On April 26, 2024, the developers of Counter-Strike 2 presented a large update that affected the gameplay of the shooter. Valve returned Dust 2 to the official map pool, changed several maps, and the game’s hud, and added the possibility for players to hold a weapon in their left hand. This article written by k1nd3r is dedicated to the details of the latest CS2 update. We recommend visiting Profilerr, where you can find out even more interesting information about the effective play, as well as evaluate the settings of pro players from Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, or Wildcard CS2 rosters.
Dust 2 Replaced Overpass in The Official Map Pool
With a major update, the developers decided to return Dust 2 to the active map pool of the Competitive and Premier modes. So now all fans of this map can once again watch professional gamers play it.
To return Dust 2 to the active map pool, the developers had to remove another map, which also managed to become legendary – Overpass. It was added to the game in 2013, and the Overpass map entered the official map pool in 2014.
The developers also slightly changed a number of other maps in Counter-Strike 2 and fixed bugs that were encountered on them.
Baggage map:
- rolling doors are open at spawn;
- updated models of some conveyors;
- the stairs are strengthened;
- various bug fixes.
Inferno map:
- the arch (overhanging roof) in the upper part of the mid was removed;
- the protrusions at the bottom of the banana were removed;
- various bug fixes.
Overpass, Nuke, Vertigo, Mirage, and Office maps:
- bugs and exploits fixed;
- visibility adjustment;
- minor performance improvements.
Players Can Hold Weapons in Their Left-Hand
In previous versions of Counter-Strike, players had the possibility to hold weapons in either the right or left hand. You could switch them in the game settings.
In Counter-Strike 2, the developers initially did not add to the game the possibility to take weapons on the other hand. The developers have just now added the “Dominant Hand in First Person” feature to the game to switch weapons between the right and left hands.
By default, to take a weapon into your left hand, you need to press the H key. To return the weapon to your right hand, you need to press H again. If necessary, this key can be changed to any other in the game settings.
A Targeting Grid For Grenades Was Added to The Game
The developers have changed several things in the game HUD. Thanks to this, the game has new features and functions that were not there before. For example, in CS2 they added a targeting grid for grenades, which appears after pulling the pin. This makes it easier to aim and more likely to hit the target with a projectile. In this case, the timing of the appearance of the grid can be adjusted separately for each type of grenade. Counter-Strike 2 introduced an “Alternate Radar Zoom” setting and added a hotkey to switch between different radar zoom levels during gameplay. The developers have also added a radar icon when using the free camera.
Other HUD changes are less significant:
- the developers have changed the weapon change text when pointing at a dropped weapon to display the correct weapon name;
- the game now has a new killfeed icon when killing in the air;
- the game has a table with statistics in the menu when you press ESC;
- CS2 now has an icon for marking bots in the statistics table;
- in the purchase menu there is now an indicator of the minimum amount of money that the player is guaranteed to receive in the next round;
- the game has a “Dropped Weapons” section, which shows and allows you to directly pick up weapons dropped by teammates standing in the purchase area.
Kill Reward Changes
The big CS2 update has affected the gameplay of the game, although these changes are not many. One of them is increased movement speed with Zeus x27 and adjusted attack cone. The developers also changed the rewards for killing with some weapons:
- the reward for killing with Zeus x27 was increased from 0 to 100 dollars ($50 in the normal mode);
- the reward for killing a CZ75-Auto was increased from $100 to $300 ($150 in the normal mode);
- XM1014 kill reward was reduced from $900 to $600 ($300 in the normal model).
Other Changes in CS2
The developers have made a number of other changes to Counter-Strike 2. They added various features and removed bugs that were interfering with players. Here’s a list of other CS2 changes:
- The developers have removed camera movement when playing a demo from the playback speed, allowing you to move the camera even if playback is paused.
- Players now have the possibility to run practice matches and workshop maps with other players in the lobby.
- The Overwatch (patrol) system has been added to the game, allowing trusted players to view demo recordings of other matches and make a verdict.
- Players now have the possibility to adjust brightness in windowed modes.
- Adjusted the lighting of background maps when inspecting objects.
- CS2 now includes a wear indicator as a tooltip on the inspection screen.
- Copenhagen 2024 Major sticker capsules are now on sale with a 75 percent discount.
Final Thoughts
In March 2024, the average monthly number of active players increased by +98,998 compared to previous months. CS2 developers continue to improve the shooter, listening to the opinions of players. If you are dreaming of a professional career and want to achieve the same results as players Benjamin “blameF” Breme or Robin “ropz” Kool, we recommend visiting Profilerr, a site with a lot of useful information and services for CS2 players from all over the world – from Houston to Helsinki. Here you can use the inventory value calculator to estimate the cost of a player’s inventory, enjoy the crosshair generator, and also evaluate the settings of the best Counter-Strike players in the entire history of the game.
