Counter-Strike 2 is the sequel to Global Offensive Valve released last year with updated Source 2 graphics and maps. It features the same terrorist vs. counter-terrorist bomb disposal game mode from the original game that enthralled players for more than 10 years. That’s a relatively simple game mode in which one side of five players tries to plant a bomb, and the other team tries to stop them, with teams switching roles midway through matches. However, CS2 is a very tactical multiplayer shooter for which positional play, aiming, and weapon usage are crucial. Here are some Counter-Strike 2 tips for new players who’ve recently discovered CS2.
Read also: How to View Your CS2 Match History and Statistics for Counter-Strike 2
Zoom Out Your Radar
The Counter-Strike 2 radar at the top-left corner of the screen is a minimap that highlights enemies your team has spotted and dropped bombs. That’s something you should be keeping an eye on to see where spotted enemies and dropped bombs are. It’s best to zoom out of the radar as much as possible so it shows you more of the map. This is how you can zoom out of the radar in Counter-Strike 2.
- Click the Settings menu button.
- Select the Game tab.
- Click on Radar Map Zoom and drag that bar’s slider to the far left so it’s set to 40.
The Rader Map Zoom option
- You can also increase the size of the minimap by dragging the slider for the Radar Hud Size bar further right.
Use Smoke Grenades When Planting Bombs
Smoke grenades don’t do any damage, but they’re still very useful utilities in Counter-Strike 2. Chucking a smoke grenade creates a cloud of camouflage through which players can’t see. This is useful for terrorists since chucking smoke grenades can provide camouflage for planting bombs. Chuck smoke grenades at bomb sites just before planting bombs. Doing this will give you some camouflage from enemy fire when planting the bomb since counter-terrorists can’t see you in a cloud of smoke. This can also delay defusal because it’s hard to see where bombs are in smoke clouds.
Counter Smoke With High Explosive Grenades
Counter-Strike 2 has responsive smoke clouds that are more dynamic than they were in Global Offensive. This means you can briefly clear smoke clouds by chucking high explosive grenades into them. The smoke cloud will disperse from the explosion and reform after it. Briefly clearing a smoke cloud with a high explosive grenade can create a short window of opportunity to see, shoot, and maybe even eliminate enemies behind them. However, remember that they might also catch a glimpse of you.
Switch to Knife to Increase Movement Speed
All weapons affect your movement speed in Counter-Strike 2. Heavy guns like the AWP sniper rifles slow you down more than others. The knife is the most lightweight weapon that gives you maximum movement speed when holding it. So, switch to the knife whenever you’re in a big hurry to reach a bomb site or other position. Increasing your movement speed with the knife could be the difference between winning or losing a round with the counter-terrorists when there’s a planted bomb about to go off.
A player holding a knife
Aim for Their Heads
Headshots are the sweet spot for inflicting max damage in CS2, much the same as other first-person shooters. However, some beginners probably aim more for central bodies because they’re a bit larger and easier to hit. Get into a habit of aiming your crosshair in a slightly more upward direction toward necklines to shoot at enemies’ heads. Higher headshot accuracy will amount to more kills.
More accurate headshot accuracy is something you should practise. Try playing sessions against bots or casual Team Deathmatch matches to practise headshot aiming and kills. Check your headshot percentage statistic for matches to see how you’re doing for headshot shooting.
Get Strafing
Strafing is a widely used gaming technique in which players move from side to side out from and back into cover positions. This is something you should do in Counter-Strike 2 for the sake of shooting from cover positions. Find a cover position like a crate or wall and strafe out to peek and open fire on an opponent. You can then strafe sideways back behind your cover after taking damage to reload your gun if necessary. Strafing enables you to utilize cover rather than merely shoot at enemies from open areas.
A player near a wall and van cover positions
Counterstrafing is a more advanced strafing technique that halts your sideways movement quicker. To counter-strafe rightwards in CS2, let go of the D key and quickly press A to stop yourself moving faster. Or let go of the A key and quickly press D for leftward counter-strafing. This enhances accuracy since it reduces the strafing motion, bringing you to a halt slightly sooner for more precise shooting.
Keep Still to Enhance Shot Accuracy
Movement reduces shot accuracy in Counter-Strike 2. So, running and shooting doesn’t work quite so well in CS2 as in other first-person shooters since doing that reduces shot accuracy. Your shot accuracy will always be better when you keep still and shoot at targets. Keeping still is easier for counter-terrorists who can take up static defensive positions waiting for moving terrorists to attack bomb sites and blast ‘em when they see them.
There’s a delicate balance to strike here since keeping still will make you an easier target to hit. That’s where strafing and counter-strafing come into play. Strafe out and quickly shoot at an enemy when you’re stationary before strafing behind cover if necessary. Quick aiming and shooting after a strafe are imperative, and you’ll score more kills if you can do that well.
Note that crouching doesn’t affect shot accuracy in any way. So, crouching and moving will not hinder your shot accuracy. This is the only way you can move and shoot without losing accuracy.
Buy the AK-47
Many players rate the AK-47 to be one of the best terrorist guns in Counter-Strike 2. This is because it’s a good-value, high-damage assault rifle with a solid fire rate that can inflict one-shot headshot kills on enemies with helmets. So, purchasing this gun is recommended for terrorists.
The AK-47 gun
However, the AK-47 does have a high recoil that affects its accuracy. For this reason, the gun has a four-star difficulty rating, which isn’t ideal for beginners. Nevertheless, the AK 47 is a very potent weapon for all players who get to grips with its recoil.
Listen to the Footsteps
The sound of footsteps is an important alert signal of nearby and approaching enemies in Counter-Strike 2, especially for avoiding getting shot in the back. So, play Counter-Strike 2 at a higher volume to ensure you can better hear those footsteps. It’s even better to play CS2 with headphones for hearing footsteps. You can also hear footsteps better when you keep still and try to listen out for them when playing.
Adjusting some sound settings can also help you hear footsteps better. Click the Settings button in CS2 and select the Audio tab. Select Crisp on the drop-down menu for the EQ Profile menu. This option enhances mid-to-high frequency bands for better sound localization.
The EQ Profile option
Never Leave a Bombsite Completely Unguarded
Counter-terrorists must play the guessing game at the beginning of their rounds for which of the two bombsites the terrorists will assault for bomb planting. All five counter-terrorists rushing to cover one bombsite will leave the other site completely unguarded at the beginning of a round. This makes it easy for terrorists to plant the bomb at an unguarded site early on, which is always very hard for the defending team to recover from in a limited time. Leaving a bombsite completely undefended will usually cost you a round when the terrorists target it.
So, don’t let this happen when you’re playing. If the other four players in your team rush to defend one bombsite only, go to the opposite site to keep an eye on it. Then you can at least slow down an enemy assault on that bombsite if they attack it at the beginning of a round. Slowing down the attack will buy some time for reinforcements to arrive.
A guarded bombsite
I hope those Counter-Strike 2 tips help you win more matches and climb the rankings if you’re a Prime player. Of course, much also depends on your four teammates during CS2 matches. However, you’ll likely win more matches by raising your own game with the CS2 tips above.
