Cover-Credits:
Valve Corp has finally released the highly anticipated Counter-Strike 2 and several fans are overjoyed. This new and improved installment of the famous Counter-Strike series brings several changes to the already successful CS formula. There have been several quality-of-life changes and the new addition of dynamically changing smokes and other throwables.
While many veterans are jumping back in to re-live the nostalgia, the game has also grabbed the attention of numerous new players. If you’re just beginning to experience the world of Counter-Strike and you find it a tad bit overwhelming, we have got you covered with a few valuable tips to guide you through your CS journey. Let’s dive right in.
Tips to Help You Improve Your CS Experience
Learn Proper Crosshair Placement
Your crosshair is your guideline to shoot at your enemies with precision and secure important frags. If you are new to FPS games, this might take a while to get used to and it can be quite challenging but you must persevere and learn it correctly. It becomes very intuitive once you get past the initial learning curve. The game also offers various crosshair settings to tinker around and find a crosshair that best suits you.
Learn Recoil Patterns and Spraying
Counter-Strike has consistently implemented recoil patterns into its weapons. It is necessary to learn this pattern, at least for rifles such as the AK-47 and the M4A4. Don’t fret too much about it as you will eventually pick it up as you progress through the game.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can attempt spraying which can come in real handy if you’re facing multiple enemies, especially at close range. You can do this by holding the RMB and moving your mouse accordingly.
Pre-fire Entry Points and Tight Alleys
Once you familiarize yourself with the various maps and learn their entry points, chokeholds, and such, you must pre-fire them at head angles to secure entry kills. This must be practiced mainly while you are on the Terrorist (T) side as you will have to navigate through various pathways to get to the site and plant the bomb. You must also practice this while you are retaking a site as the Counter-Terrorist (CT).
Practice Faster Peeking and Strafing
Essentially, peeking is when you move out of your cover to check any anticipated angle where you might find enemies. If you’re all warmed up, peeking might help you get an early frag or two.
Although this is infrequent, it still helps you determine the location of your enemies.
Safely peeking angles requires you to strafe properly. Use your A and D keys to move left and right to peek in and out of angles. Make sure you get the timing right, in order to properly perform the maneuver.
Holding Angles and Positioning
The new and improved Counter-Strike allows you to perform precise movements which you must take advantage of. They come into play while you are holding angles, typically on the CT side. You can also incorporate smart positioning to get that extra leverage over your opponents. Be patient while holding angles and don't be tempted to push and get caught off guard by a lurking enemy.
Sneaky Entries and Shift-Walking
In order to keep the enemy side guessing, you can also sneak into sites by cleverly planning out your round. You can attempt to distract your adversaries on one side with smokes and other utilities, while you quietly sneak into the other site and plant the bomb. Shift-walking is crucial to execute this strategy, as making any noise will alert your opponent.
You can also walk with your knife out to move faster both while moving regularly or shift walking. Make sure you check your corners to not get surprised by an enemy sitting on top of a crate or a cubby.
Learn Callouts
Callouts are terms that help you share valuable information in time, in a very clear and concise manner. The game contains specific names for certain areas on the map and learning them is crucial to communicating and coordinating with your team and securing more rounds. Some commonly used callouts are Spawn, Mid, T, CT, Cubby, Alley, Stairs, Heaven, etc. The game also has a ping feature that lets you mark areas of the map, in case you’re not in a position to verbally notify your teammates.
Obviously, you must only be playing a competitive match in CS only while having an active microphone. If you are not doing this, it puts you and your team at a major disadvantage.
Keep Track of Your Economy
At the beginning of every round, players must equip themselves with different weapons, grenades, flashes, and other throwables that will help them decimate their enemies. However, the game has an inbuilt economy system which means you need to keep track of your spending. If you do not spend all your credits in one round, the remaining money will be carried over to the next round.
If you find yourself short of cash to make weapon purchases, you can suggest your team play an Eco or a Save round so that you can have enough money for the consequent round. Make sure you buy and save along with your team in order to maintain a proper economy amongst team members. For the first time in the series, players can now get a refund during the buy phase, which means you drastically reduce your chances of buying the wrong weapon and being stuck with it throughout the round.
Those are pretty much all the helpful tips you need to know during your Counter-Strike journey. Make sure you follow these steps to elevate your online shooter experience.
