Deadly new Vertigo boost could stop ramp pushes forever

A deadly new boost has been discovered for Vertigo and it could redefine the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map’s notoriously contentious A site.

In every iteration of Vertigo, sandbags has been a cheeky spot for CTs to lurk and a key point for defending ramp. What’s often forgotten about is everything behind Vertigo. A half-finished cement wall and railing is directly behind the spot to prevent players from falling off.

What hasn’t really been widely known is that all of this can be climbed on. Under the right circumstances, players can actually clip onto an invisible ledge that gives them complete cover from anyone going up ramp and a clear line of sight on the A site, offering the ability to stop any attempted bomb plants at default. 

This Vertigo boost was shown off recently on Reddit after it was used in an ESEA tournament match between Cyberstorm and Levitate:

Is This Position On Vertigo Legal?
by u/nartouthere in GlobalOffensive

What is pixel walking in CSGO?

Pixel walking in CSGO is when players can use improper hitboxes to stand somewhere they shouldn’t be able to.

Collision detection in CSGO is manually constructed by developers in many areas. Hitboxes are changed by map designers to either prevent guns and bombs from slipping into out-of-bounds areas or to let players clip into certain props in order to allow for intuitive movement. This means there is room for human error in the construction of some maps.

A hitbox having one extra polygon jutting out can be enough to let a player stand on it. This can open the door for a variety of exploitable, overpowered tactics.

The most notable example is the infamous Overpass boost used by Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson DreamHack Winter 2014. Fnatic used pixel walking boost to attach a player to a wall, then used that to get a line of sight onto a few high-traffic areas. Many similar boosts have been discovered in the years since.

Different entities have different standards of legality regarding pixel walking. In most instances, these kinds of boosts and plays are illegal. In this particular case, ESEA declared Levitate’s tactics to be legal. ESEA’s rules essentially allow pixel walking if it uses ledges from actual props, which this case does.