CS:GO knife issue rears its ugly head in CS2 for the very first time

A lingering Counter-Strike: Global Offensive knife bug has made its way into Counter-Strike 2, with a player discovering an issue mid-way through a Premier ranked match after firing their gun and switching to their knife.

Previously, if a player used a light slash (left-click) with their knife before hitting an opponent, its damage would drop only slightly. This led to the classic 97-in-three knife battles CS:GO fans love to hate. But in CS2, you don’t even need to miss with the knife first.

If a player switches from another weapon to their blade, there will be a brief period where their knife will do less damage, as shown by a player in an Oct. 30 post to social media. This means players will encounter the same issue as seen in the prequel, just on a different engine and with a slight twist.

After pulling out a knife, any time a player left-clicks during the withdraw animation, it counts toward the knife’s damage reduction per swing, resulting in the same 97-in-three bug. The only way to combat this is to wait a few seconds before swinging your knife; otherwise, your first hit will do less damage.

CS:GO’s knife issue was well-known amongst the Counter-Strike community for years. However, Valve either never knew about it, or passed a blind eye and never wanted it to be changed.

Players are convinced it’s not even a bug in CS2, and if that’s the case, we might have to get used to it. But from now on, if you’ve missed an entire magazine’s worth of damage it might be better to reload and shoot another instead of opting for a knife fight.

Other bugs have been appearing all over the place in CS2. From HE grenades incorrectly reacting to the volumetric smokes to an inventory issue that saw players’ skins disappear, CS2 has had it all, and new game-breaking bugs are being discovered by the day.

Players have been vocal about the majority of these issues, and to Valve’s credit, they’ve been listening. Valve has released 11 patches throughout October alone, with each one tackling the various bugs and issues that make life in CS2 uncomfortable.

As to whether Valve considers this weird knife interaction to be a bug? We’ll know for sure when the next patch arrives, as it certainly doesn’t feel intended and can have drastic consequences on the outcome of a ranked match.