The Weapon of Choice

Counter-Strike has always had an array of weapons to choose from. I remember how first person shooters used to be before the more realistic games (cs, cod, battlefield) were introduced. In the past, the fps standard arsenal was the melee weapon, the gun, the rifle, the machine gun, and the rocket launcher. Back then you did not have a choice; you either had a certain gun or you did not. The counter-strike franchise challenged this set up by allowing the players a choice. What gun? What rifle? Naturally, those weapons were not all the same. Some of them were more efficient than others and therefore became the elite.

This weapon metagame was counter-productive to the design of the game. The will of the players to be competitive clearly outmatched the freedom of choice. In counter-strike's past, the game revolved around the following weapons: the standard pistols, the glock and USP; the Desert Eagle or Nighthawk; the MP-5; the side characteristic guns, the AK-47 and the M4A1; and the AWP.  All the other weapons could just as likely have been left out of the game.

The weapons in cs:go follow the same pattern. There is an elite group preferred over the rest, but overall the weapons have been tweaked and balanced compared to older versions of the game. However, if you want to succeed, you need to focus your training on the elite few. The first weapons you should learn to love and appreciate is the standard issue pistols.

The starting pistols, in cs:go you have some to choose from, come without costs. This is important since this allows you to buy armor, defuse kits, grenades, smokes, or flashes during pistol rounds. If you think about it, this can give you an edge compared to players who buy another pistol instead, especially considering the fact the no one can afford helmet on pistol rounds. Without helmet, all the pistols are one shot headshots. Unless you are firing long range.

The starting pistols are the glock, the P2000, and the USP-S. The terrorist side does not have a choice. They get the glock, so practing and getting used to playing with it as a sidearm and during pistol rounds is important. The counter-terrorist side on the other hand can choose between the P2000 and the USP-S. Damage-wise, the weapons are identical. The P2000 comes with one more round in a clip and more ammunition in reserve. The good thing with the USP-S is that the silencer has a possibility of not revealing your position while firing. This is a really minor benefit and a good player will quickly realize where you are firing from. Compared straight up, the P2000 seems like the better choice.

Even though it seems slightly worse than the P2000, I prefer to use the USP-S. I found that the similarities in handling the USP-S while playing is close to the same as in earlier versions of counter-strike I have played. In other words, I am able to land headshots with the USP-S while I am struggling to do the same with the P2000. I cannot say I have any proven facts on the subject, so I recommend that you start with the P2000 instead of the USP-S (as well as start practicing myself so that I can relearn my starting pistol).

The second weapon group you should learn to handle and appreciate is the rifles, specifically the AK-47, the M4A4, and the M4A1-S. Once again it is the counter-terrorists that have a choice between the M4A4 and the M4A1-S. These rifles are equal in damage. The only difference is that the M4A4 does more damaged when headshotting a player without helmet. Both weapons, however, are one shot headshot in that scenario, so it does not matter. They are on all purposes considered equal in dealing damage. The differences are, as with the pistols, the number of rounds in a clip, the amount of ammunition, and the silencer on the M4A1-S. When you compare them the M4A1-S actually also has a greater recoil control to compensate for the low clip capacity. The M4A4 is also a little bit more expensive at $3100 compared to the M4A1-S price of $2900. That is a free flashbang each buy round, if you can spare the ammunition.

These weapons are kind of equal in their performance. Going with one over the other is not a poor choice. One more time do I find myself going with the M4A1-S since it handles like the old M4A1 (duh). You need to be careful with the nerfed clip capacity though, which has greatly reduced the rifles ability to mow down a group of rushing players. Because of this reason, the M4A1-S is at its best at medium to long range, while the bullet spewing M4A4 has the edge in close quarters.

This leaves us with the terrorist side's choice of standard rifle, the godlike AK-47. This is arguably the best weapon in the game. It comes cheaper than its counter-terrorist counterparts. It is always a one hit headshot no matter armor and helmet. It is accurate and has 30 rounds in its clip. What is there not to like? If you should practice with any gun, this is the gun you should grind with. The AK-47 is harder to use than the M4:s but in skilled hands it is way above them in efficiency.

The last weapon I would like to put into the elite group is the AWP. This sniper rifle is the bane of players everywhere. Sitting at an expensive $4750, this is not a gun everybody should buy. Not being able to frag players on the first attempt(s) or dying with it is a huge concern. Be sure you have practiced a lot before you bring it to your matchmaking games. Otherwise, you will frustrate your team and chances are your mates will let you know how they feel about it in an impolite manner. Had it been a cheaper weapon, it would not have hurt the team economy and that is why this is a sensitive issue.

However, every counter-strike team need a skilled AWP:er. The gun kills you in one shot, no matter armor and helmet, and no matter where it hits you. Except for the legs. A legshot from an AWP just takes away roughly 85 % of you maximum health and scares the living sh!t out of you. Therefore I conclude that counter-terrorists and terrorists never skips leg day.

As you can see I don't intend to discuss the heavy and SMG categories more closely. This is because they, even though weapons on an average have been more balanced, still cannot compare to the other weapons mentioned on my elite list. Sometimes it is correct to buy from them, but that is mainly during anti eco rounds or forced buys, and if you could afford a better gun, you should buy that instead.

Now, go on becoming one of the elites using the elite's choice!