New CS2 Patch introduces Arms Race, New Case and Rechargeable Zeus!

In a much expected announcement, Valve has unleashed a game-changing update for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), titled "A Call to Arms." This CS2 new patch, released on late February 6, has brought a bunch of exciting features and enhancements to the first-person shooter, leaving fans thrilled and reigniting the excitement surrounding the game.

Beloved CS:GO game mode returns with CS2 new patch

The highlight of the "Call to Arms" update is the triumphant return of the Arms Race game mode. This fan-favorite mode, characterized by intense free-for-all battles on small maps, has made its way to CS2.

Players engage in a relentless cycle of weapon upgrades with each kill, culminating in the race to secure a final blow with the iconic knife or Zeus. To complement the return of Arms Race, Valve has introduced two classic maps, "Baggage" and "Shoots," to the CS2 rotation.

New weapons and skins - the Kilowatt Case

Accompanying the resurgence of Arms Race is CS2's inaugural weapon skin case – the Kilowatt Case. This collection features 17 community-designed weapon finishes, marking the debut of Counter-Strike's first new knife in over five years – the Kukri Knife.

With a dazzling array of classic finishes such as Fade, Crimson Web, Slaughter, Case Hardened, and more, the Kukri Knife stands out as a unique and stylish addition to the CS2 armory.

The Kilowatt case will bring a new set of guns to the skin market (credits: Valve)

In a groundbreaking move, Valve has also introduced custom sticker placement to this CS2 new patch, allowing players to meticulously choose the position and rotation of up to five stickers on their weapons. This feature, a significant cosmetic enhancement, empowers players to personalize their arsenal like never before.

Sticker count increased to 5 and players can place it where and how they want (credits: Team Spirit)

Zeus, the powerful taser in CS2, has received its first-ever skin – the Olympus. Featuring a striking caricature of Zeus wielding a thunderbolt amidst streaks of lightning, this skin adds a shockingly divine touch to the CS2 experience.

Moreover, the Zeus now boasts improved functionality, becoming reusable in all game modes after a 30-second recharge delay.

Just... LOOK AT THAT! Zeus skin! (credits: Valve)

Overall gameplay improvements

Beyond the cosmetic additions, Valve has addressed several gameplay issues in this CS2 new patch. Notable changes include adjustments to smokes, which now cast shadows, and the introduction of a "Refund All" button in the buy menu.

Silencers have to possitibility to reattach at will, irrespective of the detachment setting. Players will also appreciate the ability to disable first-person bullet tracers and the removal of loadout changes during matchmaking searches to ensure fair play.

Networking and sound enhancements

Valve has prioritized network improvements to counteract peeker's advantage, with a reduction in latency and frequency of situations leading to significant peeker's advantage.

Sound fixes include the addition of audio input device selection for VOIP and an option to change microphone threshold and metering for current microphone loudness.

Additionally, Valve has replaced sound effects for the M249 and Zeus, contributing to a more immersive audio experience.

Map fixes and adjustments

The update also addresses various map issues, enhancing player experience on iconic CS2 battlegrounds such as Inferno, Ancient, Anubis, Overpass, Mirage, Nuke, Vertigo, Italy, and Office.

From fixing gaps and adjusting grenade collisions to preventing bomb inaccessibility and improving player visibility, these map changes contribute to a more polished and enjoyable gameplay environment.

Full CS2 new patch notes

[ ARMS RACE ]

• Added Arms Race to available game modes
• Added maps "Baggage" and "Shoots"

[ WEAPON FINISHES ]

• Introducing the Kilowatt Case, featuring 17 community-designed weapon finishes, and the Kukri Knife with original finishes as a rare special item
• Various bug fixes and tweaks

[ STICKERS ]

• The Ambush Sticker Capsule is now available for purchase
• Added support for flexible sticker placement. Stickers can now be placed at user-specified positions and rotation when applied to weapons
• All weapons now support up to five stickers
• Added a zoom feature during sticker placement to allow for higher precision sticker application- Various bug fixes and tweaks

[ MUSIC KITS ]

• The NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box is now available for purchase in standard and StatTrak versions

[ ZEUS ]

• Made Zeus reusable in all game modes, after a 30 second recharge delay
• Added support for applying stickers and name tags to the Zeus
• Adjusted the Zeus first person model position
• Added Zeus kill icon to kill cards and post round damage report

[ SMOKE ]

• Smokes now cast shadows
• Rendering and animation have been improved

[ GAMEPLAY ]

• Added a "Refund All" button to the buy menu
• Added a setting to disable first person bullet tracers
• Silencers can now always be reattached regardless of whether detaching them is enabled or not
• Player pings are no longer blocked by invisible geometry
• Various adjustments to sub-tick shooting
• Fixed several cases where players could silently drop down vertical surfaces
• Improved smoothness of sliding along surfaces
• Fixed an issue where collisions between players were jittery
• To ensure loadouts are correct at the beginning of matches, loadout changes are no longer allowed while searching for Premier, Competitive, or Wingman

[ SOUND ]

• Added the option to select an audio input device for VOIP from the audio settings menu
• Added the option to change your microphone threshold (the minimum loudness before we start transmitting audio) from the audio options menu, as well as metering for your current mic loudness
• Added the option to listen to your own microphone from the audio settings menu to hear how you sound
• Replaced the M249 fire sound effect
• Replaced the Zeus charging, charge not available and charge ready states sound effects
• Further reduced occlusion effects
• Minor mix adjustments- Fixed an issue where some player-centric sounds were being perceived as originating from slightly behind the player

[ NETWORKING ]

• Reduced peeker's advantage in many cases
• The amount of peeker's advantage in the steady state is reduced by 16ms
• Also reduced the frequency of situations that lead to very large peeker's advantage due to excessive command queue depth
• Added cl_ticktiming console command that prints a report breaking down the various sources of latency
• Added an option to buffer server updates and user commands by one or more packets. This can be used to smooth over stuttering due to packet loss, at the expense of increased latency

[ UI ]

• Added support for separate main menu and item inspect background map settings
• Added "Baggage" and "Warehouse" as options for the main menu and item inspect background maps
• In-game team-only chat will now be prefixed with the team (e.g., "[T]" or "[CT]")
• 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 tached 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. You can disable playing defeat animations for the local player in settings
• Added more accolades to end-of-match

[ MISC ]

• Adjusted the range of CS Ratings allowed to party together in Premier matchmaking
• Fixed a case where high-DPI mice would result in jittery mouse movement
• Minor improvements to animations during demo playback
• Disabled rich presence update when running Steam Client in tournament mode

[ MAPS ]

Inferno:

• Fixed various gaps and adjusted grenade collision to make grenade bounces more predictable
• Adjusted texture blending to improve player visibility

Ancient:

• Adjusted grenade collision on bombsite B ground to make grenade bounces more predictable

Anubis:

• Fixed holes in world at Lower Tunnel
• Fixed collision on all pillars so players can no longer pixel boost
• Fixed collision so utility does not fall out of world on top of structure at T Start
• Fixed missing collision on steps at Street which would allow dropped weapons to fall out of world
• Improved vis at CT spawn
• Fixed invisible boost ledge at Bombsite B
• Fixed various gaps in the world
• Fixed missing collision on stair geo at CT spawn that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
• Fixed missing collision at Fountain that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
• Fixed some doors not generating bullet decals- Fixed vis issue at Street

Overpass:

• Fixed some collision that was causing unpredictable player movement

Mirage:

• Added collision to prevent bomb becoming unreachable
• Adjusted some collision to prevent a ledge/pixel walk
• Fixed player stuck when strafing on Middle Ramp by simplifying geo of floor and wall
• Removed a clip brush from Apartments to improve flash lineups

Nuke:

• Built some collision to prevent bomb from getting stuck behind barrels
• Fixed some disappearing mesh.
• Fixed dynamic shadow clipping on characters at Vending
• Improved clipping in vents
• Fixed bombsite water to have better reflections on low settings
• Fixed vis issue at t-spawn
• Fixed collision on ramp in Bombsite B
• Fixed holes in world

Vertigo:

• Fixed holes in world and other minor geometry bugs

Italy:

• Adjusted some collision to prevent players stuck in apartment

Office:

• Fixed a case where players could jump on a wall, fixed a case where players stuck if they crouched

In summary, the CS2 new patch Call to Arms is nothing short of a Christmas in February for fans. With the return of Arms Race, introduction of the Kilowatt Case, the Kukri Knife, and numerous gameplay improvements, this surprise update has reinvigorated the CS2 community.

As players dive into the enhanced gaming experience, the Counter-Strike update solidifies Counter-Strike 2's position as a dynamic and evolving masterpiece in the world of first-person shooters.

Feature image credits: Valve

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