Counter-Strike is a TEAM based game. Let me repeat this. COUNTER-STRIKE IS A TEAM BASED GAME. If you are unable (or cannot) work as a team with a group of people, you will never be successful at CS. Not only that, you will probably be kicked from a lot of competitive games and raged at.

Counter-Strike has a massive learning curve. You need to know every nook and cranny of the competitive maps to give yourself as much of an advantage as possible. At high levels of play, memorizing wallbangs locations, smoke positions, etc are critical for taking and defending sites.
You are going to make stupid mistakes. Eventually, however, you will learn the mechanics of the game and get better. By reading and understanding this guide, hopefully you can shave some time off of being a scrub. You might even get called a hacker when playing!

Lastly, know that you are playing the PREMIRE FIRST PERSON SHOOTER. Counter-Strike has been around since 1999 and had a huge and serious competitive E-Sports following.

If you’re a terrorist, your goal is to plant the bomb at one of 2 bombsites. Terrorists win a round if the bomb is successfully detonated or all the CTs are eliminated.

If you’re a counter-Terrorist, you win if the bomb is defused, you kill all the terrorists without the bomb being planted, or time expires with one or more CTs still alive.

At the end of each round, teams get money for winning and losing each round. You also keep all the weapons and equipment you had from the previous round if you survive. I cover how this system works later.

In competitive play, you play 15 rounds on each side and a team wins when they have won 16 rounds.

A VERY COMMON NOOB QUESTION THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WHEN THEY START PLAYING IS:

“Why the ♥♥♥♥ am I not hitting the guy I ran and shot him in the head”.

There are 2 important things to learn in CS when using weapons:

1. CS weapons are never 100% accurate. The accuracy of weapons is greatly affected by movement and firing. Unless you’re using an SMG, shotgun, or pistol, you are NOT accurate while you are running. A horrible beginning noob mistake is running and shooting. If you want to fire at someone with a rifle, the FIRST thing you need to do is stop moving before you shoot.
2. Each gun has a recoil pattern. Effectively, when you shoot, you bullets will be accurate at first, then will deviate from your crosshair into a predictable pattern. YOU CAN COMPENSATE FOR THIS PATTERN AND SHOOT WITH RELIABLE ACCURACY. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW THE WEAPON’S SPRAY PATTERN THAT YOU ARE USING SO YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT AT CLOSE TO MEDIUM RANGE. To practice and see the spray pattern, you can go into any server and shoot at the wall. After you see the spray pattern, try to compensate for it with the mouse by moving it in the opposite direction you are shooting. The crosshair is not a reliable indication of where bullets will go when spraying.
Other tidbits:

Crouching does increase accuracy, but it is VERY MARGINAL AND NOT WORTH DOING AT THE NOOB LEVEL. At the noob level people are aiming for center of mass. If you suddenly crouch, where are those people aiming now? THAT’S RIGHT, AT YOUR FACE. Not only that, but it lowers your movement speed, making yourself an easier targed. It does not change the recoil pattern of the weapons and is very situational to crouch when spraying even at high levels of play. DO NOT CROUCH WHEN SHOOTING.
An effective way of shooting is to stop your momentum by pressing the opposite key of the direction when you are moving, then firing. I.e. if you are moving to the right, you press “a” to start changing your momentum to the left until you stop, then fire. This makes you a hard target to hit. You can continue doing this back and forth; it is known as adadadad (based on the buttons you press). I recommend you learn and perfect how to do this. You’ll start stomping noobs in firefights once you do.

Counter-Strike has a variety of weapons that they let you choose. However, not all weapons are used equally. I will briefly cover all the weapons and items in this guide that you will use:


Pistols:

Glock 18 ($200; T ONLY): Starting pistol for terrorists. Decent accuracy, but awful damage against armored opponents. Should only be used in pistol rounds.

P2000 ($200, CT ONLY): Starting pistol for Counter-Terrorists. Higher accuracy than the glock and slightly more damage, but a lower magazine and a lower fire rate. Has a higher 1 hit headshot range than the glock against unarmored opponents. Still terrible against armor; not advised outside of the pistol round.

USP-S ($200, CT ONLY): Replacement for the P2000 for CT. Has 1 less bullet and not many shots in reserve, but is silenced. The silencer reduces the noise the weapon makes and also removes tracer rounds.

DO NOT REMOVE THE SILENCER YOU SCRUB. IT MAKES THE GUN WORSE.

P250 ($300): Amazing cost effective pistol. Does decent damage against armored players and can kill them with a 1 hit headshot at close range. You will probably fall in love with this pistol, or…

Five-SeveN ($500, CT ONLY): More expensive than the P250, but a larger magazine size, longer 1 hit headshot range, and a little easier to spray with.

Tec-9 ($500, T ONLY): Has a very high 1 hit headshot range, a huge magazine, and incredible running accuracy. Arguably the best pistol in the game.

CZ-75A ($500): It was massively nerfed after Dreamhack winter 2014, but it still does a good job for its price. This automatic pistol has good moving accuracy and a fire rate that rivals rifles. Its overall accuracy is fairly poor, but it is still amazing at close range

Rifles:

Galil (T ONLY, $2000): Does decent damage and has fair accuracy. However it is outclassed by the AK47. It is usually bought after winning the pistol round or when a team wants to force buy.

Famas (CT ONLY, $2250): Similar to the galil. It has slightly lower accuracy than the galil but boasts a minimal spray pattern. Bought in the same circumstances as the Galil, but on CT side.

AK-47 (T ONLY, $2700): The granddaddy of rifles. This weapon boast a 1 hit headshot at all reasonable engagement ranges in competitive play. Slightly harder recoil pattern than the M4 and slightly less accurate, but can kill an armored player in 1 shot. You will usually buy this weapon on gun rounds.

M4A4 (CT ONLY, $3100): The CT counterpart to the AK47. It has higher accuracy, but cannot kill an armored player with 1 shot to the head. You will usually buy this weapon on gun rounds, OR…

M4A1s (CT ONLY, $3100): This weapon. It is a replacement for the M4A4. It boasts an easier spray pattern, but only has 20 bullets with 40 in reserve. More for marksman players and less for spray players. The silencer also reduces the sound and removes tracer rounds, similar to the USP-S.

AWP ($4750): It’s not just a sniper rifle: It is THE SNIPER RIFLE. It will KILL any player with ANY SHOT to the head, chest, or body (not the legs, though!). It is very common for teams to have 1 player buy an awp because it gives some advantages for area denial on maps. Just be sure not to miss though! Remember to stay still when firing, you noob.

Other things you should buy regularly:

Kevlar ($650): Kevlar reduces the damage you take from bullets and significantly lowers aimpunch (basically stops your screen from shaking when you are shot; this also affects where your bullets go!). Kevlar alone does not protect against headshots.

Kevlar + Helmet ($1000): The helmet reduces the damage you take from headshots and lowers aimpunch from a headshot as well. You will USUALLY not buy Kevlar (or a helmet) when you are saving (see below, but there are exceptions).

Defuse kit (CT ONLY, $400): Cuts defuse time from 10 seconds to 5 seconds for CTs. EVERY TEAM NEEDS A DEFUSE KIT ON THE PISTOL ROUND AND USUALLY MORE THAN ONE ON BUY ROUNDS.

Grenades: At the noob level, grenade usage will probably do more harm than good. However, in order to improve it is CRITICAL that you learn how they are used, their advantages, and their limitations.

Flashbang ($200, limited to 2): These can be thrown into a site in order to help you enter, delay players from pushing, or deter them. However, they are UNRELIABLE. It is a mistake to use flashes in order to DIRECTLY KILL a player. They usually benefit in giving you a positional advantage.

Smoke Grenade ($300, limited to 1): The MOST IMPORTANT GRENADE IN THE GAME. Smokes are REQUIRED to take a bombsite in high skill games and are used for area denial or to undermine ct positions in a bombsite. You will ALWAYS see a player before they see you if they push through a smoke, giving you a massive advantage in a fight where they do.

HE Grenade: ($300, limited to 1): Deals moderate damage to a player near the grenade when it explodes. It will always explode about 1 second after it is thrown.

Molotov Cocktail (T ONLY, $400, Limited to 1): Used for hard area denial. Can also be used in taking a bombsite.

Incendiary Grenade (CT ONLY, $600, Limited to 1): Same as the Molotov Cocktail, but does slightly less damage to players if they have armor.

These are weapons that have a niche use, but are not seen very much in high skill games. It may be good to know how to use them but it probably won’t kill you if you don’t. Feel free to skip this section.

Desert Eagle: ($700): It kills in 1 shot to the head at almost all engagement ranges, but it has a crazy recoil. NOT a smart buy as a noob, but can change momentum by picking off a player at long range in high level games.

Dual Berettas ($500): Rarely bought. It does do great damage against unarmored players, making it a decent anti-eco weapon for a player who wants to safely save up for an AWP if they win the pistol round. Not advised.

SMGs (Other than the P90; $1050-$1700): If you KNOW or THINK the other team is going to be saving (i.e. you just won the pistol round), these are cheap weapons that give you extra money per kill and are amazing versus unarmored opponents). However, they do terrible damage against armored players and should not be used if the other team is buying. Be sure to upgrade from an SMG to a rifle when the other team is going to buy!

P90 ($2350): Do NOT buy this weapon as a noob. It will teach you bad habits and you will hit a ceiling in your skill play. It IS occasionally used in pro games (generally as an intermediate between a rifle and an SMG to ensure wins against players who buy armor pistol the second round). It’s too expensive as a pure anti-eco weapon and doesn’t give the kill reward.

Shotguns ($1200-2000): Usually bought as anti eco weapons with the same considerations as an SMG, but a $900! Kill reward. The Mag-7 Is occasionally bought on force buy rounds.

SSG08 ($1700): Occasionally purchased when a team elects to buy after losing the pistol round, or (more rarely) on force buy rounds.

SG553 (T ONLY, $3000): A “technically” better weapon than the AK47. It has higher accuracy, slightly higher damage, a slightly higher fire rate and a scope. Many players still do not purchase it over the AK47 for the extra cost, however.

AUG (CT ONLY, $3300): A “Technically” better weapon than the M4A4. Very similar to the SG553 but cannot kill in 1 hit to the head except in VERY close range. It is generally regarded that the AK47 is better than both the AUG and M4A4, making this purchase redundant when you pick up an AK at the end of the round. However, it does offer some marginal benefits at long ranges.

Note: The SG553 and AUG do not fire tracer rounds when scoped in.

SCAR-20 (CT ONLY, $5000): An autosniper that kills with 2 bodyshots or 1 headshot. Good for area denial and stopping rushes on certain maps. The cost hurts its usability, however.

G3SG1 (T ONLY, $5000): The Terrorists counterpart to the SCAR. The problem with the weapon is that terrorists usually do not need area denial, so it is never purchased on T side (outside of some gimmicky picks through mid on the last round of Dust 2).

M249 ($5200)

Negev ($5700): Ok, maybe as a joke if you are completely stomping a team and can buy out for the rest of the half. It does have a few advantages over rifles, but it’s cost and crazy recoil pattern handicap it.

Counter-Strike differs from most FPS games as you can only buy items that you afford with the in-game money system. In a nutshell, when you win rounds, you (usually) get more money than when you lose rounds.

Every player starts with $800 at the beginning of each half. When a team wins a round, they get anywhere from $3250 to $3500, while the losing team gets $1400 plus a money bonus of $500 for every consecutive previous round they have lost. Money is also awarded for killing players (which depends on the gun used, but is usually $300), for planting the bomb ($300 for the planter, $800 for the ENTIRE team at the end of the round). Money is reset to $800 at the end of a half.

Below I outline all of the possible things that can occur to give you money (excludes hostage rescue stuff which isn’t played in serious competitive games):



THE FIRST ROUND OF EACH HALF IS CALLED THE PISTOL ROUND, AND ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ROUNDS IN THE GAME. It is called the pistol round because players start with $800, so only pistols, nades, flashes, defuse kits, and armor can be purchased.

Why is the pistol round so important?

The pistol round sets the momentum for the rest of the game. If you win the pistol round, you obtain SIGNIFICANTLY more money than the other team, allowing you to buy better equipment and gain a significant advantage in the next few rounds. Winning the next rounds also gives you more money, allowing you to continue buying superior equipment.

What to do after the pistol round:

If you WIN:

Buy armor + helmet. ALWAYS. After that, you can either go for a rifle, a shotgun, or an SMG. The shotguns and SMGs give you more money to snowball if you get kills and are less effective if you die and an enemy picks one up. Rifles are generally the safer way to go, as they are good if the other team decides to buy armor + helmet the second round.

If you LOSE and are CTs:

Have 3 choices:

Choice 1: Save the second and third rounds (only buy a pistol like a P250). When the fourth round comes you will be able to fully buy and change the momentum back in your favot

Choice 2: Buy armor and a pistol. The costly pistols have proven to be effective against armored fully buying players. By doing this buy you can shift the momentum earlier back in your favor and force the other team to save. Only do this if your whole team can do it to maximize your chances of winning! You will still be able to buy an M4 on the fourth round

Choice 3: Save the second round and force buy the third round: A good choice if the enemies buy SMGs on the second round, but note that you will have to purchase a famas instead of an M4 in these cases. This strategy has fallen out of popularity in exchange for choice 2, but can still be effective.

If you LOSE and are Ts:

Choice 1: If you have a bomb plant, save and buy the third round. You will have enough money to buy an AK47 and a helmet.

Choice 2: Save the second round and go for a bomb plant. If you get it, you can buy the third round. If not, you can still elect to force buy if the other team buys SMGs, or save for the fourth round to fully buy.

Choice 3: Buy an armor and a pistol. Same Principle as on the CT side. You will still be able to fully buy on the fourth round.

After the first couple of rounds:

You should buy if everyone on your team can buy, or you will lose the game otherwise. Otherwise you should save. You should ALWAYS buy after winning a round.

Generally in low-mid skill games, you want to throw a couple flashes into a bombsite and have everyone run in and take it. Make sure your AWPER is not the first person to enter the site. You typically want your entire team with you, with the occasional player lurking on the map to kill players on CT side as they rotate in response. Lastly, DO NOT PUSH THROUGH SMOKE IF A CT SMOKES YOUR PATH INTO THE SITE. Either wait it out or go to the other bombsite. DO NOT PUSH THROUGH SMOKE.

In higher skilled games, games get more in-depth as terrorists will throw a variety of smokes to block off players in a bombsite, and will typically try to bait out CT’s smokes before taking the site. If you want to tryhard in low skill games, I recommend you look at tutorials for throwing smokes into bombsites to block off players, which I can promise will help you win if you can pull them off and have a team that can coordinate!

CALL OUT WHERE THE CTs are. All competitive maps have callouts for positions. Look them up online and USE THEM. YOU ARE SAVING YOUR TEAMMATES LIVES BY CALLING OUT ENEMY POSITIONS AND YOU HAVE A MUCH BETTER CHANCE OF WINNING.

For most maps, there is a generic setup of 2 players at B, 2 Players at A, and a player at mid. This changes from map to map and the skill level of the players, but this is the basic setup.

Do not be afraid to throw a smoke to block terrorists from pushing if you think they’re about to push a site. It is MUCH better to throw a smoke and delay their site entry than to DIE because they flash and rushed you.

CALL OUT IF TERRORISTS ARE TAKING A BOMBSITE. You want your team to rotate as soon as possible once it’s clear what site they intend to take.

If you have the bomb, DEFEND IT. Terrorists cannot win if they do not have the bomb to plant. Defending the bomb is MUCH easier than defending 2 bombsites.

Lastly, DO NOT RUSH ON CT SIDE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR ARE DOING OR IT IS PART OF A STRAT. If you rush on CT side and DIE as a result, it is the MOBA equivalent to feeding and weakens your defense siginificantly. DON’T DO IT.

Buying the P90: DO NOT BUY THIS WEAPON. This weapon allows you to spray players down while running. While it is very effective in low skill games, it WILL NOT WORK as you get better at the game and will handicap you in the long run when players insta headshot you.

DO NOT BUY THE P90

Not knowing map callouts: It is VERY important that you learn map callouts for competitive maps so that you can tell players where enemies are. Don’t lose a game because you can’t tell your teammate where an enemy is.

Crouching: I’ve covered this earlier, but I want to reiterate it: Crouching while shooting will get you killed because noobs ALWAYS aim for the center of mass. DO NOT CROUCH. If you have to, I even recommend unbinding your crouch key.

Giving up too early: One of the greatest things about csgo is that even if the enemy team has an advantage, you can STILL COME BACK and be on even footing in a full buy round. Don’t keep force buying when you are behind. Save a round and win the subsequent one. Also, many maps are sided to one side (usually CT side). Scorelines on nuke of 11-4 in favor of Counter-Terrorists are not uncommon and teams can easily come back on the ct side even if they don’t score well on T side.

Peeking close to walls: It is always better to peek a corner far away then right next to it. Enemies will see you before you see them if you peek a corner close to a wall, and will have an advantage.

Multiple AWPS: If some scrub on your team has already bought an AWP, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT BUY ONE TOO. Having multiple AWPS is usually BAD. A team only needs one AWP to have the desired effect of using one. Having multiple AWPs makes your bombsites weaker due to the low kill potential of awps when 4 people rush you. It is also much harder to retake a bombsite with an AWP over a rifle (if you have one when retaking a site, it is usually a good idea to drop it for a rifle on the ground. You can always pick it back up later after defusing the bomb).

Always going for the defuse. On CT side it can sometimes be desireable to save your weapons than to go for a low chance retake once the bombsite has already been taken by terrorists. You already get the money regardless if you live or not, so it might be better to save your weapon. Less advised on T side, as you do not get end of round money if you save and let time expire.

And that’s pretty much it! Reread through this guide and understand what it is talking about, and work on some of the shooting mechanics, map callouts, and you’re probably good to go!

Most of these tutorials go much more in-depth than I do in this guide. Go check them out!

Warowl: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHF999pjo89OKE2X_sudbAqQonX6Kz_BI

Reddit guide: http://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/1s6pmc/for_all_the_new_players_csgo_beginners_guide/

Curse Protips: http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=142687770#135024

More to be added soon!

Eco: Economy round; a save round where players do not typically buy anything other than pistols.

Deagle: Desert eagle

Dust 2 Boss: See: http://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/1upo4a/dust2_boss/

Juan Deag: See: http://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/2bwmlh/can_someone_please_explain_to_me_the_legend_of/

Majors: Series of BIG CSGO tournaments sponsored by valve. Have a $250k prizepool.

gh: Good half

PUG: Pick-up game. Similar to basketball/football, etc. A group of random players join a server and play a competitive match. Commonly done through services such as ESEA or CEVO.

ESEA, CEVO, FACEIT: NA alternate PUG services to Matchmaking.

T: Terrorists

CT: Counter-Terrorists

I’ll come up with more when I think of them.