Is it OP? Yes. Is it more unbalanced than an emetic briefcase? Probably not, especially as it has increased risk of crossfire and has to be used a particular way.
Is it fun to use for players who have already done almost everything else? Absolutely. Should it be changed? I’d say no, at least functionally. Perhaps having it as a special item that needs to be taken in a case or placed in an agency pickup, like the bigger guns and melee weapons could be a fair compromise.
In the world of Hitman 3 we have sub 1 minute times for almost every single mission done SASO. I don’t see why not having the electrocution phone would matter.
And if you bring up ETs, almost all of them have sub 1 minute times SASO (all do apart from 4). IOI could’ve also restricted it’s use to outside of ETs. I see no reason why it should’ve been removed.
i personally don’t care that the molotov is OP. i’m used to IOI not knowing how to balance items.
e-phone, snail, emetic grenades, tasers, fart briefcase… this is not new for me
I don’t mind that, if thrown just right, the Molotov grants an accident kill, I think that’s actually pretty neat actually.
However, I really don’t think it should be able to go through walls, as to me it kinda ruins the whole “Risk/Reward” aspect of the weapon. (Throwing it or carrying it is illegal, so you need to find a spot just right to throw it perfectly to get an Accident Kill, just being able to wallbang with it bypasses the whole risk aspect)
To any Molotov Cocktail & Electrocution Phone critics:
Maybe you are the one that’s unbalanced. You ever consider that?
Humorous, but doesn’t exactly bolster our case.
That is the most, without a doubt the absolute most touchingly philosophical analogy I have ever heard. I will take that one to the grave.
Even now, it makes me jump with glee yet cry with sorrow. It is euphoric and glorious, yet haunting and beastly. If words were an art form, this would be the Mona Lisa. I will share that with every soul I meet from here on. Forget existential ontology, forget space and humanity’s purpose. This quote will never be solved by an philosophist ever. I will ensure it can be passed down from generation to generation, so that, perhaps, a breakthrough will be made. Touché @VRO3886, Touché.
Carrying even a regular vodka bottle could be temporarily illegal in-game for the duration of Western sanctions against Russia.
Fun fact! Many vodkas that appear Russian or are Russo-named/designed are not actually Russian. Two prime examples are Smirnoff and Stolichnaya. Another one we have in my area is called Romanoff. Not actually Russian!
Source: Don’t worry about it
Of course nothing beats real Russian Vodka, it is just gonna be much harder to find a seller who isn’t boycotting it by choice or government mandate.
I’m a grey goose and belvedere guy
Being honest, I can’t believe this is still an ongoing discussion
In native Russia, Molotov cocktail throws you.
The only reason the ICA phone thread died is bc the Molotov Cocktail thread became a thing.
Not everyone is a speedrunner. Getting a sub 1-minute time on any level is a good sign you’re good at the game and aware of the games’ mechanics and engine quirks. Even ET’s generally take more than a minute to do.
It’s a pretty safe bet most players are not like this.
This attitude is precisely why I’ve spectated this thread for days on end instead of responding (sorry for not responding @Heisenberg ,I don’t hold grudges either).
As I type this, i’m recording audio for a video on this, so watch out for that.
But the general consensus from most people are that the Molotov is broken. And in my opinion, that’s good. It’s a single player game, let them do what they want. There is no reason that the Electrocution Phone should’ve been removed, if you’re going to talk about leaderboards and what not, they’re not moderated, they don’t care about leaderboards.
Obviously I was using an extreme example to emphasise my point that you don’t need the electrocution phone to complete the missions in a decent time.
I just learned the trick where you can shoot the Molotov with a dart to avoid the explosion. It’ll just light up. Neat.
I haven’t participated in this discussion yet because it’s just electric phone all over again
I think both should be kept in the game, I think that Speedrunning is cool but only a tiny minority of players do it which should not be the reason to remove a feature for all players, I don’t care about leaderboards and find it sad that an offline (haha) singleplayer game gets lowered because of competition… But as I said, don’t want to start this again.
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but yesterday I saw a video on a full trilogy speedrun and – while I highly respect those players, seriously they are doing a remarkable job and I could never even closely accomplish such things! – 80-90% boils down to panic shots.
I just had to think about the “oh noes, with a op item speedrunning will be boring and everyone will just be using this method” comments while watching speedrunners using one op trick all the time…
Yes I get that placing a phone or wall-killing with fire is easier, way way way easier to do than planning one of those great speedrun paths. But “everyone will use X” is a weaker argument when you realize everyone is using Y right now. So… are panic shots too op and should be removed? 
I agree. It’s so far down the line now and it’s a level 20 mastery item for a bonus level, so let people have fun.
Speedruns use the same OP tricks because they work, so if anything this will force new and interesting strategies using the latest item.
