Valve has spoken regarding the next update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and it has been made clear that changes are coming.
Valve’s stated goal with the game’s updates have of late been to increase variety in weapon choice among players. This was the basis for two of the biggest recent changes, the addition of the silenced M4A1 rifle and the CZ75-Auto pistol.
The two changes have resulted in very different effects.
Buying rate statistics released by Valve show that use of the silenced M4A1 has largely remained stable since the weapon was first made available to players. While usage of the new rifle is significantly greater than that of the traditional alternative choice, the M4A4 rifle, use of the AWP sniper rifle and other weapons has remained high enough to make for a strong variety of options for players.
But the statistics for the new CZ75-Auto pistol tell a different story.
Since it’s release, the CZ75 has not only seen its usage increase, but has actually become the purchase of choice for over half of all secondary weapon buys by players on the counter-terrorist side.
While Valve was successful in providing an alternative to the P250, the previous dominant secondary weapon, what they’ve done is simply replace that pistol’s high rate of use with that of another.
This revelation comes as no surprise to fans of the game. The CZ75 has for some time been a matter of debate among players and fans alike. The pistol’s rapid rate-of-fire and 12-bullet clip sizes make it devastating to enemies at close ranges. At a low cost of $400, this allows teams who should be at a marked disadvantage due to their weaker economic positioning to inflate their chances of winning rounds.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of adding more excitement to rounds during which one team is forced to save money for the next and can only make small economic investments. But some players have expressed concern that the CZ75 may be tilting the advantage in these situations too far away from the team able to afford a full set of weapons and equipment.
Valve has made clear they’re aware of this potential problem and has promised to address it in the coming update, though the developer did not specify how exactly this would be done. While it is likely that the CZ75 will in some way be toned down, it’s also possible that other pistols could simply be tuned up to match it in strength.
The team has promised more details soon, though fans of the game should know better than to place too much trust in any timeframes delivered by Valve.
Screengrab via Ivan Rec/YouTube
