Caltrops

"Razor sharp and difficult to see, Caltrops are ideal for creating traps for enemies too foolish to watch where they run. Stepping on Caltrops decreases movement speed and causes severe bleeding, hindering the target as they lose HP."

- The Arsenal

Caltrops are a Specialist Only weapon released on 01-26-11. They are special mines that cause enemies to lose HP and move slower upon stepping on them.

Overview
Caltrops are spike traps that slow down and create bleeding damage to enemies who step on them. The bleeding damage is similar to M23F Incendiary and G7A Gas damage. However, the victim's screen flashes red instead of orange or purple unlike aforementioned weapons. Also, the enemy's legs will bleed rather than him/her catch fire or cough. Players receive five Caltrop sets and deploy five Caltrops for every set used for a total of twenty-five Caltrops per life. They are more of a defensive weapon and are great at helping to defend map points from rushers wearing light protection. Placing these by your team's flag in Capture the Flag mode will also greatly hinder flag capture attempts. However, the Caltrops weapon does have many drawbacks. First of all, Caltrops can easily be destroyed. They can only take two shots from an Assault Rifle before exploding and automatically detonate a minute after deployment. The Caltrops' explosion consists of a brief short-ranged white flash that deals light damage to surrounding enemies. A single set of Caltrops deal around twenty damage after the DOT is over. However, their damage stack just like incendiary gas and mines. Caltrops affect Infected in Quarantine Regen as well, dealing 1-2 damage per second while providing minimal knockback. They can be quite efficient in Fireteam (primarily in Cabin Fever and Black Lung as you are defending a base rather than infiltrating one. Caltrops also happen to be the most portable item in the game with ninety-nine portability so it is recommended that one run while holding it.

Trivia

 * Caltrops are not classified as an Explosive weapon.
 * The user holds a set of five Caltrops bunched together in his/her hand, which is IRL physically impossible.
 * The user's left hand features an awkward position when deploying Caltrops.
 * A player bleeding having stepped on Caltrops will have a wet splatting sound coming from him/her and his's/her's screen will blink a light red color.
 * After their release, unlike other explosive items, a player's Caltrops used to remain even after they have become Infected. These Caltrops, instead of infecting humans, used to deal damage and slow them down just like enemy Caltrops. This has since been patched in the 2-16-2011 Content Update like the Infected Nade.
 * In real life caltrops don't look like the one in-game, they more look like small spike balls with a steel center.
 * Caltrops used to push back infected in Quarantine mode. This has been changed to not push them back after the 2-16-2011 Content Update.
 * In reality, Caltrops do not explode upon being destroyed.
 * In modern times, caltrops are used to deflate pneumatic tires of wheeled vehicles instead of injuring humans. However, caltrops were never really used to kill troops, only slow the advance of them.
 * Caltrops after a period of time will decay, limiting people from mass stacking them like other explosives.
 * Caltrops was originally released in Combat Arms EU as a event in which you had to design a item or specialist.
 * In fireteam, Caltrops used to make the soldiers/zombies walk slower than their normal speed. This has been changed after the 2-16-2011 Content Update.
 * Caltrops was classified under Explosives after its release. After the 2-16-2011 Content Update, Caltrops can be used in a "No explosives" game