In the high-stakes world of Counter-Strike, mastering every game mechanic can be the difference between victory and defeat. Wallbangs in CS2 are one such tactic, and it involves shooting enemies through penetrable surfaces. This guide will delve into the mechanics of wallbanging and effective strategies to help you elevate your gameplay. Let’s get started! 

Contents

• What Are Wallbangs in CS2?
• How Wallbangs Work in CS2
  • Weapon Penetration Power
  • Surface Material and Thickness
  • Distance
• Learning Wallbangs in CS2

What Are Wallbangs in CS2? 

A wallbang involves dealing damage to opponents by shooting through obstacles like walls, floors, or other forms of cover. But it takes skill and knowledge to pull off—otherwise, everyone would be shooting each other through walls all the time! 

Check out this compilation of the best pro wallbangs in CS:GO, some of these will seriously amaze you: 

I know, right?!

It’s easy to see that mastering wallbangs offers several major tactical advantages. Perhaps the most obvious one is that wallbangs let you surprise opponents: attacking enemies through cover can catch them off guard, leading to easy kills or forcing them out of strong positions.

In longer matches, well-placed wallbangs can deter opponents from using certain spots, giving your team better control of the map. 

How Wallbangs Work in CS2

Here are the three key factors that affect the success of a wallbang: 

Weapon Penetration Power

Some weapons pack more of a punch than others, we all know that much. Penetration power is a different metric to damage inflicted, though—it specifically determines how effective a weapon is at punching though obstacles. Note that armor penetration is a separate number, too. 

Anyway, higher penetration power means that a bullet shot from the weapon retains more damage after passing through a surface. Here are the penetration power multipliers for weapons in CS2: 

• 100% (lowest penetration power): SMGs, shotguns, most pistols (except the Desert Eagle and Revolver)
• 200%: all assault rifles and machine guns, plus Desert Eagle and R8 Revolver
• 250%: all sniper rifles

It’s probably something you already knew instinctively from experience, but it’s worth putting numbers to impressions!

Of course, the weapon’s base damage output is important, too. The bigger the damage dealt by each bullet, the more damage points it will retain after passing through an obstacle. Unsurprisingly, the AWP is responsible for some of the most impressive wallbangs, but as we’ve seen from the stats above, it’s very doable with other weapons, too, depending on the circumstances. 

Some things have changed since CS:GO, by the way, so if you see any discrepancies between this guide and other information out there, this could be why. For instance, in CS:GO, sniper rifles had a penetration power of 300%, not 250%. 

Surface Material and Thickness

The next factor is basically what you’re trying to shoot through. That bullet is going to have a much harder time punching through a concrete wall than it will through a wooden crate, right? 

So, softer materials like wood allow bullets to retain more damage, while harder materials like concrete or metal reduce damage more significantly. Thicker barriers further decrease bullet damage, sometimes rendering low-penetration weapons ineffective.

Distance

Last but not least, distance. The range of the weapon you’re using will matter here, but in general, the farther away you are from your target, the lower the damage. So, you may be able to wallbang through wood at a medium range with a Deagle, but you won’t get the same effect if you’re shooting from farther away. Again, it’s logical, really, but not everything in Counter-Strike follows any kind of logic, so it’s worth pointing out!

Learning Wallbangs in CS2

To utilize wallbangs effectively, consider the following strategies:

• Build your map knowledge: Familiarize yourself with common hiding spots and the materials of walls in different areas. This knowledge helps you identify where wallbangs are most effective. You can find tons of YouTube videos showing the best wallbang spots on each map—learn them in advance!
• Use sound cues: Listen for footsteps, reloading, or grenade pins to pinpoint enemy locations behind cover. Using sound cues enhances the accuracy of your wallbangs.
• Practice: Spend time in custom servers experimenting with different wallbang spots to understand bullet trajectories and damage reduction through various materials. 
• Employ teamwork: Communicate with your team to synchronize wallbang attempts. At more advanced levels, players work with teammates to lure enemies into predictable positions behind penetrable cover, then execute a wallbang to catch them off guard.

Remember that you can use bots for more efficient practice sessions. You can control them quite accurately using practice console commands—for instance, this command will place a bot in the spot you’re looking at: 

bot_place

Check out our other guides to find out how to kick bots or add more to your practice sessions, and how to change bot difficulty in CS2. And speaking of bots, fun fact: even at the highest difficulty settings, they never use wallbangs. 

Wallbanging in CS2 is a potent tactic that, when mastered, can provide a significant advantage over opponents. By understanding the mechanics, practicing key spots, and employing strategic thinking, you can incorporate wallbangs into your gameplay to surprise enemies and control the battlefield. Next, check out our guide to advanced movement in CS2 for more gameplay tips and ideas!