The Unwritten Rules of CS:GO 2 Explained

Highlights

• Counter-Strike 2 is built on Valve's Source 2 engine and retains core gameplay mechanics from Global Offensive. New players should take note of the steep learning curve.
• Effective communication is crucial in Counter-Strike.
• It's important to buy weapons as a team to stay competitive in Counter-Strike.

At first glance, Counter-Strike 2 might simply look like a face-lifted Global Offensive. The core gameplay mechanics, weapons, and maps have carried over from Global Offensive, but Counter-Strike 2 has been built from the ground up using Valve's Source 2 engine.

The unwritten rules might seem obvious to veteran players, but they are essential components of Counter-Strike 2 that everyone is expected to know. Counter-Strike has a notoriously steep learning curve, so new players should take note.

Win Games In Counter-Strike 2 With Effective Communication

Counter-Strike 2 allows players to ping and use preset radio messages to give teammates information, but players are expected to have a microphone and use their voices to share detailed information regarding enemy positions and plays. Having a good aim and game sense will certainly help, but Counter-Strike 2 requires strong communication skills above all else.

Using voice communications, players can share information like the number of enemies, their locations, or what kind of weapons they are using. To give specific location information, players need to familiarize themselves with the maps by playing some casual games on each map or watching professional Counter-Strike league matches and listening to the announcers.

Buy Weapons As A Team

Counter-Strike 2 matches are slightly shorter than CS:GO, requiring 13 rounds for a victory as opposed to CS:GO's 16. This might not seem like much, but it has made the in-game economy a little tighter. It is more important than ever to save or buy along with the team because of this, and it's wise to try and keep at least $2000 where possible. This enables the team to buy decent weapons in the next round, but the team may also decide to take a gamble and "force buy" the best weapons they can afford.

In CS:GO it was not possible to resell weapons bought at the beginning of a round. Counter-Strike 2 has changed this; a weapon can be resold in the buy period so long as it has not been dropped. This means there is no excuse for buying an expensive weapon while other players can only afford one of the various Counter-Strike 2 pistols.

'Don't Be A Loser, Buy A Defuser'

When playing on the CT side, every second counts if the terrorists manage to get the bomb planted. In these retake situations, the CT player will need to eliminate any remaining terrorists before defusing the bomb or attempting to defuse it while there are still hostiles lurking around.

Without a defuse kit, defusing the bomb takes 10 seconds as opposed to 4.

This might not seem like a huge difference, but countless matches have been lost for want of a kit. It's not always necessary for each player to have a kit; 1 for each bomb site is typically enough, so long as the player carrying it lets survivors know where they dropped it. While many things have changed in Counter-Strike 2, the specific yet essential purpose of the defuse kit remains.

Auto-Snipers Are Frowned Upon

Easy to use and effective, the auto-snipers (G3SG1 for T, SCAR-20 for CT) combine the long-distance accuracy of the AWP with a higher rate of fire while sacrificing some stopping power. They might not say anything, but playing with auto-snipers is considered bad form by many Counter-Strike 2 players.

Counter-Strike 2 has an incredibly high skill ceiling. Players can spend hundreds or even thousands of hours perfecting their aim, and as a result they will lose respect for anyone who resorts to using the auto-snipers due to their ease of use. A skilled player will be able to use their superior game sense and map knowledge to secure a victory regardless of what weapons their opponent is using, but it is something of an unwritten rule that one should not use an auto-sniper unless they are desperate.