Counter-Strike 2 News

FURIA to replace 100 Thieves at BLAST Premier Fall Series

Details for the BLAST Premier Fall Series have been revealed, confirming that two of its partner CS:GO teams will be replaced with substitute teams for the Europe-based tournament.

In what will be the first cross-continental CS:GO competition since the coronavirus pandemic shifted esports events online, teams from North and South America will be travelling across the pond to base themselves in Europe. They are partner teams MIBR and Evil Geniuses, as well as FURIA which comes in to replace 100 Thieves after the organisation announced this week it would be exiting Counter-Strike esports. They will join European teams Astralis, Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2 Esports, OG, Vitality, Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan, Complexity, and BIG, the latter of which replaces another BLAST partner in Team Liquid.

According to the announcement post, Team Liquid will not be making the trip over to Europe with FURIA, MIBR, and Evil Geniuses "to limit the amount of cross-continental travel for players during COVID-19." Team Liquid will return for the Fall Showdown, however, which takes place a few weeks after the Fall Series has concluded.

Read the rest of the story...

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update for 13 October 2020

Read patchnotes on SteamDB...

100 Thieves is reportedly dropping its CS:GO team

100 Thieves will reportedly be pulling out of the Counter-Strike Global Offensive scene and dropping its roster just 12 months after signing them.

According to reports from HLTV, the organisation - which is headed by former Call of Duty pro Matthew 'Nadeshot' Haag - will be exiting the CS:GO esports scene for a second time after it dropped its first roster in 2018 due to issues with visas and player conduct. 100 Thieves' current squad was acquired from Oceania team Renegades and found early success, climbing up to fifth in HLTV's world rankings.

However, 2020 has seen the team fail to replicate its early success, and its head coach Chet 'Chet' Singh announced he was leaving earlier this month to join NRG's Valorant squad. 100 Thieves has also invested big in Valorant after picking up former CS:GO stars like Spencer 'Hiko' Martin and Nicholas 'nitr0' Cannella, and it now appears to be prioritising Riot's FPS title over Valve's.

Read the rest of the story...

A CS:GO fan has created a map inspired by the scariest Halloween movies

Halloween is the spookiest time of the year, but Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans are in for a treat. As well as being a highly competitive esport, CS:GO has a huge community dedicated to making custom maps for the first-person shooter, and one custom map maker has gone all in for the witching season.

Steam user Nipper has lovingly recreated some recognisable Halloween houses for their "trick or treat" map, designed explicitly to scare the bejeezus out of any players who might, for some reason, be expecting a regular game. Streets are littered with abandoned cars and empty coffins, and the visage of Friday 13th's cult killer Jason Voorhees adorns the walls of one particular house.

However, for the faint of heart, there are also plenty of jolly-looking pumpkins and witches plastered around the creepy village. We think we've managed to figure out a few of the recognisable houses - there seems to be one with an Amityville vibe, and possibly a Psycho-inspired creation. However, we're still trying to work out exactly what film each house is from - can you do any better?

Read the rest of the story...

CS:GO ranks explained: How to get your first rank, rank distribution, and more

Whether you're playing with the pros in Global Elite servers or stuck in Silver, ranks are synonymous with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. CS:GO ranks can be hard to attain and maintain, but understanding the ranking system in the popular Valve shooter is key to working out just how good you are, and what you need to work on.

Not everyone will be able to climb to the dizzying heights of Global Elite, and that's ok, but the skill gap between the average ranks can be far and few between. If you want to improve as a player, you'll want to get studying, because understanding the ranking system in CS:GO is crucial to your development.

We can't promise it'll be easy though. Like all good competitive games, you'll be taken on a roller coaster of emotions, with every win, loss, and draw factoring into your rank, which will determine how the community sees you.

This detailed guide will cover everything you need to know about CS:GO ranks, including the difference between Competitive, Wingman, and Danger Zone ranks, and what you can do to establish yourself as a Global Elite.

Read the rest of the story...