weapons in Counter-Strike

How important is it to know your weapons in Counter-Strike? Very.

If you're a regular in the CS scene then you'll know that a game of CS can come up with many different scenarios and situations that you need to deal with pretty rapidly. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of weaponry that appear in CS will keep you on level playing terms with your opponent, if not better.

The following is a guide to each weapon in the game as well as a little info about the pros and cons of each. It's written purely by my experience (vast, honest!), so if you are expecting scientific terms and research, this won't be it. However, if you're looking for advice on choosing a weapon this is the place to get some.

If you're an experienced player then you'll no doubt have your own opinion and may disagree with some of what appears below (surely not it all!), but if you're new to the game then read on and when you start your next game of CS you'll be a new man. Well...not really, but it might help!

Melee & Pistols

Knife Obviously, the knife is never a serious option to go into battle with. But nevertheless, it can come in handy when you least expect it...right in the heat of battle. If you and your opponent get into some close quarters battle (and you both need aiming lessons), you may occasionally find that both your primary gun and your pistol clips emtpy, leaving you two options...reload or knife! Reloading can often be very time consuming in those situations and it can often pay off to whip out the knife and slash away. Do, however, make sure that you are in range because if not your opponent will just keep backing off whilst he reloads, game over.

USP .45 This is the pistol that the CTs start the round with automatically, and it's widely regarded as the best pistol available, even above the Desert Eagle in some people's eyes (mine included). This is a pretty accurate gun on the whole, and can also pack a punch when you aim it well. One or two shots to the head and your opponent won't have much of a chance. The secondary function for this gun is a silencer which can come in very handy. If you start the game as CT I'd recommend keeping this gun, buying more ammo for it and buying a kevlar vest...that should stnad you in good stead for the all important first round.

Glock18 This is the default T pistol for the Terrorists, and they could do worse than ditch it for a USP or a Desert Eagle. This is what puts the Ts at a bit of a disadvantage at the start of a match. It's a pretty weak gun and although it does have a big clip (20) for you to play with, it just won't cut it in a pistol fight generally. Secondary fire for the glock is semi-auto mode, which fires 3 bullets at once. My advice (yes, again) if you spawn with this pistol would be to ditch it and buy a Desert Eagle or a USP .45 and some ammo...if your CT opponents are decent players, you won't have a chance against their usp and armor with that Glock of yours.

Desert Eagle The most powerful pistol in the game, this gun is normally the option that most people who buy a pistol in the first round go for (to replace the Glock18?). It's the only pistol that is able to penetrate walls, crates, doors and the like. It also has pretty good accuracy, the only downfall being the 7 bullet clip, which doesn't last long at all. Hand Cannon, to sum it up. With good accuracy this gun should get you far, but if you can't aim then 7 bullets won't last long and it'll take what seems an eternity to reload. A good alternative to a cheap sub-machine gun in the later rounds, if you're saving money for a rifle.

Sig P228 This is the least used pistol in the game, but probably only because players would rather buy a DE, or stick with their default gun. It's quite a powerful gun, and along with the 13 bullet clip, it can be put to very good use in the right hands. If your opponent is using a DE and reach a point where they need to reload, that's when you have a great opportunity to come out on top in the duel...6 bullets more than him and not exactly with a pea-shooter either. Pretty decent accuracy, but then again, none of the pistols are too bad in that department...oh wait, spoke too soon.

Dual Beretta Elites These are by far the most innacurate pistols available and I can't really justify spending $1000 on them. Each gun holds 15 bullets in the clip, meaning 30 total which is handy, but I guess you'll need it when these guns are as weak as they are. It'll take a good few shots to take out your opponent, unless you're lucky/good and land headshots. But still, it's nice running about with akimbo pistols so I recommend trying them at least once! They look cool and it feels good, until you get involved in a battle, then you'll remember why you always buy USP/DE. Terrorist Only.

Five Seven Another decent pistol for the CTs, this time in the shape of the 20 round clip of the 5-7. It isn't as strong as some pistols but it's not weak either, and in terms of accuracy it's very good. CT only, and again an under-used pistol, I suspect because of the better alternatives. Since it was added into the game I've seen mixed responses about this gun, but in my opinion it's a decent sidearm. You could do worse than buy one of these when you are sniping...the 20 bullet clip will buy you some time to back off and get in a better sniping position if any enemies are attacking.

Shotguns

M3 Super This is the cheapest of the two shotguns available, and deservedly so. If you're intent on being top of the score boards this just isn't the gun to do it with...it's got a pretty slow reload and rate of fire meaning that if the action is coming thick and fast, you probably won't last with only 8 rounds in the clip. It's a fairly powerful gun, though, and can be useful in close quarters battle (CQB), but not as useful as it's counterpart, the XM1014. It's obviously pretty accurate, as you'd expect with a slow rate of fire, within a certain range of course.

XM1014 If you want a shotgun, this is the one to go for....if you have the $3000 to spare. It only has a 7 round clip which empties very fast, so you'll have to be a dab hand with it but other than that it's a very good gun. Again, it's quite powerful but this time the rate of fire is more sufficient when you need to clear out an enclosed space. This is a good gun for any small, enclosed maps but it's not to be used over any great distance, obviously. What's also quite handy is that you can still fire whilst reloading, as with the m3 super, meaning that you'll still have some sort of cover (albeit slower firing rate as you reload) until you can find cover to reload fully.

Sub-Machine Guns

MP5 This is the most commonly used of all sub-machine guns by far, and probably the most used gun in the game. It's a very reliable gun with good accuracy and power. If you can aim well then the MP5 will be a good gun for you, if you can't use the mp5....well...learn! Even when things aren't going so well you can usually afford an MP5 and that's what's great about it, you'll always have the mp5 as a way of digging you and your team out of a hole. It has a 30 round clip which is enough to carry you through most fire fights, aim at the head and it shouldnt be too difficult to get a couple of kills per clip (of course, that's if you're good at avoiding death primarily). It's also decent for mid-range battles.

TMP This is like the sub-machine gun version of the glock 18; it has a good rate of fire but is very weak, the weakest of all SMGs infact. Again the clip size is 30, but that doesn't help much either when you look at the accuracy of this gun. It's very shoddy and the recoil for such a small gun is terrible. Sometimes due to money restrictions, you can't afford an MP5 and are left with this gun, but I think even then you're best of buying a Desert Eagle and hoping you can pick up a gun along the way, that way you'll be saving some money for the next round too. One good point is that it's silenced so if you're skilled enough you can sneak up behind an opponent, dispose of him and steal his AK47.....this gun is CT only.

P90 A decent SMG, this used to be the most used gun in the game...until the CS team toned it down a bit because it was being over used. It was extremely accurate and powerful making it extremely easy to use. Now, however, it takes alot more skill to use the P90 as it's less powerful and much less accurate than before. Probably best used in close quarters battle this gun has a very nice rate of fire, and a massive 50 bullet clip, meaning you'll still be firing away while an opponent reloads his MP5. I'm unconvinced about the accuracy of this gun...at times it can seem ok, but most of the time I use it, I don't get very far which is no good if I've just spent over $2300 for it.

Mac 10 This is yet another gun that doesn't get used very often in CS, in comparison with other guns. It's ok in the rate of fire department, and holds up in the power area, but accuracy is where it falls down....badly! The accuracy on this gun makes it worth saving the money for the next round, death is imminent regardless. It's not that bad really I suppose, I just felt like dramatising hehe. This gun is ok if you are rushing, your opponents dont expect you, and you can get quick headshots in CQB. Other than that, give it a miss and if you do buy it, pick up the first alternative gun you see....unless it's a TMP but even then it's a tough call.

UMP This gun has a slow rate of fire and only 25 rounds per clip, meaning that some people tend to steer clear of it where possible. It does, however, pack in some nice accuracy and a fair amount of power...in the right hands, this can be a very decent gun. Probably best in mid-ranges, rather than CQB though, because of it's accuracy and slow rate of firing. If you do end up in an enclosed space then you won't last that long before you need to reload, which also takes quite long so try to avoid that scenario. Not a bad gun at all for the $1700 you'll pay.

Assault Rifles

AK47 Here we have one of the most popular guns around, people either love it or hate it, but the great majority tend to react favourably when you bring up the topic of the AK. It is the least expensive rifle in the game at only $2500 definitely a bargain, especially when you consider that it's the most powerful assault rifle as well as having 30 bullets in the clip. So why so cheap? well, I didn't mention the recoil yet....on full auto this gun is about as inaccurate as they come. Only upon mastering how to use this gun will you appreciate how good it is. In close quarters battle it is superb, it's powerful, good rate of fire and on full auto you can empty a small space very quickly. For me though range is where the AK47 excels, if you use burst firing. This gun can be used as a sniper rifle but without the scope, that's how good it is from distance. Two or three accurate shots from this gun across a mid to long range distance will hurt an opponent pretty badly, stop, let the crosshair recover, and fire two or three more and he'll be dead....often he'll be dead before you even get to fire the last few bullets. Learn to handle the recoil and you'll love this gun. T Only.

SG552 Commando Much like the AK47, this gun is good in both CQB and long range scenarios, but it tends to be a lot more accurate when using burst fire obviously. It is less powerful than the AK but comes with a built in scope to assist you in long range fights. When you're zoomed in the rate of fire does drop noticably but accuracy is helped which is what you want from range. A lot less effort is required to learn how to use this gun than the ak, again because of the recoil issues, overall a good gun....Terrorists should feel safe with this 30 round gun in their hands. It's more expensive than the AK47, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better gun, maybe it's just easier to handle. T Only.

Colt M4A1 The favourite gun of the CT masses, the colt is a great gun and is more often than not likely to be compared with the AK rather than the Commando. It's the cheapest of the two CT assault rifles and represents more value for money than it's CT counterpart, the Aug. It has a 30 round clip and is also pretty darn powerful. The accuracy on the colt can be quite wayward on full spray, so you're best bet again is to stick with burst firing unless in CQB. The main difference between the Colt and the other assault rifles is the silencer it comes with. This can be a great tool when used effectively and before the enemy can work out where you're coming from they can be almost dead. The silencer may make the Colt slightly weaker, but it makes it all the more deadly. CT only.

Steyr Aug This gun is very popular, like all assault rifles, and is the CT equivalent of the SG552 Commando. It is more expensive than the Colt, which is probably mainly down to it having an additional scope for you to use. It's a pretty powerful gun with a good rate of fire, which again is slowed when you're zoomed in, although it does take a bit longer to reload than the Colt does, or the T's commando for that matter. Overall though, a great gun and worth the money if you can afford it as it's pretty accurate, and even better in bursts. An Aug on full auto will clear a small room pretty darn quickly. CT only.

Sniper Rifles

Scout The poor man's sniper rifle, not really, but if you are low on cash this sniper rifle probably won't be out of your reach ($2750). One scout bullet can do a lot of damage on an unsuspecting victim on the other side of a map, but it can just as easily kill them if you get a headshot.....if not, two body shots should do the same job. It has two zoom functions as secondary fire, just to make it that little bit easier. If you're a sniping fan and can be very accurate, this is a great gun for the money you pay...it's accurate (obviously) but more importantly it's not that inaccurate when you're on the move. Obviously you can't run and jump around whilst shooting and expect to hit someone, but if you're crawling or even walking then you're in with a chance (very much unlike the AWM). The 10 bullets in each clip should suffice, providing you have the ability to stay well clear of any CQB.

AWM/P There are endless debates about this gun as so many people love it, yet so many people hate it and of course, lots couldnt care. It used to the case that one shot anywhere on the body would be a kill, until it was toned down so that a leg/arm shot wouldn't kill anymore. That's still an ok deal in my opinion though, under $5000 for a gun that will kill if you can hit your opponent's head or chest area. If you like sniping you'll more than likely love the AWM, it's a great sniper rifle (again 2 zoom functions) and can be put to great effect with a Desert Eagle as your sidearm/backup. It has a slower rate of fire than the scout but from great distances you can afford to wait the little extra. Stay out of CQB as well, because when you're zoomed out you won't have a crosshair (disabled by CS team to discourage people pushing into small areas for easy kills).

G3/SG1 I'm not a fan of this gun at all, and I don't think most of the CS players are either as it's widely under used. Considering this gun has two zoom functions and costs a small fortune ($5000), you'd think it would have good accuracy.....wrong. It seems ok at times but too often you'll end up dead thinking 'wait a minute, I should've hit him 6 times at least!'. Decent rate of fire for a sniper rifle and it's powerful enough but not worth buying really, judge for yourself. You'll rarely find a player who swears by it and can actually do very well with it, but maybe not even as often as that. T only.

SG550 Much like the G3, this gun is pretty rarely seen in CS. It basically functions like the G3 but is CT only, is cheaper and is also less powerful. I'm not convinced with this type of gun, it's not ideal for sniping yet it's certainly no good close up and for the money you pay you won't get very much longevity in return, as you'll be dead soon enough if you hold onto this gun (some will disagree but most people don't like it). Definitely not the gun to go for if you have lots of money at your disposal, try an Aug or an AWP?

Machine Guns

Para One word that could describe this gun in my opinion is 'fun'. It's not a particularly good gun, although you may be lead to think so by the price ($5750). Generally you won't see many paras in game either, until it gets to a stage where teams have more money than they need and they're dominating. The next step in the cycle is to pull out the paras and have some fun. It has a massive 100 round clip, which is more than enough for any situation, and is pretty good in the power area. It does fall down slightly on the rate of fire and reload times but that's to be expected. It's also pretty inaccurate when you go full auto, but it can work well if you're in very close quarters battle and want to empty a room. If you don't kill everyone in there then the room will still empty as you'll have scared them off with the noise of the thing. I'm not sure why the noise intimidates people, however, as people usually dont get very far with a para....unless they're really taking the p*ss and kicking your ass with any gun.

Grenades

High Explosive (HE) These are excellent additions to any player's arsenal of weapons (one is maximum you can carry), if possible I try to buy one every round just for the initial damage factor. If you are about to go into the heat of battle, what better to weaken your opponent than a well timed High Explosive grenade. If you're lucky/skilled then he can be below 50 health before you even see him, meaning you're in with a great chance of winning any battle and you haven't even fired a bullet yet. It can also be used in quite the reverse and you can keep any HE grens until you're pretty sure a guy is near death (perhaps after a long range fight with you?). While you both take cover to reload switch to your gren and lob it in his direction....if it lands anywhere near him it's your lucky day hehe. Another good thing about HEs is that they aren't limited to damaging one person (obviously), so lob one into a crowd of injured opponents and watch the kills rack up (beware if friendly fire is on).

Flashbang (FB) Again, I try to buy at least one of these per round (2 is maximum), as theyre great when attacking or even when you're retreating. On the attack there's nothing better to throw one into a room/tunnel and burst through only to find an opponent who is facing the wall, spraying his gun and hasn't got a clue where you are.......talk about easy kill. On the defensive, it's very effective to use one of these before you either reload or try and make a dash to a safer area (perhaps back amongst your team). When using these, however, do be aware of your team mates.....they'll get very unhappy very quickly if you keep blinding them. All in all it's best to keep FBs for when you may really need them, there are lots of people who waste them by throwing them at the first opportunity they get. Possibly even wait til you hear an enemy so you have an indication of where they are.

Smoke Grenade (SG) The least used grenade of the 3 available, but still very handy in certain situations. One of the most common uses for these grens is obviously for covering purposes, especially against snipers. A sniper may be blocking a route you need to cross in order to penetrate a bomb spot/hostage room.....a quick smoke grenade in his view should buy the time needed to make the dash across his scope view. Can also be good as a distraction, for example, you want to rush left but throw a smoke gren to the right to draw the enemy's attention allowing you to slip through and behind enemy lines.

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Well, that's the end of this little (yeah right) weapon guide. Hopefully you've found it at least a little helpful when it comes to your weapon of choice.

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