In this article, there are no fancy words or anything to boast about, only my own understanding of CS endgame situations over the past five years. Therefore, this article is not divided into experts or novices; everyone can think about something useful for themselves.

It is often said that the most important thing in CS is having good awareness, and that good awareness is better than good aim. I agree with this. No one would be satisfied with being merely labeled as a player with good aim; being a player with good awareness is what everyone strives for. So, what I am going to talk about next is what a person who is confident in their aim can do in endgame situations.

“Endgame” refers to the situation where the match has opened up, and both sides have suffered losses. The final decisive battle is what I consider the endgame. Here, we will not discuss situations where the enemy has suffered heavy losses, nor will we discuss N vs. N situations. Because there are too many methods for N vs. N. We will only discuss the awareness of 1 vs. N endgame situations. Often, in endgame situations, one side is left with only one or two players, and this is the most critical moment, involving the key moment when one side is completely wiped out. Below, I will list the specific mental states and handling methods for each endgame situation.

Guiding Principle: If you don’t advance, you will retreat. If our side is left with one or two players and the enemy has enough strength to eliminate you, you can choose to save your weapons. However, miracles do not happen while you are slowly waiting to save your weapons (unless you are waiting for the enemy to collectively disconnect -_-!!). Therefore, effective offense is the best strategy.

Endgame Strategy: In endgame situations, the strategic policy of effective offense is to divide and conquer. In endgame situations, our side is at a numerical disadvantage, so we should adopt the strategy of defeating the enemy one by one.

With this thought and strategy, let’s take DUST2 as an example and talk about the T side first. In a 1 vs. 1 situation, planting the bomb first is the safest option, without involving any difficult techniques. In a 1 vs. 2-3 situation, since the enemy has a numerical advantage, you should try to take out one CT on the way to the bomb site, thus creating a 1 vs. 1-2 situation. After planting the bomb, you can still compete with 1-2 CTs. Next is the thrilling 1 vs. 4-5 situation. For a CS player with good awareness, the number of enemies doesn’t mean much because, in the long duration of a round, any miracle can happen.

In a 1 vs. 4-5 situation, the importance of strategy is highlighted: divide and conquer. The 4-5 CTs generally won’t allow you to survive. They will usually press forward step by step, looking for your location. If you are using a main weapon, it’s still manageable, but if you are using an AWP, you are in even greater danger. Once the 4-5 CTs find you, they will swarm out to eliminate you. At this time, you need to keep a clear mind. The sound of the swarming CTs becomes their weakness. After successfully eliminating 1-2 CTs one by one, you can continue to fight according to the 1 vs. 2-3 strategy. However, many teams that rely on steady play may not swarm out but will instead divide their forces to guard two points. In this case, you don’t need to bother dividing the enemy because, whether it’s A or B, there are only 2-3 CTs guarding each point. You can solve 1-2 people at one point, then turn to another point, and take out 1-2 CTs rushing to defend on the way, then plant the bomb, creating a 1 vs. 2-3 situation. Or you can completely eliminate the 2-3 CTs at one point, plant the bomb, and achieve a 1 vs. 2-3 situation. In this way, the miracle of 1 vs. 4-5 is not a dream, completely shattering the CTs’ sweet dreams.

Next, let’s talk about the CT side. In endgame situations, in a 1 vs. 1 situation, the best method is to judge the enemy’s direction, guard one point first, and if the enemy sees through it and plants the bomb, then return to another point to defuse the bomb. There is no particularly good method. In a 1 vs. 2-3 endgame situation, since the enemy is T, they will have one T plant the bomb, and the other two will search for your location around the bomb site. This is your opportunity. If your probing attack successfully eliminates 1-2 Ts, you can go to the bomb site for a final fight. Victory or defeat is on a thin line. Next is the main event, the awareness of a 1 vs. 4-5 endgame situation.

For CTs, a 1 vs. 4-5 situation is probably the most difficult. If the enemy successfully plants the bomb, you only have a few dozen seconds to take out 4-5 well-ambushed Ts. In this situation, we can use the map itself to divide the 4-5 Ts into those outside the bomb site and those inside the bomb site. We need to choose whether to attack from the inside out or from the outside in. If attacking from the inside out: for example, if the bomb is planted at B, you can choose to attack the bomb site from B tunnel, clear out 1-2 Ts inside B, and then wait for the Ts rushing to reinforce. If the bomb is planted at A, you can choose to cut in from the small path, clear out 1-2 Ts at the bomb site, and then wait for the enemy reinforcements. If attacking from the outside in: for example, if the bomb is planted at B, you can cut in from the middle door, eliminate 1-2 Ts ambushed outside the bomb site, and then go to the bomb site for a final fight, or after eliminating 1-2 Ts from the middle door, go around B tunnel and directly enter B for a final fight, attacking the Ts from behind. If the bomb is planted at A, you can attack from A long, eliminate 1-2 Ts outside the bomb site, and then go to A bomb site for a final fight, or sneak around A long to take out 1-2 Ts, and then attack the bomb site from A small path, hitting the enemy from behind. With such combat methods, the miracle of 1 vs. 4-5 can also happen.

Of course, the above tactics will not succeed every time, but even if you eliminate multiple enemies on your way to 1 vs. N and fail to win the round, it will still be a heavy blow to the enemy’s economy. It is likely to bring our side a global advantage in the next few rounds. The above discussion is about dividing the enemy by numbers and defeating them one by one. Of course, the specific execution depends on each of you. In fact, 1 vs. N is not difficult, as long as you pay attention to the details of each match, there will be many enemy loopholes to exploit. But on the battlefield, the key is to timely discover and utilize the enemy’s loopholes. Seize the enemy’s loopholes, and any miracle can happen. I wish everyone more joy in the world of CS.