Popular streamer and content creator Vitaliy “Papich” Tsal recently shared his thoughts on the balance of Counter-Strike 2, specifically highlighting that he finds many weapons in the game to be effectively unusable.
During a stream, Papich detailed his issues, particularly with certain maps and weapon types.
“I tested Agency, the balance was tweaked, yes, it became easier for defense,” Papich stated. “But the map is still worse than Office. The problem with maps like Agency and Italy is that it`s very difficult to use SMGs or shotguns there. As a defender, you simply cannot push with a shotgun or SMG. You need a rifle. You have to pick off attacking players from long range with a rifle or sniper. Any map where you can`t effectively use all weapons in the game inherently has bad balance.”
He continued his critique, extending it to the game`s fundamental design regarding weapon effectiveness, particularly focusing on shotguns.
“Frankly, CS has had poor balance from the start,” he argued. “This is because SMGs and shotguns are almost unusable, which shows CS is 20 years behind in shooter design. In Counter-Strike, shotguns only deal significant damage point-blank. Curse whoever came up with this game meme where shotguns only damage up close! In reality, a shotgun can shoot 100-200 meters. Okay, maybe not a guaranteed kill at 200, but easily at 100, and at 50 meters, it will kill instantly with no problem. In CS, the effective distance is maybe five meters maximum. And even then, from five meters, you`ll never one-shot anyone anymore. Never. It`s such garbage.”
Papich`s comments highlight a common point of discussion among players regarding the viability of certain weapon classes in CS2`s current meta and map pool, suggesting a need for fundamental balance adjustments.
Finley Holt