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Step One-Read this -[link]- Its a guide to CSS, it seems pretty basic, you guys are gonna read it and think, psh I already know this stuff, Im not a noob. And Ive got news for you, this is the stuff that makes or breaks teams. You might know it, but you dont do it. I see awpers with the bomb, I see people peaking awpers, I see people running with the bomb out, rushing with the bomb, not planting the bomb, planting it wrong, not communicating, ect. ect. Its the little stuff that makes ALL the difference. Read, Learn, Do. Please.

Step Two-Download Ventrillo. -[link]- Ventrilo, or Vent, is an in-game voice communication program. Its easy to use and vital to competitive play. Make sure to adjust your mic output and position your mic properly so we can hear you.

Step Three-Download CPL Mouse fix. -[link]- This is a registry fix that will disable windows mouse acceleration. Basically this stops windows from changing your mouse speed. For instance, if your whipping back and forth with a pistol and try and awp you will find the mouse with move faster, due to acceleration. CPL Mouse fix turns this off. Most all professional players use this, as it allows you to be much more consistant, as your mouse will always respond the same way. To install double click and click yes to allow registry change. It may be hard to get used to, but try and stick with it, its worth it.

Step Four-Buy headphones. Headphones are vital, you cannot play without them, so buy a nice comfortable high quality pair. There are many top brands out there, go forth, find one in your price range with good reviews and buy them. personally I use Medusa 5.0 surround sound headphones, because they are wicked sick : )

Step Five-Watch Demos. Gotfrag.com is your friend. Download demos of top teams on maps you want to learn. You will be able to watch the best teams and players in the world from their povs. Download into your cstrike and run in CSS. Top teams include Complexity, Verge, Hyper, EFG, and Fragfacile. Watch how they shoot, how they move, where they play, their timing, teamwork, grenades, retakes, plants, ect.

Step Six-Record Demos. Record your scrims, watch them later, see what you did wrong, what you did right, what needs improving, watch and learn.

Step Seven-Scrim and practice, alot. Practice on DM servers for good reflexes and consistancy. Try Nuclear Fallout Servers if you can find them, you will often find pro players in them and they will keep you on your toes. Scrim, scrim, and scrim. 5v5 play is the only way you are going to really get better at matches, so do it often, and do it well.

Step Eight-Know your sources. Use the following websites often: Gotfrag.com-A site for everything from information, css news, demos, videos, maps, tactics, and much more. FPSBanana.com-Maps, GUI's, overlays, ect. Dont download skins or soundpacks as they are illegal in competitve play. Caleague.com-CAL's official page, download official maps, read the forums, learn. Source-Radio.net a great source for all sorts of CSS videos

Step Nine-Buy yourself some decent hardware. A good mouse and monitor are the most important. Good mice include anything from Razer or the G5 is a popular choice. along with the MX series. Do your research and find one that fits you. Dont go gaga over DPI and pointless gimics, find one that you are comfortable with. Personally I tried the entire Razer line and found the top of the line mouse a little oversized for me, and the mid level mouse just perfect, its all about personal preference. Yes keyboards and mousepads make a difference, but no they are not game makers, if you are serious about gaming you may want to look into them. Keyboards include the g15/11 (get the G11, its the g15 without the useless screen) Eclipse, Tarantula, ect. Top mousepads include the Icemat and the Steelpad. Both very different, but very nice. If you dont already have one buy a mic, communication is essential.

Step Ten-Download mIRC. This is a useful tool for finding scrims, I personally didnt use it as I wasnt our team's scrim getter, but if you get into competitive CSS you will end up using it quite a bit.

Step Eleven-Learn how to bunnyhop. This one is not really a biggy, and most people can't do it, but if you get good at it it's a very useful skill. Look up guides and videos on how to do it and do your best. Dont try it in a scrim unless you really know how. For those of you who dont know bunnyhopping is a way of moving about the map by jumping and moving your mouse, in concert with your strafe keys to move faster then normal.

Step Twelve-Know your enemy. While looking for scrims or meeting new players you may hear them describe themselves according to the league they are in. Here is a break down of leagues and levels of CSS players.

Pubstar-Most of you guys : ) Players who play in public servers, can be good, but often find themselves out of their environment in 5v5 play. Often need work on their teamplay.

CAL players-CAL is the Cyber Athletics League, the realm of competitive gaming in both CSS and many other games. Players in CAL are boroken up into different levels:

CAL-O-CAL Open, means any player can join. Nearly all competitive players will start here. It may be the lowest league in CAL but beware, there are some horrible CAL-O players, and some amazing ones. I was CAL-O and I can tell you, the range is huge. You find beginning players but you can also find ex-pro players who are starting up again.

CAL-IM-CAL Invite Intermediate, a level above O but below Main. These players are better then your average O team and a good IM team will probably be just above your skill level.

CAL-M-CAL Main, the mid level of CAL. These guys are good to really good. keep in mind CAL-M players are only one level down from the pros, and some are on their way up.

CAL-I-CAL Invite, the best of the best, you get invited by CAL to move up to CAL-I. These are the guys who play for the big bucks, these are professional CSS players and are very good.

Then we have Cevo, Cyber Evolution. Another competitive league like CAL but with slightly different rules, setups, divisions, and a different anticheat system. (cevo.com)

Cevo-A-Amature
Cevo-M-Main
Cevo-P- Professional

Step Thirteen-Sort out your computer. Close your processes, shut down other programs, tweak your config settings, get your fps up. Do what it takes not to drop in the middle of a round and screw your team. Sometimes my internet drops for a few mins due to comcast being lame, so if I drop mid game, that's why.

Step Fourteen-Look into GUI's. These allow you to buy weapons much faster by circumventing the buy menu. There are loads out there, find one that suites you.

Step Fifteen-Look into configs. These tweak your settings and generally will give you a boost in performance, speed, and fps. I know there are a bunch out there but I would reccomend the CAL legal version of Casey's config.

Step Sixteen-Buy the right gun. Sounds easy, but I see people not doing it, the following guide will outline the only weapons you should ever buy.

Omega's Quick and Dirty Weapon Guide


Glock-Learn how to burst at close range if you can, it's an awesome weapon, semi at long range, strafe back and forth and aim for head/chest. Remember it's not very accurate, so play to it's strengths, don't try and snipe an enemy if they have a usp. You will lose.

Usp-A great pistol, powerful and accurate. Can be used either slow and steady, aiming for headshots, or quickly. I prefer the fast way, but you have to be wary of reloading and multiple opponents. Dont silence it, the reduction in damage is not worth it.

Deagle-Powerful and can be accurate. Aim for the head and chest, dont fire too quickly, if you have not been spotted duck and make your shot count. Never duck agaisnt a deagler, you will get headshot.

MP5-The only smg you will use, decent power and accuracy, RoF, and cheap. It's a spray weapon, don't try and double or triple tap with it. One of the few weapons you can fire while running. Aim for head level and keep moving/strafing

Famas-Only use when instructed, burst fire is amazingly accurate at long range, aim for chest/head and get instant headshots on everyone. Beware close range, as you move like a paraplegic while using it, although keep in mind that auto shoots incredibly fast.

Galil-Same as Famas, rarely used. Not very accurate but makes a great spray weapon. Shoots forever, use it to spray down rushes early game.

M4-Basic CT rifle. Silencer will take away 5-8 damage per shot but makes recoil much easier to control and aids in spraying, plus it doesnt give away your position and has no muzzle flash (so you cant be seen firing in smoke), I much prefer it to unsilenced but to each his own. If your silenced, spray, if your not, double and triple tap for headshots. Basic shooting with the m4, double or triple tap at the head and chest, or spray. Spraying is a fine art, it is not spraying half a clip in their direction, its spraying 4-5 rounds at the head and chest and getting headshots most of the time. If you double tap a couple times and find you have no accuracy (Happens with all guns sometimes, I dont know why) Dont keep tapping away, spray them down. Can be just as good as an AK at all ranges, just remember to play to its strengths.

AK-47-Terrorist rifle of choice. More powerful then the M4 but slower and has much more recoil. Double or triple tap for headshots or use the fourshot pull down method. Try not to spray at medium range, try and calm yourself and put four shots into each target as fast as possible. If it's close range and you can't miss, by all means spray, your only hope is to use your superior damage to best the m4's superior RoF. Strafe side to side while using the AK and you can still keep your accuracy. Another common tactic is to pop from cover. shoot one shot, go back into cover and repeat, with nearly no space inbetween. Its hard to explain, hit me up in the server sometime and ill show you : )

AWP-One shot kill to head, chest, neck, stomach, shoulders, but not extremities. Do not fire while moving, it's useless. Get good at single zoom, double zoom is dangerous and leaves you in tunnel vision. Learn to quickswitch and how to whip. If you have to noscope, duck and try to quick scope, I could write alot more about awping but I wont go into it. Im not a great awper but I know in theory : ) Again if you want more ask me.

Flashbangs-You all know how they work, but a few tips. Bind your F key to pull out your flash. It's quicker then the number keys and allows you to pull it and be sure even when your blind. Besides, you dont need your flashlight, ever. Try not to step out to throw any grenade, bounce them off things, throw them over buildings, drop them infront of you around a corner, but stay behind cover when possible. Dont stand next to your team with your flash out and the pin pulled, if you get shot your team is screwed. Keep your gun out till the last possible moment. If you rushing and your team is flashing, run in backwards, turn away from flashes, dont stare at them.

HE grenades-Can do up to 80+ damage, dont ask me how, but i have seen it. Try and get as far away as possible, I have a feeling they do less damage to your back, but I could be wrong on that one. If your being overrun and your team isn't near you, and you have no ammo, pull out the pin on your nade and hope to nail some when you die : ) Use them well, prenade spots where people always are, Pit, Rail, bombsites, back of B on D2, ect. Again, throw from cover, and dont die holding it, and drop it into the middle of your team.

Smokes-Next to useless in pub play, vital in 5v5. Many uses, fakes, covering awp lanes, covering the bomb or defuser, masking a rush,ect. ect. Very useful on t side once the bomb has been planted or when rushing. Smoke all long angles where awpers will pick you and you dont have to worry about them, examples being CT spawn on inferno from A, underpass on D2, Tunnels and doors at B on D2, Cat, Little garage on Nuke, ect. ect. One trick if you have no flashes left and you know there is an enemy around the corner is to throw a smoke and go the second it bounces, often the player will turn around so as not to get flashed, and you can shoot them : ) There is a difference in the noise between a smoke and a flash, try and learn to tell between them. If you have money you should be buying ALL nades every round.

Kevlar-Makes a big difference, and a helmet will stop one shot headshots. Dont rebuy the next round unless you are below 60-70*(I forget exact number, its in the warstrat), it wont make much of a difference.

UMP-Dont buy it. Ever. People say it's terrible because it really is the worst gun in the game. You're not Bob, and the only reason he kills with it is because its office, and it's close range, and he knows the angles and the timing, and it still takes 3 headshots to kill anything. Buy the mp5 instead. Shitty damage, terrible accuracy, horrible RoF, tiny clip. Its just bad. Really, really bad. Go ahead and argue with me Bob, if you had used an mp5 or an AK you would have got twice as many kills.

Alrighty then....work is nearly over and I cant think of anything more for now. This should set you on your way to being a much better, and smarter player : ) There is more to CSS than office my friends. Any questions feel free to pm me or xfire me at Omega169 or steam friends, Zeratul189, or IM me at BBowens109. If you actually read all this, I'm impressed, and I hope it helped : ) Happy fragging.