Counter Strike 2 is famous for its fast-paced competitive gameplay, and the tournament scene certainly reflects these sentiments. While CS:GO had its own staple ranked system, Counter-Strike 2 shook things up a bit by splitting it into two parts: competitive and premier.
While Competitive is a separate CS2 game mode, more similar to the old ranked system, where players receive a separate rank for each map and have larger freedom in deciding which maps they want to play ranked matches on, the premier game mode is meant to emulate the ruleset used in various CS2 tournaments and is generally considered the more serious ranked mode.
Unlike the competitive mode, premier features only a single rank in the form of an elo number, and is a better reflection of each player’s individual overall skill. Each player’s rank would go up or down, depending on their performance as well as the win/loss ratio.
Many players put in serious time and effort to grind out and improve their CS2 rank, which is why the information in Valve’s latest blog post that the next premier season in CS2 is dropping next week caught everyone by big surprise. What will happen to your rank? What can you expect? How to prepare? Here at Skinomat, we’ll answer all of your questions!
Also, remember that you can always sell CS skins for real money at Skinomat! Check out the rest of our website and prepare yourself for the new season!
29.01.2025 UPDATE: Do you get the ‘Game Mode Locked’ error when trying to access the Premier mode? That’s because CS2 Premier season 2 is already here! Valve introduced a one day lock period on ranked Premier mode, but you should be able to start playing ranked CS and start grinding out your rank as soon as possible!
Will I Lose my CS2 Rank in Season 2?
The bad news is that premier season 2 will come with rank recalibration. This means that when CS2 season 2 drops you’ll have to get a new rank, even if you hold the highest CS rating achieved. This means that you’ll have to play the placement matches again and get a new rank entirely for the premier mode again in season 2. While you might not score the exact same rank you had in the previous season, the recalibration feature will make sure your rank isn’t too different from the one you had in the previous season. If you ended at the premier season equivalent of Silver, you probably won’t be jumping to Global Elite any time soon in the next season.
The good news, however, is that your previous rank will be forever immortalized in a premier season one medal. This medal is more than just an aesthetic addition to your CS profile. While its look reflects the rank you finished the previous season with, mousing over your premier medal will reveal detailed info about your performance in the last season, such as your K:D ratio, number of total wins, map-specific stats, and much more. Your previous premier season rank will be available in your CS profile indefinitely, together with a record of how you reached it.
What Other Changes Will Appear in Premier Season 2?
Besides the introduction of the first commemorative premier season medal ever, the next update is going to include a number of different tweaks and balance fixes, some of them quite serious. Here is what we know so far:
Vertigo Replaces Train in the Active Duty Map Pool
One of the biggest changes coming in the new season is the change in the current active duty map pool. Specifically, season 2 will see Vertigo leaving the competitive map pool to be replaced by Train. This is a welcome change to many gamers, who considered Vertigo to often be the worst map in the game, mainly due to its lack of balance, as well as it being the only map in the game to feature instant-kill environment deaths, where players who fell off the high-rise building were eliminated from the round.
This often led to rounds being practically over prematurely, especially at higher ranks, where a single player dying in this manner could easily ruin the round, and in turn, cause you to lose the match. In comparison, Train features a varied map design, with both tight corridors and large open spaces available, while at the same time forcing players to compete in a multi-level environment, with ladders and staircases protecting access, and making the firefighting even more intense.\
M4A4 Price Cut
Once again, the price for M4A4 will be dropped by $100 to a total of $2900, bringing it down to the level of its silenced counterpart, the M4A1-S. This change is meant to make Premier Season Two more balanced, and players on the CT side will be able to choose their CS2 assault rifle based on individual preference and the current map, instead of simply deciding based on their team’s economy.
While the $100 might not seem like a lot in the long run, time will tell how that’ll affect the ranked gameplay. Even if the change might not be too drastic, it will certainly give CT players more flexibility regarding their weapon choice and bring in some more balance to the game, which players have been asking for a long time now.
Famas Buff
In the premier season 2 Famas has received some significant buffs, mainly price reduction and improved standing and crouching accuracy. Famas now costs only $1950, making it significantly cheaper, meaning that you will see much more of this weapon in early CS rounds. This buff is meant to make the weapon more useful mid-game, and ecnourage players to go with a slightly riskier build, instead of saving up all of their money.
Valve improved this cheap weapon and made it a better choice for eco rounds, as well as a great choice if you have an early advantage but don’t want to spend all your money on M4A4 or M4A1-S.
AUG and SG Scope Buff
AUG and SG 553 have been some of the least popular choices in the game, mainly due to their price. While both of the guns are more expansive when compared to their traditional counterparts, they technically offer a scope which make them more effective at long distances. While this is great in theory, M4A1-S and Ak-47 are already some of the best guns at longer distances in the hands of experienced players, Because of this, the two guns were almost always skipped over in competitive matches.
To counteract this problem, Valve improved the scope on both of these guns, making them even more effective at a long range. This buff made them a more efficient middle-ground between the AWP and the various assault rifles.
MP9, MP5-SF, and MP7 Nerf
The three of the most popular SMGs in the game have received a significant nerf as well. The Premier season 2 update has made the slightly less efficient at longer rangers, forcing their users to fight up-close. The MP7 in particular has beeen powerful at long-range, often making players skip over cheaper assault rifle options. Season 2 should see much more close combat gameplay, as the popular SMGs have their range significantly reduced.
Summing Up
The current premier season will end next week, and the second one will continue up until the next Austin Major in June. While we don’t know what to exactly expect from the next premier season in CS2, one thing is certain – it will definitely shake up the competitive scene, whether for better or worse remains yet to be seen.
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