Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) is one of the most iconic games to have captivated the imagination of gamers across the world. Needless to say, it offers an immersive gaming experience to users and is considered among the best shooting games ever. However, while the conventional gameplay in CSGO is exciting enough, there are alternate options as well to offer a different kind of gaming experience away from the battlefield. Yes, we are talking CSGO surf maps that are specifically designed for this purpose.
What is CSGO Surfing?
Surfing in CSGO is all about navigating several obstacles and ramps with a sliding movement which improves the general gameplay experience as well. Most of the core gameplay consists of competitive tournaments and pitched enemy battles among teams. However, surfing offers a refreshing break for battle-weary game players.
If you are thinking about how to surf in CSGO, while there is a slide option in the regular gameplay, in the Surf mode, one can experience an advanced form of surfing. In this mode, players can slide on slanted walls and ramps built in these surf maps. On this note, we might add that it is also possible to learn about successful surfing techniques by studying CSGO pro settings used by pro gamers.Â
Advantages of Surfing in CSGO
One additional advantage is that gamers who become experts at surfing have lesser difficulty in navigating obstacles in the main gameplay and can move quickly and with greater control. They can also Strafe or Surf on these ramps and gain enough momentum to achieve extraordinary jumps which are not possible otherwise.
Also, it is of great use in developing the skill of surfing which can be a great tactical advantage over opponents during battle gameplay. If you want proof of the same, try watching some popular game streams and check out Tarik CSGO settings to learn how you can use surfing skills in battle zones.Â
What are CSGO Surf Maps?
Surf maps are dedicated maps for Surf mode gameplay and offer a great opportunity for gamers who love surfing to hone their skills. Also, these maps offer surf courses where gamers can strafe through obstacles and ramps as well their combinations and achieve various feats which are not possible in regular modes of gameplay. There are a wide variety of surf maps spread around game servers. Finally, to answer the question of how to play CSGO surf, one needs to study surf maps and the techniques for surfing we are talking about.
Surfing might be considered a side activity but it can be the key to boosting the confidence of some really good players. It also helps motivate them motivating them to showcase their skills on the battlefield. It is important to customize your keybinds and settings to suit your personal playstyle. To understand more about it, you can check out s1mple CSGO settings and how they helped change his gameplay.Â
How To Locate CSGO Surf Servers & Maps?
‘It is rather simple to find surf servers from the game ‘community server browser’ option. Let us see how to do it in a few simple steps.
- Launch CSGO and tap on the option ‘Play CSGO’
- You will see a drop-down menu at the top-left corner. Go down to ‘Community Server Browser’ in the list of options.
- Look for a search bar at the bottom and type ‘Surf’
- It will filter and display a list of active community surf servers
- Choose one and click on ‘Connect.’ It will be helpful to keep an eye on the number of players on any server and join one of the most populated servers.
- One way of doing this is by filtering servers by number of players there. To do this, click on the ‘Players’ tab displayed at the top.
There are several tiers of surf maps as well. Depending on your level of expertise and gameplay advancement, you can choose what level of difficulty suits you. However, usually it is better to begin with Tier 1 and go up to the next level once you have gained enough expertise. As your skills and gameplay improve, you will encounter a higher level of difficulty at every tier.
Top 5 CSGO Surf Maps
Let us look at some of the popular Surf maps in CSGO for the benefit of users.
While it is hard to pinpoint which maps might be most useful for you, we have handpicked a few maps to give you a basic idea about them.
Surf_Beginner
It is clearly a surf map meant for beginners and it begins with the very basics that one must know in order to surf. One can easily learn controls for jumps, turns, transfers and for crossing hurdles.
Surf_Rookie
Here, the map is slightly more difficult than the beginner level and continues to widen the scope of challenges in the game course. These initial levels offer a great way to practice and improve upon the fundamentals of surfing. Both this and preceding maps have multiple difficulty levels to complete for gamers.
Surf_Whiteout
It is a slightly more advanced level of surfing with a basic ski theme throughout all the levels and winter activities being the highlight of the surf course. This can be great for gamers coming out of the beginner levels. It will give them a feel of extreme winter sports and give them an edge over others who have not yet tried their hand at surfing. Basically, they have replaced ramps with ski slopes to make the theme more appealing to users. This map has six stages with increasing levels of difficulty.
Surf_Summer
This surf map is designed to make gamers fall in love with its beautiful environs. It has a lot of summer-themed backgrounds at every level and with rising difficulty levels, the locales and game design do not fail to impress players.
Surf_Messa
It is an underground-themed map developed for players looking for a challenge of another kind. The theme features a course built through an underground mine with its pathways lit up by glowing crystals. This map is relatively harder since it has no levels. As a result, the player has to start all over again if they are unable to complete the course in one go.Â
Also read – CS GO Binds: 5 Keybinds to Increase Your Competitive Medal
How Does CSGO Surf Work?
Now we have arrived at possibly the most important part which concerns actual controls and techniques of surfing. Surfing basically helps a player move at a faster pace with a strafe movement. This kind of air-strafing can help achieve high jumps and launch players off the ramp. With practice, they can also change direction mid-air and land on other ramps as well. This flexibility of movement allows a great deal of challenging activity and surf maps offer ample opportunities to use them.
Mechanics of Strafing in Surf Mode
Let’s see how strafing works in a surf map. In normal gameplay, users can walk left and right by pressing A and D keys. If pressed in combination with the W key, the player walks diagonally or sideways
- While trying to navigate ramps in surf mode, players can jump down the ramp upon arriving near an edge to begin strafing.
- Next, they need to choose on which side they should strafe.
- To strafe on the right side ramp they need to hold down A (left-side key) to achieve counterbalance. To strafe on the left side, they need to hold down the D key to keep strafing along the ramp.
- Finally, when they approach an inclining surface or lower portion of the ramp, it is possible to gain substantial velocity.
- It is useful to move the mouse upwards in a smooth sweeping motion. It helps a player move from one ramp to another without losing the velocity they have built up,
- This single-sweep motion is useful to strafe in an upwards direction and achieve a jump off the ramp. It is important to stay in control while making this move to achieve a smooth landing.
The Trick to Turning Mid-Air in CSGO Surf
Now, we come to the problem of covering distances between ramps placed quite far apart. This is achieved with the ‘Turning’ motion in surf mode. The player just needs to find the right timing for turning the crosshair in the desired direction in the middle of a jump. It is all about striking the right balance. If the move is even slightly out of sync, it will not work properly. It is an important move and can serve as a tactical advantage for any player if engaged in competitive gaming.
The Idea of Bunnyhopping
It is an interesting term with which CSGO gamers are pretty familiar. It is essentially the art of achieving a jump while strafing which can be quite difficult at first. However, one needs to develop the right kind of skill to execute this move properly. It can give a speed boost which is of great help. This has special utility in the combat part of the gameplay as well.
However, it can be pretty hard for beginners who are still grappling with the question of how to surf CSGO. First, they need to master the technique to air-strafe and gain complete control.
Ultimately, it is all about careful coordination between controller keys and mouse movement which comes with practice. It would be useful to get a gaming mouse along with a gaming mousepad for CSGO to achieve desired results when training for complex game moves like bunny hopping.Â
In the End
We have seen how surfing can be an important skill for gamers and discussed the basics of surfing as well. You must have understood how it can transform your gaming experience completely. However, you would only be able to grasp the intricacies of CSGO surf mode when you put this knowledge to practice in the gaming arena. Last but not least, it is all about being in the zone to get the best results possible.
