Introduction:

If you’ve played, watched or spoken to a Counter-Strike player over the last week, then you’ll know about the controversy surrounding the newest pistol - the R8 Revolver. The gun entered the game with a bang, and if you were lucky (or unlucky enough depending on your point of view) to experience it for a day before its nerf, you can appreciate how broken it's first iteration really was. Able to one shot armored players from any distance to the abdomen, the R8 (worth $850) was the only gun in the game able to achieve this feat other than the AWP (worth $4750). See where the problem lies? A hotfix later, the gun now sits more in the category of pocket Scout than pocket AWP, still able to do devastating damage in the hands of a precision player but now much easier to counter play. So, how can this breath of fresh air best be used to overwhelm your foes?

The Mechanics:

To understand how to get the best use out of a new gun, it's best to do the boring stuff; look at tables and analyse a weapon's statistics. First things first, the Revolver sits in the same slot as the Desert Eagle, so players will need to make a choice of which weapon they prefer. It can be bought on both the T and CT sides and any kills will net $300. In terms of weapon design, the Revolver is unlike any other weapon in Counter-Strike as it has a left and right click fire mode. The left is a deadly accurate slow shot and the right is a barrage that has greatly reduced accuracy. This is to imitate the design of a hammer in a real life revolver, when you left click with the Revolver you need to hold it for .4 of a second before the gun actually fires. The Revolver does slightly less damage then the scout having a base damage of 86 as opposed to 88 and a slightly reduced range modifier of 0.94 compared to the scout’s 0.98. To tabulate the damage model in terms of hitboxes:

Hitbox

Unarmored

Armored

Head

342

319

Chest & Arm

85

79

Abdomen & Pelvis

107

99

Leg

64

64

This means that, like the Desert Eagle, the Revolver can one shot opponents from any range to the head and can also two shot people to the body, making it very powerful for the price. The weapon has a small clip of eight shots with only eight bullets in reserve, meaning you get two full rounds of eight shots. Furthermore movement with the Revolver is very slow for a weapon of its class, being 220 normally and 180 during charge time for the left click, in comparison the player moves at 195 units with the negev and 215 with the AK.

 
Side by Side: Examples of the left / right click functionality of the Revolver

The Strategy:

The key to using the Revolver effectively is to get used to the charge-up time on its shots and limit the negative effect that it can have on you. If you peek, spot an enemy, and then try to shoot, the .4 second delay on the shot plus your reaction time will get you killed before you can even get the first shot off. The best way to limit this pitfall is to pre-charge the shot around a corner, then peek and try to line up your shot. This makes it very difficult to land headshots against moving players and you’ll have to have very quick reaction times. Furthermore, if you miss your first shot and are charged by an opponent it’s unlikely that you’ll have time to charge a second shot, which leaves you in the hands of RNG as you spam the inaccurate right click. If you’re caught in the open at range always remember to keep moving while charging your shots, it’ll make it harder for them to hit you and the movement accuracy of the revolver’s left click shot is extremely high, making it a run and gun weapon for the precise player.

The Revolver is best paired with an automatic weapon, typically an SMG. The ability to tag an opponent for high damage at long range and then finish them while running and gunning with a few SMG bullets is invaluable and allows a lot of flexibility at close and long ranges. The effect is similar to buying a Scout and finishing players with a pistol but has the added bonus of extra kill rewards while still costing roughly the same amount - a Scout being $1750 while a Revolver is $850 combined with a cheap smg at $1050 or $1250 totals at $1900–$2100. In a team environment where you can better synergize buy strategies, I would recommend that only 1 or 2 players buy the Revolver because it’s much easier to finish a tagged opponent with a more rapid firing weapon than having each player need to land a precise shot that takes time to charge.

To best use the revolver avoid situations where you’re likely to get rushed down or where the opponent can peak you first forcing you to react. When it comes down to it, CS:GO is a game of seconds where a sliver of time can mean seeing an opponent round the corner or looking away and getting shot in the back. On paper .4 seconds is not a long period of time, but in game it can feel like years. Any time you don’t take the initiative with the Revolver, you are at the disadvantage and are basically relying on your foe to make a mistake or on the RNG of the right click fire mode to flick a shot at your enemy's head. Often times it's best to take a shot or two then retreat or switch out to your other weapon rather than rely on a mechanic that is essentially out of your hands.

I didn't move my crosshair when spraying these 8 shots with the right click

Final Thoughts:

The Revolver is a fun weapon that fills an interesting niche in the pistol category being the only really long range option for consistent damage to both the head and body. When combined with effective team play or a cheap automatic weapon to finish injured opponents, the accuracy and high damage of this affordable pistol make it an effective and inexpensive choice for ranged combat and holding tight angles. If you haven’t been successful with the Deagle, love using the Scout and AWP, or just want to try out a new weapon with interesting mechanics and awesome animations, I can highly recommend the R8 as both a satisfying and competitive edition to the CS:GO weapon roster.

Are you into fantasy leagues? Then check out AlphaDraft and put together your allstar lineup!