Valve Finally Retires the Iconic Dust 2

The patch notes for the popular Valve shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were only released a few hours ago. The update removes the game’s most famous map, Dust 2 from the active map pool.

And today's Release Notes: https://t.co/L21bfdGXwl

— CS:GO (@CSGO) November 18, 2022

Modes including casual, deathmatch, and competitive play are still available in Dust 2 and Anubis. Dust 2, however, has been retired from professional tournaments.

After its initial release in 2020, the community-made map Anubis will replace Dust 2 in the active map pool. The spiderweb-like design of the Egyptian-themed map’s layout features numerous access points that lead to the map’s two-stage mid. The map has never been used in a CS:GO tournament before, but that won’t stop pro players and lineup masters from diving in headfirst.

Although Dust 2 is widely considered to be one of the most iconic FPS maps ever, it has had a rocky few years at the professional level of CS:GO. Recent rumours have stated that both Dust 2 and Mirage will be getting reworks when the extensively rumoured switch to Source 2 occurs, but there has been no official confirmation either way.

Even after being reworked a few years ago, the map hasn’t seen much movement at the professional level, yet still being the favourite of many casual players.

Besides a shift in the maps, this update modifies two of the game’s most popular weapons. Both the M4A1-S and the AWP got a lot of damage taken away from them, which will have big effects on both the competitive and casual scenes. 

Starting with the AWP, the classic sniper rifle’s magazine capacity has been reduced from 10 to five shots. It may be more challenging to maintain certain angles, such as Mirage mid or Overpass long A, due to the AWP’s poor reload speed. While most people would not like this change, there is no doubt that we should have seen this a long time comming, as the gun had become massively overpowered.

In addition to the AWP, the M4A1-S was also undeniably overpowering, so Valve decided to reduce its damage output at longer ranges. This reduction, together with the smaller magazine, further establishes the silent CT as a stealthier, close-quarters fighting rifle. It still has a marginal accuracy edge over the M4A4 though.

The legendary Dust 2 will surely be missed, however like mentioned earlier, the change is made for the better. Let us know what you think about these changes from Valve.