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

Round 3 of BMPS 2024 will see 48 teams compete to make it to the final round, which will take place in Kochi as a LAN event. These 48 teams were the top performers from the second round, which had 64 teams. From Round three, only 24 teams will move to the semi-finals and eventually, 16 teams will play in the finals. Here are all the teams playing in BMPS 2024 Round 3, match schedule and more. 

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BMPS 2024 Round 3 Groups and Teams

Krafton hosted a draw to pick the groups that the 48 teams will be a part of. Karan Pathak, the Esports Head of Krafton India Esports took out the teams' names from the pot and decided their fate. Here are all the teams and the groups they are divided in: 

Group 1

1. Team Insane

2. Blind Esports

3. IMPRNT

4. MOGO Esports

5. RTGxIND

6. Team Crow

7. FS Esports

8. Hyderabad Hydras

9. Team Lolzzz

10. Team Versatile

11. Reckoning Esports

12. Honoured Rivalz

13. Gods Reign

14. CarpeDiem

15. Global Esports

16. Team Soul

Group 2

1. TCW

2. WSB Gaming

3. Karunaadu

4. Legacy Esports

5. TMG

6. Team Dragons

7. Inferno Squad

8. R4W Official

9. Team Bliss

10. Team Limra

11. Silly Esports

12. Genxfm

13. Orangutan

14. Team 8Bit

15. TWOB

16. Phoenix

Group 3

1. Rivals Ape X

2. GlitchxReborn

3. Sarkar Gaming

4. Autobotz

5. Team Cosmic

6. 4Merical Vibes

7. Medal Esports

8. Ignite Gaming

9. Numen Gaming

10. WindGod

11. Gujarat Tigers

12. DO OR DIE

13. THW

14. Carnival Gaming

15. Team XSpark

16. Team GodLike

Round 2 of BMPS 204 will begin today with 64 teams competing to make it to the top of the leaderboard and make it to the next round. To announce the groups of the second round, Krafton India Esports hosted a live stream to pick the draws. The thrill of seeing their favourite team was so great that a lot of fans joined the stream. Here is what the groups and all the 64 teams that have qualified look like. 

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BMPS 2024 Round 2 Groups

The tournament started with 128 invited teams and half of them have been eliminated from the competition. All the 64 teams have been divided into four groups of 16 and all of them will compete against each other in a pre-decided schedule and map order. Here are the groups: 

Group 1

1. Team Cosmic
2. Hyper Rush
3. LOC Esports
4. DO OR DIE
5. Eye4Eye
6. Dragon Esports
7. Karunaadu
8. Legacy Esports
9. Phoenix
10. Revenant Esports
11. Genxfm
12. CarpeDiem
13. Silly Esports
14. Carnival Esports
15. THW Esports
16. Honoured Rivalz

Group 2

1. IMPRNT
2. Blind Rippers
3. Team Lolzzz
4. Team Dragons
5. GlitchxReborn
6. RTGxIND
7. Team INS
8. Numen Gaming
9. Team Captain
10. Angry Swain
11. Inferno Squad
12. Rivals Ape X
13. Team Soul
14. WSB Gaming
15. Team GodLike
16. Team Insane

Group 3

1. Sarkar Gaming
2. Global Esports
3. TMG
4. K9 Squad
5. Error Esports
6. Autobotz
7. 4Merical Esports
8. FS Esports
9. Ignite Gaming
10. Reckoning Esports
11. Blind Esports
12. Team Versatile
13. Gujarat Tigers
14. MOGO Esports
15. Team 8Bit
16. TWOB

Group 4

1. 4Aggressive Men
2. Aerobotz
3. Team Crow
4. TCW
5. Team Elevate
6. Bliss Esports
7. Medal Esports
8. Team Limra
9. WindGod
10. Team XSpark
11. Astrokids
12. R4W Official
13. Orangutan
14. Hyderabad Hydras
15. Vasista Esports
16. Gods Reign

The teams will be playing six matches in a day and they will begin from 3:00 PM onwards. The stream will be live on Krafton India Esports' YouTube channel. You can join the live stream and chat to root and cheer for your favourite players and teams.

Skyesports has announced the roadmap for the 2025 CS2 esports tournament. The roadmap includes two huge tournaments that have a combined prize pool of $1.75 million. The tournament will have Tier 1 events and Tier 2 events, which will see national and international participation.

The Tier 1 tournaments will have Open Qualifiers across India; Europe; the Americas and the Rest of Asia, which is in line with Valve's vision of having a more open sporting ecosystem. 

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Skyesports Announces 2025 CS2 Esports Roadmap with $1.75 Million Prize Pool

The four CS2 tournaments will start in February 2025 and from there, the ball will get rolling for other Skyesports' CS2 events. Here is the schedule for all the Tier 1 and Tier 2 events:

• Skyesports Souvenir 2025: Feb. 17 to 23, 2025 ($250,000 - Tier 2) 
• Skyesports Masters 2025: May 26 to June 1, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1) 
• Skyesports Championship 2025: Sept. 15 to 21, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1) 
• Skyesports World Tour 2025: Nov. 10 to 16, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1)

Skyesports Souvenir 2025 will not have open qualifiers but will have online Closed Qualifiers, which will take place from January 20 to 26, 2025. Skyesports Souvenir 2025 will have a $250,000 prize pool., which will be split as follows: 

● 1st place: $100,000 
● 2nd place: $50,000
● 3rd place: $35,000 
● 4th place: $25,000 
● 5th-6th place: $12,500 each 
● 7th-8th place: $7,500 each

The Tier 1 events, Skyesports Masters 2025, Skyesports Championship 2025 and Skyesports World Tour 2025 will have open qualifiers, which will see 256 compete in the competition. Here is the prize pool for the same and its distribution:

● 1st place: $200,000 
● 2nd place: $100,000 
● 3rd-4th place: $60,000 each 
● 5th-8th place: $20,000 each 

Skyesports will also be providing a lot of facilities, which are in line with the tournament hosting guidelines set by Valve. These include points like not including players who have previously indulged in cheating, misconduct or other infractions. 

The government of India has announced that it will be hosting a series of LAN events in November, which will include games like BGMI, eFootball, and WCC3. The first-ever government-hosted esports event will take place in Goa along with the Waves conference, which will also take place around the same time. Gaming and esports enthusiasts across the country will be able to register for the event.

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Government of India To Host LAN Event With Multiple Esports

With the launch of the Create in India Season 1 campaign, the government is trying to shift its focus on the growing creator economy. The focus of this campaign will be on giving a boost to gaming, animation, etc. With the prime minister meeting the industry stake holders on multiple occasions, this LAN is only looking to boost the goodwill of gaming and esports in the country. Talking about the Waves conference, Union Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw said: 

The Government of India is leaving no stone unturned to encourage this economy and therefore, we need to ensure the talent & skill development and availability of necessary infrastructure in this sector. There are plans to establish world-class universities and facilities that will enhance the capabilities of creators in media and entertainment.

The government will be hosting both solo and team esports events and here are the details of the same: 

Qualifiers (Online)

• September 1 to 15
• September 18 to October 2
• October 4 to 19
• October 21 to November 4

Grand Finals (LAN)

• November 20 to 24 in Goa 

International teams will also be participating in the event, but the teams are yet to be announced by the government. Those will also be announced when more information on the LAN events is disclosed. For now, the 25 challenges of the Create in India Season 1 challenges and esports have the audience excited. These challenges are being hosted by industry leaders that cover a wide range of disciplines.

Blue Set has completed all of its BMPS 2024 matches. All the groups have now completed their six matches each. With this, the 64 teams that were playing in the first four days have been given a position on the points table. Groups 3 and 4 were playing on the fourth day and MOGO Esports finished at the top of the points table in Group 4 with 58 points and Blind Esports topped the points table in Group 3 with 76 points. 

Also Read: BMPS 2024 Day 3 Group 4 Results

BMPS 2024 Day 4 Results and Points Table

Group 4 was the first one to play on Day 4 and GlitchxReborn put on a great performance and were able to get 18 points in their first match. The second match of the day was played in Miramar and Rivals Ape X won that match with 20 points. The last and final match for this group was played in Sanhok and It was GlitchxReborn won their second match of the day with 19 points. Here is what the points table looks like: 

Group 4

1. MOGO Esports - 58 points
2. Team Captain - 54 points
3. GlitchxReborn - 50 points
4. Rivals Ape X - 48 points
5. JUX Esports - 45 points
6. THW Esports - 42 points
7. Hyper Rush Esports - 42 points
8. Team Tamilas - 33 points
9. DO OR DIE - 30 points
10. No1 Esports - 28 points
11. LOC Esports - 26 points
12. Norules Xtreme - 21 points
13. Nxt - 21 points
14. Version 9 - 20 points
15. HUB Esports - 19 points
16. Team Muffins - 4 points

Group 3 played the remaining matches. Blind Esports won the first game, which was played on Viken. The team was able to accumulate 20 points from the game. Team Dragon Esports won the next match and got 19 points. In the same match, Team XSpark got 15 points. 

1. Blind Esports - 76 points
2. Team XSpark - 52 points
3. Blind Rippers - 46 points
4. Team Dragons - 44 points
5. Inferno Squad - 38 points
6. Revenant Esports - 38 points
7. 4Misfits Esports - 35 points
8. Jubilant Divine Esports -31 points
9. Live Craft Esports -27 points
10. Team Psyche - 27 points
11. Tribe Hird Men - 27 points
12. SBA Esports - 26 points
13. Teenager Esports - 22 points
14. Zedi x RNB - 20 points
15. Unify Esports - 16 points
16. The Night Raider - 9 points

Blind Rippers won the last match of the day and got 26 points from the day. After this day,