CS2 Guide for Beginners

CS2 has always been one of the world's most famous multiplayer FPS games. Learning Counter-Strike could take time, months, or even years. The game is known as one of the most challenging tactical games ever made. Within this guide, we will cover most of the points about the game.

CS2 is currently free-to-play, and you can easily add it to your Steam Library. 

CS2 Prime is for players who bought the game before it went free on Steam. Getting Prime Status will allow you to have a smoother game experience since it is very relevant that you won't find as many cheaters as you could without Prime status.

How to get CS2 Prime?

You can get CS2 Prime with 2 ways:

• Buy CS2 Prime for $15
• Once you reach level 21 from playing casual games you'll have Prime status for free

Getting CS2 Prime will open you with features such as getting item drops, cases, access to community servers, and getting Prime-exclusive souvenir items.

The relevant reason for getting Prime Status is that you will get matched with only Prime-status players. Sadly, since the number of cheaters has been increasing since the game went free, players now buy Prime status to avoid getting cheaters in their matches.

Can I play with my non-prime friends?

Yes, you can as long as they're in your rank range. However, you will be experiencing non-Prime matches, and therefore, your experience may not be the best as the chances of finding cheaters in non-Prime games are very high.

How to check if someone has Prime Status?

You can easily check if that person has prime status or not, simply right-click on his name, and a little window will open, if you see Prime icon in the bottom left of the window, then this player has prime status. 

CS2 Basics

Getting used to the game isn't elementary. As CS2 has a lot of options and customizations you could choose from then, you probably want to apply settings that you're comfortable with. The default settings are applied to your game when you first get into the game, as they are not the best settings for competitive play; you'll have to change them to your preferred options.

Choose your best settings

CS2 Crosshair Settings:

Crosshair is your main factor in aiming, meaning that if you don't have a crosshair that you're comfortable with, you're most likely not going to kill your opponents. Crosshair consists of 7 factors:

Style: This references the crosshair itself, whether you want it static or dynamic. Most professional players use static crosshair as it doesn't move while shooting. To apply static crosshair, open your Console and write the following command: cl_crosshairstyle 4.

Size: Try playing with big and small sizes and see what suits you best. However, small crosshairs are preferred as they allow you to see more of the screen. Open your Console and write the following command to edit crosshair's size: cl_crosshairsize X.

Thickness: Now it's time to decide how wide/think you want your crosshair to be. Try playing with and without thickness to see if it suits you. Open your Console and write the following command to edit crosshair's thickness: cl_crosshairthickness X.

Gap: Having or not having a Crosshair Gap adds a considerable value to your crosshair as it determines how close your crosshair lines are to each other. Open your Console and write the following command to edit crosshair's gap: cl_crosshairgap X.

Outline: Having an Outline is essential at the beginning of your journey as it helps you make your crosshair more visible. Open your Console and write the following command to edit crosshair's outline: cl_crosshairoutline X.

Dot: If you would like to add a small into the center of your crosshair, then open your Console and write the following command to add a dot to your corsshair: cl_crosshairdot 1 - However, it isn't very recommended in the long term.

Colour: Most people either use Green, Cyan, and Yellow. However, it depends on the map. To change your crosshair color, open Console and write the following command: cl_crosshaircolor X.

cl_crosshaircolor 1 , for green. 
cl_crosshaircolor 2 , for yellow. 
cl_crosshaircolor 4 , for cyan.

Alpha: If you want your crosshair to be transparent, then Alpha is the way to go. To change your crosshair transparency, open Console and write the following command: cl_crosshairalpha X (from 0 to 255).

CS2 Viewmodel Settings:

Viewmodel is basically how your hand and gun look in the game. Changing these settings is very important as you try to free up space to see more of the war field. We will explain every viewmodel command so that you can easily define what works better for you.

Hand/Gun Position: To change your gun position (whether you want it right or left hand) then, you need to use the following command:

cl_righthand 1 - for right hand
cl_righthand 0 - for left hand

Field of View: FOV is how far the gun looks on your hard. To change FOV, use the following command:

viemodel_fov X (min: 60, max: 68)

Offset X: To change how far left or right your viewmodel is, use the following command:

viewmodel_offset_x X (preferably from 2.5 to -2.5)

Offset Y: To change how close or far your viewmodel is from your character, use the following:

viewmodel_offset_y X (preferably from 2 to -2)

Offset Z: To change how far up or down your viewmodel is from your character, use the following command:

viewmodel_offset_z X (preferably from 2 to -2)

Gun Stability while running: To make your gun stable (gun barrel moves towards your character), use the following commands:

cl_bob_lower_amt 5
cl_bobamt_vert 0.1

CS2 In-Game Video & NVIDIA Settings:

Those settings decide how the game visuals will look for you. Those are quite important as visuals affect your gameplay's comfortability, so you want to pick the best settings based on your preference. However, we have detailed topics about both settings. Our articles talk about the best and most relevant settings that are chosen by professional players, we have gathered them together to provide you with the best settings, so make sure to check them out: (NVIDIA Settings Article - In-Game Video Settings Article)

CS2 Best Launch Option Settings:

Launch options are also quite important. Launch options are the settings applied to the game before it's started. A little adjustment can be a huge difference to boost game performance. We have collected the best Launch Options in the game to put them all in one Article. Expand your knowledge by reading our Article about Launch Options.

Getting Ready for Competitive

After figuring your settings out, you need to play some casuals/deathmatches, as the game requires you to be Private Rank 2 so you can play Competitive. Before getting into Competitive, there are some points you need to know.

Managing Economy

Understanding the game's economy allows you to have a better game environment in CS2. For example, there are those rounds where you have to save money for the next round to have a better buy (which is called Eco Round), and there are those rounds where you have to buy guns and utilities (which is called Buy Round). There are also rounds where you have to buy a pistol and kevlar and still be able to buy for the next round (which is called Half buy round).

Spray Control

The general meaning of spraying is shooting as many bullets as you can in an accurate way. It takes time to learn the spray patterns of every weapon, but most of them are done by pulling your aim down while spraying. In case you want to practice your spray control, try Recoil Master - Spray Training map.

Crosshair Placement

You should always keep your aim at head level and not aim at the ground, giving you a better reaction time. Getting used to this at the beginning is always better. You could also try YPrac maps as it will help you with Crosshair Placement.

Movement

Movement in CS2 is harder than any other FPS game. To have a better movement in CS2, you'll need to play the game as much as you can, and good movement will come by time. However, you could also try playing KZ and Surfing maps, they will help you with improving your movement.

Utility Usage

As CS2 is a team game, utility usage is super essential. Don't just randomly throw your utility, have a plan where it's going to land and what you are going to do after it lands. There are many guides on YouTube about utility usage in CS2 that you can watch. Check out Nadeking for example.

Efficient Communication

Communication in FPS games is important, and it makes you win games. Let your team know about what is happening in the area you're holding. If you die, call out the position of the enemy. Try to have positive communication and not be toxic, as it will affect you negatively.

You may not be the best aimer at the game, but when you proceed with giving useful information to your team and making the right calls, that will make you improve as a player. Make sure to work on your communication and treat it as important as aim/movement or any other factor.