Take advantage of background noise when being stealthy Running at normal speed makes noise; so does opening moving boxes, and opening grates or vents. Walking instead of running will eliminate the noise you make when moving, but to move or open things you generally must make some amount of noise, potentially giving your position away to the enemy. When you're being stealthy, it's in your best interest to wait until there is ambient noise -- such as gunfire -- to make your move. This way the noise you make is less likely to be noticed among the din. If there's no background noise available, you can make your own -- throw a grenade as a decoy. Take advantage of background firing and grenade explosions to make your move.
Avoid jumping in low gravity (low gravity) On servers with low gravity, the worst thing you can do is jump. It sends you sailing through the air in a nice, slow arc, making you an easy target. More importantly, though, your firing accuracy is severely reduced when jumping -- most rifles are nearly useless at even short range when in the air. If gravity is low, whatever you do -- don't jump.
Use smoke grenades to provide cover when none is available Smoke grenades can help provide cover when you're under sniper fire and won't survive a charge. Note that smoke billows out of the grenade slowly, in a rotating pattern -- so make sure you're on the right side of the smoke if you want to take advantage of its cover. Note that the obscurity goes both ways -- if they can't see you, then you can't see them. Excessive use of smoke grenades is often considered exploitative, since it is sometimes used to malicious reduce frame rates for others. Use smoke for cover -- but quickly, before the smoke fades away and leaves you exposed.
Use flashbang grenades before charging Flashbangs are one of the secret weapons of Counter-Strike. Flashbangs blind their opponent, for a period of time that depends on their proximity to the blast. A flashbang at close range, for instance, can leave the victim completely incapacitated for a full ten seconds -- an eternity in close quarters combat. When you know the enemy is lurking around a corner, a flashbang can be a devastating softening up weapon: Throw the flashbang, blind your enemy, and then charge and finish him off. Note that due to their relatively short duration, flashbangs are not very useful unless they are followed up with an immediate charge. Needless to say, take care not to flashbang yourself or your own team.
Cover when reloading When you are reloading you are at your most vulnerable. Different weapons take different amounts of time to reload. The shotguns -- the M3 and XM1014 -- have the most rapid reloading mechanism: You can reload them one round at a time, and fire between rounds. As for the rest of the weapons, they must be reloaded one magazine at a time. It's best to take cover when reloading -- don't continue your assault, and avoid enemy contact until you've finished reloading. When reloading, take cover and avoid getting the enemy's attention.
Don't habitually reload after a kill Many single player games that are superficially like Counter-Strike encourage players to reload almost instinctually after they score a kill, since the next enemy will be around the corner waiting for them. In Counter-Strike this a bad idea, since your enemies will often travel in groups. Instead, conserve ammunition by only using as much as you need to kill your target, and then wait until a lull in the fighting before reloading. Suppress the urge to immediately reload after every kill. Instead wait until you know there are no enemies nearby.
Use high-explosive grenades to finish off injured, pinned-down enemies Grenades are good for softening up the enemy before a charge. They really come into their own, though, when you're fighting against an enemy at moderate distance who has already taken some damage. If he has nowhere to run, then you can toss a HE grenade right into his lap and there's little he can do about it. It is particularly effective when your target is in a confined area where they cannot move about much. Corner them, pin them down, injure them, and then finish them off with a grenade.
Switch to sidearm when out of ammunition in a firefight Out of ammunition with your primary weapon? Switch to your sidearm, or, in the worst case, your knife. Practice this; if you know you're about to have an encounter with an enemy around the corner and already have a few rounds left in your primary, switch to your sidearm early so that you don't waste time switching mid-fight. If you get caught reloading, you can still switch to your sidearm (although obviously your reload won't have completed so your primary will still be out of ammo). Be ready to switch to your sidearm at a moment's notice.
Watch alcoves and corners for ambushers When rushing, be sure you watch for enemies in the nooks and crannies that you're passing. It's quite easy for an enemy to take cover and prepare for an ambush when you're rushing; you can easily find yourself when enemies in cover behind you. When rushing, don't go blindly; check for ambushers.
Follow hostages to Counter-Terrorists (Terrorist) On hostage rescue maps, when the Counter-Terrorists collect the hostages, you can hear the hostages respond (when the Terrorists collect hostages, the hostages do not say anything). As most players know, hostages are somewhat sketchy about how ably they follow their rescuers; often they get stuck in corners or at doorways and have to be led by the nose. When in an open area, though, hostages will make a beeline for their rescuer -- and this affords the pursuing Terrorists an advantage. When you spot a moving hostage, you know he's being rescued, and his motion will provide a direct line to where his rescuers are. Hostages move at about the same speed as a player at a dead run, but given their beeline motion you can often head the rescuers off at the pass. When the Counter-Terrorists collect the hostages, all is not lost: Follow the hostages to their rescuers.
Concentrate on what's ahead when rushing When you're rushing, when you near your target (say, a doorway or a corridor), you should get tunnel vision. Trying to keep tabs on everything that's going on around you is counterproductive; you will easily fall to an enemy up ahead when you're busy looking around. Concentrate on the task ahead of you; you're not going to be able to effectively deal with threats that are flanking you anyway, and your best defense from there will be to get to where you're headed and secure the area. When you're decidedly advancing, don't get distracted by what's going on around you.
Immediately retreat when blinded by a flashbang When you get blinded by a flashbang, it means that the enemy is about to rush. Pull back as best you can (given where you were just before you were blinded); if you can pull back enough, you might widen the distance between you and the advancing enemy enough that your sight returns before they engage you. The worst thing you can do is freeze, or continue your advance. If you are really caught by surprise and know that no friendlies are nearby, sometimes firing blind is the only choice left open to you. You'll probably fall anyway, but maybe you'll manage to hurt one of the advancers so that one of your teammates will have an easier time taking him out later. When blinded, retreat as best you can.
Provide assistance for your teammates You and your team are in this together; the goal is to help your team win the round, not for you to be on top of the heap. When your teammates call for help, provide assistance. When you hear nearby gunfire, divert to the area to see if you can flank an enemy. You are part of a team; act like it.
Follow your teammates' lead In a team-based game, it's important to follow the lead of your teammates that are nearby. If your teammates are waiting in ambush, you should wait in ambush too instead of rushing out and giving their position away. If you're following some people who are clearly trying to be stealthy (by walking instead of running), you should be quiet as well, or otherwise you undo their attempts to not be detected. Even when you're dealing with players who are far less experienced than you, doing things together as a team will benefit your whole team.
When sniping known enemy locations, line up and zoom, and then strafe out of cover When you're sniping, you will frequently find yourself facing off against other players -- possibly also with sniper weapons -- who have either directly spotted you or know the general area in which you're sniping from. When it's snipers vs. snipers, the first to get off the accurate shot wins. When you know the general area of your victims, instead of walking out of cover (where you yourself can be shot), zooming, lining up, and firing, try short-circuiting the process: Instead, when still behind cover, zoom one level and then step out. If you're aiming right, the enemy should be within your line of vision, at which point you can line up, possibly zooming in another level, and finish him off. This can substantially reduce the time you're exposed to enemy fire. Particularly when the other enemy is already out of cover and is waiting for you to pop out again, this can give you a fighting chance.
Always buy defuse kit (Counter-Terrorist) On bomb/defuse maps, it's in the best interests of the Counter-Terrorists to always buy a defuse kit. In previous versions of Counter-Strike, it was fairly expensive, but in 1.3 and up it is only $200, the cost of a flashbang. You should always go out of your way to pick up defuse kits that are lying on the ground due to fallen comrades, as well. Always get the defuse kit. It's a steal.
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