The AWP is one of the deadliest weapons in CS2. It’s a high-risk, high-reward kind of weapon. Costing $4750, the AWP is only dropped to the most accurate of players, with an extremely high skill ceiling to master. Therefore, it should be used carefully and only in certain situations. Keep reading and find out how and when to use AWP in your competitive CS2 matches.
When to Buy an AWP?
The real question is when to buy an AWP in CS2. This weapon should not be used under any circumstances in early-round or anti-eco rounds. It is a mid and late-game weapon primarily used on full-buy rounds. Keep in mind that there might be someone better with the AWP on your team. If that’s the case, let them have it – you don’t want to throw $4750 down the drain thanks to your own ego.
The Full Buy
For the full AWP buy, you will need a total of $6750; $4750 for the AWP itself, $1000 for Kevlar and a helmet, and an additional $1000 for a set of grenades: two flashbangs, a smoke grenade, and a HE grenade.
You will need flashbangs to get yourself into desired positions and escape from dangerous situations. As the AWPer, you may be expected to flash your teammates into angels, especially if you’re playing passively. The smoke grenade is a standard map control grenade, and every player on the team should have one. In addition to that, you will also need a HE grenade instead of an incendiary grenade or Molotov. The bullet from an AWP will provide an instant kill with every shot except for leg shots. The leg shot will deal 85 damage, and the best way to finish off that enemy without re-peeking is with an HE grenade.
Double AWP Setup
The double AWP setup is more commonly used on CT side, to provide AWPs for both bombsites. This is a heavy investment in your team economy, and if you lose the round while losing the guns, expect to be playing with scraps for a few rounds. This makes it very high risk, but like the CS2 AWP in general, high reward.
With the double AWP setup, it’s important that they’re a surprise to the other team. When one is revealed on one bomb site, the other should try not to reveal itself for as long as possible. This gives the enemy team less time to adapt to this potent kind of setup.
The Glass Cannon
Another popular buy option is the glass cannon AWP. This means you are only able to afford an AWP without Kevlar, and the whole buy will cost you $4750 in total. It is a risky move, but it can be profitable, especially if the glass cannon knows how to do it. If you play glass cannon, make sure to stand far away from your enemies to avoid getting sprayed or receiving any damage from utility. The best way to play glass cannon is to stay on-site and hold a steady angle from a long distance.
AWPing Styles
There are two main AWPing styles; aggressive and passive. Let’s compare two of the best AWPers in the last decade, s1mple and dev1ce. While both players may not be in their prime nowadays, once upon a time, they were a great example of players who were equally effective with the AWP using two totally different playstyles.
For s1mple, movement was key. He would always remain active, and often charged into bomb sites like he had an AK-47 in hand. A very risky method for sure, but he had the skill to back it up. For most players, I wouldn’t recommend using the AWP like this. Only the best of the best can make this one work.
On the other side, dev1ce plays passively, and his whole game revolves around his positioning. However, dev1ce is also one of the most consistent players because he doesn’t have to hit any impossible shots. He makes every shot look easy just because of his perfect positioning. He’s an example of exceptional game sense, always making the right decisions to get that positioning right. This requires good communication with his teammates, too, which is a separate skill altogether.
AWP Training
In order to train to use an AWP effectively, you can download some additional Steam Workshop maps. There are plenty to choose from on the Workshop, and I’d recommend trying a few different ones. There’s no one perfect map, and every AWPer will find that different things work for them.
Alternatively, you can train with the AWP on Deathmatch servers. This is both good and bad. It can help you develop muscle memory, but it will also be unrealistic. When playing on DM, everything happens so fast, and you must use flick shots; there is no other way around it. However, competitive matches are much slower, and incomparable to Deathmatch. In a competitive matchup, your primary goal should be to minimize flicking and try to get secure shots.
Tips & Tricks
Positioning
When playing AWP, everything is about positioning. The better your positioning is, the easier the shots you can take. Try to avoid positioning yourself in a way that you have to take some impossible shots. Try to make it as easy as possible.
The second thing about positioning is your escape route. You need to always have a secure route to escape, or at least cover to hide behind, in case you miss a shot or get swamped by multiple enemies. Change your position after every single shot. In most situations, you have more time than you realize for a reposition, which is by far the best way to surprise your opponents.
This will help you avoid getting punished for missing a shot. If you miss, it does not mean you have to die.
Economy Management
Money management is also very important, especially if you are the primary AWP user of your team. You have to learn how to manage your money in order to maximize the amount of time you can buy the AWP. Always calculate how much money you will get in the next round and never overbuy on eco rounds. If you are not sure how to do that, check out our CS2 economy guide.
Rotate
Keep in mind that enemies will be afraid of you if you use an AWP. No one will willingly peek into AWP range and risk losing their life just to engage in an unfair fight against the AWP. After a few rounds, your enemies will anticipate you if you constantly play at the same spot. Try to change positions as much as you can because if you don’t, you will probably get bombed out of existence. Be creative and try to surprise them by never allowing them to know on which site you are.
AWP Movement
In-game AWP movement is a little bit different from regular CS2 movement. You need to get used to crouch-peeking. If you crouch before peeking, you will remain accurate when moving. Alternatively, you can use opposite commands. For example, if you want to peek left, move left with A. Press the control for the opposite side, D, just before you shoot, and your shot will be perfectly accurate.
The AWP is a powerful weapon, and it is not for everyone. If you want to become the primary AWP of your team, you will have to work hard. It is not enough to just play AWP in competitive matches; to reach high ranks, you have to practice on a daily basis. Try to watch professionals play and learn from them. You can’t learn their skillset just by watching, but you can learn a lot about positioning and maybe a few new tricks from certain maps.
