Why does the Nova give $900 per kill?

All shotguns pay the game's highest kill reward — three times a rifle's $300 — to compensate for their tiny effective range. The design intent is economic: shotguns are anti-eco and force-buy tools, and the reward makes each close-range pick genuinely bankable.

Can the Nova one-shot kill?

Inside a few metres, yes — a full pellet connection on the upper body or any headshot pellet cluster kills even armored opponents. Damage drops off very steeply (0.70 range modifier across nine 26-damage pellets), so past ~10 metres kills take multiple pumps.

On CT-side with $250 more to spend, the MAG-7 — higher per-pellet damage and a magazine reload. The Nova is the pick for T-side (where the MAG-7 doesn't exist), for both-sides flexibility, and for the absolute cheapest entry into $900 kill rewards.

How much damage does the Nova do in CS2?

The Nova deals 26 base damage per hit with 50% armor penetration. Headshot multiplier is 4x, meaning a headshot deals 104 damage before armor reduction.

How much does the Nova cost in CS2?

The Nova costs $1,050 to buy and gives a $900 kill reward. It's available to players on both sides.

What is the Nova fire rate?

The Nova fires at 68 rounds per minute (RPM) with a 8-round magazine. Reload time is 0.55 seconds.

How many skins does the Nova have in CS2?

The Nova currently has 45 skins available in Counter-Strike 2, ranging across multiple rarity tiers from Consumer Grade to Covert.

CS2 Nova Skins — All 45 Finishes & Prices

Compare it against the rest of the CS2 weapon list, check the numbers with the damage calculator, learn the spray from the recoil patterns reference, or browse every finish in the skins database.

45Available Skins

$0.01Cheapest Skin

$375.00Most Expensive

HeavyBoth SidesShotgun

Nova

The Nova is the people's shotgun: $1,050 for a pump-action that one-shots at close range and pays a game-highest $900 per kill. On anti-eco rounds in tight map areas, no purchase converts kills into next-round rifles more efficiently.

#shotgun#money-maker#close-range

Buy Price

$1,050

Kill Reward

$900

45 Available Skins

Browse all Nova skins with live market prices from major marketplaces.

Mil-Spec

Best Nova Skins by Price

Best Nova Skins — Full Rankings →

Budget (Under $10)

GraphiteFrom $9.04 BloomstickFrom $8.92 AntiqueFrom $8.74 Green AppleFrom $6.64 Red QuartzFrom $5.16

Mid-Range ($10–$50)

Blaze OrangeFrom $18.00 Modern HunterFrom $17.19 Hyper BeastFrom $10.02

Premium ($50+)

Baroque OrangeFrom $81.81

Cases Featuring Nova Skins

Kilowatt Case Snakebite Case Clutch Case Danger Zone Case Operation Bravo Case Gamma Case Fever Case Horizon Case Glove Case Falchion Case Operation Wildfire Case Operation Broken Fang Case Shattered Web Case Operation Breakout Weapon Case Operation Phoenix Weapon Case Winter Offensive Weapon Case CS:GO Weapon Case 2 eSports 2013 Winter Case eSports 2014 Summer Case

Accuracy & Recoil

Extracted directly from CS2's weapon data files — the exact values the game uses.

0.0070

Standing Inaccuracy

0.0053

Crouching Inaccuracy

0.037

Moving Inaccuracy

143

Recoil Magnitude

Recoil Variance

0.46s

Recovery (Standing)

Combat Statistics

Base Damage

50%

Armor Pen

HS Multiplier

1-tap kill

Fire Rate (RPM)

DPS (Raw)

8 / 32

Mag / Reserve

0.55s

Reload Time

220

Move Speed (u/s)

0.7

Range Modifier

Wall Penetration

Performance Overview

Damage

Armor Pen

50%

Fire Rate

Accuracy

0.7

Mobility

220

Economy Context

MidBuy tier · $1,050

86%Kill reward vs cost

2 killsTo pay for itself

$50Sawed-Off costs more

Verdict: The Nova is a mid-buy and force rounds weapon at $1,050 — 2 kills at $900 each cover its cost. The Sawed-Off costs $50 more if you're weighing the closest heavy alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Nova give $900 per kill?: All shotguns pay the game's highest kill reward — three times a rifle's $300 — to compensate for their tiny effective range. The design intent is economic: shotguns are anti-eco and force-buy tools, and the reward makes each close-range pick genuinely bankable.
Can the Nova one-shot kill?: Inside a few metres, yes — a full pellet connection on the upper body or any headshot pellet cluster kills even armored opponents. Damage drops off very steeply (0.70 range modifier across nine 26-damage pellets), so past ~10 metres kills take multiple pumps.
Nova or MAG-7?: On CT-side with $250 more to spend, the MAG-7 — higher per-pellet damage and a magazine reload. The Nova is the pick for T-side (where the MAG-7 doesn't exist), for both-sides flexibility, and for the absolute cheapest entry into $900 kill rewards.
How much damage does the Nova do in CS2?: The Nova deals 26 base damage per hit with 50% armor penetration. Headshot multiplier is 4x, meaning a headshot deals 104 damage before armor reduction.
How much does the Nova cost in CS2?: The Nova costs $1,050 to buy and gives a $900 kill reward. It's available to players on both sides.
What is the Nova fire rate?: The Nova fires at 68 rounds per minute (RPM) with a 8-round magazine. Reload time is 0.55 seconds.
How many skins does the Nova have in CS2?: The Nova currently has 45 skins available in Counter-Strike 2, ranging across multiple rarity tiers from Consumer Grade to Covert.
Is the Nova good in CS2?: The Nova is the people's shotgun: $1,050 for a pump-action that one-shots at close range and pays a game-highest $900 per kill. On anti-eco rounds in tight map areas, no purchase converts kills into next-round rifles more efficiently.

Stat history

No stat changes to the Nova since we began tracking Valve’s weapon definitions on 26 August 2026. Changes are read from the game’s own weapons.vdata, so anything listed here is a change Valve shipped rather than a correction to our data.

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Tools

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Learn & Explore

Most Traded CS2 SkinsRanked by completed sales — transaction data, not listings Cheapest Knives in CS2Every knife type ranked by its cheapest live price Cheapest Gloves in CS2Every glove model ranked by its cheapest live price

45 Available Skins

Blaze Orange

Modern Hunter

Baroque Orange

Bloomstick

Interlock

Forest Leaves

Hyper Beast

Sobek's Bite

Walnut

Clear Polymer

Quick Sand

Red Quartz

Tempest

Graphite

Green Apple

Toy Soldier

Antique

Rising Skull

Rust Coat

Rising Sun

Gila

Moon in Libra

Plume

Ocular

Wurst Hölle

Ghost Camo

Yorkshire

Wild Six

Koi

Ranger

Army Sheen

Polar Mesh

Sand Dune

Wood Fired

Exo

Windblown

Dark Sigil

Predator

Turquoise Pour

Rain Station

Candy Apple

Caged Steel

Currents

Mandrel

Marsh Grass

Best Nova Skins by Price

Budget (Under $10)

Mid-Range ($10–$50)

Premium ($50+)

Cases Featuring Nova Skins

Accuracy & Recoil

Combat Statistics

Performance Overview

Economy Context

Other Heavy

XM1014

MAG-7

Sawed-Off

M249

Negev

Frequently Asked Questions

Stat history

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