When the Call to Arms update was released a couple of months ago, one of the biggest additions to CS2 in this patch was the return of the classic arms race mode. Unlike standard matchmaking, which focuses on team play and strategy, the arms race is a game mode that’s more focused on solo play, where gamers can show off their individual skill.

Whether you’re a long-time veteran who’s happy to see the old arms race CSGO game mode back or a new player who’s just learning about how the game mode works, this article is for you! Here at Skinsmonkey, we present our CS2 arms race guide!

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What Is CS2 Arms Race?

Arms race is another game mode that was popular back during the days of Counter Strike: Global Offensive. Arms race was played through quick matches, where a number of players on two teams would compete to race in kills with different weapons. Each kill would advance your rank, and each time your rank went up, you got a new weapon to use. The last rank would give you the golden knife, and when you kill someone with it – you win the game.

The matches feature slightly expanded teams, with 6 CT and 6 Terrorist players on each side. Instead of opening the buy menu every round, players start the match with a CS2 SMG each and receive new weapons every two kills scored on the enemy players. While there might be different weapons in the pool, their number is fixed. It’s always:

  • 1 Auto-Sniper
  • 1 Sniper Rifle
  • 3-4 Rifles
  • 1 Machine Gun
  • 3 SMGs
  • 1 Heavy Pistol
  • 3 Pistols
  • 2 Shotguns
  • Gold Knife

Every time a player scores two kills, they progress to a next weapon. The final kill has to be made with a golden knife. Upon scoring a knife kill with the final weapon, your team wins the match.

The gameplay for arms race mode is relatively straightforward and this hasn’t changed in the Counter Strike 2 version. Players score kills on the enemy team, and the final person to score a kill with the golden knife wins. However, there are two important features of this mode that you should keep in mind, if you want to stay on top. First of all, the team leader effect makes staying on top of the scoreboard a real challenge. When you have the most kills on your team, your silhouette is revealed to all enemies on the map whenever you fire, and taking you down instantly brings your killer up another level, giving enemy players even bigger incentive to hunt you down specifically.

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While the golden knife is the main player in the arms race mode, a standard knife kill can be devastating as well. Whenever a player dies by committing suicide (for example through falling damage) or get taken out with a knife by the enemy, that player loses an entire rank. This means that upon respawning the player will start with a weapon that’s one tier lower. Scoring knife kills on the enemy team is a great way to slow them down and give your teammates some breathing room.

What Arms Race Maps Are In CS2?

At the moment, gamers who want to try the arms race mode can do so on two different CS2 maps: Shoots and Baggage. Although this might seem like a downgrade from CS:GO, which featured seven arms race maps total, we can definitely expect more maps to be added to the game in the nearest future.

All of the arms race mode maps are designed to work differently from the ones included in the standard mode. While the normal matchmaking maps are created to facilitate teamplay and tactical approach, arms race maps have a completely different design philosophy in mind, and are created to force players to compete in a vicious fight right at the center.

CS2 Arm Race Tips

While most of your shooting skills overlap from standard matchmaking to the arms race mode, there are some significant differences between the two game modes, that require you to take a different approach. If you want to master CS2 arms race, here’s what you should keep in mind:

Play Aggressively

While in standard CS2 matches it’s generally a good idea to stay calm and collected, you should absolutely drop this attitude in the arms race mode. As its name suggests, you’re racing against other players to get the golden knife, and you lose nothing from dying anyway. When playing arms race, you should never hold back, and focus on taking risks instead. This way you’ll not only advance faster, but be a much larger asset to your team.

Don’t Focus On Knife Kills

As we already mentioned, taking someone down with a knife in the arms race mode brings them down an entire rank. This is a significant downgrade to any team, however, you should always treat this as a are bonus that you can score, and not a strategy you should focus on. Although bringing your enemy down an entire rank sounds nice, you’ll probably die a few times before you reach them, meaning that the whole process would be counterproductive. Try to snipe out individual knife kills, but don’t count on them to win you the game.

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Don’t Camp

Camping isn’t only in bad taste in the gaming world, it’s also a bad strategy on the arms race maps. While it might help you score a kill or two, any player killed by you will see your location, and as soon as they respawn you can be sure they’ll head straight at you for revenge. Even worse, if you’re camping around the corner, they can come at you with a knife, and downgrade you to a lower rank. Long story short, camping isn’t an effective strategy in the arms race.

Learn The Maps

This is one of the most important pieces of advice you’ll receive regarding the arms race. If you want to get really good at the game, you’ll need to learn the maps that arms race is played on.At the moment Counter Strike 2 only features two arms race maps, meaning that you won’t have to spend hours practicing to get a good idea of the layout of Shoots and Baggage.

Practice Aiming

While this might be a bit obvious, while playing Counter Strike, knowing how to aim and hit your targets is valuable knowledge. Like many other gaming skills, getting good at shooting in CS2 takes some time and practice. If you want to improve your chances in an Arms Race, check out our guide on how to aim in CS2!

In Conclusion

Here’s everything you need to know about the arms race mode in CS2. If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the rest of the SkinsMonkey blog, where we regularly post more guides, tips, news, and even free CS2 skins!