Big Update: Rent skins directly in CS2

In the latest CS2 updates, significant changes have been made to weapon finishes, gameplay mechanics, and map layouts, aiming to enhance the overall player experience and maintain balance within the game. Here’s a detailed look at the changes rolled out on May 23 and 24, 2024.

Weapon Finishes

• Doppler, Gamma Doppler, and Marble Fade Finish: The visual appearance of these popular weapon skins has been fixed to ensure consistency and clarity, addressing community feedback about their in-game look.

Gameplay Adjustments

• Molotov and Incendiary Grenades: The height of the flame pillar for both grenades now decreases over time, a change likely aimed at balancing their area denial capabilities. Additionally, the price of the Incendiary Grenade has been reduced from $600 to $500, its visual effects have been adjusted, and both its duration and the area covered by spreading flames have been reduced.
• Economic Changes: The terrorist team’s reward for planting the bomb, even if defused, has been reduced from $800 to $600. This adjustment aims to lessen the impact of the first-round bomb plant on subsequent rounds. Moreover, the price of the M4A4 has been lowered from $3100 to $3000.
• Deathmatch Mode: Bonus weapons are now standardized for all players, irrespective of loadout, ensuring a level playing field.
• Console Commands: New explicit console commands “switchhandsleft” and “switchhandsright” have been added, providing players more control over their in-game perspective.

Rental System Overhaul

A significant change has been introduced in the form of a rental system for weapon skins:

• Kilowatt Case Rentals: Players can now choose to rent the entire Kilowatt collection for a week upon opening a Kilowatt case with a key. Rented weapons will revert to their stock versions after the rental period expires and cannot be modified, traded, or sold during the rental period.

HUD and UI Improvements

Numerous bugs in the HUD and UI have been addressed:

• MVP Display and Scoreboard: Fixes include the correct display of MVP player names during bot takeovers and synchronization of scoreboards during the end-of-match.
• Buy Menu: The Refund All button now correctly refunds all purchased items, not just a single flashbang.
• Steam Avatars: Blocking stranger avatars now also blocks other user-generated content like name tags and sticker placements, enhancing user control over visible content.

Chicken Enhancements

In a whimsical update, chickens in the game have received new animations. They can now walk up hills and turn right while walking, adding a touch of realism and humor to the game.

Demo Playback

The demo playback system has seen significant upgrades:

• Event Indicators: The timeline now shows indicators for kills and deaths, and players can toggle a “highlight mode” to view only these events for the active player.
• Crash Fixes and UI Changes: Several minor UI changes have been implemented, alongside a fix for a demo playback crash.

Map Updates

Several maps have been refined to improve gameplay and balance:

• Vertigo: Major changes include the addition of a catwalk by bombsite A, the removal of the connector between the back of A and elevators, and the opening up of the passage between elevators and scaffolding. Spawn timings and the layout for Wingman mode have also been adjusted.
• Baggage: Adjustments include fixing a movement hitch on the lower conveyor and lowering the height of the central conveyor tray to improve sniper views.
• Office: A bug allowing players to shoot through multiple walls has been fixed.
• Mirage: Collision issues on certain props and around windows in the palace have been addressed.

These updates highlight CS2’s commitment to evolving gameplay and maintaining balance, ensuring a dynamic and fair competitive environment for all players. The community eagerly anticipates how these changes will impact the meta and overall gameplay experience.