Ravenholm traps

Ravenholm is filled with traps disposed by Father Grigori, to be used again zombies and headcrabs. Three kinds are met during the Half-Life 2 chapter "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...".

Car trap


Apart for being used to killed zombies, the car trap also helps Gordon Freeman get up to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. It consists of a damaged car that is attached to a system of pulleys that lift it above the ground. At the pull of an attached switch, the car drops out of the air violently and crushes anything below it. A mechanism then starts up, and the car is automatically hoisted back into the air, ready for another drop.

They also serve as a sort of mock elevator on one occasion, as Father Grigori set up a wooden plank walkway to a nearby building that is only accessible by climbing onto the one of the cars and riding it up as it automatically resets itself.

Propane trap
The propane trap consists of a large tank of propane that has a hose leading out of a valve on its side. When the valve is turned, the propane begins to flow out of holes in the hose and fill the immediate vicinity. If a bullet is fired into the exiting stream of propane, the area around the tank and anything around it is engulfed in flames. There is also usually a red switch that ignites it with a spark. The fire will continue to burn until the valve is turned again and the gas is cut off.

They are extremely effecting against zombies and headcrabs due to the fact that the fire not only does damage to them, but also because it slows down their movement dramatically and allows them to catch other creatures on fire. While they are on fire however, they can do significant damage to Gordon simply by running into him and burning him.

It is also used in the Half-Life 2: Episode Two chapter Freeman Pontifex.

Propeller trap
The propeller trap is made of a car engine turned on its side with a metal pole sticking out of it connected to a very sharp piece of sheet metal on one end, and a counter-weight on the other. It kills any enemy instantly and deals massive damage to the player if he walks through it. It is activated by ducking under the blade and pulling a lever. Once the blades are spinning, the only way to get around it without any damage is to duck and crawl under it. It is also advised to stay beneath it to lure enemies into the blade.