Two years have passed since Vertigo was added to the map pool. However, you probably still do not know how to use your utility on it. Ready to change that? In this guide we will go through the utility you need to know to dominate T-side Vertigo!
On March 28th of 2019, Valve released an update that would drastically change the competitive map pool of our beloved game. Cache, a heavily pug-styled map created by Volcano (and later reworked by FMPONE), which had been a part of the Active Duty group (which contains the 7 map rotation played at the highest level by the professional players) since 2014, was replaced with a totally reworked map, Vertigo.
A change had been requested to the map pool by a wide variety of community members, as the game was feeling a bit stale. But, when changes came, they were not received with the warmest of welcomes. At the time it was released, the map was far from “competitive ready”. However, after a long period of live testing (with the map starting to get played more and more, both in casual and pro level) and after eight updates, the map has now been stable for quite some time.
So, if you feel like you finally want to improve your Vertigo gameplay, this guide will help you achieve just that. Although we will not go over every grenade you can possibly throw in the map, you will be left with a good enough knowledge to dominate your matchmaking games.
Every line-up mentioned in the article will have a video depicting everything you need to do, so do not be afraid of getting lost!
Let us start with the A-site. Just like on any other map, Ts and CTs fight for map control at the beginning of the round, so that they can set themselves up for success. For Terrorists, it is vital that they get that control if they want to be able to throw the usual A execute smokes, which are thrown from Ramp. Therefore, we will not only go over the two smokes that are used in (basically) every A take but we will also provide you with two others you can use to gain early Ramp control. This way you will broaden your knowledge on what to do to help your team.
The first and most important smoke you need to know to get Ramp control is called huNter smoke, and the line-up is the easiest thing you can imagine.
While you are running towards Ramp, as you cross the side of the box on the right side of T-Ramp, aim at the bottom part of the A-site graffiti sprayed on the wall in front of you and just left-click your mouse. Simple as that. This smoke will make a cool one-way you can play around in order to try and catch any CT trying to get a kill down Ramp.
The second one is more situational, but it is something you should not overlook. It is the A Alley Smoke. When it is down, it totally blocks the vision of any CT trying to get to Yellow or the entry frag.
At the beginning of the round, get on top of the crane just behind you on T-Spawn. Then, look directly upwards from where you are standing. There is another crane higher than the abovementioned. Put your crosshair in the hole formed between the operator booth and the arm of the crane, and throw it using left-click combined with your jump-throw bind.
Most A hits only use two smokes. If you time them correctly, combine them with a few flashes and you will be able to plant the bomb safely without any troubles, assuming you took Ramp control before.
The first one can be easily thrown from the sandbags in the middle of Ramp and it lands on the left side of the bombsite. Walk towards them until you get stuck on the side that is facing downwards. Then, aim at the intersection of Yellow with the beam that supports the A bombsite floor. Finally, hold left-click and throw it using the jump-throw bind. Simple as it can be.
The second one is a little bit trickier, and it might take you a few times before you nail it, so I suggest you load the map offline and practice it beforehand. As you are standing at the bottom of the ramp leading to “Fire” (the sandbags next to the A site), aim at the grey metal structure on the right side of the bombsite, next to the orange boxes. Walk two steps forward and simply left-click. The video will help you visualize the execute:
With both the smokes down, both sides of the bombsite will be covered, and you will be able to plant safely. In the video you will also find a bonus Molotov for you to learn that can be very useful, so make sure to check it out!
Before we proceed to the more closed bombsite, we must talk about an extremely neglected part of the map: Mid. This is a vital section to have control of, as it unlocks numerous possibilities you can explore such as split attacks, tactics in which you and your teammates tackle either bombsite by “splitting” your forces into two groups. That way you will possibly catch CTs off-guard, as they may not be expecting to have to defend multiple chokepoints.
We will cover the three most important Mid smokes for you to know.
Window is a vital entry point to the B bombsite that can be used by the CTs to gather lots of information, so it is important for you to learn how to take that away from them. As you go out Mid, look directly to your left, where you will find a metal pole in the corner. Position yourself against the left side of that pole. Above the wooden box that is right in front of you when facing Window, there is an irregular metal-made ceiling, whose irregularities you can count. Starting from the left, place your crosshair just below the 6th irregularity and simply use left-click to release the smoke.
This smoke, combined with the Right-Side Mid smoke we will go through afterwards (and some good flashes) will help you set your team up for a successful B-split through Window.
As you enter Mid, walk towards the left-side of the metal construction material that is just next to the pole mentioned above. Once you get stuck in the corner between the wall and the metal, aim your crosshair at the wooden box. The box has a vertical line in the middle of every face. Aim at the centre of the square formed by the blue sheet on top of it and the 2nd section of the box counting from the right (with those sections being outlined by the vertical lines mentioned before). Finally, just release the smoke using your left-click.
To completely deny CTs of any information of what is happening on Mid, you will also need this smoke, which blocks the quickest CT rotation path towards Mid from the A-site.
Just to the left of the metal structure used for the CT Smoke, there is a wall that has vertical lines. You will position yourself on the 4th line counting from the right. By looking towards the wooden box, you will notice a rectangular metal grid between the ceiling used for the Window smoke and the box. By placing your crosshair on the top right corner, you will run forward and release the smoke using left-click. Once again, because there is running involved in this smoke line-up, we advise you to practice it before queuing up for your matchmaking games.
To finalise this guide, let us talk about the B site. B is a much more closed site, with fewer options for both Ts and CTs, even though it still has the interesting factor of having two different levels of height to be played on, just like the rest of the map, which gives room for new plays to appear from time to time.
As always, Ts and CTs are bound to fight for map control. Because of this and similarly to the A-site related smokes, we will not only provide you with the two smokes you need to do a complete (and hopefully successful) B-site execute, but also with one important Lurk smoke you can use to try and get your team some entry frags.
This is a very easy one to throw. As you are running up the stairs just outside T-Spawn, aim your crosshair at the 2nd space formed between the vertical lines the wall in front of you has, and throw the smoke. If you try and look over it, there will be gaps you can explore to find any curious CTs trying to spot someone entering the B Stairs area.
Similarly, you will also need two smokes to set up a proper execute towards the B site, so make sure to recommend this guide to your friends, so they can also be aware of these line-ups.
The first smoke lands on the right side of the Generator. As you approach the B-stairs, walk towards the sandbag that is right underneath the first steps, next to the wooden box. Once you are stuck in the corner formed between the sandbags and the metal fencing, look towards the stairs, more specifically to the handrail. There is a gap between two different handrails right above you. Place your crosshair on the handrail to the left of the gap, a little to the right of the intersection of the 2nd vertical pole supporting the handrail and the 1st metal wire. Finally, use left-click.
The final smoke of this guide lands on the left side of the Generator. As you enter the B-stairs area, you will be able to spot a metal beam just in front of you. Position yourself in front of it, with your side being against the metal fencing mentioned above. Once again, look up towards the stairs until you find a gap between two handrails, just like the one mentioned before, only this one is a little bit closer to the top of stairs. Put your crosshair in the middle of that gap and adjust it upwards until its right dash is aligned with the edge of the handrail to the right. Then, just use your left-click button. Once again, I suggest you check out the video so you can get a better understanding of what the line-ups look like.
With both smokes up, the Ts will be able to clear the site and plant the bomb fairly safely. But always remember, a smoke is not a wall, so you must be aware of all possibilities. Once again, there is also a bonus Molotov you can use to catch on fire any sneaky CT trying to kill you from that position.
So, these were a few line-ups you may want to memorise in order to become a Vertigo Master, and you can rest assured that if you know all ten smokes we covered, your gameplay will improve massively. Always make sure to practice them offline before queuing for your matchmaking games, better safe than sorry!
I hope you have found this article useful, now go show your teammates the new tricks you learned!
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