“Vertigo sucks”: CSGO pro ropz explains what’s wrong with it

By Fariha Bhatti

|

Jul 16, 2021

Reading time: 2 min

Vertigo falls in the list of least played maps in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and professional player Robin “ropz” Kool might know why. 

The skyscraper map is rarely seen in competitive queues but many CSGO teams like FURIA love to play Vertigo in professional matches. However, mousesports’ firepower ropz isn’t a fan of the map, he revealed on the recent HLTV Podcast. 

Vertigo was initially a part of Counter-Strike 1.6, with reused textures from Half-Life. Despite being one of the oldest maps in the CSGO competitive pool, Vertigo isn’t popular among the players. Instead, both casual and serious players steer clear of the classic location. Consequently, the map has become one of the least played maps in Counter-Strike. Players only get to see the new stats and Vertigo corridors on pro tournaments when a few teams vote in favor of the map. 

In a recent interview with HLTV, mousesports’ ace-rifler explained why Vertigo isn’t as popular as other maps in CSGO. 

“The fundamental part of CS is kinda missing in that map. You don’t have proper ways of taking map control like it’s always smokes up in the air, people always spamming through the smokes. You can’t take area, and obviously, having two levels makes it more difficult and random,” ropz said. 

Vertigo is a relatively small map as it’s divided into two stories. The skyscraper has plenty of choke corners and enclosed bomb sites, making it harder for counter-terrorists to take control of an area. Managing the economy can be a tall order on Vertigo, as heavy utility is required to gain site control successfully. The map is relatively easier on the terrorist side as you can effectively lock down the small sites. 

The pro player revealed that he doesn’t like playing the map due to its design that lacks CSGO’s “fundamental” spirit. He went as far as to say that Vertigo “fucking sucks” no matter what site you play from. 

“Vertigo fucking sucks. It doesn’t matter what position you’re playing. I play B site on CT, but any position sucks on that map,” ropz ranted. 

Vertigo is also mousesports’ least played map, like most of the CSGO teams. The location was a big hit in Counter-Strike 1.6 but it failed to carry the same spirit into the newer global offensive version. However, it seems that Valve likes the map. The developer recently uprooted a fan-favorite Train out of the map pool to make space for Ancient but chose to keep Vertigo active.