We go over everything you need to know to make the most out of a P90’s potential.
Our series covering the most popular weapons in CS: GO continues with a gun that many players use frequently. The P90 is one of the guns in CS: GO that is instantly recognizable, even among players with no previous experience. This is a submachine gun famous for being really annoying to play against, especially in closer distance.
While it is true that the P90 is not as popular as the AK-47 or the M4A4, it is a popular choice for many competitive players. We even see it in pro matches from time to time, although it is not most people’s preferred weapon.
P90 can be deadly, as long as you know how to utilize its potential. With that being said, let’s check some of the things you have to be aware of regarding this weapon.
Stats
One of the many things that makes P90 a good option is his magazine. It holds 50 rounds, allowing its “owner” to shoot for a more extended time when needed. With that being said, CS: GO allows people to have only 100 rounds in reserve. This means that people have to be careful how they use their ammo.
Another important aspect of the P90 is the weapon’s price. Even though it used to cost $2250 before the game’s official release, you now need to spend $2350 to purchase it. This might not seem like a big deal to some people, but the fact that it is almost as expensive as an AK is not a plus. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why the most expensive SMG is not as popular as it should be.
The last stat that we have to include in this article is P90’s reload time. Unlike the AK-47, which is one of the fastest reloading weapons, this one takes 3.3 seconds to fire again. Some of you might think that this is not a big deal, but considering that most P90 players rush their opponents to score a kill, it has to be taken into consideration.
Damage
One of the most important things to consider before choosing a weapon in CS: GO is its damage. Many people prefer the popular rifles because they allow them to secure one-shot headshots, as long as the target doesn’t have armor. Unfortunately, the P90 is not one of the weapons that have this potential. Due to the fact it doesn’t do as much damage as others, you can only inflict 96 damage to a target that doesn’t have armor. If your opponents have a helmet, your headshot damage goes down to 62.
Since landing a headshot is not always easy, it is also important to know more information about the body damage. This is where P90 needs some improvement because it inflicts significantly lower damage than popular rifles. Depending on the range, you might need as much as 8 or more shots to kill a target. Needless to say, this gives your opponents enough time to kill you.
If you manage to score a kill, you can expect to get $300 in competitive and $150 in casual. This means that P90 is definitely not the best option to get money because there are cheaper guns that will give you access to more funds per kill.
How to utilize the weapon?
Contrary to using other weapons, the P90 shines when you utilize the so-called “run and shoot” tactic. Due to the fact that this gun does not do a lot of damage from considerable distances, you have to play aggressively. That’s why you can often find tons of P90 players who always rush their opponents so that they have the close-range advantage. This tactic does wonders when you are grinding rating, but it doesn’t work against people who know what they’re doing. Hence, P90 is not a weapon that you can see among the highest-rated CS: GO matches.
Besides rushing, P90’s impressive fire rating makes this one of the best spraying weapons in the game. As long as the target is in the open, you can kill it really fast if you spray it down.
Speaking of spraying, one of the things that you have to take into consideration is the weapon’s recoil. You can easily check it once you start playing, and the easiest way to counter it is by moving the mouse in the opposite direction of the pattern. This sounds easy, but some people need a lot of time to learn how to cope with it.
It does little to no damage if you don’t fire at a target directly
We’ve already discussed this weapon’s damage and the fact that it works well in close combat. We’ve also mentioned that it is one of the worst guns in CS: GO when it comes down to shooting from a distance. This is where it is important to point out that P90 is also not good if you can’t fire directly at a target. P90’s penetration damage is abysmal compared to other popular guns. Hence, you may end up dealing as much as 10 damage per bullet.
When you add all those things into consideration, it is easy to see why most people purchase P90 early on. The weapon is great against targets who rush and have no armor, but it is not effective against anything else. As a result, many people decide to switch this weapon for an AK/M4A4 once their opponents have armor.
If we have to summarize everything mentioned above, P90 is a good weapon that can do wonders in some circumstances. Unfortunately, the weapon does not work well in every situation, especially against people who know how to avoid it. That’s the reason why P90 usually works well in lower-tier competitive play.
