On the third of October Valve released a new update, adding a feature that, although similar to previous CS2 operations, changes the gameplay up a bit. While previously players could receive free CS2 skins for simply playing the game, the new feature, known as the armory pass has completely revolutionized the game drop system.
The Armory Pass
The Armory Pass is a brand new feature in Counter-Strike 2 that allows players to start earning Armory Credits, which can be redeemed for exclusive cosmetic items in The Armory. To get started, players need to purchase an Armory Pass from the in-game store. Once activated, the pass enables players to earn credits as they accumulate XP through gameplay. Progress towards the next credit is made whenever XP is earned, making every match count. Players can stack up to five Armory Passes at once, allowing them to earn credits at an accelerated rate and unlock rewards faster.
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Earning Armory Credits and Exclusive Items
The new Armory Pass in Counter-Strike 2 allows players to unlock up to 40 Armory Credits per pass, with the first credit earned upon purchase. These credits are awarded as you accumulate XP through gameplay, and every time you score credits, you unlock rewards for each active Armory Pass. These credits can be redeemed for armory charms, skins, srickers and other collectibles. This means that with multiple passes stacked, you receive rewards from each one as you progress, maximizing your chances to earn exclusive weapon skins, expensive stickers, and other special items unique to the Armory. This system ensures that every match you play has a larger impact, offering more rewards than ever before.
With up to five passes running simultaneously, players have the chance to earn rewards from each one without having to focus on them individually. Each pass offers unique rewards, so you’re constantly working toward unlocking something new and exciting with every game session. This layered progression system adds more depth to the game, keeping players engaged as they progress through multiple reward tiers at once.
Stacking Armory Passes for Maximum Rewards
One of the defining features of the Armory Pass system is its flexibility, allowing players to stack up to five passes at once. As you earn XP through matches, kills, and challenges, you can simultaneously work toward unlocking rewards on each of these passes whenever you earn XP. With each pass offering up to 40 credits, the potential for rewards multiplies.
The Armory Pass includes a variety of items, such as weapon collections, charms, and stickers, allowing you to customize your game like never before. Players receive their first Armory Credit immediately upon purchasing a pass, and each additional credit grants access to items from the respective pass’s unique reward pool. This feature is especially appealing for those who enjoy completing multiple objectives, as it provides the chance to unlock more content in a shorter time.
Customization Options
The Armory update brings a plethora of customization options to Counter-Strike 2, allowing players to personalize their gameplay experience to fit their individual style and liking. One of the standout features is the ability to attach charms to your favorite weapons. These charms can be placed anywhere on a gun, adding a unique touch to your arsenal. Similarly to the CS2 sticker update, players have a lot of freedom when placing their charms. Players can also drop charms to precisely position them on their weapon of choice. .
Besides charms, the armory update has also introduced a number of new awesome Armory skins, as well as stickers, animations, and many other updates to the game!
What’s Next for Counter-Strike?
The introduction of the Armory Pass system shows Valve’s commitment to evolving Counter-Strike 2 into a more engaging and rewarding experience for players. With the ability to stack passes and earn rewards through consistent gameplay, the system provides more incentive to stay invested in the game. Recent updates have also addressed audio fixes, such as the issue with ragdoll water splash sounds incorrectly triggering for alive players.
Additionally, adjustments have been made to remove aggressively leaned characters, refining foot positioning and re-authoring movement animations to enhance character portrayal on slopes. Going forward, Valve may expand on this concept, offering even more passes, rewards, and events that tie into the overall progression system. Whether through new seasonal content or additional passes, the future of CS2 looks bright as it continues to innovate.
The update has included a large number of various fixes and tweaks alongside new game features. Below is the list of all the update notes:
THE ARMORY
- The Armory is now available in the store
- Features 3 new weapon collections, 2 charm collections, 2 sticker collections, the Gallery Case, and the Heat Treated Desert Eagle
- Purchase and activate an Armory Pass to start earning Armory Credits
- Make progress toward credits whenever you earn XP with an active Armory Pass
- Redeem credits for items in the Armory
CHARMS
- Introducing Charms: dynamic items you can apply to your favorite weapons. Currently available exclusively in the Armory
- Drag and drop Charms to precisely place them on the weapon of your choice. A weapon can have one charm attached at a time
- Use a Charm Detachment to detach the Charm from a weapon. The Charm will return to your inventory and can be reused
- Redeeming a Charm from the Armory grants three complimentary Charm Detachments. Additional Charm Detachments are available for purchase
INVENTORY & ITEMS
- All items acquired from the in-game store (including the Armory), Trade Offers, and Steam Community Market are now subject to a 7 day re-trade and re-market restriction
- All stickers, patches, and charms available on Steam Community Market, in the Armory, or on friends’ Steam Inventory web pages can now be previewed on your own inventory items
- Removed ability to delete weapon cases from your inventory
- Added sticker scrape level selector when applying new stickers to weapons
- Added precise sticker wear level selector when scraping existing stickers on inventory weapons. Any applied stickers can only increase their sticker scrape level
- Added a way to immediately remove existing stickers from inventory weapons in addition to sticker scraping
- Added nametag module preview on the actual items when applying nametags
- Fixed several cases where applying nametags or stickers would unequip the weapon from your loadout
- Customizing a base weapon that’s currently equipped will now auto-equip the newly customized version
ANIMATION
- Improved character posing when on large slopes
- Made feet pin and unpin differently for all use cases to help remove aggressively leaned characters (AKA the MJ lean)
- Pin/unpin IK logic now not affected by poor server ping times
- Feet IK now repositions to idle pose if the feet have pinned at a largely different pose to that authored
- Re-authored run, walk, and crouch content to fix wide/scissor leg posing when traversing
- Changed ladder animations and behavior so characters heads are much more representative of where the player camera is, including characters now display crouch correctly when on ladders
- Removed popping when crouching or uncrouching while jumped and reduced leaning on jump animations
- Fixed character’s pose popping when falling off a ledge
- Fix for many cases where character’s posing would subtly pop when traversing with slow moving weapons
GAMEPLAY
- Flashbangs and HE grenades no longer prematurely detonate when they exceed their ‘stuck bounce’ limit
GRAPHICS
- Added a Display selection dropdown for non-windowed Fullscreen mode to the Video settings screen
- Fixed graphics artifacts for fire effect in the Advanced Video tab
AUDIO
- Fixed a bug where UI sounds wouldn’t position correctly when in-game
- Fixed an issue where step sounds would play for the local player but fail to broadcast to other players and vice-versa
- Fixed an issue where ragdoll water splash sounds would erroneously play on alive players
- Fixed a case where voice chat didn’t work on community servers
- Fixed a case where incoming voice chats would sometimes never close
NETWORKING
- Added telemetry option to display graphs of network jitter and misdelivery
- Changed how packet misdelivery is measured. Previously, if packets arrived out of order, this could be counted as misdelivery even if it was corrected and did not impact gameplay. Also, jitter was not considered, even though excessive jitter can disrupt smooth gameplay. The new measurement method will only count reordered packets as misdelivered if they impact gameplay. Furthermore, if network jitter exceeds a threshold where gameplay is affected, the packets are counted as misdelivered even if they are not dropped and arrive in order
WORKSHOP
- Added optional 3rd layer to environment blend shader
- Added biplanar mapping as an option for environment shaders
- Added optional wetness layer, paintable in Hammer on environment materials with the feature enabled
- Added color correction, roughness, and normal adjustments to foliage shader and static overlays
MISC
- Removed support for command line options that were intended for development purposes only
ANCIENT
- Fixed some disappearing geometry
- Fixed some cases where players could detect player movement through water from across the map
- Fixed some pixel peeks
- Fixed a case where player shadows could be seen through geometry
- Adjusted some clipping for better player movement
ANUBIS
- Fixed some missing collision
- Nudged some geometry and clipping that were blocking grenade throws
- Improved clipping on some floors for more predictable grenade throws
- Fixed a pixel peek
- Adjusted clipping in a few areas for better player movement
DUST II
- Fixed some clipping at B site
ITALY
- Added to competitive matchmaking
- Fixed bird animations
MIRAGE
- Fixed some C4 stuck spots
NUKE
- Fixed a pixel walk
- Fixed some C4 stuck spots
- Fixed some gaps in geometry where items could get lost
- Fixed some disappearing geometry
OVERPASS
- Adjusted some grenade clipping to prevent bad grenade bounces
A true gaming enthusiast, especially Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rust. At SkinsMonkey, he is involved in creating game guides based on his own experience.