Earlier today, Valve dropped a massive CS2 update that players have been begging for since launch. Not only does the Arms Race mode return, but the Zeus has been overhauled completely. The weapon is no longer single use, allowing players to fire it again after 30 seconds. On the gameplay refinement side, players now have the freedom to turn off first person tracers. 

Other changes include the ability to place a sticker anywhere and in any orientation on weapons. Smokes have been refined, and a bunch of quality of life changes have been made by Valve to the buy menu and other aspects of the game. Here's everything new in the CS2 'A Call to Arms' update.

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CS2 'A Call to Arms' Update Patch Notes

ARMS RACE

• Added Arms Race to available game modes
• Added maps "Baggage" and "Shoots"
   

WEAPON FINISHES

• Introducing the Kilowatt Case, featuring 17 community-designed weapon finishes, and the Kukri Knife with original finishes as a rare special item
• Various bug fixes and tweaks
   

STICKERS

• The Ambush Sticker Capsule is now available for purchase
• Added support for flexible sticker placement. Stickers can now be placed at user-specified positions and rotation when applied to weapons
• All weapons now support up to five stickers
• Added a zoom feature during sticker placement to allow for higher precision sticker application
• Various bug fixes and tweaks
   

MUSIC KITS

• The NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box is now available for purchase in standard and StatTrak versions
   

ZEUS

• Made Zeus reusable in all game modes, after a 30 second recharge delay
• Added support for applying stickers and name tags to the Zeus
• Adjusted the Zeus first person model position
• Added Zeus kill icon to kill cards and post round damage report
   

SMOKE

• Smokes now cast shadows
• Smoke rendering and animation have been improved

GAMEPLAY

• Added a "Refund All" button to the buy menu
• Added a setting to disable first person bullet tracers
• Silencers can now always be reattached regardless of whether detaching them is enabled or not
• Player pings are no longer blocked by invisible geometry
• Various adjustments to sub-tick shooting
• Fixed several cases where players could silently drop down vertical surfaces
• Improved smoothness of sliding along surfaces
• Fixed an issue where collisions between players were jittery
• To ensure loadouts are correct at the beginning of matches, loadout changes are no longer allowed while searching for Premier, Competitive, or Wingman
   

SOUND

• Added the option to select an audio input device for VOIP from the audio settings menu
• Added the option to change your microphone threshold (the minimum loudness before we start transmitting audio) from the audio options menu, as well as metering for your current mic loudness
• Added the option to listen to your own microphone from the audio settings menu to hear how you sound
• Replaced the M249 fire sound effect
• Replaced the Zeus charging, charge not available, and charge ready states sound effects
• Further reduced occlusion effects
• Minor mix adjustments
• Fixed an issue where some player-centric sounds were being perceived as originating from slightly behind the player

NETWORKING

• Reduced peeker's advantage in many cases
• The amount of peeker's advantage in the steady state is reduced by 16ms
• Also reduced the frequency of situations that lead to very large peeker's advantage due to excessive command queue depth
• Added cl_ticktiming console command that prints a report breaking down the various sources of latency
• Added an option to buffer server updates and user commands by one or more packets. This can be used to smooth over stuttering due to packet loss, at the expense of increased latency

UI

• Added support for separate main menu and item inspect background map settings
• Added "Baggage" and "Warehouse" as options for the main menu and item inspect background maps
• In-game team-only chat will now be prefixed with the team (e.g., "[T]" or "[CT]")
• Added 'XP Overload' status which is awarded to players who have earned all of their normal XP during the week (11,166 XP) and reached reduced XP gain. XP Overload status is attached to players' names in scoreboard, main menu, death notices, etc. XP Overload status is awarded for a minimum of one week. Additional tiers of XP Overload status can be unlocked by earning all of the normal XP over multiple consecutive weeks
• Agents with unique end-of-match cheer animations now have unique defeat animations as well. You can disable playing defeat animations for the local player in settings
• Added more accolades to end-of-match

MISC

• Adjusted the range of CS Ratings allowed to party together in Premier matchmaking
• Fixed a case where high-DPI mice would result in jittery mouse movement
• Added Minor improvements to animations during demo playback
• Disabled rich presence update when running Steam Client in tournament mode

MAPS

INFERNO

• Fixed various gaps and adjusted grenade collision to make grenade bounces more predictable
• Adjusted texture blending to improve player visibility

ANCIENT

• Adjusted grenade collision on bombsite B ground to make grenade bounces more predictable

ANUBIS

• Fixed holes in world at Lower Tunnel
• Fixed collision on all pillars so players can no longer pixel boost
• Fixed collision so utility does not fall out of world on top of structure at T Start
• Fixed missing collision on steps at Street which would allow dropped weapons to fall out of world
• Improved vis at CT spawn
• Fixed invisible boost ledge at Bombsite B
• Fixed various gaps in the world
• Fixed missing collision on stair geo at CT spawn that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
• Fixed missing collision at Fountain that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
• Fixed some doors not generating bullet decals
• Fixed vis issue at Street

OVERPASS

• Fixed some collision that was causing unpredictable player movement

MIRAGE

• Added collision to prevent bomb becoming unreachable
• Adjusted some collision to prevent a ledge/pixel walk
• Fixed player getting stuck when strafing on Middle Ramp by simplifying geo of floor and wall
• Removed a clip brush from Apartments to improve flash lineups

NUKE

• Built some collision to prevent bomb from getting stuck behind barrels
• Fixed some disappearing mesh
• Fixed dynamic shadow clipping on characters at Vending
• Improved clipping in vents
• Fixed bombsite water to have better reflections on low settings
• Fixed vis issue at t-spawn
• Fixed collision on ramp in Bombsite B
• Fixed holes in world

VERTIGO

• Fixed holes in world and other minor geometry bugs
   

ITALY

• Adjusted some collision to prevent players getting stuck in apartment

OFFICE

• Fixed a case where players could jump on a wall
• Fixed a case where players could get stuck if they crouched

As Indian gamers immerse themselves in mobile games, a new opportunity is knocking at their door with the addition of eFootball in the FIFAe World Cup. This latest addition will be joining Rocket League and Football Manager to become a part of the FIFAe World Cup in the coming years.

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FIFA and Konami Come Together to Add eFootball in FIFAe World Cup

After this addition, India will become one of the 18 countries that will take part in the competition. We will be joining Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Spain, and Portugal. Talking about this opportunity, Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming said:

This collaboration between FIFA and Konami to bring eFootball into the FIFAe World Cup is a significant moment for Indian esports. India's inclusion in this global event is a source of immense national pride. The accessibility of a free-to-play game like eFootball ensures wider participation, and with FIFA fueling the esports ecosystem, we are witnessing the seamless integration of sports and esports—ushering in new opportunities for Indian gamers to shine on the world stage.

Ahead of the World Cup, Indian athletes will be seen showcasing their eFootball talent at the WAVES Esports Championship 2025 (WESC). Interestingly, India has already been taking part in Esports tournaments that have been happening for the title. Talking about this addition, Animesh Agarwal, aka 8Bit Thug, Co-Founder of S8UL and 8Bit Creatives said:

The recognition of India as a region in a global esports tournament like the FIFA eWorld Cup is monumental for Indian esports. This collaboration between KONAMI and FIFA opens up valuable avenues for both mobile and console gamers across the country to compete on the international stage. Additionally, with eFootball being included in the roster of tournaments like WAVES 2025 which is supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the title has great potential to bring further opportunities to aspiring Indian esports athletes.

Thug Invitational 2024 is almost here, with BGMI fans ready to set their eyes on their favorite team taking on various contenders from the tournament. Organized by Upthrust Esports, the Thug Invitational 2024 event is expected to be a blast for BGMI fans, and contestants.

Featuring Squads TPP in BGMI, the Invitational will showcase the prowess of 64 participating teams from 19 October to 27 October 2024. The Invitational will feature a massive prize pool of Rs. 8,00,000/ USD 9,517.

The winner of the tournament will walk away with Rs. 3,00,000/ USD 3,568.95, with the second, third, and fourth place holders taking Rs 2,00,000/ USD 2,379.30, Rs 1,50,000/ USD 1,784.47, and Rs. 75,000/ USD 892.24 respectively.

Also read: 8bit Esports Wins TEC Gauntlet Season 2- BGMI

Complete Format for Thug Invitational 2024 Explained

Joined by talented Indian esports teams, the Thug Invitational 2024 will follow a pretty basic format.

Stage 1: Group Stage

The first stage will feature 64 teams landing on the Group Stage to fight out for their position in the Semi-Finals. Only half of the teams will make it to the next stage.

Stage 2: Semi-Finals

The Invitational will start on October 19, 2024, with 32 teams, divided into four groups of 8 teams each. The top 16 teams will qualify for the Grand Finals, as the Semi-Finals stage concludes on October 24, 204.

Stage 2: Grand Finals

The third and final stage of the Invitational will feature the top 16 teams, following a 3-matchday format. Among the 16 remaining squads, only the top four will take on the prize pool. The grand final stage of the tournament will conclude on October 27, 2024.

For anyone becoming the MVP, the player will also receive an additional Rs. 25,000/ USD 297.41 from the prize pool.

Participating Teams

Group A

• Aerobotz
• Bot Army
• Celestics ESP
• Dragon Claw
• Esports Aim
• Inferno Squad
• Medal Esports
• Mogo Esports
• Nonx
• Team Rulers
• Silly Esports
• Team Avii
• Team Havk
• Team IQOO SOUL
• Team LOLZZZ
• Team VST

Group B

• Astro Kinds
• Blizz Network
• Tarkin Spartans
• FAITH ESPORTS
• Fatality Esports
• Gujrat Tigers
• K9
• LEFP
• Orangutan
• Phoenix Esports
• XSPARK
• Rivals Ape X
• Sarkar Gaming
• Team Bosan
• Team Tamilas
• Windgod Esports

Group C

• 2A
• Arrancar ESP
• Autobotz
• Carnival Gaming
• Carpedium
• Dream Team
• E4e
• FS Esports
• GENXFM
• JUSTJELLY
• Mastermind
• Myth
• Nebula Esports
• NUMEN
• Team Misfits
• Team Kanary

Group D

• 4 Merical Esports
• Aliaba Raiders
• ANTIDOTE
• G7 Esports
• GODS REIGN
• Hyderabad Hydras
• Karnadu
• Laztzone
• Reckoning
• Rich Esports
• Team 8BIT
• Team Obey
• Team Versatile
• Team 7Shore
• Team K4C
• Team Z

Map Order

Group A

• Match 1: Erangel
• Match 2: Miramar
• Match 3: Sanhok

Group B

• Match 4: Erangel
• Match 5: Miramar
• Match 6: Sanhok

Gamers can catch the Thug Invitational 2024 live on 8Bit Thug's official YouTube channel.

After two days of intense action in the finals of TEC Gauntlet Season 2 - BGMI, we have a clear winner. With 115 points, 8bit Esports has won a prize of Rs 4,00,000. Over the two days, the Juicy-led lineup secured 72 finishes and 43 placement points. Coming in second was Team Tamilas, who got 114 points. 

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TEC Gauntlet Season 2 - BGMI See Intense Action on Days 1 and 2

The two days were filled with action that had never been seen before as Team Tamilas topped the points table, and 8bit Esports closely followed. The day also saw a lot of battles in Sanhok and Miramar, and what eventually followed was a place for third and fourth place. Team Tamilas and 8bit Esports were the only teams to have crossed 100 points after day 2 of the finals and Carpe Diem was eventually placed third with 87 points. Here is what the points table looks like: 

Interestingly, 8bit Esports' IGL, Juicy, in a post-match interview also announced the name of their latest team addition. Aimbot was announced as the newest team member, and was also the missing piece for the team, as their IGL would say. 

SuperGaming has announced the 2025 esports roadmap for their upcoming game, Indus Battle Royale. The ‘Clutch India Movement’ roadmap will be a four month long tournament with a Rs 2,50,00,000 prize pool. The tournament will begin in October 2024 and will run till February 2025 with an open invite for all. 

The Indian teams will then meet surprise international teams and compete against each other in a LAN, which will take place in New Delhi

Also Read: SuperGaming To Launch Indus Battle Royale Game On October 16

Indus Esports Roadmap 2025 Announced by SuperGaming

Before this announcement, SuperGaming had successfully conducted 'Grudge Wars,’ ‘Indus Inferno,’ and ‘Indus Unchained,’ to test the waters with the popularity of the game, and the audience didn't disappoint. It is because of this that SuperGaming has decided to show its commitment to the game's audience. Talking about the game and the need to develop an Esports ecosystem for Indus, Roby John, CEO and Co-founder of SuperGaming said: 

When we set out to create Indus, our goal was to craft a game that Indian gamers could truly call their own. With the Indus International Tournament, we want to see new heroes rise from our community and take their place in the larger esports ecosystem. India’s esports landscape is rapidly evolving, and we believe the country is ready to compete on the world stage. Through this tournament, we’re excited to elevate India’s presence in esports and inspire a new generation of players to pursue gaming at a professional level.

 Indus International Tournament Format

The tournament will be divided into four phases, each testing the gamers and their talent. The first phase is the Homegrown phase, which has a prize pool of Rs 15 lakh. Registrations for this have already begun. Matches will take place from November 6 to December 3. 

The tournament will then move to Nationals, which has a prize pool of Rs 10 lakh. After this, the Powerplay will begin, with a prize pool of Rs 25 lakh. In the middle of all this, SuperGaming will also be hosting an International phase. This will take place from November 15 to December 30, 2024. 

The MVP of the Indus International Tournament will be given a customized Mahindra Thar.

The third day of TEC Gauntlet Season 2- BGMI Semi-Finals was filled with action-packed battles between Groups A and C. MOGO Esports has topped the points table with 125 points, and not too far away from them is Team Tamilas with 120 points. Hector-led Carnival Gaming is in third place with 114 points. 

The finals of TEC Gauntlet Season 2- BGMI will take place on October 13, with the top 16 teams from the semi-finals.

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TEC Gauntlet Season 2- BGMI Semi-Finals Day 3 Points Table

Many teams showed signs of a comeback in the run-up to the finals, and in this quest, Team Fatality got two chicken dinners, and Carpediem got another one. Here is what the points table from TEC Gauntlet Season 2- BGMI semi-finals looks like: 

Team Tamilas, Carnival Gaming, and Team TEZ also got a chicken dinner each, to make it to the top 16, who will be able to make it to the finals.