It doesn’t necessarily have to be the course you are about to play on, as you need only to watch someone briefly to understand the basics.
The best way to learn how to surf is to watch someone else go through a course beforehand. We recommend jumping into a beginner Tier 1 server to get to grips with air-strafing, and the kinds of obstacles and turns you’ll have to perform. While it's tempting to want to jump into one of the more complicated maps that you may have seen others try on Twitch or YouTube, it's important to start slow and gradually work your way up. Your main objective is to maintain your momentum as you propel yourself to the end of a course. CS:GO - Basic Surfingįinding your feet on a surf map can be pretty difficult if you’ve never tried one before, as it's such a different experience to everything you’ve seen in CS:GO thus far. Getting into the habit of using these sweeping motions will not only help you to nail tricky jumps, but will also be generally useful in regular matches, particularly if you play with a low sensitivity. Successful surfing also greatly depends on players making smooth, sweeping motions with the mouse, as jagged movements destroy your momentum and usually result in you slipping off the side of a ramp. Frequenting surf maps will make it easier for you to master these sorts of jumps, as you will have developed a deeper understanding of how to position yourself.
You’ve likely seen some pro players navigate their way from Mid on Cache to the Boost spot above the entrance to A Main. Similarly, performing certain jumps in regular CS:GO maps can be achieved as a result of players mastering how the game handles momentum and speed. This advanced technique can be utilised in Competitive games to make it harder for opponents to hit you. If you are unfamiliar with the term, bunny hopping utilises your strafe-jumping momentum to send you further than a standard jump would. For example, some of the higher tier maps require the player to learn how to bunny hop. While surfing won’t directly improve your aim or map sense, it may have a minor impact on other aspects of your games. Successful surfing depends on the player understanding crosshair placement, general movement and judging speed in relation to distance. In addition to surfing being a nice way to spend your time, it may also help you to improve a few aspects of your performance in CS:GO. Think of surfing like driving around a course - it’s the same principle. It’s satisfying to achieve a perfect run on a surf map, using smooth swipes with your mouse to retain your speed and ace landings. Surf maps are very different to the pressures of a Competitive CS:GO game and genuinely have very little in common with one, so why exactly should you try them? Well, to put it simply, surfing is fun. This article contains additional reporting by Christian Vaz. It's far less frustrating as you work your way through the map methodically, as opposed to dying and having to restart from the beginning every time. We'd recommend hopping into staged maps to get a grounding in surfing. Staged maps differ by breaking the course into challenging segments, making it manageable for players who are new to surfing. Linear maps are courses which have a set beginning and end which players must complete in a single surf. The most common surf maps are "linear" and "staged". If you fancy yourself as a pistol specialist, try taking out opponents while speeding along a floating ramp at speed!
Some maps focus primarily on movement, while others focus on time trials and challenge players to break personal bests.Ĭombat surf maps also exist, however, adding an additional challenge to an already complicated mix. Structured into tiers of difficulty, a huge variety of surf maps are available through the Steam Workshop, ranging from Tier 1 beginner levels to Tier 6 expert levels.
Unlike the physics you're used to experiencing in CS:GO, it's ramped up a notch in surf maps which enables plays to smoothly skim across various surfaces. These maps challenge players to traverse (or technically, "air-strafe") combinations of ramps and obstacles as they glide along them, requiring perfectly timed jumps and turns to reach the end of each course. Surf maps have been a huge part of the Counter-Strike franchise for years, having provided the community with a very different experience when compared to the usual Casual, Deathmatch and Competitive offerings which have become staples in CS:GO. CS:GO surfing guide explains beginner and advanced tips on how to surf, as well as details of how to play surf maps from the Workshop.