It's been a long time since Valve has released an update to CS2, but they've just released a massive one.
It brings a change to the map pool, a new crosshair setting, an addition to the buy menu, and a change that fans have been asking for ever since the game was released.
Let's start with that change first.
One of the biggest disappointments since the announcement of Counter-Strike 2 was the lack of a cl_righthand 0 command.
If that means nothing to you, allow us to explain:
By default, your guns, knife, utility, and anything else you may hold is held in your right hand in CS. With the cl_righthand 0 command, you were able to switch that so those items would instead be held in your left hand.
Although at first it may seem like a purely aesthetic change to appeal to the lefties of the world, it also provided a big impact to gameplay.
When swinging an angle by moving to the left, your gun would often block visibility because of how it appears on the right side of your screen, negating any amount of peeker's advantage you may have gotten and slowing down your reaction time to spotting an enemy.
With the gun on the left side of your screen, this is no longer an issue. This is demonstrated in this video that Valve released as part of the update announcement.
If you're wandering how to use cl_righthand 0 in CS2, it's actually far easier than it was in CS:GO.
CS:GO would require you to input the 'cl_righthand 0' command into your console and then follow that up by binding the command to a specific key so you could quick switch like in the above video.
However, in CS2, Valve have massively streamlined that process. In CS2, cl_righthand 0 is just a setting that will allow players to decide which hand they prefer their gun to be in from the offset.
There is also a bind to quick switch, which will be H by default on US keyboards.
Although cl_righthand 0 has now returned to CS2, it hasn't returned in entirely the same fashion as it was in CS:GO.
In CS:GO, quick switching between your right and left hands was instantaneous, with no animation being displayed and the gun just magically switching from side to side even while still firing.
However, in CS2, cl_righthand 0 will force the player to go through the pull-out animation for whatever they are holding, making the speed that players can quick switch far slower.
It's safe to say players aren't too thrilled by this.
cl_righthand 0 wasn't the only big change to CS2 in the latest update, Valve also made some pretty big changes to the Active Duty map pool.
First of all, the big news is that they have replaced Overpass with Dust II. This is the first change to the Active Duty map pool since the addition of Anubis prior to the BLAST.tv Paris Major.
It's safe to say fans, players, and analysts alike aren't too happy about the change. They had been hoping to see the removal of Mirage, Inferno, or Vertigo instead.
They probably weren't hoping for the return of Dust II either.
We all miss you, Train.
We'll add this historically accurate tweet below to set the tone, but check out our article about the change to see more community reactions.
The other big change to the Active Duty map pool during the most recent CS2 update was to Inferno.
Although Inferno received a dramatic visual upgrade in CS2, it was easy to say that it wasn't all for the best. The map looked gorgeous, but it was incredibly claustrophobic, and the erections of tall structures made it feel closed off and allowed for the introduction of some rather broken CT smokes.
Worry not, Valve recognised this too, and as a result, have removed some of the tall structures on the map.
For years players have always had to bind a nade crosshair to a certain key in CS. Nade crosshairs would create two big lines going across the entire screen, making it easier to line up grenade throws in-game.
However, in the latest update to CS2, Valve have made nade crosshairs a default feature.
Although at first glance this might seem like a helpful feature that would get annoying when quickly throwing utility like HEs or Flashbangs, Valve have an answer for that too.
In the patch notes, they have already made it clear that you can customise the delay in which the nade crosshair will appear for each grenade type.
Thanks, Valve!
Another big change in the latest CS2 update comes in the form of another new bind added to the default settings, the 'Toggle Radar Zoom' key binding.
If you're having trouble seeing how that could be useful, Valve already explained its functionality in their patch notes:
"If you've had trouble navigating through smoke, set a Radar Map Alternate Zoom and add a Toggle Radar Zoom key binding, which will let you switch between zoom levels during a round." - Valve
Killfeed icons have been one of the best additions to CS in years. Seeing that you got a spray down through smoke or a no scope is always good, and it lets your teammates know you're a baller, too.
So what about a new killfeed icon that exists purely just to send your opponents' mental into the gutter?
Valve have now added a killfeed icon to show if someone killed you mid-air, perfect for all your shithousery and piss-boiling needs.
Just in time for the return of Dust II, eh?
No, sadly these aren't the economy changes you were hoping for. The T's can still have better weapons than CT's on round 2 if they plant and lose.
In fact, these economy changes probably aren't anything you wanted at all, because now you can't farm XM1014 kills to get an early AWP in.
The CZ-75 now has an actual kill reward though, so that's nice.
The full economy changes are as follows:
How many times since CS added the ability to drop guns directly from the buy menu has someone not listened to you and bought anyway?
It's not as bad now that players can refund purchases, but you can't refund something dropped, and it's tilting every time a weapon is left on the ground as a result.
Well, worry not, Valve has now added a 'Dropped Weapons' panel to the buy menu that makes it easier to see what is already on the round. You can also pick up those items from this panel.
This isn't the only change to the buy menu. The buy menu will now also show the minimum amount of money a player will have in the next round. There's no excuse for buying too much now.
You can still probably always afford a Deagle though.
The final big change in the latest CS2 update is the return of Overwatch.
A beloved feature in CS:GO, Overwatch allows trusted players to review the demos of other players and pass a verdict on whether those players are cheating or not.
So far absent in CS2, hopefully its inclusion will help to aid some of the cheater problems within the game.
If you want to read the full patch notes, you can do so here.
BLAST ApS., Hauser Plads 1, 3., 1127 Copenhagen