CSGO: How To Win Duels & Be More Successful

CSGO: How To Win Duels & Be More Successful

We go over some top tips to help you win duels and be more successful in your next round of CSGO.


Counter-Stike: Global Offensive has been one of the leading games for more than 10 years. The successor of the most popular shooter in the world is the go-to eSport and the fan-favorite game for many players. However, not everyone can afford to play for numerous hours every day so that they can get better. Sometimes, people need help, which is why this CSGO guide will include most of the basic things you should know to improve as a player.

As one of the highest-skill-capped games in the world, CSGO requires you to spend a lot of time if you want to get better. Although you will have to play a lot even after reading this guide, it should help you improve faster as long as you follow the tips. The things you’re about to read can be applied on any patch, so let’s dive in.

[embedded content]

Learning how to peek is of utmost importance

Whether you’re playing as a T or CT, one of the first things that will help you improve as a player is learning how to peek. People who don’t master this technique always have problems because their opponents can kill them much faster.

Before you learn how to peek, you should remember that this “technique” has several components. First, you need to spot the enemy, which can be easier said than done in situations when he is far away. Once you know where he is, the next step is to stop moving so you can aim. This is where it gets tricky, and many people fail because they keep running or stop right away, which allows their opponents to score a kill.

The next step in this process is to adjust your crosshair, which means you should place it on your target. Depending on his position, this can be really difficult, especially if he has an AWP. Lastly, you have to shoot and kill him before you die.

As you can see, learning how to peek is complicated, and there are many things that can go wrong. While you have to complete all of the steps mentioned above, your opponent already holds the angle, so he just needs to shoot as soon as you show up. In other words, you need to be better than him to overcome his advantage and land a kill.

How do you do that?

Besides playing as much as possible, one of the things that will help you improve a lot is having good crosshair placement. What this means is that you have to place your crosshair in a way that will allow you to start shooting as soon as possible. Ideally, your crosshair should be on your opponent’s head, but you may aim for the body, depending on the situation.

The so-called “pre-aiming”  sounds difficult, but in reality, it is not. However, the only way to do this efficiently is if you’re familiar with all of the common sports that your opponents will be at. Needless to say, every map has at least a couple of them, so make sure to watch some of the popular guides or watch replays of professional players.

Aside from watching the best, you can always go find an empty server or simply go to Dust 2 or any other map and practice on your own. Some people also play Deathmatch, but this is not the best option because of its randomness.

Besides crosshair placement, you also have to learn how to counter-strafe. We have a separate guide on it, but to sum up, it is a movement technique that allows you to feel like you’re moving and shooting without actually doing it. 

How to hold an angle?

Now that you know how to peek and which are things to look out for, it is time to check out how to hold an angle in CSGO. Naturally, you will do this a lot on the CT side, but there are cases where you will have to do it while playing as a T.

The first and most important thing to remember is that you need to hold an angle that gives you an advantage. If you’re staying in a position where enemies can kill you easily, you should choose a different angle. 

Every popular CSGO map has its good and bad angles that you should focus on. Since you will have to defend it, you must do everything you can to kill as many opponents as possible.

Holding tips

Besides watching the best players in the world for tips on how to hold a given angle, it is advisable to go to an open server and practice. Although some maps have default positions that everyone knows they work, such as the terrace on Mirage, you may discover new options that you weren’t aware of. The fact that something is good for a given player might not work for you, so keep that in mind.

A very important tip once you start playing against real people is that you must do different things every round. If you’ve found a really cool angle that allows you to get kills, do not use it more than once or twice per game. Needless to say, your enemies will learn where you like to stay and will be ready to kill you.

In addition to the tips and tricks about holding a given angle and peeking to win a duel, you need to make sure your aim is on point. We have a dedicated CSGO aim guide that can help you, but if you want to improve as fast as possible, you just need to play more. 

Although some people practice by playing matchmaking, the easiest way to become a better aimer is by focusing on Deathmatch. This will allow you to be in a constant 1 vs x battle, which means you will improve much faster. Make sure you practice with all weapons that matter. This includes the AWP, AK-47, M4A4, and more.

Time Stamp:

More from Esports News Network