By GamGem ResearchLast updated 6 Oct 2026
No change to the Nova’s numbers in Valve’s file since May 2024.
CS2 weapon · Heavy · both sides Nova
Valve: “Versatile shotgun for close quarter combat.” The Nova's rock-bottom price tag makes it a great ambush weapon for a cash-strapped team.
5 m20 m30 m40 m60 m
Target & armour
Buy Nova when…
Close fights only — it fires 9 pellets, and how many land decides the kill.
Valve’s buy menu: “Consider in force buy rounds.”Buy recommended$1,050
$4,100 buys it with Kevlar and a helmet and leaves $2,050.- Price
- $1,050 game data
- Kill reward
- $900 game data
- Damage
- 26 × 9 game data
- Armour pen
- 50% derived
- Fire rate
- 68 RPM derived
- Ammo
- 8 / 32 game data
- Reload lock
- 0.47 s game data
- Run speed
- 220 game data
- Penetration
- 1.0 game data
- Accurate range
- 3.24 m derived
Damage & kill outcomes @ 30 m
| Zone | None | Kevlar | Helmet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 44 | 44 | 22 |
| Chest | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Stomach | 13 | 6 | 6 |
| Arms | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Legs | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Head vs Kevlar + helmet at 30 m: 22 damage per pellet.
derived · damage × range modifier^(units ÷ 500) × zone × armour, rounded downArmour breakpoints
No breakpoints: it fires 9 pellets, and how many land decides the kill. One pellet to the head, against Kevlar + helmet:
- 0 m52 per pellet
- 5 m45 per pellet
- 10 m39 per pellet
- 15 m34 per pellet
- 20 m29 per pellet
Damage over distanceper pellet
1200
0 m15 m30 m45 m60 m
- Head · no armour
- Head · helmet
- Chest · Kevlar
- Chest · no armour
1st shot spread
Every pellet in a 30 cm plate to3.24 m
At 30 m the pellets spread up to 141 cm from the crosshair — wider than this drawing.
derived · 0.1524 m ÷ (spread + inaccuracy) — Valve’s own 30 cm plateSpray & firing mode
Phase
8 shells · 6.16 s of fire at 68 RPM · the magazine is empty.
Pellets land in a random cone — nothing to memorise. source
Valve’s recoil inputs: kick 143 ± 22 · direction variance 20.Valve’s file holds these inputs, not the path the bullets take — so no path is drawn here.Firing mode guidance
Pump-action — one blast of pellets per pump. How many land decides the kill.
Spread still varies shot to shot — a guide, not a guarantee.What beats the Nova?
Weapon · edge30 m · headCost
- R8 Revolverfaster fire1 hit$600
- Desert Eaglefaster fire1 hit$700
- SSG 08moves faster1 hit$1,700
- AK-47faster fire1 hit$2,700
- SG 553faster fire1 hit$3,000
- AWP1 hit$4,750
- G3SG1faster fire1 hit$5,000
- SCAR-20faster fire1 hit$5,000
Economy context
- Nova + Kevlar + helmet$2,050$2,050 left
- Nova + Kevlar$1,700$2,400 left
- Nova alone$1,050$3,050 left
Counterplay tips
- Fight it beyond 3.24 m: past its standing accurate range even the first shot is not sure to land.
- Catch it moving: on the move its first shot is only sure within 1.99 m.
- It fires pellets — stay out of close range and it cannot kill in one shot.
- It moves at 220 u/s — expect it to reposition quickly.
- Drop its holder first: they lose a $1,050 gun, and each kill it makes pays them $900.
Pellets decide — 22 per pellet to a helmeted head at 30 m.
Buy now or save now?with $4,100
| If you lose | 0 kills | 1 kill | 2 kills |
|---|---|---|---|
| +$1,400after wins | buy$3,450 next | buy$4,350 next | buy$5,250 next |
| +$1,900a half’s first loss | buy$3,950 next | buy$4,850 next | buy$5,750 next |
| +$2,400 | buy$4,450 next | buy$5,350 next | buy$6,250 next |
| +$2,900 | buy$4,950 next | buy$5,850 next | buy$6,750 next |
| +$3,400the cap | buy$5,450 next | buy$6,350 next | buy$7,250 next |
Share this scenario
30 m · Kevlar + helmet · headPellets decideBuy recommendedNova
gamgem.com/counter-strike-2/weapons/nova#30m-helmet-head
Sources & evidence
- Damage · armour · range
- weapons.vdata · 10f3693c · 2026-09-23
- Price · kill reward
- $1,050 · $900
- Fire rate · magazine
- 68 RPM · 8/32
- Range modifier · penetration
- 0.7 · 1
- Description · buy-menu lines
- csgo_english.txt
- Loss bonus · armour prices
- gamemode_competitive.cfg · items_game.txt
All the maths runs in your browser, from Valve’s weapon file (10f3693c, 2026-09-23).