CSGO AWP

One of the sniper rifles in the Counter-Strike series is the Magnum Sniper Rifle (AWP).

As one of the most commonly used weapons in the Counter-Strike series, the AWP has become known as a “high risk, high reward” weapon due to its high power and low firing rate.

Overview

UK-based Accuracy International manufactures the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare series of sniper rifles. There’s an Arctic Warfare Police (AWP) variant chambered in NATO 7.62x51mm, which law enforcement agencies use. The Arctic Warfare Magnum, which fires the.338 Lapua Magnum is the inspiration for the Magnum Sniper Rifle in Counter-Strike. Arctic Warfare inspired the AWP in Global Offensive.

A bolt-action sniper rifle in-game called the AWP has a 10-round magazine capacity and is available to both teams. In Assassination maps, the Counter-Terrorists cannot purchase the AWP. They can, however, acquire them from terrorists who have been killed.

This weapon is a long-range weapon that is highly accurate and powerful enough to stop an enemy in its tracks. However, its high price tag and cumbersome playstyle necessitate extensive training, practice, accuracy, and experience to use it effectively.

The rifle lacks a crosshair and is highly inaccurate without a scope. When scoped in, secondary fire can be used to zoom in and out, and pressing secondary fire again does so. While scoping in, the player’s movement speed is slowed. When the weapon is fired, the player is forced to briefly exit the scope to operate the bolt before the gun returns to the area automatically. The range will be lost if the player uses secondary fire at a higher zoom setting or switches weapons. As long as the scope’s crosshair is on target and the rifle is not moved while zoomed in, it can hit just about anything.

It has an extremely high damage value, a significant source of its notoriety. Regardless of armour, it can one-shot kill enemies with a single hit anywhere except the legs. Only two characters in the game can take 200 damage from the AWP and still survive, and that’s VIP and Lab Rat. The Lab Rat’s increased health (to 120 HP) in the Danger Zone allows him to absorb all the damage. Both of these players can be killed with a single headshot. Its high base damage and penetration power make it an excellent wall-banging weapon.

The AWP shines in terms of accuracy and power. However, in terms of handling, the AWP falls short. To maintain a competitive advantage, the weapon’s accuracy must be maximized by using the scope at all times, even while running or walking. It has a low rate of fire because it is a bolt-action rifle. Using the AWP at close range is problematic because it slows players down significantly. Reload times are also longer in Source and Global Offensive, which means that they are less accurate when fired right after cycling the bolt.

There is one more major drawback to this weapon, and it is its hefty price tag. It is also the most expensive ammo in-game, costing $125 per magazine 338 Lapua Magnum AWP. Furthermore, in Global Offensive, the reduced kill reward makes it less profitable for the team that uses it. A tremendous amount of skill and teamwork are required to use the AWP effectively so that its use does not become an economic burden and drag down the entire team or even get killed and let the enemy claim a free AWP.

Enemy players can quickly identify AWP players by their distinctive sounds when they fire the weapon, allowing them to adjust their tactics accordingly.

Tactics

As opposed to other sniper rifles, aim for the chest as much as possible instead of the head. As long as the AWP doesn’t hit the leg or an obstacle in the way, it can kill the enemy with a single shot.
At medium range, aim for a headshot to ensure immediate death because the enemy may be shielded by the cover, allowing them to retaliate with their fire.

Wallbangs (hitting enemies through walls) deal 53 damage on a single wall surface, 25 damage from two wall surfaces, or a one-hit kill on a headshot on some maps for experienced players. This strategy relies heavily on accuracy, foresight, and a little luck.
Unlike most weapons, the AWP has tremendous stopping power and can penetrate through walls.
If a player wishes to fire at a closer target, switching to another weapon and back allows the player to get their pistol(s) ready early and prevents the automatic re-scoping that can throw off the player’s field of view.
Leg wounds are not lethal for full-health targets, so avoid shooting at them.
Because both sniper rifles require two shots to kill an enemy with total health, the SSG 08 is a viable alternative in the danger zone as a result of the SSG 08’s improved mobility and slightly faster rate of fire.

In Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, the AWP retains in-scope accuracy if fired before returning to the scoped view, as long as the player stands still or kneels.

By holding the primary attack button and retaining an accurate shot, an experienced user can even mark a central red dot (1.6 and Condition Zero) of the crosshairs with a non-permanent sketch or marker pen of the color of the crosshair’s crosshair. In theory, the AWP can be fired without the player aiming down the sights.

This tactic is useless in Counter-Strike: Source and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The AWP can be fired with the same precision whether it is scoped or not. In addition, the AWP cannot be fired until the primary attack button has been released and pressed again after the rifle has been cocked.

You must remain seated while firing your weapon, as moving while doing so significantly reduces its accuracy.

Avoid stooping to look around a corner. Crouch-walking makes it more likely that the enemy will see you peek first, as it reduces your mobility. Find and kill the enemy by using strafing, aiming, and scoping. Be as quick as you can, as peeking around a corner will expose you to different angles, and the enemy can kill you before you can take aim and shoot. Train to land flick shots or quick scopes so you can quickly take out your opponent.

By taking cover, you avoid being exposed to an enemy sniper’s first shot. It’s always a good idea to switch shooting locations if the enemy has already trained on your original target and is ready to fire.
Between shots, take cover to prevent the enemy from getting a chance to attack. As long as you’re careful, enemies may be waiting for the right moment to open fire when you emerge.

Keep moving, even if your opponents don’t know where the shot is coming from at first. To avoid being flanked by the enemy team, drive to the sniping position after killing one or two opponents. Using a killcam can reveal your general location, making it easier for a victim to respawn and take revenge.

Maintain a peripheral vision for possible enemy flanks while using a scope for long periods.

A bullet from the AWP can kill the VIP in one-and-a-half hits in Assassination maps since the Terrorists’ semiautomatic sniper rifle cannot be purchased.

The AWP is also unavailable to Counter-Terrorists, who can only purchase the Krieg 550 Commando. Due to its lack of accuracy and inability to kill without a headshot, the AWP is typically used by terrorist snipers to take down SG550 users. As long as the first shot fails, the SG550 users are more likely to return fire because of the distinctive sound signature of the AWP weapon.

Even though the VIP has total health and armor, the AWP can kill the VIP with a single shot to the head, even if the VIP is standing still or unaware.

Keep an eye on your surroundings and set up camp where the enemy won’t flank you.

Additionally, if possible, have a teammate act as a shield in situations where visibility is an issue.

Close-quarters combat can be dangerous, so be careful. Because of the weapon’s low fire rate, users cannot engage in close-range combat. Strafe or flee with a machine pistol. Always engage in close combat with at least one non-sniping teammate. Alternatively, CZ75 Auto, Tec-9, or Five-SeveN is a good backup pistol for AWP users, especially when confronted with an enemy or a group of enemies at close range in an economically favorable situation. Faster-firing guns will make it easier to take out the enemy or, at the very least, provide solid defense.

Use the scope on the AWP at all times, as it is highly inaccurate at long ranges. Damage is not reduced, but quick-scoping is not recommended because the bullet may not always kill a target with total health instantly. Counter-attacks can be made more difficult if an AWP user is left open.

Using the AWP to fire at a target while crouching or standing still was a common tactic before Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

When using the AWP scope in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s latest update, the scope blurs for about a second, making the shot highly inaccurate if it’s fixed immediately.

In Counter-Strike, the AWP is the only weapon that can kill an armoured opponent in one shot.
With an AWP in older games, the bots always switch to their pistol, no matter how many rounds are left in the weapon.

Update History

Counter-Strike Global Offensive updates

24-February-2020

No more sudden spike in AWP crouching movement acceleration after a shot has been fired.

March 31, 2015

AWP and Autosnipers have had their scoped movement values lowered.

August 28, 2014

Reduced AWP and SSG08 scope effects now that accurate accuracy/recoil values are being used.
In various locations, the fixed scope zoom pops up (on ladders, etc.).
In the 8/27/14 patch, a scope effect view for scaling was removed that was used to match incorrect accuracy values.

January 23, 2013

There was a $50 increase in the AWP’s kill reward, now at $100.
The AWP deploy animation was increased to 1.25 seconds on August 10, 2012.

Appearances

Counter-Strike

The rooftop simulation in the later-removed Counter-Terrorist Training Center map required the Magnum Sniper Rifle.

Deleted Scenes

Only in Counter-Terrorist Training and Miami Heat does the Magnum Sniper Rifle appear as a weapon of choice for Terrorists. A bright red laser indicates where they are aiming, and they will fire at both players and Counter-Terrorist NPCs. If an AWP-wielding enemy kills a Counter-Terrorist NPC, they may be gibbed. There are a few missions where you can make use of the rifle:

Weapons demonstrations at the shooting range are part of counter-terrorism training. Behind the weapons counter, they can also be seen.
When you take out the terrorist sniper, you’ll get this weapon as a reward: Thin Ice.
The player finds an opening in the ledge wall to the centre of the roof near the top of the building while walking on the ledge. An ammo supply and a weapon can be found at the exact location by jumping across a series of lights protruding from the building’s side. When the player is captured, they no longer have access to this weapon’s ammo.

Trivia

In Counter-Strike, the AWP has three firing animations, each with a slightly different bolt pull angle.
The AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is expected to feature an all-black finish, as shown in the Launch Trailer.

However, this was changed in the development of the Global Offensive.

When damaged skin is applied to an AWP in Global Offensive, the frame is black, indicating that the weapon’s default green colour is also a weapon finish layer.
The third-person model of the AWP in Counter-Strike 1.6 and Condition Zero is concise, almost equal in length to the AK-47. The source code has been updated to correct this issue.
Although the AWP’s Beta 1.1 draw sound is identical to the Glock-18’s Beta 1.1 draw sound, the weapon isn’t cocked or cycling.
The AWP’s third-person model in Counter-Strike has an olive green finish rather than the dark green finish of the first-person model.
Contrary to the rest of the series, the AWP in Counter-Strike: Source’s Deleted Scenes is brown rather than green.
With a 20-round magazine instead of a 10-round one and a higher rate of fire than the Scout, the Accuracy International AWSM in Left 4 Dead 2’s German version is nearly a direct port of the Counter-Strike: Source version.

In the third-person view, there is no animation for pulling a bolt. However, the rifle will still discharge an empty shell from a third-person perspective. There was a new animation for the bolt pull when it was added to Source.

Although the AWP’s bolt is visible in the first-person view in Source, the third-person animation depicts the character cycling a nonexistent bolt on the right side of the rifle.

Since Counter-Strike 1.6, the AWP has an unusable bipod.

In 1.6 and Source, the bipod does not appear in the third person but in the first.

A bipod is absent from the AWP NPCs used in Deleted Scenes but is present in the world model.
“ACUMEN MULTINATIONAL ENGLAND AKA OAKRIDGE Tn” is engraved on the AWP barrel in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This is likely a corruption of the actual weapon manufacturer, Accuracy International.
Players who pre-ordered Global Offensive will receive the AWPer Hand, a promotional item for Team Fortress 2, as a Genuine quality item. To honour the AWP’s notoriety, the weapon model has been carried over from Global Offensive.
GoldSrc games only feature front sights on the barrel of the G22 AWM, the German version of the AWM.

Although the first-person front sights have been removed in Source, the third-person rear sights have remained.

The bolt is never retracted before a new magazine is loaded in any game.
The Magnum Sniper Rifle’s reload animation in Counter-Strike shows the bullet casing rising from the ground and falling into the eject port, which is the opposite of what should be happening.