Since the early days of CS, graffiti sprays have been around, though they served as nothing more than an in-game aesthetic for years.
In CSGO, the graffiti sprays have become associated with low-key insults and bragging rights whenever players get outdueled or outplayed. Some of the graffiti designs have made players even vainer since some graffiti designs display suggestive words such as “GG” or “RIP.”
Graffiti in Pro Play
If you happen to watch many CSGO tournaments, you will know graffiti sprays have been involved in some of the nastiest one on one duels.
Pro players’ reaction times are world-class. These guys know when and how to react at the right time. While some players’ reaction times are purely a gift from the heavens, some of these players have played for thousands of hours and know the exact timings for every map.
With this in mind, some players have used graffiti sprays to throw off these default timings by introducing an unexpected stimulus to the game.
Also, while on the topic of pro play, Valve nicely commemorates the most insane moments in CSGO Major history by adding permanent Graffiti art to the maps and in-map locations where the magic happened.
A Graffiti Distraction
As we mentioned in the previous section, Graffiti can introduce a subtle but noticeable stimulus to the game that can throw off players.
Graffiti sprays play a spray can sound that is very audible in-game. Any veteran CSGO player will know exactly where the sound is coming from since CSGO’s directional sound has always been pretty good.
Because the sound of the graffiti spray is so audible, players can often be thrown off from 100% focus. This minor distraction is enough for players to take advantage of in one versus one situation.
How To Get Graffiti
CSGO’s Graffiti are a dime a dozen. There is plenty of free Graffiti drops in-game that players can acquire just by playing the game.
One way to get Graffiti is by grinding in Competitive Mode. You receive free Graffiti by ranking up in CSGO. Another way to get Graffiti is by purchasing a Graffiti Box which features Graffiti Designs from the Community. Lastly, you can go to the Community Market and buy Graffiti spray for Steam Credits.
More Facts About Graffiti
Graffiti Spray comes in two types: Monochrome and Polychrome. Monochrome sprays are single-color sprays and are the most commonly dropped sprays in-game.
Polychrome Sprays are the type of sprays only acquired from the Community Designed Graffiti available on the Community Market.
Polychrome Graffiti is arguably the better-looking spray since it features more design and color elements than the stale and boring monochromatic Graffiti. Still, you get what you pay for when it comes to Graffiti since monochrome sprays are free while polychromatic Graffiti cost money.
Some more facts about Graffiti:
- A pack of Graffiti Sprays has 50 charges.
- Graffiti can be used once per round, or every 45 seconds.
- Getting a kill will allow the player to use more Graffiti.
- Graffiti last seven minutes from initial application.
How to Equip Graffiti
To equip Graffiti:
- First, go to the inventory:
2. Look for the Graffiti you would like to Unseal:
3. Click on the Graffiti, and click on “Open and Equip”:
4. The game will take you to the Graffiti Spotlight Screen:
5. Click on Unseal Graffiti:
6. Done!
Now that you have unsealed the Graffiti, go to a practice match to try out the newly acquired Graffiti:
Pressing the Graffiti Menu key in-game (in our case, it has defaulted to “V”) will bring up the Graffiti Menu. Letting go of the “V” key will automatically spray the Graffiti when applicable.
All of your unsealed Graffiti will show up on the bottom part of the Graffiti Menu. This menu also shows the number of charges left per Graffiti. The Graffiti Menu also has an indicator that tells the player whether the surface is sprayable or not.
Instant Graffitication
That is about it! Spraying Graffiti is a great in-game vanity item to tell your enemies they suck without ever having to type the words in-game. It adds swagger to your gameplay and tells everybody on the server how confident you are with your skills.
If you know how to use them properly, Graffiti can be used as a tool to throw off your enemies and gain the upper hand in one on one fights.
Overall, Graffiti is a great way of expressing yourself in-game to both your teammates and your enemies. There is no problem in spamming Graffiti in-game. Just make sure you do not forget to equip them now and then.
