---
title: "Half-Life Deathmatch: Source: Complete Guide"
game: "Half-Life Deathmatch: Source"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/half-life-deathmatch-source"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Weapons", "Maps", "Settings"]
summary: "This guide covers the arsenal, map knowledge, movement, and settings you need to hold your own in Valve's Source remake of classic Half-Life deathmatch, plus how to find a game or host one in 2026. Researched September…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/half-life-deathmatch-source-complete-guide-373cb954"
published: "2026-09-27T16:49:56.803Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T16:49:56.803Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Half-Life Deathmatch: Source: Complete Guide

This guide covers the arsenal, map knowledge, movement, and settings you need to hold your own in Valve's Source remake of classic Half-Life deathmatch, plus how to find a game or host one in 2026.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of the 24 August 2026 update (security and stability, Linux custom-map fix) on top of the February 2025 64-bit overhaul. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **This is arena deathmatch.** No classes, no loadouts. Everyone spawns with a crowbar and a 9mm pistol, and everything else comes from map pickups. Knowing where the pickups are counts for more than aim.
2. **Get to a power weapon right after spawning.** The Tau Cannon, crossbow, RPG, shotgun, and MP5 decide most fights. The pistol is only for finishing off weakened enemies.
3. **Health and armor chargers are wall-mounted.** Hold Use on them to refill. Learn where they are on each map.
4. **Explosives are everywhere.** Hand grenades, satchel charges, tripmines, MP5 grenades, and RPG rockets. Check doorways for tripmine lasers.
5. **The long jump module** (found on some maps) lets you do a big leap with crouch + jump while moving. It's the fastest movement in the game.
6. **The game got a real modernization in February 2025.** 64-bit binaries, a borderless window option, UI scaling, native resolution at launch, Steam Networking, and client-side prediction fixes. Old complaints about "jank" and rubber-banding are mostly fixed.
7. **Servers are mostly community-run.** Use the server browser and sort by players. Evenings in EU and NA are the busiest.
8. **Remember the 2006 differences.** The .357 has no zoom in HLDM:S, and the classic map Gasworks isn't included.

## The Arsenal

| Slot | Weapon | Primary | Secondary | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crowbar | Swing | — | Emergency melee, breaking crates |
| 2 | 9mm Pistol (Glock) | Accurate semi-auto | Fast inaccurate fire | Finishing weakened enemies. 17-round magazine, matching the original. |
| 2 | .357 Magnum | Heavy single shots | — (no zoom in HLDM:S) | Mid-range headshots |
| 3 | MP5 | Automatic fire | Contact grenade | All-rounder. The grenades clear corridors. |
| 3 | Shotgun | Single blast | Double blast | Close range. The double blast deals huge damage but reloads slowly. |
| 3 | Crossbow | Bolt | Zoom | Long-range picks. Lead your target when unzoomed. |
| 4 | RPG | Laser-guided rocket | Toggle laser | Area denial, finishing, anti-camp |
| 4 | Tau Cannon (Gauss) | Quick shot | Charged blast with big recoil | Huge damage, shoots through thin walls, gives you a recoil boost |
| 4 | Gluon Gun (Egon) | Continuous beam | — | Melts anyone in range. Burns ammo fast. |
| 4 | Hivehand | Homing hornets | Rapid hornets | Self-recharging ammo, harassment |
| 5 | Hand Grenade | Throw | — | Cooking and bouncing around corners |
| 5 | Satchel Charge | Throw | Detonate | Traps at chargers and pickups |
| 5 | Tripmine | Place on wall | — | Doorway and stair traps |
| 5 | Snarks | Release | — | Small biting creatures that chase whoever is nearest, including you |

### Weapon priorities by situation

- **Close quarters:** Shotgun double blast, then the Gluon Gun, then MP5 grenades.
- **Mid range:** MP5, .357, Tau Cannon quick shots.
- **Long range:** Crossbow, .357, RPG with the laser guiding the rocket around cover.
- **Movement tech:** A **Tau Cannon charged shot fired at your feet or behind you** launches you across the map (the classic "gauss jump"). It costs health and ammo, so practice it in an empty server.

## Maps

HLDM:S includes 11 of the classic Half-Life deathmatch maps, rebuilt with Source lighting and physics.

| Map | What it's about | Key tip |
|---|---|---|
| Boot Camp | Big mixed indoor/outdoor map | Hold the high ground near the power weapons |
| Bounce | Jump pads over a pit | Air-control fights. Knock people off with explosives. |
| Crossfire | Two bases and an open courtyard | The bunker has a button that triggers an airstrike on the yard, so hide inside when it fires |
| Datacore | Tight industrial corridors | Shotgun and MP5 grenades dominate |
| Frenzy | Small, chaotic | Constant spawns. Get armor fast. |
| Lambda Bunker | Lab bunker complex | Learn the charger and armor loops |
| Rapidcore | Reactor core with hazards | Watch your step around the core |
| Snark Pit | A house with a snark pit | Stay aware of the snarks. The pit is a death trap. |
| Stalkyard | Open yard and warehouses | Crossbow and .357 lanes |
| Subtransit | Train tunnels | Trains kill instantly, so listen for them |
| Undertow | Water-heavy map | Swimming is slow. Fight from dry routes. |

**Map control loop:** spawn → closest armor or health → nearest power weapon → a route that passes your second weapon and a charger. Repeat. Good players time pickup respawns instead of wandering.

## Movement

- **Crouch-jumping** gets you onto ledges you can't reach with a normal jump. Press crouch at the peak of the jump.
- **Long jump module:** while moving forward, crouch then jump for a long horizontal leap. It makes big maps small.
- **Strafe while falling** to control your air path. Movement in HLDM:S feels different from the original GoldSrc game, so relearn your jump distances.
- **Ladders and water** are slow and exposed. Don't fight from them.
- **Gauss jumping** (see above) is the high-skill movement trick.

## Settings and Performance

After the February 2025 update, the game launches at native resolution and supports a **borderless window** and **UI scaling** for high-resolution screens.

Recommended console and options setup (open the console with `~` after enabling it under Options → Keyboard → Advanced):

| Command | Suggested value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| `fps_max` | Your refresh rate or higher (e.g. 240) | Smoother input |
| `net_graph` | 1 | Shows FPS, ping, and loss |
| `rate` | The highest value your build accepts (type `rate` in the console to see the current value; servers can cap it) | Modern-connection bandwidth |
| `cl_interp_ratio` | 1 or 2 | Lower is more responsive, higher is more stable on bad connections |
| `m_rawinput` | 1 (if available) | Bypasses Windows mouse acceleration |

Turn off mouse acceleration in Options → Mouse, and use a sensitivity where a full mouse swipe turns you roughly 180 degrees.

## Finding and Hosting Games

- **Server browser:** Find Servers → Internet tab. Filter out empty servers and sort by ping.
- **Listen server:** Create Server from the main menu. Since 2025 the default server name includes your player name, and **Steam Networking** support makes it easier to play with friends.
- **Dedicated servers** are available through SteamCMD as the HLDM:S dedicated server tool. Useful commands: `mp_timelimit`, `mp_fraglimit`, `mp_teamplay` (team deathmatch), `sv_password`, and `changelevel [mapname]`.
- **Custom maps:** Community maps are downloaded from the server you join. The August 2026 update fixed custom-map assets failing to load on Linux.
- **Store status:** Valve unlisted Half-Life: Source from the Steam store in November 2023, but HLDM:S is still sold separately. It's also included in some Valve bundles.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Fighting with the pistol.** Get to a real weapon in the first 10 seconds after spawning.
- **Running through doorways without looking.** Tripmine lasers are visible. Look for them.
- **Releasing snarks in a small room.** They go for the nearest target, and that can be you.
- **Standing on the Crossfire yard when the airstrike is triggered.**
- **Firing the double shotgun blast at range.** It spreads out, and the reload is slow.
- **Gauss-jumping with low health.** The self-damage can kill you.

## Advanced Tips

- **Time the power weapons.** Note when you take the Tau Cannon or RPG and be back when it respawns. This beats raw aim over a full match.
- **Satchel on the charger.** Drop a satchel next to a health charger, then detonate it when someone uses the charger.
- **Shoot Tau through walls.** Charged shots penetrate thin walls. It's a good way to punish campers.
- **Guide the RPG around corners.** Keep the laser on and steer the rocket into people hiding behind cover.
- **Cook grenades** to deny escape routes. Bounce them off walls into rooms.
- **Hivehand ammo recharges.** It's good to carry for harassment when you're low on everything else.

## FAQ

**Is Half-Life Deathmatch: Source still playable online?**
Yes. There are community servers, and the 2025 update added Steam Networking, which makes playing with friends easier. Populations are small, so evenings and weekends are best.

**What's the difference from the original HLDM?**
It uses the Source engine with its physics and lighting, and the maps have balance tweaks. The .357 has no zoom, and Gasworks isn't included.

**Does it support widescreen and high refresh rates?**
Yes. Since February 2025 it launches at native resolution, supports borderless windowed mode, has UI scaling, and runs 64-bit.

**How do I host a server?**
Use Create Server for a quick listen server, or SteamCMD for a dedicated one.

**Are there bots?**
There's no official bot support. Use community servers or mods.

**Is it on Mac and Linux?**
Linux, and historically macOS, support were added in the 2013 SteamPipe update. Linux got another fix in August 2026.

## Sources

- [Steam news: Half-Life Deathmatch: Source updates (2013, 2021, February 2025, August 2026)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/360)
- [Combine OverWiki: Half-Life Deathmatch: Source](https://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/Half-Life_Deathmatch:_Source)
- [Steam store page: Half-Life Deathmatch: Source](https://store.steampowered.com/app/360/HalfLife_Deathmatch_Source/)