Stun Grenades vs. Flash Grenades in Call of Duty 4

Posted date: July 02, 2008 In: Reviews, Weapon Tips | comment : 31

On their face the two types of special grenades in Call of Duty 4 may appear to be the same, but they are actually quite different. Both grenades are effective for around 6 seconds at close range after going off, but their similarities end there. Lets jump right into the comparison and review of special grenades in Call of Duty 4, remember this is general knowledge and might not be true for every single weapon and Call of Duty 4 playstyle. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the short version.

Flash Grenades – Have a one second fuse that will go off even if the grenade is in midair. This is a disadvantage for long tossing the grenade because it is totally ineffective if it explodes in mid air. The flash grenade has a longer range than the stun grenade, 200-800. It will only damage the enemy if it explodes right next to the target.

When it does explode the flash grenade emits a high piercing noise completely blinds the target for up to of 6 seconds depending on how close the the enemy was to the blast. Screenshot of flash grenades effects at right. The effected player still has full movement and weapon functions, they just can’t hear or see anything. This means the target can wildly spray fire until the hit indicator lights up, and use that hit indicator information to get a kill. The flashed target also retains full movement capabilities so they can move out of the way of any incoming grenades. This means a flashed enemy still poses a significant threat and can often escape unharmed.

Stun Grenades – Have a minimum one second fuse with the requirement that the grenade must hit the ground before it explodes. Unlike the flash grenade effective long tosses with the stun grenade are possible because it only explodes after hitting the ground. The stun grenade has a slightly lower range than the flash grenade, 0-512 but much higher damage 1-40. The damage can not only get you kills but gives you valuable information; using the hit indicator you can tell whether or not a room is clear or has an enemy in it. This is impossible to do with the flash grenade unless it lands right next to the target.

The stun grenade emits a high piercing know and partially blinds the enemy just like a flash grenade. The blinding is much less severe though, such that you can still see well enough to identify targets. Screenshot of stun grenades effects above. More importantly the stun grenade significantly slows both your aiming and movement making it very difficult to run away from grenades or swing your weapon towards an enemy. This is crucial because it totally incapacitates your target. All you have to do to finish the kill is toss a grenade in there or do a quick strafe prone jump and open fire. The stunned enemy will be unable to move fast enough to aim at you or run away from the grenade. Combine this with the information gained from the hit indicator and it’s long tossing capabilities and the stun grenade is generally better than the flash grenade.

The bottom line: In general the stun grenade is superior to the flash grenade in Call of Duty 4 because it restricts enemy movement and provides valuable information via the hit indicator.

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Jungle Rob

This is great analysis of the grenade differences. I just tested the difference and you’re spot on. I’ve changed all of my rigs based on your analysis. Thank you for taking all the time to work on these tips.
Stoney(9mm)

Sweet, gonna start using stuns instead of smokes….xD
Anonymous

the FG may have a longer range but it won’t blind very much or for very long out of the SG’s range. movement isn’t affected allowing them to escape and there is usually no hit indication. one thing i don’t like about the SG is the enemy can still see you and they’re sensitvity is lowered which often helps them aim better. i guess that can be solved w/ a strafe into prone though. personaly, i don’t find a blinded opponnent very dangerous (FG), aiming is usually better than spraying and praying.
Anonymous

*their
iKe

when being stuned its like being slo-mo hardcore because there is no aimer and you seem to die faster… probally from the damage of the stun
Halo Dog47

if you hit someone with either of these grenades with a decent hit you are going to kill the guy anyway. They are too much alike to really care about the little differences. If you lose a fight to a blinded person, you suck. If you lose to a slow-weakend person, you suck. It’s just about prefrence for these two.

As for Smoke grenades, they are really good if you know how to use them. You can use them to get into a room although flash and stun are better for that. Smokes are primarily better to use as a distraction since most people throw frags into or spray into the cloud of smoke so you throw the smoke in a room or area opposite from the way you are going.That way when people attack the smoke area they show up on radar and you can gun them down. They also hide you while planting a bomb or capturing a territory. If you are playing deathmatch the smoke isn’t too useful.
Den

I think Flash and stun are quite distinctive grenades but I am a smoke man myself, good for instant cover, good for distraction, good for decoy folks always pop a few shots into a smoke exposing they’re position, and especially good for confusion small room with tangos in it pop a smoke in followed by a frag almost certainly they’ll get stuck against each other trying to escape
Tarma

/seta cg_hudGrenadeIconEnabledFlash “1″

Using this command will enable you to see flash grenade indicators. If your reaction time is quick enough then you may be able to look away from the flash before the fuse goes off.
Anonymous

I like both Stun and Smoke depending on what I’m using it for. I just know it’s alot of fun to throw a smoke into a room with alot of enemies and watch them shoot each other. Hehehe
[B.K] Banme!

I always get confused with the name of both of them but what I do no for a fact is that one of the grenades is thrown much faster then the other making it easier to kill the enemy with a grenade hitting them flat in the head-I just love doing that.

Anyway I always get the two grenades mixed up but I recommend the one that is red and you throw it faster.

I love flashing a room and then strolling in and shotgun-ing them in the face or Knifing them in the back whilst they just stand there looking square into your face without knowing it-PRICELESS
Tazer

So are you saying that you could die on hardcore if a stun grenade blew up right next to you? (I’m not talking about it actually hitting you in the face)
iKe444

DUDE IN COD5 they have dogs omg omg omg that is frecking awesome
Anonymous

FG’s can still affect an enemy if they burst mid-air(as long as the enemy is in range of the burst)
KYRIAKOS

stuns all the way/ best if u throw a nade then a stun into a room stun goes off the person cant move then nade kills them.
Anonymous

Stuns can be thrown way faster. Flashes take forever to get out of your hands.
Stuns give you the hit indicator which means I know someone is in there.
These are the only two reasons needed to declare stuns are greater than flash.
Anonymous

The stun is also really useful if thrown right arter a frag. They see the grenade indicator but can’t run away.
Anonymous

Another difference between the two: flash grenades tend to make people panic more than stun grenades, and when in panic players tend to fire blindly, alerting your entire team of their location.
Anonymous1

You need to cross reference them with smokes, or at least make a guide on smokes.
Kyle

I agree with comment number 1 (Jungle Rob) — this info was very helpful. Thank you.
Anonymous

I prefer flashes on my SMG class but stuns on assault, I find flashes better for when your bein a ninja class because they totally blind them and you can just run in for the knife, but i like stuns for my assault classes just to slow them down and get the quick kill
BrotherTranquility

Smokes are all they say they are is all i gotta say. so the comments kinda add to the guide ;-] and flashes incompacitate for longer in my opinion, because completely blind is harder to reorientate than moving slowly for a moment… their random movement and spinning while blind leaves them waking up facing a random direction in a random part of the room with a empty gun. however, stun grenades in hardcore often score easy assist points, which lots of people love and equip up for.
Anonymous

i think all of u are sad faggots that cry yourself to sleep and wake up to you screams, u all need to get a life, i shall soon make guide and anlysis comparing, goin out with your mates and sitting in ur room playing games all day FUK U ALL!!!!!! PEARSON GeeZ x is the gamer tag if u wanna settle this once and 4 all lol
Kneecapavenger

“he stun grenade emits a high piercing know and partially blinds the enemy just like a flash grenade. ”

Yeah, dude… Don’t know if any ones pointed this out… But the stun grenade is actually better known as a concussion grenade. Its not a high pitched noise… Its blowing your dudes eardrums out. You don’t recover from this as quickly in real life. Infact, you’d probably be bleeding from the ears and possibly nose and eyes. Depending on how close or confined a space you were in.

Still, the review is accurate. Smoke pwns, however. A tactical choice of course.

=Kneecapavenger
Phate

Good information here, however there is something you may not have considered. I know most people use some sort of regular mouse, but at least for me, I use a 1600 dpi Razr Diamondback. Its not as good now as it once was, but it is still much higher sensitivity than most regular mouses. When I’m affected by a stun grenade, I can still aim and engage targets, I just have to move the mouse more. But I could’nt tell you how many times that; under the effect of a stun grenade, I have been able to return fire and kill the person who threw the grenade then rushed in, or pick up the frag grenade and throw it back out at them. So while a stun might lower the targets ability to quickly get to cover or return fire, in some cases they can still return fire / grenades. With flashes, they may be able to move and fire just as well, however, they cant see what they are aiming at or where they are going. Some very good players undoubtedly have very good situational awareness, and at times I even find myself able to get to cover under the effects of a flashbang, but more often then not I find myself slightly misjudging my movements and running against a wall instead of retreating into the adjacent room. And forget about aiming, I myself tend to always use ironsights or red dot, so i pick guns like the G3 that allow deadly accuracy and damage when scoped. That means that my hip fire is incredibly inaccurate, and thats about the only way to find someone if you are flashed. If I were to scope, It would take an incredible stroke of luck to hit a target and then to continue to hit and kill him. So while a stun grenade makes it harder to aim, if you are used to a high sensitivity, you can still do it. With a flashbang, its all luck. So I’m not so sure about your conclusion that stuns are always better. Flashbangs can be especially useful if you enter the room and move around while engaging the targets. Stuns can be useful if you throw a grenade in afterwards and they cant escape it. I think both have their moments.

-Phate
the 74-yu

if u use the flash in a search and destroy i believe its better because if you r a player who uses sound alot it can help you, if u r trying to defuse a bomb and the other player is listening intently for that defuse noise if u throw a flash it will cover up the noise even if its not a direct hit
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck you fuckhead

The writer of this article is a fucking noob. It says you can fucking do anything while flashed but you can’t fucking sprint when you are. Get a fucking brain you fucking bitch.
nigger

i am a nigger so i just cut ppl in cod4 so ya and if i have to go all gangsta i spray dem moderfuckers wit an ak47 or uzi bich……… bloods 4 life
Nigger2

Yo I’m a nigga 2! Want to take a break from the game and eat some chikin and watermelun?
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HxC Dinkir9

Another thing why the stun grenade is superior. YOU CAN THROW IT FASTER than the flash.
Letting you quickly throw it then strafe behind e’m knife e’m and go on you’re (un)merry way.
But in mw2 they gave flash grenades hit markers which was a very nice change.

=-)
Anonymous

I prefer smokes for ninja class rather than flash I’ll blind him so what… he won’t see me anyway