🤔 A recent controversial Counter-Strike 2 update changes how reloading works
😬 Players now discard remaining magazine ammo when reloading, which is then lost from their limited reserve supply
🥲 This change punishes the habit of needlessly “topping off” weapons after firing only a few rounds
👍 The update also added competitive map guides and the ability to join friends in custom games
Over the last few weeks, I’ve jumped back into Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 – partly thanks to my Logitech G Superstrike X2 review, which reignited my appreciation for the first-person shooter and made me feel like I could finally “compete”.
Slowly but surely, I’ve learned how to play the game, significantly improved my aim, and reached a CS Rating high of 8,700 during Season 4. However, a new update means my worst habit is about to be exposed – instantly reloading whenever I get a kill.
Previously, whenever you reloaded in CS2, the leftover ammo in your magazine was dumped back into an essentially endless reserve supply. There was no punishment for reloading, other than leaving yourself momentarily unable to fire.
However, Valve has released a new Counter-Strike 2 update that raises the stakes of reloading, as you’ll now drop the used magazine and discard all of its remaining ammo. It means you can no longer “top off” your weapon with a few bullets, and will instead use up a full magazine from your reserves when you reload.
Most weapons will come with three clips of ammo, but some will have less. Others may have more. The change means players will have to keep a careful eye on their reserve supply and avoid reloading needlessly like they may have done before.
This change is going to take some getting used to, as I’m guilty of always making sure I have a full clip of ammo, even if I’ve fired off one or two bullets. Now, I’ll have to stop myself from needlessly reloading, otherwise I could end up without enough ammo to make it through a round.
The new CS2 update is also adding map guides in competitive matches that will help you pick up new tracks during the first five rounds of the half. Map guides can be activated in the pause menu and should help people learn a few more advanced techniques instead of learning as they go.
Valve has also made it so that you can join your friends in custom games, as long as the server allows it, which should please those who want to try something outside of the game’s regular modes and maps.
Counter-Strike 2 continues to be the most popular game on Steam, regularly hitting over 1.5 million concurrent players every day. The change is bound to prove divisive, but it’ll at least provide a new challenge for veteran players.
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Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.