AWP: What does it mean to AWP?

In Counter-Strike ^[1], the Arctic Warfare Police, better known as the AWP, is a magnum sniper rifle used by players for its devastating damage, as it’s the only weapon in the entire game that can kill an opponent using one bullet without a headshot. Although the AWP is one of the more expensive weapons in Counter-Strike, players believe it's usually worth the investment as it can change the tide of a match if used by someone with great skill.

This iconic sniper has transcended Counter-Strike and has birthed the term ‘AWPing’, which just stands for a person who’s using a one-shot kill sniper rifle. So, when someone says they should AWP, they mean they should use a weapon that matches the description.

How to AWP effectively?

If players want to get good at using the AWP, they need to work on their raw mechanical skills alongside game sense. To get good at aiming, players can simply join custom aim maps and keep practicing while occasionally changing their sensitivity to find something that suits them best.

Unlike raw skill, getting game sense is a much more complicated and tricky process that involves investing hundreds of hours into Counter-Strike to understand commonly used patterns and tricks. Some examples of good game sense include proper positioning, like holding an angle where the AWP user knows an opponent will pop out and what they can do if they have to retreat, or simply holding from areas where the opponent might not expect the user to be. 

Good game sense can assist with the aim too, like how some players set their crosshairs in a way where the enemies simply walk into it, so all they have to do is press shoot instead of aiming and shooting simultaneously.

References

1. [1] "Counter Strike 2 website". www.counter-strike.net. Retrieved June 01, 2024