Fire Bottle

Fire Bottle
Statistics
Power	Moderate/High
Range	Moderate
Rate of Fire	Low
Reload Speed	n/a
Ammo Capacity	10
Ammo Type	n/a

The Fire Bottle is a type of improvised incendiary thrown weapon featured in Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption.

Description

The Fire Bottle is a glass bottle containing petrol fuel or a highly alcoholic beverage, with the source of ignition such being a burning cloth stuffed into the neck of the bottle. The cloth serves as a wick and is most effective when the cloth is in contact with the primary incendiary fuel. When used, the cloth is lit and the bottle hurled at a target. When the bottle smashes on impact, the ensuing cloud of petrol droplets and vapor are ignited, causing an immediate fireball followed by a raging fire as the remainder of the fuel is consumed. Modern variations include thickening agents, such as motor oil, to increase burn time and viscosity.

Acquisition

Single Player

• The Fire Bottle is unlocked in the mission "The Demon Drink".
• Alternatively, you can also unlock it early by completing the Nosalida Hideout upon arriving in Nuevo Paraiso.

Undead Nightmare

• The player receives the Fire Bottle after saving Thieves' Landing from a zombie outbreak.

Multiplayer

• The Fire Bottle is unlocked into the player's regular inventory upon reaching rank 22.
  • The "Pyro Arson" weapon challenges are unlocked at the same level. Completion of these challenges turns the weapon golden for the player.

Application

Single Player

The Fire Bottle is an effective thrown projectile and can be used from cover to assault enemy positions and ignite stagecoaches. The Fire Bottle can also be used to scare away large animals, such as bears, and other animals that are afraid of fire.

Multiplayer

The Fire Bottle is less effective than dynamite, unless a player can predict a target's movements and lead his or her throw. When a player is caught in the radius of a thrown fire bottle he stumbles around uncontrollably for a few seconds trying to put out the fire and taking heavy damage. It is also effective for flushing out enemies hiding behind cover.

Altogether, a single Fire Bottle will rarely kill an enemy, and is more of a knock-over weapon. When used the enemy will just fall over in flames and wriggle around on the ground, which can allow the player to then finish him off with impunity. If approached by an enemy carrying a fire bottle, a player can shoot the bottle, causing it to ignite in the enemy's hand. It is also noticeable that the Fire Bottle can become golden like other weapons.

Trivia

• At the time of Red Dead Redemption, gasoline would have been a rare commodity but strong alcohol would be relatively common. Additionally, there is no historical evidence of the fire bottle existing prior to the Spanish Civil War (1936). It became popularized during the Winter War (1939) in Finland and the USSR as a cheap weapon for the Finns to use against the Soviets. The Finns named it the "Molotov Cocktail" after the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. The in-game weapon would likely use widely available ethyl alcohol, a less-desirable fuel for the fire bottle.
• Possibly a developer oversight, after obtaining level 3 Dead-Eye fire bottles, throwing knives and dynamite can be used to mark targets in Dead-Eye mode, this will cause the projectile to simply act like a homing missile and fly straight at the target and guarantee a hit which is good for a fleeing victim.
• Shooting a bottle held by an other player will make it ignite in their hands.
• Unlike dynamite, the fuse on the Fire Bottle will never shorten.
• The Fire Bottle will not ignite underwater, but water does not extinguish a person who is burning from a Fire Bottle.
• After unlocking the Fire Bottle, scorched wagons and caravans can be found on the side of the road in Nuevo Paraiso.
• If you throw a bottle at someone's head in a PVP game, the computer will treat it as if you shot them. In some instances even state that you "Shot the Head off the player", "Decapitated, and even "Hollowed out the head".

Glitches

• In Single Player, with the infinite ammunition cheat activated, the Fire Bottle may start to glitch and pass through walls and the ground without any combustion or damages to NPCs.
• In multiplayer free roam if you get killed and have the option to transport, and cancel. You will have 8 fire bottles.

Gallery

Fire Bottle in Red Dead Revolver.

A little fire can really shake up a gunfight.

The fire bottle in Multiplayer.