Your counter-terrorist team has been tasked with the ultimate challenge. Prevent a group of known terrorists from planting and detonating an explosive device near innocent civilians.
Eight of the 20 maps in Counter-Strike are of the bomb/defuse variety, and each has two targets that terrorists can bomb, which means you'll be planting and defusing lots of bombs if you play the game at any length. Here are some ways to make your terrorist or counter-terrorist team more successful.
 | 
Each map has two spots to plant the bomb. |
It's fun being terrorists on bomb maps thanks to the evil satisfaction that comes from successfully delivering your unstable payload. But for counter-terrorists the bomb maps are a challenge. To win, counter-terrorists must know what their specific duties are as part of the team each round and how to execute those duties. Here's some help to make the experience easier.
1. Divided you stand, united you fall.
Former President Abraham Lincoln may have been correct when he told the U.S. that only by remaining united could the nation survive, but for Counter-Strike bomb maps, he was way off the mark. As counter-terrorists, you've got to identify which of the map's two bomb spots the terrorists are heading toward immediately. If you leave it to chance by just guessing each round, you'll let the terrorists succeed more often than not. To do this, split your team into two groups and pursue the entry paths to both bomb spots by rushing. The exact second one of the teams identifies the larger group of the terrorists, have it quickly send a message to the entire team as to which bomb spot the terrorists are heading toward. A one word message that was previously agreed on like "one" or "two" can be all that's needed to effectively tell the squad which of the two spots to close in on.
2. Buy defusal kits.
While this might sound obvious, there are still many counter-terrorists that forget to purchase the optional bomb defusing kits in the chaos that is the beginning of each game round. Bomb defusing kits let you defuse twice as fast as normal, and carrying this item can mean the difference between success and failure. They are not optional to any counter-terrorist that wants the best chance of winning. Remember that even if you kill every terrorist in the round, if he's managed to plant the bomb before he died, you will still lose the round if you can't defuse the bomb in time.
3. Guard the bomb
If you or another team member kills the bomb-carrying terrorist, make sure to stay near the dropped bomb and prevent any other terrorists from picking it up. Remember, if the terrorists don't plant the bomb within the time limit, your team will win, so keep those terrorists away as long as possible.
4. Listen carefully.
Sometimes terrorists will plant the bomb away from your direct line of sight. You should always look out for the bomb's distinct beeping noise. If you can hear the bomb, but you don't see it, check the not-so-obvious areas, like behind a column or on top of the crate.
5. A difficult choice.
In some cases, there'll be no way to get to the bomb in time to defuse it. If the bomb's beeping seems frantic, you're better off running away. This way, you won't die needlessly and be forced to buy another gun at the start of the next round.
On bomb defusal maps, the terrorist team plays a role similar to the one counter-terrorist's play on assassination maps. Namely it must escort and protect the bomb carrier on the way to the final area where the bomb will be set to explode. The similarities between the two scenarios don't end there, as terrorists also must determine which pathway to the bomb point makes the most strategic sense to pursue.
Here are a few things you can do as terrorists on bomb maps that will rout the counter-terrorists and maximize your chance for winning.
1. It's all about planting.
As a terrorist, you should always check for the green bomb icon on the left side of your screen. If you see it, that means you're the bomb carrier. Sometimes, the terrorist with the bomb is oblivious to the fact that he's carrying it. Be aware of your situation at all times. If you're the bomb carrier, you have one goal, which is to plant the bomb. Think of nothing else, and certainly don't forget that you're carrying precious cargo that can win the round outright for your team.
2. Stay with the bomb carrier.
Again, like the counter-terrorist's role in VIP protection, you must stick with the bomb carrier as he proceeds to the target for two main reasons. First, you provide additional firepower and another pair of eyes to monitor the path from both in front and behind as you move to the bomb site. Second, if the bomb carrier gets killed, and you live, you can pick up the bomb yourself and continue the mission. Your weapon choice on bomb maps should reflect this multirole strategy: no short-range shotguns, and no long-range AWMs. Stick to the AK-47 and SIG 552 rifle and go with the MP5 if you're strapped for cash. A good flashbang grenade or two can also go a long way in distracting or stopping counter-terrorists from rushing the bomb carrier if they correctly guess which bomb site you're headed to.
3. Proper placement.
Each map has two bomb areas, which are clearly denoted by round targets on the ground. If you're carrying the bomb, the green icon will start flashing, indicating that you can plant the bomb. While the bomb areas are usually fairly small, you should plant the bombs in hard-to-find or heard-to-reach areas, like on top of a crate. This makes it tougher for the counter-terrorists to find and get to the bomb in time.
4. Dropped bombs.
The second that your bomb carrier has been killed, the game will tell you that the bomb has been dropped through a text message across the center of your screen. When this happens, you should quickly begin sweeping the map to locate the loose bomb on the ground. Many players go through round after round as terrorists thinking that their goals for the map only involve killing enemy counter-terrorists. If you play smart and are aware of your team's condition at all times, you'll always succeed in planting the bomb.
