Valve’s first-person shooter, CS:GO, released a small update with big changes yesterday. As part of the update, the Active Duty Map Pool has been tweaked, swapping out Dust 2 for Anubis. This is the first time Dust 2 has been removed since its reintroduction after a facelift. The decision comes as part of Valve’s commitment to keeping the map pool fresh. Anubis now joins Ancient and Vertigo as non-traditional Active Duty maps.
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Anubis replaces Dust 2 in CS:GO by the next Major
Today we’re adding Anubis to the Active Duty map pool. Dust2 has been removed. We’re also making adjustments to the M4A1-S and the AWP: https://t.co/SDjg8uaXs2 pic.twitter.com/1h6YMkw0Mb
— CS:GO (@CSGO) November 18, 2022
On what can be described as a massive shake-up to the CS:GO meta, Dust 2 has been shuttered. Reiterating their commitment to the new map, the developers have confirmed that Anubis will be played at the next major. The official blog post reads:
“We’re making changes to the Active Duty map pool, which will determine which maps get played at the 2023 Paris Major. Anubis is being added to Active Duty and Dust II is being removed. But both maps are still available in Casual, Deathmatch, and Competitive modes.”
The update brings a change to the big green gun in the game as well. After many years of no changes, the AWP has nerfed, specifically in magazine size:
“We’re also making some adjustments to weapons. The AWP has had its magazine size reduced to five bullets (so make them count!), and the M4A1-S now does less damage at long ranges.”
With these changes, aggressive AWPing/spamming smokes have been handicapped. With only five bullets in the mag before a reload, players will have to be certain before shooting. While this handicaps AWPers slightly, the data suggests otherwise. A Reddit post mentions only 10 percent of AWPers shoot more than five bullets a round and only 0.6% shoot more than 10. How this change plays out remains to be seen.
