Mirage
The classic three-lane desert map and the most played CS2 map of all.
Overview
Mirage is a three-lane map built around a contested mid and a wide A site with many entrances. B is a small, enclosed site in apartments that rewards fast hits and good utility. Mid control decides rotations and lets terrorists split either bombsite. Mirage is forgiving to learn and hard to master, which is why it has stayed at the top of the competitive pool for years.
Callouts
The standard names for every area, grouped by bombsite and lane.
Mid
- Mid
- The central lane connecting T spawn to connector and catwalk.
- Top mid
- The T side of mid, near the entrance from T spawn.
- Catwalk
- The raised path from mid up toward A short, also called cat.
- Connector
- The hallway linking mid to under A, often held by a CT.
- Window
- The opening over mid from short A, a key angle for both sides.
- Underpass
- The lower path beneath catwalk connecting mid to A short.
A site
- A site
- The open bombsite with the bomb plant zone, surrounded by boxes.
- Palace
- The raised room overlooking A from the A ramp side.
- Jungle
- The area between palace and CT spawn, a common CT hold.
- Stairs
- The steps from jungle down onto A site.
- Firebox
- The stacked logs/boxes on A used as a plant cover and angle.
- Triple
- The set of three crates near CT that offer a strong post-plant angle.
- Ramp
- The entrance from underpass/cat up onto A site.
- Default plant
- The standard plant spot behind firebox, visible from stairs.
B site
- B site
- The small enclosed bombsite inside apartments.
- Apartments
- The route from T spawn through halls to B, also called apps.
- Balcony
- The overlook from apps onto B site.
- B short
- The tight entrance from apps onto the site.
- Catwalk (B)
- The walkway from market toward B site.
- Market
- The shop room between CT spawn and B, a key rotation path.
- Tunnel
- The passage from T spawn directly to B, also called B apartments lower.
CT spawn and rotations
- CT spawn
- The counter-terrorist spawn area between A and B.
- Sniper nest
- The CT angle overlooking mid from near CT spawn.
- Jungle to A
- The rotation route from CT to A through jungle.
- Market to B
- The rotation route from CT to B through market.
Default tactics
Default T play is to send one or two players to mid for control and catwalk pressure, two to B apartments to threaten a hit, and the rest to A ramp. Mid control opens the split onto A through catwalk and window. A fast B execute with smokes on balcony and short is common on force buy rounds.
Default holds
CTs usually play two A, one mid, and one B with a rotator in CT spawn. A is held from palace, stairs, and triple; mid from window and connector; B from site and market. Retakes matter more than first-contact kills because the sites are small, so save utility for post-plant.
Standard utility
The smokes, flashes and molotives that define rounds on Mirage. Descriptions are general references, not pixel-perfect lineups.
A site stairs smoke
Smoke off stairs from A ramp to block the CT angle from jungle and let the bomber plant default. A core smoke for every A take.
Jungle smoke
Smoke jungle to cut the CT rotation from spawn and isolate A site for a post-plant.
Window smoke (mid)
Smoke mid window so T players can take catwalk and connector without being shot from short A.
B short smoke
Off the B apartments push, smoke short to block the site player and get onto the plant safely.
Palace molotov
Molotov palace on a retake to flush a terrorist holding the high ground, or to delay a palace push.
A ramp flash
Pop a flash over palace from ramp to blind the CT holding stairs before the site entry.