Crowbar

The Crowbar is a tool and mêlée weapon famously used by Gordon Freeman in the Half-Life series. Perhaps the most iconic weapon in the Half-Life universe, the crowbar is the first weapon acquired by Freeman in both games.

Overview
The crowbar fulfills the role of a tool and a basic mêlée weapon. It is used for breaking open supply crates, clearing obstructions, and attacking enemies up close.

Half-Life
It is the first weapon acquired in the game, it is found in the broken laser hallway in the beginning of the chapter "Unforeseen Consequences", and is used to break the glass door blocking the path ahead, facilitating an escape. After Gordon is captured in "Apprehension", another crowbar is found at the top of the trash compactor.

Half-Life 2
Once again, it is the first weapon acquired in the game. It is given to him in the chapter "A Red Letter Day" by Barney Calhoun, a former Black Mesa Security Guard who was operating undercover inside Civil Protection.

Episode One
The crowbar is provided in the fourth chapter Urban Flight, when the player encounters Barney Calhoun in an apartment building. He gives Gordon a crowbar wedged in a bridge control, remarking he "doesn't have many of these left".

Episode Two
It is found in the first chapter, "To The White Forest", in an elevator shaft inside an abandoned mining complex. The crowbar is found wedged in an elevator's controls. Prying it loose will yield the crowbar, but will send the elevator crashing down into an Antlion nest, separating the player from the Vortigaunt.

Usage
The crowbar is generally more useful as a tool than a weapon. It is ideal for clearing obstructions, smashing objects, knocking padlocks off of gates, etc. In combat, the crowbar is very effective against Headcrabs and Manhacks, and is fairly effective against standard Zombies. The crowbar is also a handy backup weapon if an enemy gets too close, especially if you are low on ammunition; a few hits with a crowbar should deter small targets.

It should be noted that the Gravity Gun tends to supplant the Crowbar in Half-Life 2 as it is more versatile; it is quite effective at obliterating obstructions more quickly and for hurling heavy environment objects like furniture over short ranges for large amounts of impact damage (see Ravenholm).

Trivia

 * In Halo 3, a crowbar can be found lying around on the multiplayer map "Sandtrap" that bears a striking similarity to Gordon's crowbar. Sandtraps is also the name of Half-Life 2's eighth chapter.

Other images
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