The EDPE-5 operates by generating a precisely calibrated entropic dielectric field — a sustained burst of high-frequency electromagnetic noise shaped into a coherent cone by a series of tuned metamaterial apertures housed in the barrel assembly. On contact with living tissue, the field disrupts the electrochemical gradients of nerve cells and muscle fibers without producing heat or visible light, causing a cascade of involuntary muscular contraction followed by temporary paralysis. On contact with electronic systems, it degrades capacitive insulation at the molecular level, inducing progressive dielectric breakdown across multiple components simultaneously.

What distinguishes the Candle from comparable disruption weapons is its 'fade' characteristic — the entropic field does not cut off sharply when the trigger is released but dissipates over a 1.4-second bleed period, a quirk of the metamaterial aperture design that Arcturus Defense Solutions has never fully corrected. Experienced operators have learned to exploit this, sweeping targets in the final milliseconds of a trigger pull to distribute the bleed across multiple contact zones. The weapon produces a faint amber luminescence at the muzzle during discharge — the source of its nickname.

The EDPE-5 is moderately sized, resembling a flattened carbine, with a matte polymer chassis and a distinctive hexagonal barrel shroud that houses the aperture array. Its power cell is a proprietary format that draws criticism for poor field replaceability, but the cell's high energy density allows for up to 40 full-power discharges before depletion.