Before buying, look at your team's money and equipment together, not only your own balance. The aim is to have several teammates equipped for the same round, while keeping enough for a useful next round if this one goes badly. Use the current buy menu's prices and next-round information; rewards and costs can change.
Before buying, look at your team's money and equipment together, not only your own balance. The aim is to have several teammates equipped for the same round, while keeping enough for a useful next round if this one goes badly. Use the current buy menu's prices and next-round information; rewards and costs can change.
Three common calls
| Call | What it means | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Full buy | Most players can afford their intended weapon, armor and useful utility | The team can fight together with adequate equipment |
| Eco or save | Spend little this round to improve a later buy | Several teammates cannot afford a useful setup now |
| Force buy | Spend aggressively despite limited funds | The team agrees the immediate round is worth the risk |
These labels are conversation tools, not exact money thresholds. A partial buy can sit between them. Check the score and remaining rounds too: saving for a round that never arrives has no value.
Two examples
You can buy a rifle; three teammates cannot. Ask whether the team is saving or buying. If saving, avoid spending all your money on a solo rifle that leaves you unable to join the next team buy after a loss. If a richer teammate can drop a weapon while retaining enough equipment, coordinate the drop before spending; nobody is required to drop.
Several players survived with rifles, one teammate is short. Compare their carried equipment, remaining money and the buy menu. A drop or lighter purchase may let the team compete together; a full reset of every player's equipment is not automatically necessary.
During the round: fight or save?
If the objective is still achievable with your teammates, coordinate rather than saving automatically. If the bomb cannot realistically be reached in time and the team is far away, preserving a valuable weapon for the next round can be reasonable. Survival is not certain and giving up a winnable round is costly, so make the call from the actual time, positions and score.
Defenders should consider whether the team has a defuse kit when the mode permits it; both sides should reserve room in the plan for grenades. Round outcomes, survival and previous losses affect the next buy. Valve's 2019 notes describe the historical loss-bonus system, but exact current values and mode rules should be checked in the client rather than copied from an old table.
Sources: Liquipedia: economy round · Liquipedia: full-buy terminology · Valve: historical loss-bonus changes
Sources
- Liquipedia: economy round — Liquipedia: economy round
- Liquipedia: full-buy terminology — Liquipedia: full-buy terminology
- Valve: historical loss-bonus changes — Valve: historical loss-bonus changes
Revision history
— Recently updated