Scorched skins make the weapon look like it has seen heavy action, which is why, Steam Release Denied currently, the conditions below Field-Tested are more expensive. However, if you want to get one of the most iconic weapons in gaming, this is a good place to st

Websites quickly began exploiting the craze surrounding Counter Strike 's in-game items, with sites like CSGO Lotto allowing players to trade their items for eligibility into raffles for extremely valuable prizes. Many streamers began promoting these kinds of websites, often without disclosing their financial stakes in the services they were promoting. For example, popular streamer Phantoml0rd was famously permanently banned from Twitch for just this reason, despite later winning a civil suit against the platform. Twitch would quickly go on to ban these kinds of raffle or gambling websites related to CSGO , marking one of the first major gambling controversies for the serv

Running and gunning rarely works, and concentrated pushes through smoke and artillery are critical to winning. This makes communication a key factor, and many newcomers might not know what to say, how to say it, or even what to do in-game. Patience and team play are king, and even small mistakes can lead to a de

With many other massively popular streamers such as xQc and Trainwreckstv receiving similar deals, many claim that this kind of unchecked promotion of gambling services from people who are receiving huge sponsorship deals can be harmful to audiences, while also questioning the credibility of the showcased win rates of the gambling sites on stream. This kind of gambling was present on Twitch for several years, being a lingering controversy that was only recently addressed thanks to what is likely Twitch's most high-profile gambling controversy to d

The Freehand finish is similar to the Damascus Steel, because it has very intricate and elegant patterns inside the skin. The Freehand uses ancient-looking inscription designs on the blade, which also has an otherworldly feel to it. The knife's condition will determine how much of the pattern is on the blade and not scratched off, so if you particularly like the pattern, it may be worth paying extra for a better condition vers

While the qualifying stage is difficult, it gives smaller teams like CR4ZY a large amount of exposure and allows them to compete with the best teams in the world. If CS:GO were to franchise, teams like Crazy would never have the chance to play on the biggest stage as the buy-in amount would be too expensive for most young teams. We would be left with the same 16-20 teams every year, each trying to outdo the other and each taking away young talent from teams who don't have the funds to compete. Sure, there would be upsets, but nothing like what was there before. Each year there's a team that comes out of nowhere to shock the CS:GO world and that's part of what makes big tournaments so much fun to wa

Half-Life fans are a dedicated bunch. Even in the absence of content from Valve , the series has thrived with mods, community content, and unofficial games such as Lambda Wars and Black Mesa. Half-Life: Alyx didn’t fully reignite the torch, but it helped to keep the flame fans have managed to carry all these years flickering. There were community forums of like-minded individuals sharing each other’s work, news websites specifically catering to Valve fans after Episode 3 faded into obscurity, and then there was LambdaGeneration.

The platform is not quite finished yet, mostly because there are plans to expand and breathe more life into it. "We have a lot of plans for the platform," Alex says. "Everything you see has been coded by just two people. I have a background in design and front-end web development. David - our CTO - is an ex-military software developer and created the system and servers behind it all. Our most requested thing right now is a native app, which we plan to work on later in the year once we feel the website is more complete. For now, we have sub-communities for major Half-Life games, mods, and topics in the work. We’re also releasing new features every week. Last week, we added mentions. Now we’re working on multi-image posts."

Some of the sites Alex is talking about were centered around maps, while others focused on larger overhauls. There were also a few that dug into leaks, rumors, and speculation, propping up the fans who were trying to sift through Valve’s silence to find answers.

Weapons sway more when aimed down sights, making even simple shots hard to pull off, and the map is filled with sound traps that reveal positions to other teams in a heartbeat. The overall flow and strategy of Hunt make it one of the hardest yet most satisfying games for newcomers to le

In just one week, the LambdaGeneration social network has amassed 1,000 users - and that number is still growing. This includes fans, creators, developers, and the staff keeping the cogs whirring. The site fills a gap in the Valve community, something in between archaic forums and the more meme-heavy Reddit. There are pages for news, modding, fan art, films, music, and lore, letting you find whatever you want with ease. Otherwise, you can sort by trending, new, and top. There are user profiles, badges, and more, combining the best elements of different social media sites to create a Valve-centric juggernaut.