The RUST Molotov Cocktail, introduced in the Trainyard Unloading Update on August 4th, 2022, is a crude but highly effective incendiary ranged weapon in RUST. It operates as a fuel delivery mechanism, igniting on impact and producing a plume of fire at the point of contact.
When actively held in a player’s hotbar, the Molotov cocktail appears as a half-filled brown glass bottle with a frayed blue and white patterned rag-style fuse hanging out of the top. As you move around with the Molotov cocktail equipped, the liquid in the bottle will slosh around, making a sound that only you can hear, so it does not give away your presence. However, just as you throw a Molotov cocktail, the sound of a grenade pin being pulled can be heard by nearby players.
When the Molotov cocktail is thrown, all nearby players can hear the sound of glass breaking and see the target area ignite on fire for 20 seconds. The radius affected is approximately the size of a single square foundation. Wooden surfaces, flammable objects, NPCs, animals, and players caught in the flames will take damage over time. In addition, players will become temporarily ensnared.
It’s important to note that the fire will not spread to other nearby flammable objects or surfaces outside of this radius; however, an explosive blast occurs on impact and is slightly larger than the resulting flammable area, so make sure yourself, friendlies, or any objects you don’t want to damage are not in the vicinity.
One of the Molotov cocktail’s biggest raiding utilities, apart from dispatching Auto Turrets from a safe distance and obliterating Wood Doors, is their capacity to effectively destroy groups of Large Solar Panels, disabling electrical systems on bases that haven’t upgraded to Wind Turbines.
Molotov cocktails can easily be leveraged in base raiding situations as offensive or defensive tools, creating a concentrated pool of flame in hallways and airlocks to prevent enemy advances.
Players can use Left-Click on their mouse to throw one or Right-Click to drop one where they’re standing. Detonation is based on impact, not the fuse hanging from the bottle itself.
Presently, vending machines at the Outpost and vendors at the Bandit Camp monuments do not sell Molotov cocktails, but players can use Tier 2 Workbenches to craft them.
RUST Molotov Cocktail Raid Table
All objects were tested by throwing the Molotov cocktails at the center mass. Certain objects marked with a * may require them to be connected to a floor or foundation for the flame to build up and deal the proper damage over time. Otherwise, the flame rolls off and will require significantly more attempts.
| Object | Number Required |
| Wood Square Foundation | 4 |
| Wood Triangle Foundation | 4 |
| Wood Steps | 4 |
| Wood Ramp | 4 |
| Wood Square Floor | 4 |
| Wood Triangle Floor | 4 |
| Wood Square Floor Frame | 6 |
| Wood Triangle Floor Frame | 7 |
| Wood Door | 2 |
| Wood Door (Softside & Hardside) | 4 |
| Wood Wall (Softside & Hardside) | 4 |
| Wood Window (Softside & Hardside) | 4 |
| Wood Wallframe | 4 |
| Wood Halfwall (Softside & Hardside) | 4 |
| Wood Lowwall (Softside & Hardside) | 4 |
| Wood U Shaped Stairs | 4 |
| Wood L Shaped Stairs | 4 |
| Wood Square Stairs Spiral | 2 |
| Wood Triangle Stairs Spiral | 2 |
| Wood Triangle Roof | 4* |
| Wood Square Roof | 5* |
| Tool Cupboard | 1 |
