How Does CS2 Damage Work?

CS2 damage is one of the most important notions you need to understand. Because one of the goals of the game is to eliminate your opponents. Each of them has 100 health and often 100 armor. And based on your weapon, you will deal more or less damage per hit. 

Another key variable here is where you hit the enemy. A headshot usually deals fatal or near-fatal damage, while a leg shot deals only a tiny amount of damage. Of course, if you can hit your enemy with five or six consecutive bullets, you will probably kill him regardless of your weapon. 

But in most cases, your goal will be to aim for the head and get the job done in a fraction of a second. Otherwise, the enemy might kill you first.

Key Aspects of CS2 Damage

Damage depends on several factors: weapon type, hitbox, and armor.

The weapon type refers to the weapon used to deal damage to your opponents. An AK-47 kills with just one headshot, even if the enemy has a helmet. But it will require around 3-4 bullets to kill if you shoot him in the leg, chest, arm, stomach, or pelvis. 

The difference between shooting an armored and an unarmored opponent is significant but not huge. On average, killing an armored Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist requires one additional bullet. So if it takes 4 bullets to kill him with your weapon when he’s not wearing armor. You will need 5 bullets when he’s armored.

In CS2, wearing a kevlar vest is very effective against pistols, and SMGs, but it’s not that effective against powerful rifles. Except for those that have high armor penetration, like the Five-SeveN.

However, players still prefer to buy armor, whether Terrorists or Counter-Terrorists, simply because that one extra bullet required for the enemy to kill them may give them enough time to win the duel.

At the highest competitive level, reducing an opponent’s base damage or maximum damage with armor is very important because the duels are usually won at a difference of just a few bullets or fractions of a second. The lower your rank, the less important armor becomes. But if you can afford a full buy, go for it. It may save your life.

High Damage CS2 Weapons

CS:GO Damage
CS2 Damage

The best CS2 skins deal a lot of damage and have high armor penetration. For instance, the damage a Desert Eagle deals is sufficient to kill an enemy with a maximum of 3 shots. One bullet will be enough if you aim for the head because the damage is 214 versus unarmored enemies and 162 against armored ones.

Some guns, such as the AWP, are guaranteed to kill in almost every situation. Even shooting the target’s leg will deal 85 damage. Everything else is an instant kill, so you don’t need to attempt a headshot with this weapon.

Some of the best players in the world are known for their expertise with the AWP. Examples include s1mple, ZywOo, and dev1ce. Teams often rely on their AWP player to get an entry kill or hold a key position. A lot of CS2 strategies rely on optimal AWP usage or blocking the AWPer from getting an opening kill.

If you need a high damage weapon that’s very accurate, a good option is the SG 553. Only Terrorists can buy it, and at the professional level, they rarely do because they prefer to buy CS2 skin – AK-47 instead. It’s cheaper and the same if you know how to shoot properly. 

Also viewBest place to buy CS2 skins.

CS2 Damage

But the AK will miss most of the time for amateur players, while the scoped SG 553 will not. This gun has the advantage of being able to kill with a single headshot. And you will easily hit headshots when you use its scope. On top of that, its armor penetration is 200%, which means it completely ignores armor.

If you notice that your opponents are always buying armor, you can buy this weapon to nullify their advantage and destroy them with just a few bullets from a long range. The higher you climb in rank, the harder it will be to kill enemies from afar without getting hit. But even Global Elites miss sometimes, so the SG 553 is a solid purchase if you can afford it.

Also viewBest place to trade CS2 skins.

Damage Dealing Principles

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Every CS2 weapon has a recoil and a spray pattern. Learning how to shoot with each gun is important if you want to maximize accuracy and deal more damage.

If you aim for the legs, you’ll likely get killed each round before you get to kill your enemies. Generally, in CS2 it’s a much better idea to aim for the head, even if you miss most of the time. One bullet typically does the job of 3 or 4.

Carefully study the CS2 maps you are playing on and position yourself so that you can deal the most amount of damage. Also, keep in mind that the enemy will try to catch you out of position. So you need to understand where your opponents will come from deeply.

A big part of winning duels and getting frags is positioning yourself so that you always get to shoot first. If your aim is good, the target won’t even get to react.

It usually takes one second to kill a player if your spray control is well-trained, so your goal should always be to have the superior position or, at least, to have an equal position that will allow you to engage in a fair duel. If you get shot from behind, your odds of winning the battle are almost 0.

Posted by
William Westerlund

William is an author, editor, and an avid gamer with over 10.000 hours in CS:GO (Counter-Strike 2). He also enjoys playing Rust, Dota 2, and TF2 but never became a top 1% player in any of those games.