How Does Wallbanging Work in CS:GO?
Wallbanging (wallbangs), as the name implies, stands for shots that penetrate an obstacle. A successful burst of fire through a door can make your enemy respawn, and a well-placed AWP headshot will kill the enemy even behind three walls. CS.MONEY here to tell you everything there is to know about wallbangs.
What Weapons Can Wallbang?
Any firearm will do. Previously, the Nova shotgun was incapable of shooting through obstacles, but now it can easily penetrate plywood or tin.
Some guns are better suited for wallbanging, others worse: responsible for this is the penetration parameter, usually 1 for pistols, 2 for rifles, and 2.5 for sniper rifles. The higher the value, the better the weapon is at penetrating obstacles.
How is the Damage Calculated?
Damage depends on three factors: the distance that the bullet has overcome within the obstacle, the penetration modifier of the material, and the weapon’s penetration power (the penetration parameter we referred to earlier). The lower the first value and the higher the other two, the more damage will be retained after the bullet has penetrated the obstacle.
There is no need to memorize shot modifier values for different materials: you can nearly always determine it with bare eyes. Plywood, glass, or drywall can be penetrated very easily, wood a little worse, concrete or tiles are penetrated poorly, and as for a metal beam, you can barely penetrate it even with an AWP.
How Do I View the Damage After a Wallbang?
In a regular match, you can’t. You can only do it on a sv_cheats 1 server. You can use the sv_showimpacts_penetration 2 command for this purpose — it’ll show you the region of the hit, material, distance, and damage. It’ll also show the bullet trajectory through the obstacle.
Wallbanging Tricks
The wallbanging mechanics has several features you should remember about. First, you can’t shoot through more than four obstacles. Even if there are five glass windows between the target and the shooter, the damage won’t be preserved.
Second, when shooting an obstacle made of different materials on both sides, an average modifier will be used. There are few such sites in the game, but they do exist.
Third, even thin obstacles reduce the damage noticeably. Indeed, a headshot from an AK-47 made through a thin obstacle can lose its lethality.
Fourth, if the shot is successful, there’ll be a bullet hole on both sides, meaning the enemy will be able to understand by whom and where it was fired from approximately. Even a silencer, which some barrels have, won’t save from this.
How Do You Wallbang Correctly?
There are two basic tips. The first: only shoot if you are sure there’s a possibility the enemy is on the other side. A simple example: there’s often an enemy hiding behind the plywood in the “banana” corridor on Inferno. Several bursts will let you know for sure.
The second one: make shots according to timings. For example, defense players on B Site on Overpass can start shooting at the bottom of the connector or at the pipe that comes out on the water by timings. In both cases, shooting with correct timings significantly increases the chance to hit and inflict damage.
In summary, wallbangs are an effective play trick provided you have information about your opponent’s location. The higher the penetration value and the weapon’s base damage, the more damage will be inflicted on the target. A successful shot leaves marks on both sides, which can help calculate the position of the shooter. Even subtle obstacles can significantly reduce the lethality of headshot wounds. That will be all!
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