In its usual fashion, Valve just dropped a massive update for Counter-Strike 2. While it doesn’t contain the overhaul we’d all expect CS2 to receive, it’s giving the game’s cosmetic side a big boost with new cases, a pass system, and a whole lot more.
Here are all the biggest changes and novelties in the new CS2 The Armory update.
Biggest changes in the Oct. 2 CS2 The Armory update
Obtain skins by playing the game through the Armory Pass
One of the biggest novelties in Counter-Strike generally is the new Armory Pass, which players can purchase for about $17, or around 15 Euros, granting them credits they can earn by playing the game. You can redeem these credits in the Armory Store in exchange for weapon skins, the new Charms, which we will get into later, Sprays, and other cosmetic items.
You can have up to five Passes at the same time, allowing you to have multiple credits. A single Pass nets you 40 credits, with the first credit immediately available to you. Most skins and charms cost three and four credits a piece, while a special edition Desert Eagle skin is going for 25 credits and will be available only for the next three or so months, so make sure you start progressing your Pass as soon as possible.
We’ve got three new collections and a new case
Focusing primarily on cosmetics in this patch, Valve has introduced three new weapon skin collections into the game: the Overpass Collection, Graphic Collection, and Sport and Field Collection, totaling about 48 new skins. Most of them are highly colorful and detailed and can be obtained through the Armory Store discussed above. You can also get a random skin for two credits per roll from any collection.
Aside from these three collections, we’ve also got a new case, The Gallery Case, featuring 17 new skins by community creators. As Valve describes them, the skins feature “a wide range of art styles” and are equally strange, mysterious, colorful, and, most importantly, good-looking. The case, like other items in the Armory Update, can also be purchased from the Armory Store. Check out our full list of Gallery Case skins.
The limited edition Deagle is the Heat Treated Desert Eagle, available for 25 credits for a limited time in the Armory Store.
Weapon customization just got better with Charms
Charms are a new type of customization option in the form of small keychains that can be attached to a weapon of your choice and any location on it, whether it be the stock or the very top of the barrel. There are two types of charms: the Missing Link Charms and the Small Arms Charms. While the former is modeled mostly after the many agents available in the game (some would fit rather well if they were made into actual agents), the latter are stylized versions of popular weapons such as the AK, Knife, and M4A1-S.
You can also purchase Charms through the Armory Store for three credits a pop.
Valve didn’t forget about the actual game despite all the cosmetics
While the update is by all means oriented towards cosmetics in CS2, Valve focused heavily on fixing the game’s many issues. From maps getting their bugs and issues addressed to performance tweaks to networking improvements, Valve has made sure to give the game the attention it so desperately needs. The maps focused on in The Armory update are Ancient, Anubis, Dust 2, Italy, Mirage, Nuke, and Overpass.
However, Valve focused seemingly the most on improving the game’s animation and eradicating the visual bugs associated with it, such as the Michael Jackson Peek, leg scissoring, and other animation-related problems.
Skins are all fun and games, but when we don’t have a functional title to use them in, they become near-useless, so it’s good to see Valve paying attention to what really matters while also delivering some new and exciting content and systems for players to try.
For the complete list of changes and additions, check out the official patch notes on Steam.
