for Riot Shield classes due to the speed at which the throwing knife can be directed at an enemy, allowing the riot shield user to expose him/herself for a minimal amount of time.
 * As a method of quickly evening the odds in pitched gunfights: if a player is confronted suddenly with multiple opponents, a well-placed Throwing Knife can significantly reduce the odds against the player. This is not as difficult as it might seem: when opponents are bunched up and when the player is firing from the hip (particularly when using a shotgun) at close range, it becomes much easier to hit at least one opponent with a Throwing Knife, thus taking one opponent out of the fight instantly and giving the player better odds of finishing off their opponents. Conversely, the throwing knife can be used instead of reloading to kill one last opponent, though this is a risky proposition: by delaying a reload, the player runs the risk of missing his throw and then being unable to reload in time to finish said opponent.
 * As a last-ditch weapon to use when all ammunition is exhausted.
 * As with all equipment, throwing knives may be used while climbing over obstacles or on ladders.

Tactics

 * It is best to use the throwing knife in conjunction with the Scavenger perk, as it takes a few seconds (which can often mean the difference between life or death) to pick it up. When you walk over a dead enemy the knife will be automatically picked up.
 * Even if a knife throw is a little bit too short, it can still bounce off a wall or object and kill. This is helpful in taking out enemies hiding behind riot shields, since flanking a shield user is difficult but knives to the legs kill.
 * The throwing knife has the same arc and range as the frag grenade. Players who have become accurate with grenades may be able to use the throwing knife more extensively.
 * Throwing knives will become stuck into a riot shield if the player manages to hit an enemy carrying one. It is possible to pick up your throwing knife when it is stuck into a riot shield. Knife.png
 * Provided that the person using it is skilled enough, it may be possible to kill a person using a riot shield with a throwing knife, doing this by ricocheting the knife off an object, so it will bounce back at an angle, killing the person holding the shield from behind.
 * Don't expect the knife to ricochet all the time; more often than not, throwing knives simply stick to whatever surface they're thrown at.
 * Instead of aiming through the cross hairs of the throwing knife, quickly tapping R2 or the right bumper while aimed to the center of mass will almost guarantee a hit.
 * The knife can be thrown through windows. This can give you an advantage. If you are in a building or area with multiple windows, you can throw it through a window that is away from your location, making players think that you are by that window. Some players might go to that broken window, giving you easy targets, points and kills.
 * Throwing knives replace any equipment, which generally are more useful for non-stealth classes.
 * After throwing the knife, whether you kill someone with it or not, try not to go for it immediately on small maps (such as Rust), as people will probably be around the location temporarily. It would be best either to wait for about 10 seconds or so (if you REALLY need it), or wait for your next spawn to get it back.
 * It is possible to kill someone that has a riot shield by throwing the knife straight into the shield. This is rare, however, but it makes a funny kill.
 * In contrast, throwing knives are common to see on players using Riot Shields, as it adds ranged capability while only exposing the player for 1 second.

Trivia

 * The throwing knife can be blocked by shooting, exploding, or knifing the throwing knife right before it hits you.
 * In Multiplayer, the throwing knife is modeled after the Blackhawk Tatang. In Endgame, Soap uses SOG Bowie knife instead. In fact, so are the three knife models in the game (Tactical, Throwing and Standard). Note that in multiplayer, every type of knife is wielded in the left hand.
 * The Infinity Ward logo can be seen on the side of the throwing knife. This is most easily seen with a sniper scope.
 * The throwing knife's image in the Create-A-Class menu is a cartoonized version of the Tactical Knife's image in the Create-A-Class menu.
 * On the Single-Player level Loose Ends three throwing knives are stuck into the wooden wall in the basement armory. They can not be removed or used.
 * You can stop a throwing knife when you have a Riot Shield even when it's on your back.
 * Sometimes, the throwing knife will not destroy a window it is thrown at but instead get stuck in the now damaged window. If you destroy the window, the knife will be floating in the spot where it landed.Throwing_knife_floor.jpg
 * If it is thrown off a solid object it will leave a bullet hole.
 * Interestingly enough, an EMP will stop a throwing knife dead in its tracks, which doesn't make much sense since EMPs only affect electronic devices.
 * Sometimes if a knife is thrown at an enemy's hands or feet while they are near a wall, they will be pinned to the wall.
 * If online or on splitscreen and a player holds the throwing button it will put the player's hand behind their head in a comical position.
 * In real life, the maximum deadly range of a throwing knife is 50 feet in the hands of a professional. Beyond this range it will not kill.
 * The player can also find a throwing knife in Team Player. However, he can't take it, mostly because it is blocked by tables and chairs.
 * Although it is possible to hit oneself with the throwing knife by bouncing it off of objects, it cannot kill the thrower.
 * Throwing a knife at a teammate will attach the knife to them, so you must go next to them to retrieve it.
 * There is a glitch when using the throwing knife in 3rd person. If your throwing knife hits a teammate their character will continue moving normally (on your screen), and they can still move their crosshairs and move, but on their screen their character will stay facing in the direction they were pointing when you hit them with the knife.
 * Oddly enough, the throwing knife can get "stuck" into concrete or metal.
 * In Endgame, General Shepherd stabs Soap with one, even though it's a throwing knife, not a combat knife.
 * The throwing knife unlike frags, semtex, flash, and stun grenades is thrown with the left hand in multiplayer, all the other grenades are thrown with the right hand.
 * The throwing knife will not destroy sentry guns instantly, unlike a normal melee. However, it still does damage against it
 * In multi-player, you receive the title "New Jack" for getting a payback with a throwing knife. This is a reference to the professional wrestler of the same name, who gained notoriety when he took a knife to an opponent in the ring, stabbing him between 9 and 14 times and spending 3 weeks in jail.
 * Occasionally when going prone if sombody runs over you and you throw the knife, it will completly miss, but still kill the enemy.
 * If you ask a teammate to throw a throwing knife at you while you have a throwing knife equipped, you will have 2 throwing knives. When you throw your knife, you can pick up your teammate's knife off of your own body.
 * If the player goes on to Terminal and throws a throwing knife through one of the metal detectors, it will light up as if the player had walked right through it.
 * If the player throws the throwing knife at a prone enemy that has a C-4/Claymore on their backsides and hits it (the C-4/Claymore), it will not kill the player but instead will stick to the C-4 or Claymore.
 * If you examine the players left hand while they are holding the throwing knife in its throwing position from behind the players back, you will see that they aren't holding anything.
 * On the throwing knife there are the words Ryan Lastimosa.
 * When using a riot shield with the throwing knife, you will still throw the knife with your left hand even though that's the hand that holds the riot shield.
 * It is possible to put someone in Final Stand using a throwing knife but this is a glitch that rarely occurs.
 * The throwing knife gets stuck if you throw it at a team mate.

Video
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thumb|left|300px|Throwing Knife montage thumb|right|300px|Amazing knife throw