# Counter Strike 2 for New Players

By: Emerson, Mike, Evan, and Josh

## About

### The Problem

Being a new player in Counter Strike 2 can be difficult. Likely you will experience mean players, unkind words, and many lost rounds. This guide will help alleviate some of these problems but not all of them. Remember the only true way to improve at anything is to keep practicing and keep applying yourself.

That doesn't mean some tips and tricks won't help.

Some documents and guides exist for Counter Strike as is found by a quick Google search however who wants to sit through this (see video below) as a new player?

<iframe style="border: 5px solid #e68a00; padding: 2px; background-color: darkorange" width="560" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zjx4UfZcUuU?si=03Osg15NSMoNrwQ7" title="How to Play Every Map at a High Level in CS2" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen alt="Super Long Counter Strike Video">Super Long Counter Strike Video</iframe>

These videos that are currently available are also hard to search through. Often you need to watch close to the entire video in order to find what you wanted. The benefit of text on a page is that you can search for specific text.

We have also compiled the key information from lots of these online videos in this single document so that new players can quickly read up and get the most out of thier time.

### Who This Guide Is For
1. **New players** for Counter Strike 2.
2. Players looking for **quick information**.
3. Players looking to **spot fix skills and knowledge**.

### Key Terms
- **Utility**, this means grenades and anything throwable
- **Economy**, this means anything that uses money
- **Map**, this means the layout of the area you are playing in
- **'Pro Tip'**, this indicates an action that is widely used but often more difficult
- **Skins**, this means a variation of how weapons look
- **CT**, this means Counter Terrorist and indicates the Counter Terrorist Team
- **T**, this means Terrorist and indicates the Terrorist Team

More terms are defined as they appear in the relevant sections.

## What This Guide Is Not

This will not be a step-by-step guide. This guide will cover key aspects of the game as well as simple ideas that can be quickly conveyed. Advanced topics will be quickly described and will have links to relevant resources should you want to pursue them.

## Content

- [Utility](#utility)
- [External Economy](#external-economy)
- [Internal Economy](#internal-economy)
- [Maps](#maps)

## Utility


Grenades, also known as "utility", help control space and determine the pace of a round. This section will explain the different grenade types, their basic uses, and how to implement them in-game.

CS2 offers five primary grenade types:

### Flashbangs ($200)
![A flashbang grenade indicated with a blue band around it](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cswikia/images/f/f3/Flashbanghud_csgo.png/revision/latest?cb=20211113165814 "A flashbang indicated by a blue band" =400x300)

- **Effect**: Temporarily blinds and deafens players who have direct line of sight.
- **Basic Use**: Entry fragging (pushing into enemy-controlled areas to secure the first kill or create space for the team), blinding defenders, and retaking bombsites.
>[!Tip] **Pro Tip**:
A "pop-flash" or "self-pop" is a perfectly thrown flashbang that explodes immediately upon reaching an enemy's line of sight. These flashes are often off walls or over obstacles and can catch enemies off guard without affecting teammates.

### Smoke Grenades ($300)

![An alley filled with smoke from a smoke grenade](https://www.pcgamesn.com/wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2023/03/counter-strike-2-responsive-smokes-colours.jpg "An alley filled with smoke from a smoke grenade" =800x400)

- **Effect**: Creates a smoke cloud that blocks vision for 18 seconds.
- **Basic Use**: Obscure sightlines, isolate fights, protect your team, and fake executes.
>[!Tip] **Pro Tip**:
Smoke grenades extinguish molotovs.

### HE Grenades ($300)


- **Effect**: Deals explosive damage to enemies within its blast radius.
- **Basic Use**: Chip away enemy health, clear tight spaces or predictable enemy positions, and force enemies to retreat.
>[!Tip] **Pro Tip**:
Can dispel smoke grenades.

### Molotov/Incendiary Grenade ($400/$600)


- **Effect**: Creates a fire zone that deals damage over time and denies area access.
- **Basic Use**: Flush out enemies, delay pushes, and control map zones.
>[!Tip] **Pro Tip**:
Molotovs can be used to force enemies out of cover or prevent defusers from reaching the bomb.

>[!Warning]
Friendly molotoves can still hurt you and your team. Think carefully about where to use them.

### Decoy Grenades ($50)

![A decoy grenade indicated with a red band around it](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cswikia/images/2/23/Decoyhud_csgo.png/revision/latest?cb=20211113172050 "A decoy indicated by a red band" =400x300)

- **Effect**: Mimics gunfire and footstep sounds to mislead enemies.
- **Basic Use**: Mind games, fake executes, and bait out enemy utility.
>[!Tip] **Pro Tip**:
A decoy can be thrown alongside other grenades to simulate a full-team push, deceiving enemies.

Helpful links:
- [Quick Summary](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3132025787)
- [Detailed Guide (bo3)](https://bo3.gg/articles/all-about-utility-in-counter-strike-2)
- [Detailed Guide (scopes)](https://scope.gg/guides/grenades_en/)
- [In-Depth Lineups](https://csnades.gg/)
- [Wiki](https://counterstrike.fandom.com/wiki/Grenades)

## External Economy

Like most games, Counter Strike 2 has cosmetics that you can apply to your weapons and gloves. They do not provide a competitive advantage, but are visually appealing. Rare skins are sought after by the players and can be bought and sold for real money.

### Skins


Skins go on a gun to make it look cooler. Players can obtain skins in two ways, a drop at the end of a game or a case. Skins are added to the game in the form of larger collections. Collections are packages of skins for multiple different weapons that are added at once. There are eight different skin rarities:
- Consumer Grade (grey/white)
- Industrial Grade (light blue)
- Mil-Spec (blue)
- Restricted (purple)
- Classified (pink)
- Covert (red)
- Contraband (yellow)

Every skin also has an exterior wear level, which determines how chipped the skin will be. This does not change with usage in-game:
- Factory New (cleanest)
- Minimal Wear
- Field-Tested
- Well-Worn
- Battle-Scarred (most scratched and torn up)

### Cases


Players have a chance to receive a case after every game. A case is basically a slot machine that will spin to determine what skin the player will get from it. The chance of getting a given rarity from a case are:
- Mil-Spec (blue) - 79.92%
- Restricted (purple) - 15.98%
- Classified (pink) - 3.2%
- Covert (red) - 0.64%
- Contraband (yellow) - 0.26%


In order to open a case players need to purchase a key, which costs $2.49. Players will then see an animation (similar to a slot machine) which determines which skin they get from the case. Skins can then be resold on the Steam market for real money.

### Floats

The float is a number that determines the exterior wear of a skin. The number is a decimal that ranges from 0-1. This number is randomly generated when the weapon is created. Each number corresponds to a different category listed here:
- Factory New - 0 to 0.07
- Minimal Wear - 0.07 to 0.15
- Field-Tested - 0.15 to 0.38
- Well-Worn - 0.38 to 0.45
- Battle-Scarred - 0.45 to 1

![A graphic showing the same skin with different conditions on it. The skin goes from factory new which is completed unmarked to battle-scarred which is chipped and torn.](https://prosettings.net/cdn-cgi/image/dpr=1%2Cf=auto%2Cfit=cover%2Ch=1280%2Cq=95%2Cw=720/wp-content/uploads/cs2-skin-wear-explained.png "Skin Conditions" =400x600)

### Patterns

Some gun skins have patterns. A pattern based skin has a giant picture with 1000 little areas. Each area has a number associated with it, called an index. When a skin is dropped it is assigned one of these indices, which correspond with the part of the pattern that will be displayed on the weapon.


### Stickers

Stickers can be obtained through sticker capsules. Stickers can be applied to weapons in different postitions. Some positions are "better" than others, because some areas are more visible than others. Players can remove stickers if they want to.

## Internal Economy

Counter Strike 2 uses an in-game economy to score and challenge players on top of the competition they face from the opposite team. This section will explain how this in-game economy works and how new players will interact with it and understand how to make good decisions.

### What is in game money used for?
In game money is used at the start of a round, before players can move, to buy guns, armor, and [utility](#utility) like grenades or tazers. A quick breakdown of the costs of each item is provided: [Weapon Prices](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11tDzUNBq9zIX6_9Rel__fdAUezAQzSnh5AVYzCP060c/edit?usp=sharing) (The relevant information is found in the first two columns of this community curated resouce).

### How to Earn Money
Money is awarded at the end of each round based on what you and your team did that round. For example getting kills, planting the bomb, defusing the bomb, and surviving a round will all award money. The amount earned depends on a few factors though. We will go through each aspect of earning money.

#### Kills
You will earn money based on how many enemies you killed that round. You will lose money based on how many teammates you kill as well. In short kills are multipliers for money. Each weapon earns a different amount of money but the number of kills multiplies that amount.

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: center;">

| |
|-|
|A pro player getting 5 kills in a single round.|

</div>

For example, one kill with an AK-47 will earn $300 per kill so our money earned in a round would look like this:

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: center">

| Kills | Total Money Earned |
|-|-|
|1x | $300|
|2x | $600|
|3x | $900|
|4x | $1200|
|5x | $1500 |

</div>
Each weapon also earns different amounts of money. The general rule is that the more difficult it is to get a kill with a specific weapon, the more money you will earn for a single kill. For example, it is hard to kill an enemy with a shotgun since they have to be close and you have to be lucky with the spread of bullets so the award for a kill is $900. This is in contrast to an 1-hit kill sniper rifle that is effective at nearly every range with an award of $100.

### Planting the Bomb

The main objective in every round of Counter Strike is to plant the bomb on one of the two bombsites, or defuse that bomb after it's been planted. If the Terrorist Team ('T Side' for short) plants the bomb then the player that planted the bomb recieves $300. If the bomb explodes the team gets the normal round win award and if the bomb is defused the team receives an additional $600 for completing the first part of their objective.

On the Counter Terrorist Team ('CT Side' for short) they have to stop the Terrorists from planting the bomb and defuse it if it is planted. They recieve an award of $250 if they defuse the bomb with the defusing player recvieving an extra $300.

### Round Wins and Losses
You will also be awarded money based on if your team wins a round or not. If your team wins the round whether that be by: eliminating the other team, planting and exploding the bomb, or defusing the bomb, then your team will be awarded $3250 for that round.
You also will recieve money based on how many rounds in a row your team loses.

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: center">

|1 loss | 2 losses | 3 losses | 4 losses | 5+ losses|
|-|-|-|-|-|
|$1400 | $1900 | $2400 | $2900 | $3400|

</div>

### The buy phase

At the beginning of every round you may buy weapons, armor, an grenades to help you and your team win that round. For more information about the prices of these items see this spreadsheet [(weapon pricing spreadsheet)](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11tDzUNBq9zIX6_9Rel__fdAUezAQzSnh5AVYzCP060c/edit?usp=sharing). Every round begins with a 15 second period where nobody can move. Typically this is used to buy weapons so that the team may start as soon as the round begins. The buy menu then will stay open for 20 seconds afte the round starts.


### Spending Strategy

There are three main strategies for managing the team's economy.
- Full Buy : The entire team buys a full set of weapons, armor, and grenades. Typically a full buy costs aroudn $3000 - $4500.
- Half Buy : The entire team buys close to a full set of weapons, armor, and grenades. However the weapons should be cheaper (i.e. Sub-machine guns and shotguns. Not automatic rifles or sniper riles).
- Saving : The entire team spends as little as possible in order to save their money for a full buy or half buy the next round.

## Maps
Counter Strike 2 has 13 major maps to worry about with 7 extra smaller maps for different game modes. Each map has a Terrorist and a Counter-Terrorist spawn where the players will start each round. Each map has shared and individual qualities that players should lookout for.

### Spawns

**Terrorist Spawn (T Spawn)**
Where Terrorist spawn on the map which is usually across the map from the bomb sites.

**Counter Terrorist Spawn (CT Spawn)**
The Counter Terrorists spawn between both bomb sites allowing them to get there before the terrorist and prepare for there attacks.

### Callouts

Callouts are a verbal description from your teamates or you that helps target the position of enemies, guns, and teamates. Callouts are an important part of the game that help you effectively communicate with your teamates and be prepared for fights. Every map shares basic callouts with other maps as well as a maps personalized callouts. 

#### Common Callouts
- A Site
- B Site
- CT Spawn
- T Spawn
- Mid
- Heaven
- Alt-Mid
- Window
- Catwalk

These callouts are widly used on almost every map in the game and are a good starting point for callouts to learn. Callouts become harder as they get more personalized with each map because it gets harder to remember details on every map. The community may rename callouts for various reasons making it important to communicate to other players to understand where their callouts are. An easy start to making callouts is to follow a basic format like:

- "Area/site" + "detailed spot in the area"
- Example: "A ramp" the A site Ramp
- Example: "Connector" Area that connects A and B sites
- Example: "B Tunnels" A covered area near B site

Callouts are a great tool to use and will help you win games. It's important to play and get experienced with the maps to better understand and make callouts.

### Skybox and boundaries
The Skybox and boundaries are very important part of the maps that players should learn about. A Skybox is a cube that surrounds that map with invisible borders that keep people and items inside the map. However CS2 is a little different with no verticle SkyBox or "ceilling" to the map. This allows player to throw utility in the sky and have it not bounce back down from an invisible barrier. The video below shows the use of the skybox and how combining utility with the map is very useful.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wXCmnlSdQSw?si=GQx26qfBEpA4Ho_-&amp;start=65" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Boundaries on the map likes walls and boards are useful to bounce utility off of and to shoot through to get ahead of an enemies. Shooting through a wall is called "WallBanging" and works for certain surfaces. For example, players can shoot through doors, cars, wood pallets, corners of walls, and thin walls. This can be very useful when you know where someone is or want to stop enemies from peeking angles.