Counter-Strike map: Dust - a newbie's strategy guide

Dust - the most popular map in the world?

You could make the argument that since Counter-Strike is the most popular online FPS game in the world, and Dust is the most popular map in Counter-Strike, then Dust might be the most popular map in the world.

At any given time, you will find thousands of Counter-Strike servers, and probably 25% of them are playing Dust. 24/7 Dust servers are also common. Also note that Dust servers are usually populated, while cs_havana and de_cbble ... not so much.

You might say, "But (insert map name here) is a much better map! More strategy, more fun, blah blah blah..." Well, here's a link just for you.

Why is this map so popular? I like it because it's got a simple layout, and yet it's impossible to master. No matter what the experts tell you, there is no one strategy that will always work.

Why write this guide?

When I started playing Counter-Strike: Source (mid-November 2004), aka CS:S, I searched Google for Counter-Strike map strategies.

I found a couple of good links:

» Dust strategy - CS-Nation
» GameSpot Presents: Dust
» Counter-Strike Forums - Strategy and Tactics
» Dust Tactics and Strategies - FidosRevenge
» The Making of: Dust by David Johnston
» Excellent 2D map of Dust by Counter-Strike 2D

All good links, to be sure. But they weren't newbie-oriented enough for me. So I thought I'd try to write a guide that I would have understood when I first started playing. This is written by a n00b, for n00bs.

Feel free to report any errors, inaccuracies, comments, suggestions, etc. E-mail: smeerkat (at) gmail (dot) com (remove the empty spaces)

STFU N00B

You know, everyone was a n00b once. But Counter-Strike players seem to forget that. If you're just starting to play CS or CS:S, be prepared to participate in dialogue like this:

You:  Hi all!
€Li7€:  stfu nub
You:  How do I change weapons?
ßöRi§:  hit F10
(you disconnect, then restart CS)
You:  haha, funny. Say, how do I change weapons?
¤<ØWNåG€>¤:  uninstall CS
... etc ...

So you might want to create your own empty server of CS, and familiarize yourself with the game menu, keybindings, buy menu, radio menu, etc. You can start the original CS in offline mode, I'm not sure how to do it with CS:S. But the game hasn't changed much.

Try out the different weapons in the game. To buy them, you'll need money. So start a cs_ map, and go Counter-Terrorist, or CT. Rescue the hostages, and you'll get some bonus cash. Start a de_ map, and go Terrorist, or T. Plant the bomb at the bomb site, to get cash.

The weapons in CS are "realistic", so find the weapon that best suits your playing style. If you like to run-and-gun, you'll need a light weapon (like pistols, or sub-machine gun). If you like to hide somewhere and wait for enemies to come to you, get a sniper rifle. And so on.

Note that running while shooting affects your accuracy. When possible, try to shoot while stationary. You'll notice that your crosshairs come together, indicating higher accuracy.

Before you go online, learn the maps! Since this guide is about Dust, start your own CS server and load up Dust. Run around the whole map, until you're familiar with the bomb site locations, possible sniping spots, possible ambush points, and all possible routes to the bomb sites.

Time is extremely important in CS. As soon as the round begins, you've got to run to your destination. You must buy all your weapons and/or equipment before the round begins! To achieve this, you should bind a key for your purchases. Use the CSBANANA CS:S Buy scripter and copy the code in your config.cfg file. Your config.cfg file is located here:

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\your-email-address\counter-strike source\cstrike\cfg

Ashes to ashes, Dust to Dust

OK, you're ready to join a populated Dust server and get your ass kicked. I'll start with Dust-specific info, then finish up with some general bits.

Counter-Terrorists: beginning of round

On public servers, I believe it's a bit easier to play CT than T. Why? The T's have to reach a bomb site within the time limit, but the CT's can get to the choke points before the T's. If the CT's can control the choke points, the T's have no chance to plant the bomb. So they have to wait on the T side of the tunnel, or camp under the catwalk. T's have to be very coordinated as a group, and I rarely see that on a public server.

The choke points are: (see diagram on the right)

(1) One good sniper to keep an eye on the area under the catwalk. He can shoot the enemy's legs before the enemy has a chance to spot him.

(2) A couple of CT's cover the catwalk exit of the tunnel. Lob a flashbang ("fb") or smoke grenade into the tunnel, wait 2 seconds, then you can storm in.

(3) The mid exit of the tunnel. Rushing T's and CT's will meet here, so be prepared for flashes, HE grenades, all kinds of fire.

(4) The exit of the tunnel that leads to Bomb site A. A good CT sniper can cover the whole tunnel from here. One CT is not enough to cover this exit, as the T's will "rush A" on occasion.

Counter-Terrorists: mid-game

After the first 30 seconds or so, perhaps 50% of the players are dead. Now you can expect the classic stalemate in the tunnel, and perhaps a couple of T's camped in the dark area under the catwalk. Be patient, time is on your side.

In the mid-game, the T's have only 2 options: shoot their way out of the tunnel (high risk), or go under the bridge/catwalk (high risk). Enterprising CT's can try to flush out the T's (chuck a flashbang into the T side of the tunnel, and then try to kill a few while they're blinded). Or you can wait, occasionally peeking around the corner to spot an impatient T.

If the T's succeeded to get out of the tunnel in the early game, they've probably planted the bomb at A. In the mid-game, if the CT's did not successfully protect the catwalk, the T's might have gone all the way to site B.

Site A is relatively easy for the T's to protect; CT's have two ways to get there - through the tunnel, or through the double doors. There are 3 ways to get to site B, the main arch, the side corridor, and a passageway that's close to the main arch. It'll take two good T's to protect site B.

If you are going after a planted bomb, be prepared for enemy sniper(s). Use a smoke grenade to cover up an opening such as a doorway, before proceeding through.

Counter-Terrorists: end-game

Assuming the T's haven't planted the bomb yet, there are probably a few stragglers wandering around the bridge, under the catwalk, or near the T spawn point. You could have one CT camp each bomb site and wait for time to run out, but then be prepared for comments like "You $#@% camper". OK, so you'll venture forth, looking for strays.

It's better to travel in pairs, so if you get ambushed by a T hiding behind a crate, your partner can avenge your death. If you're alone, fire a few rounds at various crates, hoping to flush out a nervous T. If you hear footsteps, and you checked your radar for your teammates' locations, chuck a flashbang or HE grenade in the vicinity. With luck, you can blind him or reduce his health so you can take him out quickly.

Terrorists:

First of all, read my section on Counter-Terrorists, so you know what to expect from the CT side. If you're new to the game, you're probably not in a competitive clan yet, so you'll find yourself slogging it out on public servers. If you live in the East Coast, I recommend these 24/7 Dust servers:

CORSAIRMEMORY.COM - FragFest NYC 2 | PHXX.NET
IP: 69.90.174.11:27015

CORSAIRMEMORY.COM - FragFest Chicago | PHXX.NET
IP: 65.39.198.18:27015

(If you know of other low-ping, high-capacity 24/7 Dust servers, e-mail me.)

So, you're on a public server, with 19 (or more) other players. Teamwork may not be high on their list of priorities, to be honest. If things don't go well for the T side in the early rounds, you'll inevitably hear your teammates say "Everybody rush A!" or "Everybody rush the bridge!" Half your teammates will go for it, and the other half - well....

I'll probably receive a lot of hate mail for this, but in my opinion: rushing never works on a public, clanless server. Your team is composed of players with various skill levels/ping, and only half of them will actually join the rush. You will get mowed down by the CT's covering the two exits that lead to site A.

The tunnel is long and fairly narrow, and let's say five or six of you are trying to rush to the exits. This might fly in round 1, when everybody has a pistol. But if the CT's win the early rounds, they'll all have M4's or sub-machine guns or shotguns. And they'll have grenades. One well-placed flashbang will blind your group, and you'll be cooked. Even n00b CT's will be able to take you down. If you survive the rush, you can try to plant the bomb. The CT's that were covering the other tunnel exits can quickly get to your area.

Rushing the bridge: same problem. Half your teammates will not follow you. You can expect at least one CT with a sniper scope covering the area under the catwalk, at least one or two CT's directly above you, who can hear your footsteps as you approach. You can only hope that the CT's who are right above you will be tempted to drop down onto the crates below, and then you can pick them off easily. If you survive the rush, you can take the side corridor to bomb site B.

The only time a rush will work, is when you have skilled players on the T side. They have enough experience to be able to kill multiple CT's quickly (preferably with headshots so you don't take damage from return fire). N00b players like myself can only hope for a 1:1 ratio of kills to deaths, and that's not good enough. If you're rushing out of the tunnel, you'll want to kill 2 CT's and survive, or kill 3 and die.

If the rush didn't work, the remaining T's will have to wait at their side of the tunnel, and try to pick off CT's one at a time. Send two T's to protect the bridge area, so that CT's don't sneak up on you from behind. You'll want to situate yourself so that you can just peek around the corner, and pick off a n00b CT. Most guns have a muzzle flash, which will give away your position. So fire in short, controlled bursts then duck back behind the wall.

Do not be fooled by silence. It's likely there's still a CT lurking in the tunnel.

Terrorists: mid-game

Well, if it's mid-game and you haven't planted the bomb yet, you can't camp forever. A group of three T's might be able to make a unified rush through the tunnel, hoping there aren't too many CT's left. Or you can double back to the bridge, and try your luck through there. If you're going under the bridge, walk don't run. CT's can hear your footsteps easily. Plan for the worst-case scenario: a skilled CT sniper guarding the area under the bridge, and two CT's directly above you on the catwalk. If you survive, run to bomb site B.

Terrorists: end-game

If it's end-game, and you still haven't planted the bomb yet, forget about the bomb. You've wasted too much time camping, and there'll be CT's watching the bomb sites. You can still win the round by killing all CT's. You'll need a good long-range weapon to accomplish this, preferably a sniper rifle but an AK-47 will do. Word on the street is, the AK-47 is really accurate on the first shot, but then the recoil is significant if you hold down the fire button. Aim for the head, if you can. The Desert Eagle ("deagle") is my favorite pistol, you can snipe with it if you're crouching, but at long range it's ineffective.

If you're not confident that you can take out the remaining CT's all by yourself, then just stay alive so you can keep your weapons for next round. :D

Summary

- start your own empty server and run Dust, so you can learn the map layout well enough to locate the bomb sites, sniping posts, choke points, large crates, ambush areas, etc. Don't be the n00b who's the last surviving CT, wandering aimlessly while trying to find a planted bomb.

- learn the different weapons of CS, and find the weapons that best suit your playing style. Experiment with each weapon's range, recoil, rate of fire, reload time, ammo clip size, cost, etc. If you have good reflexes and can aim accurately, then try the AWP (Arctic Warfare Magnum sniper rifle). Everybody complains about it, not because it sucks but because a good AWP player can dominate Dust. If you can't hit the broad side of a barn, get the auto-shotgun. It's nasty in close-quarter combat.

- pistols are a matter of personal preference. I love the deagle, but it only has 7 rounds per clip and reload time is fairly slow. But at close range, it does massive amounts of damage. I can get a couple of headshots at medium range too.

- bind a key in your config.cfg file, so that you can make a weapon/equipment purchase instantly before the round begins

- learn to kill quickly, or else the return fire will take too much off your health. With a M4 (CT) or AK-47 (T), it only takes a couple of rounds to finish someone off, or one round if you get the headshot.

- use your radar (the green circle at the top left corner of your screen) to locate teammates, hostages, the bomb.

- CS is a team game, it's not just about your personal score. Your team must win the early rounds, so that you can get some bonus cash and afford the better weapons. If you don't win the early rounds, your opponents will buy all the nice weapons, and you'll be stuck with lower quality items.

- above all else, have fun. Some CS players take the game a little too seriously. It's just a game, like UT or Quake, except that the setting is more "realistic". Nothing but pixels on a screen.

If you would like to see more Counter-Strike map strategies, feel free to contact me.

XFire: smeerkat
E-mail: smeerkat (at) gmail (dot) com
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