CS2 Call to Arms – Patch Notes

Here are all the updates that were included in the latest Call to Arms patch in CS2

Counter-Strike has been very active recently, especially since the start of the new year. With the release of CS2 and a new generation of professional Counter-Strike approaching the game’s community is excitedly buzzing. With events like IEM Katowice ongoing and BLAST Premier Spring arriving soon, all eyes are on the game as people are waiting to see if it can handle all the pressure. Despite lacking updates and a few rough patches recently, Valve aims to hype up CS2 with the latest Call to Arms patch.

Therefore, let's take a look at all the updates in this patch. This includes new game modes, skin collections, and much more.

CS2 Call to Arms Update – Patch Notes

Valve has recently dropped a massive update to CS2. The game was beginning to dry up as players were hoping for some new content but were instead met with lackluster bug fixes. A major portion of the game’s community was peeling off from the franchise as there was no sign from Valve regarding a proper update. Considering all the esports events planned for the year, the game’s player base needed to remain connected with CS2. With that in mind, Valve unleashed this massive plethora of content that is the Call to Arms patch.

This update has everything, from returning game modes revived from CSGO to brand-new skins and cases. There are also a bunch of bug fixes for a bunch of maps alongside a few gameplay changes. Taking a look at everything at once, there are updates in almost every factor of the game. Hopefully, this update will bring a sense of freshness and excitement among the players.

Arms Race is Back

Arms Race is a fan-favorite game mode and has been in the Counter-Strike franchise for a while. The game mode has finally been added to CS2 and optimized to perform with all the new gameplay mechanics and features. The game mode will also have its own maps which have been modified to be played on. The maps are called Baggage and Shoots, they are placed in their own Arms Race map pool.

The game is a free-for-all matchup, where your objective is to complete using a fixed course of weapons. You start with a specific weapon and every time you get two kills with that gun you are upgraded to the next gun. You keep going until you reach the final weapon, which will either be a Zeus or a Knife. Whoever completes using all of the weapons first wins. 

Kilowatt Case

This update features CS2’s first weapons case. Till now all the cases were old cases carried over from CSGO. The Kilowatt Case is the first case that has been released during CS2’s tenure. The case contains 17 weapons skins, all of which are designed by the members of the Counter-Strike Community. Alongside all these skins, a brand new Kukri Knife is also available.

The Kukri Knife is the first knife to be released in Counter-Strike after more than five years since the last one was added. The Kukri comes with 12 original finishes as well, making it quite popular among the skin-trading community immediately.

The Kilowatt Case also features the first-ever skin for the Zeus. It is called Olympus and has a picture of the Greek god Zeus holding a lightning bolt. This keeps in touch with the theme of the weapon. Alongside all this, the Zeus recharges after 30 seconds in every game mode. That means players can use the Zeus more than once and not buy it every round after using it. The weapon also supports name tags and stickers.

New Music Kits and Stickers

A new sticker capsule called the Ambush Sticker Capsule has also been released recently. The capsule contains 21 stickers, each of which has been created by the Counter-Strike community. The count for the maximum number of stickers that can be applied on a weapon has also been increased from 4 to 5.

The developers from Valve also introduced a new mechanic that allows players to place stickers on their weapons in their own way. This adds a whole new layer of weapons customization in CS. Players can move their stickers by dragging and rotating them on the spot they prefer. Therefore, players can modify their weapons the way they want and add their personal touches.

A new Music Kit has also been released called the NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box. The Kit features six kits within it. All of the kits and sticker capsules are available for purchase in-game.

Map Changes

Almost every map in the game has had some adjustments and fixes applied to them to improve gameplay and player experience. These patches may be quite small but have a greater effect in making the game feel more polished. These adjustments are listed below:

• Inferno

• • Fixed gaps within the map’s surfaces
  • Fixed the grenade collision making the grenade bounces predictable
  • Adjusted texture blending to make player characters more visible

• Ancient

• • Fixed the grenade collision on the B-site making the grenade bounces predictable

• Anubis

• • Adjusted holes present in Lower Tunnels
  • Fixed collision mechanics which allowed players to pixel-boost
  • Fixed an issue where utility fell out of the map at T-Spawn
  • Fixed an issue where weapons fell out of the map at Street
  • Adjusted player visibility in CT-Spawn
  • Removed invisible ledge in the B-Site
  • Fixed gaps within the maps’s surfaces
  • Fixed an issue where weapons and the bomb fell out of the map at CT-Spawn
  • Fixed an issue where weapons and the bomb fell out of the map at Fountain
  • Fixed an issue that caused doors to not generate bullet decals
  • Adjust visibility at Street

• Overpass

• • Fixed an issue where the player's movement became unpredictable

• Mirage

• • Fixed an issue where the bomb became unreachable
  • Adjusted pixel walking problems
  • Fixed an issue that caused players to get stuck on Middle Ramp
  • Adjusted clip brush in Apartments to help in throwing line-ups

• Nuke

• Fixed an issue where the bomb got stuck behind barrels

• • Adjusted mesh that disappeared randomly
  • Adjusted dynamic shadow clipping on player characters near Vending
  • Fixed clipping issues in Vents
  • Adjusted reflections in the water in the bombsite
  • Adjusted visibility in T-Spawn
  • Fixed collision mechanics on Ramp near the B-Site
  •  Fixed gaps within the map’s surfaces

• Vertigo

• •  Fixed gaps within the map’s surfaces

• Italy

• • Fixed an issue where players would get stuck behind Apartments

• Office

• • Fixed an issue where players were able to jump on a wall
  • Fixed an issue where players got stuck

Other Updates

Other than fixes in the maps and adding new features to the game, other aspects have also been adjusted by the developers. These include adjusting the animation and rendering of the smokes. The smokes now cast shadows on the surface of the objects around them. Other gameplay features added include a “Refund All” button in the buy menu. There were also adjustments in aspects like player pings, sub-tick shooting and player movements.

There were issues with the game audio as well which were all fixed with the updates. Adjustments to the game’s UI and Networking have also been mentioned in the patch notes. These changes steer the ship of CS2 in a better direction and allow the players to have a better experience while playing the game.

Make sure you check out our other articles on CS2 to stay updated with the game and its esports scene.