Counter-Strike 2 has been fully released and one of the biggest additions is Premier Mode, a way to bridge the gap between casual and professional play. With an in-game leaderboard, map veto system, and more, there is plenty to discover in the new system so read on to learn more!
Counter-Strike 2 is finally here. Valve has taken the game out of beta and put it out for everyone to enjoy. The release did not come with much new content, but there is still plenty to learn about the game’s current features. The remade maps are beautiful, and countless hours will be spent finding new lineups and strategies. The gunplay, movement, and other mechanics continue to be refined and feel fantastic. But the most important thing to do right now is play the game and Valve has introduced a new way to do that with their new competitive system: Premier Mode.
In the past, the main way to play Counter-Strike seriously has been either through the Competitive game mode or third-party servers. Neither of these was ideal and because players could not agree on which was better, the fanbase was divided between these two modes of play. This division harmed the community as skill groups and gameplay are not universal or consistent when people play in different places. Both systems also had flaws that held them back from standing out over the other.
Competitive is built into the game, which is great because anyone can find and play it. However, it allows you to queue for specific maps and disregard others. This lets you choose and learn about a few maps while never touching the others, making your knowledge narrow. Competitive is also extremely disconnected from the professional scene. It has no veto system and no pro players use it due to the unclear ranking system and poor anti-cheat.
Third-party services have the advantage of being the place with all the professionals. They have clearer ranking systems with points and map vetoes like pro matches, forcing you to learn about many maps instead of a few. Unfortunately, they are not run by Valve and most casual players don’t even know they exist. They also require you to download external software, which turns many away from trying them.
Valve has decided to try and solve this problem by introducing a new game system into CS2 called Premier Mode. This is a tactical game mode built into the game that incorporates aspects of Competitive mode and third-party services to try and get everyone to play in the same place. While both of these other modes will still exist, Valve has made an effort to make Premier Mode the best way to play CS2 competitively.
Several aspects of the old Counter-Strike matchmaking system have been changed to improve the player’s experience. Some changes are small like the UI being cleaner and servers being more consistent, but some are monumental. In particular, two changes stand out as major shifts in the way Counter-Strike matchmaking will be played going forward: the map pool and ranking systems.
The map pool is a crucial part of Counter-Strike. Maps are at the core of what makes Counter-Strike unique. The map pool system has been adjusted throughout Global Offensive's lifespan, but it has received some major changes for CS2.
The old map pool system was characterized by a large, unrefined selection of maps. There would be the seven active-duty ones, several from the reserve, and a couple of hostage maps that were all thrown together into one large pool for competitive play. The maps in the pool would not change in any significant way until an Operation came and introduced new maps for a short period. To queue, you would select any number of maps from one to all that you could end up in a match for. Once you got a match, you could see what map you would play on and accept to start.
The old system has been overhauled completely for CS2 to be closer to how professional Counter-Strike is played. Instead of the map pool being huge and consisting of many kinds of maps, now only the active duty map pool is included. The active duty pool is made up of seven defusal maps chosen by Valve, which is used for competitions. Before CS2, this was irrelevant to casual players. Now, the only maps available in Premier are the active duty ones. For more information on the current active duty pool, read our article on the topic here: A Guide to the CS Map Pool
The way you choose your map is also different. Instead of picking a few maps from a pool before you start the match, you now engage in a veto to decide where you play. A veto is the process of voting to eliminate maps in stages to pick a map, just like the pros!
Before every match, one team will randomly be assigned Team A and the other will be Team B. Every veto begins with the seven active duty maps open and every player on Team A votes for two maps to eliminate. Whichever two maps have the most votes are removed, bringing the pool down to five. Next, Team B votes to eliminate three maps, narrowing the options down to two. Then, Team A votes to remove one of the two remaining maps, effectively choosing which will be used for the match. Finally, Team B chooses which side to start on.
Team A - Bans Anubis/Vertigo
Team B - Bans Ancient/Inferno/Mirage
Team A - Bans Overpass
Nuke is chosen
Team B - Starts CT side
Though it has millions of casual players, at its heart Counter-Strike is a competitive FPS with people grinding dozens of hours a week to improve and win matches. The game needs to have a way to measure player skill so matches are balanced, and people can track progress, which is why the ranking system exists. This system remained largely static throughout Global-Offensive’s lifespan, so Valve is adding a new layer for CS2.
Ranking in CSGO was always a bit of a mystery. After winning ten matches, you were placed in one of eighteen ranks and could move between them based on performance in later matches. The problem was that there were no numerical values associated with these ranks, making it impossible to tell when you were close to moving up or down. The ranks were also not useful outside of showing friends because there was no larger leaderboard for seeing where you stood relative to everyone else.
North America Leaderboard 10/17/2023
The new ranking system fixes all of the old problems by using the old eighteen ranks for Competitive mode and introducing a new numerical “CS Rating” for Premier. The process for getting a rank is still the same; you play until you win ten matches and then are given your CS Rating. Winning or losing subsequent games will allow you to gain or lose points, usually a couple hundred at a time, to determine your skill level. After every match, you can see exactly how your rating changed. General groups still exist with the color of your rank indicating you range from 1,000-4,999, 5,000-9,999, and so on. Once you get to the edge of one of the group thresholds, your next match will be for promotion with the same applying for demotion.
The CS Rating system not only makes it easier to tell exactly where your skill is but also gives direct comparisons to others. An in-game leaderboard is now shown that contains all ranked Premier players in the world. This is a great way to track your progress individually and allows you to compare yourself to the rest of the world, giving the best a place to show their skills to all. The leaderboard can be sorted globally or regionally and after a certain amount of time, all ranks will be reset for the new season.
While some love to play Counter-Strike casually, many appreciate the competitive side and take the game seriously. The matchmaking in CSGO was flawed and Valve has created Premier Mode for CS2 as the solution. They rebuilt the map pool system to more closely align with professional Counter-Strike through the active duty pool and a veto system. They also changed rankings with the introduction of CS Rating, a numerical rank that gives players more accuracy and transparency alongside the new leaderboard. These changes have come together to produce a new way to play Counter-Strike that is more competitive, closer to professional play, and most importantly a ton of fun. So open up CS2, grab some friends, and join the queue!
Good luck and have fun!
