When players first start playing CS2, their first real competitive experience is usually through Premier. After all, why shouldn’t it be Premier? It was the game mode Valve intended to be the most competitive environment, with map vetoes and a rating system. However, most players soon find out that Premier can be filled with cheaters and troublemakers. This is why many players, including pros, prefer FACEIT. What is it, and is it really worth the switch? In this guide, we will go through all the differences.

Donk is known as one of the best FACEIT players. His statistics are truly mind-boggling.

Why Should I Make The Switch?

The most important factor is the vibe you want in your games. Usually, players on FACEIT are more competitive and use their microphones more to communicate. However, I want to make it clear that this doesn’t mean there is less toxicity. In fact, I’d even say FACEIT players can be more toxic since they care more about their FACEIT ratings. Also, players are only slightly more competitive, and you really don’t see any actual teamwork until FACEIT level 7 or 8. For this reason, I would suggest that you stick to Premier if you have an under 15,000 Premier rating. The environment is much more laid back, so you can focus on improving and having fun.

However, the number one reason to switch to FACEIT is your own experience. Inevitably, you will run into a game with ragers or hackers, and you won't feel like you have a team to play with. If you keep experiencing this in Premier and are tired of getting your games ruined, then definitely switch to FACEIT. At the end of the day, CS2 is a game, and we just want to have fun. Those kinds of games aren’t fun. FACEIT is much stricter about ensuring fair games and has a pretty solid anti-cheat, too.

Gameplay Differences

Now that you may be considering switching to FACEIT, here are some actual gameplay differences vs. Premier that you should be aware of. Before you even open your game, make sure you download the FACEIT anti-cheat and run it on your computer. Once you find a match, be aware: you will most likely not be able to choose the map. More often than not, you will have a player with FACEIT Premium on your team. This means they pay a monthly subscription fee to FACEIT to get priority map selection and other perks. However, there is a team chat you can use to give your input when choosing the map. After the map veto is completed, there will be a connect to server button, or you can copy the server IP and connect via the in-game console.

The match page of FACEIT. If you want to see advanced stats for all players, download the Repeek extension from the Chrome Web Store.

If everyone loads in, the game will proceed. Instead of starting with a pistol round, FACEIT has a knife round where both teams are limited to knives. The winning team gets to decide whether to start on CT or T (teams usually prefer starting on CT). Now that you're in-game, here are some extra things to note. First, in FACEIT, there is no team damage from guns and knives. This prevents intentional teamkilling and griefing. However, to keep gameplay balanced, your grenades and molotovs will still do damage to teammates. If a teammate disconnects, instead of receiving shorthanded income, your team will gain a bot. Pro tip: Use the radio command “Hold this position” to tell the bot to stay in spawn. This way, when a teammate dies, they can take control of the bot in a safe position.

Finally, if the game goes to 12-12, instead of ending in a tie, FACEIT matches go into overtime. Overtime is basically an extra match with three rounds per side, where players start with $10,000. The first team to win four of the six overtime rounds wins. However, if the match is tied at 15-15, a second overtime will begin. This continues until one team wins the required four rounds.

The last big difference is the FACEIT ranking system. If you have a Premier rank, FACEIT will consider it when you first get your FACEIT rank. Otherwise, the default starting Elo rating is 1000, which is midway through level 4. In FACEIT, there are 10 levels, each with its own Elo range. Unlike Premier, you won't know how much Elo you will gain or lose until after the match, since FACEIT considers your performance. If you play well and secure a victory for your team, you will earn more points. On the flip side, if you lose but play well, you will lose fewer points. This means that you should always try your best, regardless of the circumstances, to improve your ranking. Once you reach 2000 Elo, you become level 10 and can continue gaining Elo and climbing the FACEIT ladder. The top-1000 level 10 players in their respective regions even get a special FACEIT Challenger badge (big flex).

The current top 10 players in the European Challenger Rank. You might recognize some of these names!

Conclusion

Both Premier and FACEIT have their place depending on what kind of experience you’re after. If you are just starting out and having fun with friends, Premier is perfect. However, if you want to enjoy CS2 at a more competitive level with fewer cheaters and griefers, consider trying out FACEIT. The anti-cheat is stronger, games are generally fairer, and punishments for griefers are harsher. Just don't expect prime Vitality-level teamwork every game. It’s still CS2, after all. But if you focus on improving your own game, FACEIT will be a more rewarding and enjoyable experience. Who knows? Maybe one day you will be the one with the FACEIT Challenger badge!