Valve’s remaster of legendary Counter-Strike map Dust II is coming in next beta

For Counter-Strike players old and new, Dust II is something special.

Home of a thousand frags, Dust II is probably the series’ most played map, and if you’re watching a frag-video and it’s got sand in the background it’s probably this video, or one like it.

It’s been several years since I’ve played it, but I can still recall the treacherous path to A Long, the chokepoints leading into B, and the disastrous AWP doorway, where if you think you might be able to see someone, you’re already dead.

All of these memories are about to become subtly altered though, as Valve has announced that a new and improved version of the map is going to be included in the next CS:GO Beta release. When that release will drop is another question entirely but the answer, broadly, is “soon”. When it arrives, expect it to return to heavy rotation as soon as pro players have gotten their heads around the changes Valve have brought into play. 

The Dust II remake, as with any time you try to make changes to a fan-favourite, will be divisive.  However the most contentious part will be fan consensus on the next map to get a dust off. When Dust II is returned to the competitive pool, another map will be pulled out of play so it can be fixed up. 

I’m not the only one hoping for a CS_Assault remaster, surely?