The gameplay loop in Counter-Strike 2 sees each team of players partaking in an economy system, as they gain money and spend it to buy gear each round.
But knowing when to splurge and when to save are key skills, you shouldn’t spend frivolously each round!
In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to use the economy in Counter-Strike 2 to gain advantage.
Economy Guide for Counter-Strike 2: When to Buy or Save Money
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the game’s economy, there are two main terms you should know:
Eco – also called “eco round”. This is a round in which a team decides to purchase just the bare essentials and nothing else. Usually, this is armor, a helmet, and a cheap weapon.
Full buy – this is a round in which your team cashes in on savings by purchasing the best weapons and gear they can.
Save round – a round where you and your team decide to forego any purchases. No buying!
Communicating with your team to decide what to do each round is also extremely important in this game.
Having a player or two full buy while the rest save is usually a waste, it’s best when the entire team is on equal footing!
There’s also a certain tug-of-war to the game’s economy. Killing an enemy will earn you money, while the enemy will lose money by having to rebuy the gear they lost in death.
This extends further to rounds themselves: winning or losing also impacts the economy for each team. Winners generally earn more money, though the losing team also gets a bonus to help them out.
The loss bonus increases with consecutive losses, giving the losing team a chance to come back from a bad streak!
However, winners do get a monetary advantage, so they should choose to keep investing in the next round to keep their win streak going.
Conversely, losers might want to play more conservatively unless they’re unlikely to win. The worse the situation gets, the more a losing team should spend to try to turn things around.
Round Outcomes
Now that you know the basic workings of the game’s economy, it’s time to learn how the different round outcomes affect the economy.
There are five main outcomes to every single round in most Counter-Strike 2 maps:
Ts eliminate CTs – T wins and each T player earns $3250.
CTs eliminate Ts – CT wins and each T player earns $3250.
The bomb is defused – CT wins and each CT player earns $3500.
The bomb is detonated – T wins and each T player earns $3500.
Time out – CT wins and each CT play earns $3250.
Time-outs are extremely rare, but the time-out condition essentially means that T players want to play more aggressively.
When to Buy and When to Save: What to Do Each Round
Moving on, it’s now time to go into full detail about when to buy and save!
Every match starts with a Pistol Round. It’s a good idea to buy armor during this round, as it can help in the long round. Additionally, you can buy a P250 or Five Seven if you suspect the other team will buy armor.
T should focus on planting the bomb in this round, while the CT should buy one defuse kit and communicate where it is to save money for later rounds.
The outcome of this round should decide how you use your money for the next round as follows:
Playing as T, lost without planting the bomb – Save.
Playing as T, lost but played the bomb – Save or Eco Round.
Playing as CT, lost and T planted the bomb – Save.
Playing as CT, lost but T didn’t plant the bomb – Eco Round.
Playing as CT, won – Eco or Full Buy.
If you lose two rounds in a row, you should save or eco until you get a minimum of $3700 on T or $4300 on CT. Once you reach that amount, full buy and try to stage a comeback!
Do note that T players get an extra bonus on the loss if they manage to plant the bomb before losing. As such, your team should prioritize the bomb when playing as T, as it allows for an easier comeback.
If you keep losing rounds as either team and have saved up enough, you should definitely full buy, including grenades and utility. If you’re about to lose, you might as well go all out trying to come back!
Nonetheless, now you know the basic guidelines of how the game’s economy works and when to save or buy. Play the money game right and you’ll gain the upper hand against the other team!
Venezuelan gamer cursed by being interested by most games, resulting in a ridiculous backlog he’ll never be able to conquer. Been gaming for over two decades now! Few things exemplify his wide variety in gaming tastes as the fact that he’s a big fan of both Souls games and the Atelier series at the same time. Also a big fan of Yakuza/Like a Dragon, Deadly Premonition, Zero Escape, and Dead Rising, among others. Considers Lost Judgment and Sekiro to both be masterpieces.