Economic Management in Counter-Strike: When To Buy, Save, or Force-Buy

There’s more to winning in Counter-Strike 2 than deadly offensives and timely bomb defusals. In fact, one of the most crucial success metrics is economic management. It might sound boring, but knowing how in-game currency works and how to best manage your inventory can give you a significant edge over the enemy. Are you a first-time Counter-Strike player? Perhaps you’re struggling to make sense of the economy refinements in CS2. Read on for a handy primer to get you up to speed. 

Counter-Strike Economy Explained 

As with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Counter-Strike 2 has its own in-game economy. It’s all about carefully managing your arsenal and resources, with virtual dollars the currency you’ll be using to replenish your stocks in between matches. You can pocket additional dollars in a few different ways and you’re advised to utilize all of them if you want to access the best armor and weapons. 

The good news is that you’ll earn in-game currency no matter the outcome of your most recent match. While you’ll pocket more from a win, even a losing result will see you walk away with an improved bank balance. If you successfully plant or defuse a bomb, you’ll even more. Finally, the more enemies you kill, the more money you make. 

However, there is one exception to the rule. Those playing as terrorists won’t earn any money after a game, even if they make it past the final moments without being dispatched by the enemy. However, while they won’t walk away with any additional cash, they are able to retain their equipment and use it in the following round. 

When funds are tight, you need to be meticulous when selecting your loadout. You’ll become better at this the more you play, especially once you’ve settled into a particular role. It’s a taller order for certain roles. If you want to start a game with an awesome AWPer loadout, upfront costs can be considerable. Looking for some loadout inspiration? Head to www.1337pro.com/en/csgo/match-scores to find the latest Counter-Strike fixture information. 

Best Ways to Make Money in Counter-Strike

Every time you kill an enemy in Counter-Strike 2, you’ll earn money. Otherwise known as frags, you’ll be awarded different sums, depending on which weapon you use to do the deed. Frags attained by using one of the many assault rifles in CS2 will net you $300, while you’ll earn the same amount if you use a grenade or pistol. Shotgun and SMG frags will bring you $900, while those lucky enough to land the killing blow with a knife will pocket $1,500. 

Match outcomes are far more generous when it comes to dollar incentives. After a round has finished, the winning team will earn $3,250. If the terrorist side manages to win with a successful explosion, they’ll win $3,500. Counter-terrorist sides earn the same if they manage to defuse the bomb. 

However, even those suffering a losing streak aren’t left out in the cold. After an initial $1,400 for your first loss, you’ll receive another $500 for every successive loss. However, bear in mind that this is capped at a total of $3,400. 

How Much Should You Be Spending?

Attacking teams should generally aim to spend around $4,000 to $5.000 each on loadouts. If you’re playing the defensive team, you can expect to shell out even more. However, you’re not going to have this level of funds readily available all the time. Thankfully, different types of rounds have different approaches when it comes to economic management. 

Economic rounds are for those with limited funds. In the case of an Eco Round, each player will have less than $2,000 to spend on weapons and equipment. With so little money to spend, most players are limited to nothing more than a sidearm. There’s also the polar opposite of eco rounds. In these cases, players spend sky-high sums on overpowered weapons in order to secure as many frags and as much reward as possible. 

As in the real world, there’s a trick to spending your money wisely in Counter-Strike. In a Full Buy round, players are tasked with spending their money on the best possible weapons and equipment. Semi-Buy rounds are less common, falling somewhere in between Eco Rounds and Full Buy rounds. While your money won’t stretch to a full arsenal, you can make some compromises to make your funds go a little further. Go with a solid pistol, an inexpensive rifle, and a good stock of grenades. Finally, there are Force Buy rounds. In this scenario, you’ll be spending every available dollar on your loadout, no matter how much money you have in the bank. 

Economic Management: Essential Tips 

It’s pretty common for there to be some disparity between funds, even within the same team. While there’s no option for donating money directly to teammates, there is an easy enough turnaround. If a well-funded player wants to help a cash-strapped teammate, they can simply overstock on weapons and equipment and drop them during the subsequent round. Their teammates can then retrieve the surplus. 

Managing economics in Counter-Strike has always been a balancing act. Ultimately, it’s a case of practice that makes perfect. To preempt the enemy, make sure you’re paying close attention to what’s happening in any given round. By getting a handle on how many frags your rivals have attained, you’ll be able to estimate how much they have to spend on their next loadout.