To learn Nuke, start with three routes: lobby to upper A, ramp to lower B, and outside through secret toward lower. Then practice the CT rotation you actually use. Nuke makes sense once every call names both the destination and the route, not just “they're below.”
Put each callout on the right layer
- Upper A: hut and squeaky are threats from lobby; main is the entrance from outside. Heaven and rafters are raised positions around A. “Main” is not the name for the whole upper site.
- Lower B: ramp, control, double doors and decon are different entries and fights.
- Outside: yard, garage, red and secret are landmarks for crossings and CT sightlines.
- Links: vents and the ramp and secret routes let players change layers. Knowing which route someone used does not tell you where they stopped.
Names vary between groups, especially around the lower doors and control. In Practice, stand at each named spot, look toward the next route and find an escape. Do not try to memorize Nuke as one flat poster.
A CT hands off a route instead of vanishing
Give each defender a main area and agree who helps when pressure arrives. A ramp player can fall back, call the count and direction, and help defend lower; dying alone at first contact loses both the gun and the information. The outside player reports crossings and says whether garage or another angle is still watched.
Vertical sound is a clue with uncertainty. “Heard steps near vents” is honest; “bomb B” needs more evidence. Combine a teammate's sighting, the radar and committed movement. Confirmed lower pressure can justify moving help down before the plant, but someone still has to cover the upper threat.
Three T plans that teach different things
Outside control: test the visible CT angles and use tested smokes for the crossing you want. Assign one gun to watch for interruptions and one player to protect the trailing route. Smokes do not clear secret or stop someone slipping through. Decide whether the crossing leads to lower pressure or only holds the CTs' attention.
Ramp pressure: clear the first contact with a trade behind and say whether the defender fell back. Taking ramp gives you a route to lower; it does not clear every lower entry. Leave support watching the route behind while the lead players push.
Upper hit: time hut and squeaky contact together, with support for the defenders' usual spots. Outside/main adds a third threat if a player is in position. An upper hit does not always need a lower fake; a simple coordinated hit beats waiting while a lone fake player dies.
A round you can reason through
Example: a CT spots two players crossing to secret, the bomb is unseen and ramp is quiet. The useful call is “two crossed secret, bomb unknown.” Lower support can get ready while the upper anchor stays responsible for A. Sending every rotator down treats incomplete information as the end of the round.
As T, keep the CTs guessing only while someone protects the useful routes. Four players waiting in lobby while one outside player disappears is not a working default.
Plant, retake and practice
On either site, choose cover for the planter and assign different retake directions. Upper defenders can arrive from raised positions; lower retakes can come through several doors. Hold a post-plant spot that can still fight for the bomb, not one staring at an entrance that no longer matters.
Walk the three learning routes, then one CT retreat and return, and time them yourself on the current map. Valve rebuilt Nuke's lighting and materials for CS2 as an “upgrade” map (CS2 overview), so CS:GO screenshots can look different from what you see now.
Use demo review to separate what was seen from what was guessed, and grenade testing to check your crossing smokes.