Bombsite A (2)

Learn how to effectively push and control Bombsite A in Counter-Strike: Source. Discover routes, common CT hiding spots, and essential strategies for both offense and defense.

Alright, let's talk about getting to Bombsite A. If you're playing as a Counter-Terrorist (CT), you actually spawn pretty close to it, which is a nice little advantage. It means you can get out there and start controlling the map a bit before any Terrorists (Ts) show up.

If you're on the offense, there are two main ways to get to A. You'll see a gateway right in front of you. You can either go right, up onto the battlements (that's the 'high road'), or go left, down into what's basically a cellar area (the 'low path').

Long A (The High Road)

If you take the path to the right, you're heading into what we call 'Long A'. Now, it might seem shorter than the 'Long A' on maps like Dust II, but controlling this area can be tricky. Keep your eyes peeled because CTs love to hide along this route. The first spot to watch out for is the haybales on your left pretty early on. Seriously, even if you're up against eco rounds where they have weaker guns, you gotta be careful. Getting caught off guard here could mean eating a CZ75 round to the face. Plus, AWPers can pop out from all sorts of little nooks and crannies. To push Long A safely, you'll really want to use flashes and maybe some Molotovs to clear out those hiding spots.

Short A / Sewers (The Low Path)

The other route, the one on the left, takes you through 'Sewers', or sometimes called 'Short A'. This path is pretty different from Long A. It's more open, and there isn't as much cover except for some doors. Teams can end up fighting head-on here. Pushes through Sewers can happen faster than Long A, but if you get into a bad fight here, it can completely shut down your A site push. Because of this, a lot of teams like to take control of *both* Long A and Sewers when they're going for an A site execute. The idea is to force the CTs to split their attention. While one group is pushing Long and making CTs hold angles there, the other group can push through Sewers to open up the A site itself, forcing the CTs on Long to react.

Taking the Site and Planting

So, you've managed to open up A site. Great! But now you still need to plant the bomb. By this point, some of the CTs who were initially on B site are probably on their way over to stop you. They'll likely come in either through 'A Doors' or from 'Balcony'. To make sure your plant goes smoothly, it's a good idea to smoke off both of those entry points as you're moving in. Once the smoke clears, you'll want to hold some key positions to watch those angles. Good spots to play from are 'Shed', 'Stables', or 'Car'. Occasionally, a CT might rotate from B through 'Snake' and try to retake from Long or Sewers, but this isn't super common.