The Breaching Charge, also referred to as Frame Charge, is an explosive designed for gaining entrance through locked doors and walls seen in various Call of Duty games.
In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a breaching charge is seen in multiple campaign missions, though it is not usable by the player. It is used by Lieutenant Vasquez in "Charlie Don't Surf", and Gaz in "Ultimatum". It is a small explosive attached to the handle of a door to blow the lock. The explosive used in-game is most likely a Detonating Cord, as the explosive seems to be a handle with ropes or cords attached to it. The breaching charge does not damage the player even if he stands next to it, compared to scripted C4 everywhere except for in "Mile High Club".
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the breaching charge is used much more extensively. In this game it is a "frame charge" — a shaped directional charge taped to a piece of Styrofoam, which is stuck to a door or wall to blast through the entrance.
It is seen in multiple Campaign and Special Ops missions. For a short time following the breach, events will occur in slow motion, allowing players to clear a room before any hostiles can effectively react, as they will be drawing and firing weapons at a much slower pace than normal. In addition, the player's magazine will be loaded to full capacity, no matter how many rounds were present previously.
In order to breach, the player must have a firearm equipped, and the room the player currently occupies must be free of enemies. If player attempts to use an invalid weapon, such as an RPG-7 or a Riot Shield, or is in the middle of a reload or weapon switch, a message will appear stating "Not ready to breach". A similar message will appear if there are still hostiles on the player's side of the door to be breached.
Frame charge in Modern Warfare 2
Breaching charges seen in Call of Duty 4 are found on the kitchen table in Loose Ends in Modern Warfare 2.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, different types of breaching charges are seen depending on the type of material that needs to be breached. For example, the variant seen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is used to breach simple wooden doors, while larger charges with multiple components are used to breach heavy submarine doors.
Kicker charge, used on sub's heavy door, in "Hunter Killer"
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance
In Modern Warfare 3: Defiance, breaching is different to the other games that feature the breaching charge. The breaching charge in Defiance has a different appearance from others. Breaching can kill the player if they stand in front of the door while the charge explodes and the player is always told to plant the charge on doors. No action is seen when planting the charge and the breaching charge always appears instantly. There is a small slow-motion sequence after the breaching charge explodes, slowing down everything in gameplay. The slow-motion effect wears off after a few seconds but happens quickly. Friendly NPCs will usually shout "Go! Go! Go!" slowly just as the slow-motion sequence starts. There is only one time that the slow-motion sequence won't take place and is in the mission Through the Mountains.
Call of Duty Online
Breaching charges are used in the campaign of Call of Duty Online.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Campaign
A unique breaching charge is used in the level "Atlas Falls", known as Ice Charges. It is used later on in the same level to breach a door. A variant is also used in the level "LOKI", where it is used to get inside of the LOKI Space Station.
Multiplayer
Breaching charges can also be used in Multplayer on the maps Octane and Warhawk. Walls marked with a red Ghosts symbol can be permanently blown up to open new lines of sight, destroy cover, or access new paths through the map. Players just walk up to the symbol, press and hold "Use" for 1 second, and a 3-second C4 charge will be placed on it. Players best stay clear of the charge or else suffer damage, possibly death, from the breach's explosion.
Gallery
The charge used in "LOKI"
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
In Advanced Warfare, most breaching sequences are done with the powerful exo punch against doors, but breaching charges are still used in some cases, like in Traffic.
A breaching charge can be seen being used by a ZSF soldier when trying to breach Xavier Hirtzel's room during the mission "New World".
Trivia
General
When attempting to breach while reloading, flashing words read "cannot breach while reloading" but this can be canceled out when playing Special Ops with another player.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
When the player's weapon ammunition is low while breaching, The ammunition will become full instantly when it breaching to the door.
Having akimbo weapons while breaching will cause a special animation.
In the mission "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday", if the player is breaching the last door with a thermal-sighted Intervention, the planting of the breaching charge's animation is strange.