On 8 December, 2015, Valve added a new pistol to CS:GO, much to the displeasure of the community. The "R8 Revolver", a Desert Eagle alternative (they share the same loadout slot), took the game by storm due to the powerful and broken state it was launched in. With its damage and armor penetration akin to the AWP's, and its perfect accuracy even while moving, the new weapon turned CS:GO into a Wild West-themed game, as it was the only gun many players would buy.

The Basics

The R8 Revolver is a $850 alternative to the Desert Eagle. Much like the M4A4 and the M4A1-S (or the CZ-75 and Five-SeveN/Tec-9), you can only use one during a match. The Revolver has 8 bullets in its cylinder and 16 bullets total. It features two firing modes: an accurate one that needs to be charged for a short time, which is done by left-clicking, and a less accurate but fast firing mode usable by right-clicking.

Its $850 price means that it is not useable during pistol rounds, but it may prove to be a useful weapon in eco rounds due to its high damage output and accuracy, as long as you account for its delay in firing.

The Outrage

As expected, the broken state the new weapon launched in caused a huge outrage throughout the community, with the Steam forums talking about quitting the game until the Revolver is nerfed. The professional scene had conflicted views on the matter. Many players expressed their displeasure, while others accepted the situation and said they just needed to adapt to it.

At the time of the patch, a professional tournament was underway. The ESL ESEA Pro League Season 2 offline finals were played on the previous patch, as ESL considered the changes in the new patch to be major. While the R8 Revolver caused this, it wasn't the only factor: the R8 Revolver came along with some changes to CS:GO's recoil system and timer.

The Nerf

Seeing the community's reaction, it didn't take long until Valve decided to nerf the R8 Revolver. On 10 December, 2015, Valve drastically reduced the revolver's damage and increased the time it takes to fire using the left-click. This brought a lot of joy to those that previously complained, and quickly restored the balance to CS:GO, meaning that now the Desert Eagle is viable to use again, as it fires faster with very little difference in damage output. After this nerf, CS:GO was no longer a Wild West simulator.

How to Counter It

After the nerf, people have stopped using the R8 Revolver due to its slow firing modes and its high price. However, there may still be some players using it for its high range and damage output, so you will always have to know how to counter them.

Its two firing modes make this gun a double-threat: it can do serious damage on both long range and close-quarters engagements. If you take on a long range enemy wielding a Revolver, your weapons of choice should either be a potent sniper, such as the AWP. Another good tactic is to throw smoke grenades and close in on him with an automatic weapon, such as the AK-47 or the M4A4. Basically, these tactics are almost the same as the ones used against a good AWPer. Up close, the delayed fire rate of the R8 Revolver will mean that they have no viable means of defense against an automatic weapon, even with the right-click rapid fire mode.

A Conspiracy, or the Truth?

Many players truly believe that the release of a broken R8 was done on purpose by Valve in order to take the attention away from the other major changes in the same patch: the recoil rework and the round timer changes. While other people believe this weapon was purely a mistake, a distraction might actually be the case here. Valve knew that if they had added the other changes in a separate patch, it would cause an additional outcry within CS:GO's player base, so the theory that they added a ridiculously overpowered R8 Revolver isn't completely unbelievable.

Another conspiracy that might just be true is that Valve released R8 in its broken state in order to make players buy skins for it. Given Valve's money hungry policy and the fact that they released the Revolver Case along with the overpowered R8, this is another theory that is believable.

Conclusion

After what we could call one of the worst incidents in the CS:GO scene, we can take only one thing from this: Valve doesn't know what's best for its game. Considering that this game has a thriving esports scene and a huge economy system, that is pretty worrying. However, with the amount of backlash Valve has gotten for this update, we can only hope that they also took something from this: you cannot mess with CS:GO fans.

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