The May 23 update to Counter-Strike 2 included some important gameplay changes, the most notable of which were a reduction in incendiary efficacy and a reduction in the T-side cash award if the bomb was planted but defused.
The May 23 update also includes a significant change to the A site on Vertigo, the first instance of “skin rentals,” and a number of “quality of life improvements and numerous bug fixes” for CS2.
Patch Notes for the CS2 May 23 Update
Incendiary grenade nerfs
The CT’s incendiary grenade’s duration and flame spread have been lowered. The incendiary also boasts a new visual display, which features a brighter flame than the T-side Molotov.
For both the Molotov and the incendiary grenades, the height of the central flame pillar will also now decrease over time. Aside from this modification, the T-side Molotov has remained untouched.
CT side economic assistance
A few improvements have been made to make the work of maintaining the CT-side economy easier.
- Instead of the normal $800, T-side players will now only receive $600 if they successfully plant the bomb but it is defused.
- The incendiary grenade, along with its flame changes, now costs $500 instead of $600.
- The M4A4 now costs $3,000 rather than $3,100.
While the cost of an incendiary grenade now matches its efficacy, and the M4A4 is now more comparable to the other major weapons, the adjustment to T-side reward money for a defused bomb has a significant impact. Being able to plant a bomb during a pistol round or save no longer has the same weight as it once did, and this could have an impact on T-side buy rounds later in the match.
A site of Inferno is opened up
The A site of Inferno now includes new routes for the CT side to play on. From the back of A, a catwalk identical to those on the B site now goes around the edge of the bomb site and leads to sandbags. The space between the elevator and the short/side entry to A has also been opened up.
Kilowatt case collection rentals
Players holding a Kilowatt case key can now rent the full Kilowatt weapon collection (except the uncommon special item) for a week instead of receiving a single permanent weapon. Rented weapons cannot be modified or sold, and will be replaced with stock weapons after the one-week rental period.
For full patch notes, including the bug fixes and chicken changes, read the CS2 blog post on the Steam website. You can also catch up on the patch notes from yesterday’s update.