Full Overview of the New CS2 Update: Operation Arsenal. New Skins, Charms, Stickers, and Gameplay Changes
On the night of October 2nd to 3rd, 2024, the long-awaited major update was released, which the community had been eagerly anticipating for a long time. This time, VALVE added a lot of diverse content and even addressed gameplay elements by fixing character movements. Let’s break it all down step by step!
Operation Arsenal. Is it really an operation?
For more than three years, Counter-Strike players hadn’t received any content related to completing missions and earning rewards for active gameplay. On October 3rd, the cherished wish of most of the community was fulfilled, and sleepless nights waiting for the update will now turn into sleepless nights on the servers.
Traditionally, to participate in the operation and earn points, you need to purchase a pass, which costs $15.99. A new feature this time is that you can buy up to 5 passes, and all progress will be synchronized, meaning you’ll level up the same pass but earn five times more coins if you have all five passes. At first glance, this decision seems odd, which might flood the marketplace with event items, but it’s not that simple. This time, VALVE removed the ability to buy coins with money, so only those who truly spend a significant amount of time in the game will receive drops.
It’s worth noting that we no longer have “weeks” with a limited number of “stars” or “coins”; instead, points are earned simply by leveling up (XP). Each “ticket” has 40 slots, meaning you can earn no more than 200 coins on one account. It’s possible they’ll refresh after being filled, but there’s no information on that yet. If coins cannot be purchased or earned beyond 200, we might see a very limited edition of items, and once the event ends, the prices for these items will skyrocket. We’ll see how the market reacts, but calling this new functionality a full-fledged operation seems difficult. There are no unique missions, and it all boils down to standard rank grinding, which resembles Dota 2’s Battle Pass more than anything. Even the developers didn’t label it as such, removing the phrase “Operation Rewards” from the game code.
Parade of New Skins: Collections, Case, Charms, and Stickers
Of course, any major update is always associated with the introduction of a large number of in-game items. This time, VALVE added two new collections, a new case, updated the Overpass collection, and introduced two collections of charms and stickers.
Importantly, for any new item, the developers imposed a 7-day ban not only on trading but also on selling. So, until October 10th, skins won’t appear on the Steam marketplace, and it’ll be a while before we can estimate their prices. It’s also worth noting that the 7-day ban now applies to any new item, not just those purchased with coins. So, approach marketplace purchases more cautiously, as you won’t be able to trade or sell the item for the next seven days.
Overpass 2024 Collection
After the map was removed from the active duty pool, VALVE decided to update the skins from the corresponding collection. Many speculated about Overpass returning to competitive play, but remember, the Train 2021 collection has been around for more than three years, and the map was removed around the same time the skins were updated. The new Overpass skins are quite interesting and feature designs based on textures and locations from the map.
Graphic Collection
This seems to be the least successful collection, where the developers ran items through a neural network and didn’t even pay for the service subscription. Either way, this likely won’t significantly impact the items’ value or appeal.
Sports & Field Collection
Here, VALVE followed a proven path, featuring two of the most hyped skins that have always generated buzz – M4A1-S | Gradient and Five-SeveN | Case Hardened. We expect a lot of crafts from these items, so even the Mil-Spec skins from this collection are likely to be quite expensive.
Gallery Case
A cool case with interesting skins and a Kukri knife in old colorways (we predict a price drop for this knife). Notably, the rental feature is available again, which will significantly affect the prices of items (possibly even driving them up).
Charms
What we’ve long awaited and many doubted has finally happened. We won’t discuss the visual aspects; we’ll leave that to your judgment, but here are the key points:
- You can choose any position on the weapon for the charm.
- The charm doesn’t bounce around much during gameplay and hardly distracts from shooting.
- You can remove the charm and return it to your inventory (this feature can be bought for $0.99 and works three times).
- There are various patterns that randomly change colors.
- Charms can be applied to the bomb.
Stickers
Stickers from operations always rise sharply in value, so we recommend considering them as a potential investment. Visually, they fully utilize the capabilities of the new Source 2 engine and are implemented in an interesting way. Notably, all stickers now have a new feature where you can select wear, rather than scraping them gradually.
New “Case Hardened”-Style Skin
It seems the developers were impressed by the hype surrounding the item valued at over $1,000,000, and they decided to add more rare pieces to the game. This Desert Eagle doesn’t belong to any collection, meaning it won’t be craftable or obtainable after the operation ends. Only trading or purchasing on the marketplace will be available, so those lucky enough to get a blue pattern will likely have to fend off potential buyers among collectors.
Gameplay Changes
This time, the developers didn’t forget about the esports aspect, specifically the gameplay nuances in CS2 that have been annoying many players.
- The most important change is that character movement animations have been updated. It seems like the clarity and stability of movements from CS have been restored, and we’ll no longer have to witness Michael Jackson-style peaks. Jumping, falling, climbing ladders, and moving down slopes have also been adjusted. The characters no longer seem clay-like, which will primarily impact hit registration. We’re confident the professional community will welcome these changes, and they may even shift the balance of power in future tournaments.
- Various bugs were also fixed, especially the bug with moving through water. You’ll no longer be heard if you use Shift, which was very frustrating and significantly impacted match outcomes.
- The map Italy has been added to the ranked competitive mode.
- Server stability, network connection, and other technical aspects have been improved, but these are standard items in every patch note, so we won’t dwell on them.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, this update can be classified as “historic.” It will be remembered in the future and will significantly impact CS2’s player count in the near term. Additionally, we can expect interesting developments on the marketplace, and we’ll all be watching the situation together.
