What’s the difference between Heaven and a Catwalk? It sounds like the setup for a punchline, but in Counter-Strike 2, the joke will be on you if don’t know the answer. Communication is crucial to success in CS2, but positional callouts won’t help you clutch if you haven’t got a clue what they’re referring to. That’s where we come in. Hundreds of hours of mediocre CS plays have built up a databank of common CS2 callouts that we can now share with you. Learn them, and you learn how to outmaneuver your opponents.
Common CS2 callouts you need to know
© Valve
A quick note: These CS2 callouts aren’t map-specific. Instead, they’re general terms you’ll hear players use to indicate types of locations. There are plenty of callouts tied specifically to each map, and the more experienced you get, the more of them you’ll need to learn. But for now, the CS2 callouts below will give you enough fundamental knowledge to know where to wave the shooty end of your AK or M4 when enemies are closing in.
CT Spawn
The area in which Counter-Terrorists – that’s the team in blue, the defending side on Defuse maps, and the attacking side on rarer Hostage maps – start each round. This can often be a broad area, so don’t be afraid to give more specifics if you’re the one calling it.
T Spawn
You guessed it: this is the area in which Terrorists – that’s the team in reddy orange, the attacking side on Defuse maps, and the defenders Hostage maps – start each round. Much like for CT spawn, this can be a large area. Specifics are welcomed when calling out locations to your team.
Mid
The middle lane of the map. Most CS2 maps are split into three main lanes: one to Bombsite A, one to Bombsite B, and finally one between the two. Mid is a valuable location to contest as it usually offers an extra and shorter route into A,B, or both. Again, this is a large area, so give extra detail when calling this to your allies (e.g. top mid, bottom mid, behind boxes mid, etc.).
Window
Several maps feature a window from which players, typically on the defending side, can watch down a lane for the enemy team. A good example is the large window on the CT end of Mirage’s Mid area. Window is often a position held by snipers. It’s common for attackers to block it off with smoke grenades.
Connector
A small lane/tunnel/hallway which links two sectors of the map together. This could be join one of the sites to Mid or connect Mid to one of the spawn areas. That’s a broad set of options, but if you’re unsure of the specific name of a small linking area, Connector will probably get the message across.
© Valve
A or B Long
The longer path between the attacking team’s spawn and the A or B Site. Many maps, such as the iconic Dust_2, feature two paths onto a single bombsite. The Long route tends to skirt the edges of the map, requiring more time to traverse. On Dust_2, Long A is the path Terrorists can take through the large double doors which leads to a long, sandy lane to the site.
A or B Short
The shorter path between the attacking team’s spawn and the A or B site. Short tends to be a more direct route which lies closer to or directly overlaps with Mid. On Dust_2, Short is the path reached by taking the raised catwalk on the right side of Mid.
Catwalk
A raised, flat pathway within another area on which players are typically exposed to several angles. Both Dust_2 and Mirage feature a Catwalk section on the right side of Mid.
Apartments
An indoor sequence of rooms and hallways that look like they could be a livable space. Apartments are typically elevated in height. Inferno features an Apartments area on the right-hand route attackers can take to A Site. Similarly, Mirage features an Apartments area on the right-hand route to B Site.
© Valve
A Main
The main entrance through which T-side attackers will arrive onto A Site. If you’re a defender on A, this is one of the primary places you’ll be watching. On Mirage, for example, A Main is the lower building with a small set of stairs in that Ts must walk up and through to reach the site.
B Main
The main entrance through which T-side attackers will arrive onto B Site. If you’re a defender on B, this is one of the primary places you’ll be watching.
Heaven
An extremely elevated position, typically only reached via ladder. If you need to look up significantly to check an area, it’s probably okay to call it Heaven. On Nuke, Heaven is the small square room at the top of a ladder in the upper corner of A Site.
Hell
The location directly underneath Heaven (if there is one). Confirmation that Hell does exist, but only on some Counter-Strike 2 maps. On Nuke, this is the small room at the bottom of the ladder up to Heaven.
© Valve
Boost
Any location which requires one player to jump on top of another to reach. CS2 maps are littered with boostable spots that sneaky players can use to catch opponents off guard. Unfortunately, you’ll just need to learn where they are the painful way. But if someone calls that an opponent is on boost? A good tip is to look up a bit.
Site
This CS2 call refers to the plantable area of a bombsite (and its nearby surroundings). It’s a very vague call, but it’ll let you know the general location of an enemy.
Safe/Default Plant
The standard plant spot used by Terrorists when taking a bombsite. It is usually the easiest and most protected place to plant safely without risking being shot. If, as an attacker, your team is still fighting for control of the site or fending off other enemies, this is where you should probably plant. Pay attention to where teammates and opponents plant on each map to learn the safe plants for each.
Open Plant
If the attackers have full control of a site and know that their enemies are a long way off, they may choose to plant in a more open, vulnerable location with little cover.. This is risky, but it pays off by making the bomb much easier for Ts to defend from multiple angles once it’s down.
Perfect your callouts with the Cloud III gaming headset
© HyperX
In CS2, you don’t need to see an enemy to know where they are. A good headset will offer you even more intel than callouts from your teammates. Sound cues will let you know not just how far your opponent is, but also what surface they’re running on and how many friends they have with them. Pinpoint them precisely and you can relay that information to your team.
To that end, if you really want to make the most of CS2 callouts, you’ll need a premium gaming headset like the HyperX Cloud III. Its 53mm drivers deliver the response range needed to pick out those telltale signs of an imminent attack. And thanks to its noise-canceling mic with a built-in mesh filter, your teammates will have no excuses for not heeding your warnings.
And just like that, you’ve learned all the common CS2 callouts you need to know to get started! Communication is a huge boon in CS. If you want to step up your skills further, you’ll also want to begin learning the names of map-specific locations.
