All Counter-Strike: Global Offensive weapons can be divided into three categories: the meta, situational guns, and the born-to-meme fellows. Today we talk about one of the latter, the Negev. CS.MONEY Blog will try to figure out if there is any point in using this machine gun.
Negev Price & Specs
The Negev, an ordinary machine gun, is available for both Ts and CTs. Its price is $1700, and each frag will enrich you by $300. Sounds like a decent farm gun! The Negev also has good damage stats of 35 units, which is higher than Galil AR or M4A4. Yet, there’s (obviously) a caveat: its armour piercing is pretty poor, with only 71% of a shot’s damage turned into hit points dealt, while the rest is just absorbed. However, this machine gun has a favourable and luxurious fire rate of 800 rounds per minute, 200 more than the AK-47 or M4A1-S.
The Negev also has two critical features. First, it has a monstrously huge magazine. Hold the trigger and fire 150 shots before reloading. No other CS:GO weapon can even come close (except for M249, which is also a machine gun but leave this lad for another article). Second, Negev brings a severe movement speed penalty. Running with the Negev is the slowest, and only using the scope zoom on sniper rifles will make you move slower.
Finally, Negev has a unique recoil pattern. The more you keep shooting, the easier you control it, and its inaccuracy is lower. After the first 15 burst shots, Negev becomes quite close to rifles in terms of accuracy while significantly surpassing them in magazine capacity.
And despite all the above facts, Negev didn’t make it into the CS:GO meta. Neither pros nor regular players want to use it during their matches. Maybe, it’s just a common mistake? Let’s dig in a little and try to figure it out by comparing the Negev with other heavy weapons, such as shotguns and cheap rifles from both sides.
The Negev vs Shotguns
It makes no sense to compare the Negev with every shotgun since they all have low accuracy, weak armour piercing and low rate of fire. These weapons were created for one single purpose: close-range combat in order to kill an enemy with the first or less likely second attempt. Due to fancy gunplay mechanics, shotguns fire not one bullet but 6 to 9 tiny buckshot pieces. They are also meant to be used on the run and in the air since shotguns’ movement inaccuracy is compensated by buckshot radiance (The first part of the promo code: 6DA).
With shotguns, you’ll be useless against enemies of 10+ meters range. At such distance, damage and accuracy are no longer sufficient for effective shooting. This is the main weakness of shotguns, making them a very niche type of gun. For example, MAG-7 suits well for securing the Exit on Mirage, but you won’t fit it well anywhere else on this map.
The Negev, on the contrary, is almost useless on the move and retains its effectiveness at a distance of up to 20 meters or even more. However, its use distance is also limited: it’s unreal to click heads 15+ meters away, so better aim at the body. Another thing not to be overlooked: shotguns work well against unarmored opponents and, at the same time, have a triple frag reward, which makes them decent counter-ECO weapons. No guns and armour means high speed, which is a severe problem for Negev’s low mobility.
It’s easy to sum things up after the comparison above: the Negev cannot replace shotguns in their niche but works better during fights with armoured opponents or at medium distances. Another aspect that keeps the Negev from pushing shotguns out of their niche is the price. It’s a pretty noticeable difference compared to buying a shotgun.
Negev vs FAMAS & Galil AR
Unlike shotguns, FAMAS and Galil AR have long been parts of the current CS:GO weapon meta. You buy these rifles when you’re low on cash and need budget guns. Pros buy them in every match. For example, during IEM Cologne 2022, Galil AR accounts for approximately 3.5% of all kills. Only the USP-S, AWP, AK-47 and M4 have more. It’s the meta.
At the same time, both FAMAS and Galil AR are not really far away from the Negev. On the contrary, this machine gun is better in many other aspects: damage and rate of fire are higher, the price is lower, and the mag capacity is higher. Both rifles are winning in terms of mobility and accuracy. But if the gap in mobility is vast, they’re pretty close in terms of accuracy.
Another thing is Negev’s recoil pattern. Compared to these two, Negev has the biggest vertical recoil, and to control it for the first ten shots, just pull the mouse down. Meanwhile, Galil AR steers to the left after bullet three, and FAMAS leans to the left on the ninth shot. Negev’s recoil is easier to control.
Galil AR has two vital points in its favour. First, it is only $100 more expensive than the Negev. Second, it’s only available for the attacking team with only two minutes to win, so mobility and movement speed are vital. Therefore, Galil AR beats the Negev for T-side. Yes, it’s a little more expensive, and its recoil is more problematic to control, but its other features are just made to be comfortable for T-side, making Galil a more attractive choice.
It’s much more complicated with FAMAS. The Negev is better in almost all aspects, and the CT side doesn’t need to rush anywhere. Worst case scenario is urgent rotation, but in this situation, you simply pull a knife and run. So, in this situation, buying FAMAS seems to be a matter of habit since it costs an entire $350 more, which is a pretty severe price difference! Overpaying just to play with something familiar might be too much, don’t you think?
Another thing not to be forgotten. Negev and FAMAS are good for quick single shots. FAMAS is slightly more accurate in this scenario, but this difference is still not enough for the machine to take the lead. So, Negev is a worthy competitor for FAMAS when firing bursts or single shots, not queues.
Let’s sum things up and draw conclusions. Does the Negev have a place in the game? Surprisingly, yes. This machine gun can be an adequate replacement for FAMAS. Despite the monstrous penalty to movement speed, in all other aspects, it works well and costs $350 less. The next time you’re on tight playing defence, try the Negev. Who knows, maybe you’ll become a trendsetter!
Also, we still have GameChanger Hub going on and your next code is hidden in this article too!
