New case and Arms Race – the biggest update in the history of CS2

February 7, 2024

On the night of February 7, the developers of Counter-Strike 2 released the biggest update to the game since its release. The Arms Race mode has returned to the game, a new case and capsule with stickers have appeared, as well as many other changes. In this article we will talk about all the details of the patch.

Arms Race

In the new patch, the authors of CS2 have returned one of the players’ favorite modes, which appeared back at the release of CS:GO. Arms Race is based on the Gun Game modification – players will have to make kills with certain weapons corresponding to their level. The goal of the game is to reach the Golden Knife and eliminate any enemy with its help.

In this mode, seven maps were available for CS:GO. Only two of them returned in the updated version for CS2: Baggage and Shoots. The locations were redesigned for the Source 2 engine – they received updated graphics and lighting.

In addition to regular weapons and a knife, players now have access to the Zeus x27. The stun gun has been redesigned – now it does not disappear after use, but is recharged every 30 seconds. Also added support for adding stickers and name tags to it.

Kilowatt Case

Along with the update, the first case in the history of Counter-Strike 2 appeared in the game. It was called the Kilowatt Case – its feature was the new Kukri knife and the Olympus skin on the Zeus x27. The container included 17 skins.

The Kukri knife, used in traditional rituals such as weddings or stabbing, comes in 12 original coloring options.

Contents Kilowatt Case:

  • Dual Berettas | Hideout;
  • MAC-10 | Light Box;
  • Nova | Dark Sigil;
  • SSG 08 | Dezastre;
  • Tec-9 | Slag;
  • UMP-45 | Motorized;
  • XM1014 | Irezumi;
  • Glock-18 | Block-18;
  • M4A4 | Etch Lord;
  • Five-SeveN | Hybrid;
  • MP7 | Just Smile;
  • Sawed-Off | Analog Input;
  • M4A1-S | Black Lotus;
  • Zeus x27 | Olympus;
  • USP-S | Jawbreaker;
  • AWP | Chrome Cannon;
  • AK-47 | Inheritance.

Ambush Sticker Capsule and NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box

The patch also brought a new capsule with stickers and a container with music sets to CS2. Players can get 21 community-created stickers and six soundtrack packs.

The sticker application process has been redesigned to support flexible sticker placement. Now they can be placed anywhere, up to five per weapon.

Contents Ambush Sticker Capsule:

  • Peek-A-Boo;
  • Angry T;
  • Easy For Ricksaw;
  • AKickflip-47;
  • Bum A Smoke;
  • This Is Fine (Chicken);
  • Please Return To;
  • Retro Zeus;
  • Try Hard (Holo);
  • Pushing Smokes (Glitter);
  • Lit (Holo);
  • Cedar Creek (Holo);
  • Lotus (Glitter);
  • Loving Eyes (Holo);
  • Factory Sealed (Foil);
  • Lost In Smoke (Foil);
  • Ouchie (Foil);
  • On An Eco (Foil);
  • Econometer (Lenticular);
  • Old School (Lenticular);
  • Dystopian Gaze (Lenticular).

Contents NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box:

  • ISOxo – inhuman;
  • DRYDEN – Feel The Power;
  • Knock2 – Make U SWEAT!;
  • Rad Cat – Reason;
  • KILL SCRIPT – All Night;
  • TWERL и Ekko & Sidetrack – Under Bright Lights.

Gameplay changes

In addition to introducing new content in the form of skins, stickers and music packs, the authors of CS2 also made some gameplay changes. For example, the work of smoke grenades has been improved, the sub-tick system has been improved, and the advantage of the diving player has been reduced.

Main changes of the February 6 patch:

  • Smokes now cast shadows;
  • Smoke rendering and animation have been improved;
  • Added a “Refund All” button to the buy menu;
  • Various adjustments to sub-tick shooting;
  • Fixed several cases where players could silently drop down vertical surfaces;
  • Replaced the M249 fire sound effect;
  • Reduced peeker’s advantage in many cases;
  • Added ‘XP Overload’ status which is awarded to players who have earned all of their normal XP during the week (11,166 XP) and reached reduced XP gain. XP Overload status is attached to players’ names in scoreboard, main menu, death notices, etc. XP Overload status is awarded for a minimum of one week. Additional tiers of XP Overload status can be unlocked by earning all of the normal XP over multiple consecutive weeks;
  • Agents with unique end-of-match cheer animations now have unique defeat animations as well;
  • Bugs and errors have been fixed on all available maps.

The new update has become truly large-scale and brought a lot of cosmetic items and one of the popular modes from CS:GO to the game. But we never saw Danger Zone or anti-cheat updates. Valve has done a great job, but it hasn’t been able to fulfill all the fans’ wishes. Especially considering the huge number of cheaters that make it difficult to enjoy the game.

There may be another patch coming soon with bigger gameplay changes, but only time will tell. Probably, we should expect them together with a large patch with stickers for PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.

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