Now that the new iteration of Inferno has been on live patches for a little while, it’s basically slotted into the map pool like an old friend with a new makeover. Most agree that the changes, while reasonably conservative and sensible, have made huge improvements to the map as a whole and that it feels much more balanced for both sides of play. However, with the updated visuals and the adjustment of a few key models, one of the more unseen changes has been the increased bullet penetration and the new variety of boosts that can be pulled off around the map.

Wall Bangs

Hailing back to the 1.6 days of being able to wall bang around the map, Infernew has a number of potential shots that are very useful for clearing out positions and defending plants. The first and most well-known one is the apartment halls wall bang from balcony room. This wall bang has great potential as you deal 90 damage with an AWP and about 25 with a rifle on a very commonly held position. At the very least you’ll force anyone holding it to fall back or push further out into the open allowing you easy entry to the balcony at A.

Aim above the black part of the radio and go ham!

The next is a bomb defense wall bang from dig or short A. Shots with an AWP from here will do 70 damage so if the enemy is not damaged it will take two shots and, as such, this might be more of a situational pre-push wall bang.

Plant at the handle of the first garage door on a then line yourself up with the outer pillar of Dig then aim in the middle of the bicycle handle.

Now onto the B site, one of the most effective strategies to defend with an AWP from safety is to bang the newly added banana wall. This is more of a feel shot rather than one you can line up but if you expect a rush, a pre-nade plus a few shots through the wall before falling back to hold on site can do significant damage if not land you a couple of kills.

Try to cover yourself from being shot by people wide peeking you should have time to nade and shoot before they arrive however

On to a terrorist strategy. If you know a CT is hiding new box, then you can do up to 85 damage with an AWP or 20 with a rifle through the gap between the pipes. While not a killing blow, when coupled with a nade or a teammate push it can be enough to distract a defender and more easily take him out from an otherwise difficult position.

This last wall bang is for a B site construction plant and is incredibly useful in 1v1s. The stained glass is easily penetrable and, if you have an AK, it is possible to spray through construction and tap away. This is also viable with the AWP

Plant on this blue tile near the barrels at dark then line yourself up next to the sand bag in con and spray the green piece of stained glass

The thing about Inferno is that it is incredibly penetrable. If you have an AWP, you can basically shoot through any wall and with a rifle you are able to shoot through most of the apartment walls, so if you are able to get a read on your opponent's position feel free to try shooting at them. You might get lucky.

Boosts

When Infernew was released, there were a number of overpowered boosts that included floating in mid-air. Luckily, these were hotfixed but there are still a couple that remain powerful tools in a player's arsenal. The first is an old boost with a new element. The roof boost at Dig/short A is still as, if not more, useful than ever before. The idea behind this boost is that it enables a player to look over a smoke in the event of a jungle push and if the T’s pre-aim general ground positions, you’ll have the advantage. Furthermore, the addition of the flower pots and easy access to the small balconies gives CT players even more angles to hide themselves and keep the T players guessing.

The next is a boost that negates a CT smoke on B site. Simply have a teammate boost you on the flower pots before they move to car or site. The great thing about this is that it enables close range duels and puts you in an unexpected position and is a fantastic play on eco or force buy rounds. Furthermore, it keeps the deadly site CT crossfire a reality throughout the round. Simply take a pick and drop into the smoke, at which point you can fall back for a retake, run through con to help your teammate or plough through the smoke like Stewie2k’s protégé.

The final is a boost over banana wall that can be used on both the T and CT side. Generally, the CT side will smoke between the wall and car if they are playing more aggressively, which is a good strategy considering how wide the entrance is to B now. This allows either side the opportunity to boost up and go for a pick over the banana wall and as a T, if you time someone to push through the smoke at the same time, you can initiate a trade that can snowball into taking the B site.

Conclusion

The remake of Inferno has been widely regarded as a success and comes as a welcome surprise after other more criticised remakes (I’m looking at you Nuke!). The addition of exciting new boosts and wall bangs adds back an element of skill that hasn’t been seen in CSGO without becoming overly powerful and obnoxious like previous iterations of the game. This only scratches the surface of Inferno and I’m sure as pros start playing the map we’ll see new and exciting strategies every week that hopefully incorporate some of these underutilised elements of the game.

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