CS2 received a new update, and while the patch notes aren’t terribly long, sometimes a few words can bring along major changes. In this case, these words are “grenades can now be inspected”. This small new grenade change could make a world of difference for the CS2 skin market.
The latest CS2 update did a lot, even though the patch notes were relatively small. It removed Mirage and added two new maps, gave players finally another game mode to mess around in, and movement has been much improved, with bunny hopping now back to being possible, if not plausible. If you are interested in skins in any way, though, the one patch note you mostly care about should be the one about grenade animations.
Following the new update, every CS2 grenade, including the Molotov, incendiary, decoy, flash, HE, and smoke, now has two unique inspect animations. Each grenade has one default and one rare animation, just like weapons do. Valve has done an admirable job of giving each grenade its own flavor, commendable given their limited size and features compared to weapons.
These new animations also give us a closer look at the improved CS2 models. We don’t know about you, but seeing the Molotov liquid move around the bottle as we inspect it made us feel like little children playing a game for the first time. The aesthetics are certainly nice, but it’s the skin implications that are the main draw from this change.
Animations had been exclusive to weapons throughout CS:GO’s entire run. Coincidentally, the same applies to skins. While inspecting your weapons is a good feature on its own, its effect on CS:GO skin culture is undeniable. That’s why this seemingly minor CS2 feature could have a massive effect on the game’s skins.
Inspect animations are practically a requirement for having skins in CS2. What use is an expensive skin if you can’t show it off? Valve adding these new animations is a strong hint that we will see grenade skins in CS2 sooner rather than later. That prospect was always there and we’re lowkey surprised it did not happen during CS:GO’s 11-year run.
The first and arguably most important step has been taken. CS2 grenade skins now appear to be a matter of time and the only remaining question is if they will be present upon launch.
