Getting the bomb down on the terrorist side in Counter-Strike is part of the fundamental core of the game. It begins the ticking clock for the counter-terrorists and their efforts to defuse it before it goes off will decide the round; success either way is a round win for that side. Unfortunately, the important nature of getting the bomb down creates an inherent reluctance in newer players to take charge of it at the beginning of rounds. On the terrorist side you will often see the bomb being thrown around by people unwilling to take it with them and trying to pass on this responsibility to a teammate.

As well as the initial reluctance in taking the bomb, after taking a site a lot of new players will plant it in what they feel are the easiest or safest positions. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; however, they do not always provide the best angles for your teammates to watch post-plant. One of the best ways to improve your level of play is to understand the mechanics of the game and apply this knowledge in game. This is usually achieved through the learning of smoke grenade placement, various pop flashes, common pre-fire angles, boost spots and in this case; bomb plant positions.

In this series of guides I will be highlighting some of the best bomb plant positions on the current collection of competitive maps, with an explanation of how they will help your team. Hopefully this will provide newer players with a better idea of what makes a good plant. It is worth noting that every round is different and the situation may not allow for anything other than a safe plant. Therefore it is up to you to decide when a riskier plant can be used. Knowing them may also help to some degree on the counter-terrorist side; if you have retaken a site and there is only a short amount of time left, knowing the likely positions of the bomb can save you a few precious milliseconds for a defuse.

First up we have the infamous De_Dust2, one of the highest played maps in the game. These are the four planting positions that you are most likely to come across in competitive play. Because of Dust2’s popularity these are probably going to be common knowledge amongst most players familiar with the game. However, for new players it is a good place to start and knowing each of these positions is never a bad idea. I have also included some of the common places to drop the bomb to keep it safe while your team looks for picks or decides on a plan of action. This may be less obvious to new players and is good practice to get into the habit of doing.

A Site

The Long Plant

As with almost everything related to De_Dust2 this is a fairly well known plant; however, that does not take anything away from its strength. Planting right into the corner of the site gives a great angle for a teammate with an AWP placed in pit. Ensuring that the bomb drops down next to the wall and not on top of it also means that it is impossible to defuse from the box on the ramp.

Even if a smoke is dropped on the player defusing it should not take any more than a few well-placed shots in the smoke to work out where they are and stop them from getting the defuse off. Being in the most open part of A site means that this plant is also good for people watching from short.

The Short Plant

The opposite of the long plant. This is less versatile than its counterpart and as such is more situational. However, given proper short control and the strength that section of the map holds means that this can be a useful plant. It will force counter-terrorists out and around the site if they approach from CT ramp or Long and they cannot crouch round or sneak through to get to it. It may even force them into jumping up and over the boxes.

Like the long plant this is also quite forgiving if they have smoked the defusing player off. There is not a huge area for them to actually be able to defuse from and as such if you are confident in your plant position you should be able to hit them with a good spray from short through the smoke. It is also a good position for pre-firing with quick peaks and keeping defusing players off it or distracted.

B Site

The Default Plant

This plant is one of the standard plants on B site across all levels of play. However, it is often overlooked by newer players who opt to plant behind the safety of the double stack boxes. If your teammates can get a smoke into the door and someone covering window then planting here is definitely good for your team. This plant is perfect at forcing the counter-terrorists out into the open and can be watched from a multitude of angles.

Players in upper tunnel will also have the luxury of a shot into the back or side of any counter-terrorist sticking a defuse. There is no good angle for the counter-terrorists to attempt a defuse while checking for the terrorist players, they have to either check and clear fully first or commit to watching just one narrow angle as they defuse. This plant also provides a good opportunity for pre-firing out of the tunnel.

The Hidden Box Plant

This plant is far less common and should generally only be used in situations where you think you will be able to catch your opponent’s off-guard with its unique positioning. The bomb is planted at the corner of the box so that the flap covers it up. Essentially this hides the bomb from anybody entering through upper tunnel or the doors. It is not the greatest for post-plant positioning and instead relies purely on the surprise factor.

Though unlikely to fool anyone familiar with the game, for new players the novelty of the plant may mean it takes a fraction longer for the counter-terrorists to locate and defuse it. Very occasionally this can be the difference between a round loss and win and worth considering in dire situations. It is also useful to know of this plant so that it does not come as a surprise when you are faced with finding it on the counter-terrorist side.

Safe Bomb Drop Locations

The location of the bomb is broadcast to counter-terrorist whenever one of their players can see it or can see a player holding it. Therefore dropping the bomb in a safe place during the start of rounds is common practice at higher levels of play. It allows terrorist players to peek or push without giving away that you are holding the bomb, information that is incredibly useful to the counter-terrorists. There are certain locations on each map where the bomb is regularly dropped at the start of rounds. Knowing and using these locations is helpful to your team and can also alleviate some of the pressure that newer players feel when holding the bomb. You do not have to protect it with your life; it can be dropped off at a safe location until your team is ready to commit to a push or a site.

Top of Mid/Outside Long

A good place to keep the bomb safe if you intend on contesting mid doors, short or for long pushes. Generally if you are executing on the A half of the map this is the best place to keep the bomb before you commit. It can be hidden fairly nicely behind the barrel and is not the most obvious place for any aggressive counter-terrorist coming from mid to check.

Upper Tunnels

Provided that you take control of upper tunnels at the start of the round there are a few places that you can safely drop the bomb. One of the most common is on top of the boxes as it is not immediately visible to any counter-terrorists pushing through lower tunnel or coming from the B bomb site. It is a quick spot to pick up from and makes it simple to take the bomb mid for an A play or straight into B.

Hopefully this short guide has provided some useful information for anyone new to the game and looking to make some small improvements to their play on the terrorist side. It is worth noting that you should always do what you feel comfortable with on a round by round basis, but it will not hurt to be aware of the best planting positions and good bomb handling etiquette. The next instalment will cover these positions for the bombsites on De_Inferno, one of my favourite maps and another that is regularly played at a competitive level.