Molotov is one of the grenades available to terrorists in CS2. On a suitable impact, the bottle breaks and ignites an area of the surface. The fire lasts several seconds and damages players standing in the flames. Simply being nearby does not cause damage: contact with the fire matters, not distance from the bottle.
Counter-terrorists have an incendiary grenade with a similar purpose. It is a separate item, so the two grenades should not be treated as identical. In conversation, players may also call the counter-terrorist grenade a molotov: the situation usually makes it clear that they mean fire used to deny an area.
The name comes from the Molotov cocktail, a bottle containing a flammable mixture. Players shorten this to “molotov” or “molly”; Russian-speaking players also use “molik.”
How players use a molotov
The grenade provides not only direct damage but also space control, meaning it limits the opponent’s safe routes and positions:
- Checking cover — fire in a corner makes an opponent choose between taking damage, retreating, or trying to extinguish the flames.
- Delaying a push — a burning area makes it harder to pass quickly without losing health, buying time for teammates to take positions.
- Protecting a planted bomb — a molotov near the bomb can prevent counter-terrorists from starting or continuing a defuse.
- Damaging a group — if several opponents are caught in the fire, the grenade can damage each of them.
For example, before entering a bombsite, a player throws a molotov behind cover that might conceal a defender. A teammate watches the escape route: an opponent leaving the flames becomes easier to spot. The throw itself does not prove anyone occupied that cover.
A smoke grenade can extinguish a molotov if its smoke covers the burning area. Placement therefore matters, as does the opponent’s possible response. Players use lineups, which are rehearsed throws from a particular position using visual reference points, to land grenades accurately.
In voice communication, “molly the passage” or “molly the corner” usually means a request to cover a specific area with fire. It does not necessarily mean an opponent is there.