On June 26, 2024, Valve unleashed the first official Community Maps in CS2 matchmaking via The Real MVP update. It is the most significant update since Call To Arms, bolstering the map pools of multiple game modes.
Map creators have been diligently working since the launch of CS2 to create new experiences and update old ones to fully utilize the Source 2 engine. The result so far is five glorious Community Maps in CS2. Let’s discuss these virtual battlegrounds so you can learn more about Mills, Thera, Pool Day, Memento, and Assembly.
The New Community Maps in CS2
Mills
Mills is one of two CS2 Community Maps that Valve has added to Deathmatch, Casual, and Competitive. With Mills in Competitive matchmaking, CS2 players can earn official rankings and put the map through its paces via Defusal Group Delta. This Mills map is inspired by the old cpl_mill map from the CS 1.6 era.
The map is also based on a “small village in the Netherlands” by famous map creator catfood, who hails from the Netherlands. Compared to other Competitive CS2 maps, Mills is a bit bigger, which means rotates can take longer, especially if the enemy team smokes off mid. From the initial experience, teams focus on mid-control, and the map is slightly T-sided.
There are many exciting angles to discover on Mills, with various impactful Smoke Grenade placements to practice and learn. Just don’t jump into the water unless you want instant death!
Thera
Thera joins Mills in the Deathmatch, Casual, and Competitive modes in Defusal Group Delta. The legendary Shawn “FMPONE” Snelling (creator of Cache) and MF_Kitten created the map. Thera may seem familiar to CS:GO veterans, as it is a remake of Santorini, which we last saw with Operation Wildfire.
The map resembles Santorini, Greece, a picturesque town on one of the volcanic Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. With a colorful and bright design, Thera features several angles with excellent visibility, perfect for AWPers. Thanks to its bomb site layouts, it is considered a bit CT-sided. Visit the windmill and the underground swimming pool, or relax at the cafe on the A site—the choice is yours! Speaking of a swimming pool, the next map may also seem familiar to Counter-Strike veterans…
Pool Day
Pool Day is available in the Arms Race map pool. It is a small, symmetrical map with blue and red sides and a pool in the middle, ensuring no one has an advantage. The original Pool Day was a CS 1.6 map created by mapper Squall in 2001. The CS2 remake of Pool Day, however, was designed by Leplubodeslapin.
In the CS2 version, the map has some interesting gameplay features, including jumping higher using the diving board, inflatable toys, locking yourself in the bathroom, and throwing grenades in vents to teleport them around the map. There’s even a secret lever!
The secret lever changes the graphics so the game resembles CS 1.6. Navigate to the right side of CT spawn, and open lockers until you see a lever. Interact with the lever to change the graphics for a retro look. You can interact with the lever again at any time to switch back to CS2 graphics.
Memento
Memento was designed specifically for the Wingman (2v2) game mode in CS2. The four map creators—MadsenFK, ynel, TwinN, and g3om—invite players to a wedding in the Italian countryside, which features gorgeous views of a vast lake and mountains on the edge of the map. Memento is bigger than most Wingman maps and includes open areas with longer angles, as well as enclosed spaces for a balanced gameplay experience.
There are flowers, tables with white tablecloths, an inside reception area, a library, a building with a castle-like tower, and even a wedding cake for players to drool over. Memento is one of the best-looking CS2 Community Maps, perfectly detailed to resemble a nuptial ceremony.
Look for doors with a red circle and a cross painted on them. You can shoot through these structures, possibly gaining an advantage, so don’t forget to tell your Wingman partner.
Assembly
Fasten those seatbelts, and brace for impact! Joining Memento in the Wingman map pool is Assembly, created by Quoting, Thomas, Huvaligen, and Almaas. This is one of the smallest new Community Maps, with tight spaces creating areas that SMG, Zeus, and even Shotgun players can enjoy.
Set in the United States, Assembly is essentially an aircraft hanger/workshop featuring a plane in the process of being assembled. The map offers fast and furious gameplay inside and around the aircraft fuselage, with ladders and stairs resulting in frantic vertical combat. The Source 2 engine is put to work on Assembly as light flows naturally through openings in the roof.
How To Play New CS2 Community Maps
Valve has made it extremely easy to play the new CS2 Community Maps. You can follow the simple instructions below to start playing without delay.
- Launch Steam.
- Update or download CS2.
- Launch CS2 from Steam.
- Click on the “Play” button at the top middle of your screen.
- Choose the mode you prefer:
- Select Wingman and then either Assembly or Memento.
- To play Mills or Thera, select Casual, Deathmatch, or Competitive, then choose Group Defuse Delta.
- For Pool Day, select Arms Race and click “GO.”
We recommend testing every single CS2 Community Map and enjoying the fresh experiences. Practice makes perfect, so keep going if you lose badly the first few times. After all, each new map has dozens of new angles, nooks and crannies, and different utility placements to discover.
Have You Checked Out These New Maps?
With these five Community Maps officially in CS2, we’re excited to explore and practice in these new battlegrounds. Of course, it will take some time for the player base to fully familiarize themselves with these new layouts, especially the tighter spaces of a locale like Assembly and the open areas of Memento. But learning these new maps is part of the fun, right? We certainly think so!
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