“The Molotov is a powerful and unpredictable area denial weapon that bursts into flames when thrown on the ground, injuring any player in its radius.” ―Official description
The Molotov Cocktail, referred to as "Molotov" in Global Offensive, is an incendiary grenade exclusive to the Terrorists in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Counter-Terrorists have the Incendiary Grenade as their counterpart.
Overview
The Molotov Cocktail is a type of makeshift incendiary device, initially created by Finns during World War II, named derisively after Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Typically, a Molotov Cocktail consists of a glass bottle filled with alcohol or gasoline, with a rag inserted as a wick. Upon impact, the bottle shatters, dispersing the flammable liquid and igniting it.
In the game, the Molotov is the most costly Terrorist grenade, priced at $400. It serves both defensive and offensive purposes. Defensively, it can halt enemy advances to critical areas like bomb sites or choke points, and it can stop enemies from rushing with close-range weapons. Additionally, it can prevent Counter-Terrorists from defusing a planted C4. Offensively, it can flush enemies out of defensive positions, forcing them to move or suffer damage.
When thrown, the Molotov breaks upon hitting a walkable surface angled 30 degrees or less, spreading flames that can burn anyone in the area. It bounces off steeper surfaces and will explode mid-air after 2 seconds, releasing no flames unless within 128 units of a surface, where flames will then fall and ignite.
The fire deals escalating damage, starting at 1 point and increasing to 8 points per hit, capping at 40 damage per second with full armor penetration. The flames last approximately 7 seconds and overlapping flames stack damage. Smoke Grenades can extinguish the fire if they cover at least one-third of it.
Tactics
The Molotov is effective for controlling pathways, particularly in Hostage Scenarios where Terrorists defend. Throw it at common chokepoints to weaken, delay, or redirect enemies. Proper positioning is crucial, as wide paths might require specific throws to cover effectively. Timing is essential due to the fire's short duration.
Use the Molotov to flush enemies from hiding spots or trap them in a burning area, causing significant damage over time. Be cautious when using it near hostages, as they can be harmed, leading to economic and server penalties.
In Bomb Defusal, a Molotov can prevent Counter-Terrorists from defusing the bomb, as the fire's duration exceeds the minimum defusal time. Notably, the Molotov is the only grenade audible when primed, risking your position being revealed to nearby enemies.
Behind The Scenes
The Molotov Cocktail was initially cut from Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, and Half-Life 2. It was available to Counter-Terrorists in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Beta before the Incendiary Grenade's introduction. Unused impact kill icons similar to those in Team Fortress 2 and Portal were found in the game files.
Prior to the Panorama update, the Molotov's kill icon did not display correctly. After the update, the icon shows up between the killer and victim's names. The Molotov initially had larger collision bounds, making it harder to throw through small gaps, but this was corrected in a 2014 update.
Trivia
The Molotov and Incendiary Grenades are similar to the CS Grenade, an area denial device cut from the original Counter-Strike. The Molotov reuses sound effects from Left 4 Dead 2. Standing directly on the fire darkens the player's screen slightly. Originally, the Molotov’s view model always showed the lighter lit, which was later changed. The cloth in the bottle moves with the player, thanks to jigglebone physics. The Molotov is featured in the official CS trailer, where it is used by a Phoenix Connexion Terrorist. Interestingly, in CS, standing on water does not prevent the fire from burning the player, a property shared with the Incendiary Grenade.
Molotov in numbers
- Alternate name(s) Fire Bomb/Molotov Cocktail
- Price $400
- Used by Terrorist
- Movement Speed 245
- Entity weapon_molotov
