Can CS2 players still farm Armory credits after knife nerf?

Valve has shut down XP farmers in a new Counter-Strike 2 patch update, nerfing knife and utility damage. Here’s what it means for Armory credits grinders.

After the launch of the Armory update, CS2 players quickly realized they could farm credits by suicidally running into each with knives and grenades. Generally, competitive modes like premier competitive offer more XP than casual modes, but take much longer. Collecting XP allows players to increase their in-game level, a flex that CS2 players will go to incredible lengths for. The addition of Armory pass gave players another reason to grind for XP, but it didn’t go too well.

XP farmers started wrapping up lengthy rounds quickly by getting grenade kills, prompting Valve to nerf the knife and utility damage.

Why did Valve nerf knife damage in CS2?

On October 5, Valve declared that damage from a knife or utility won’t count towards Armory XP, which is aimed at forcing XP farmers to finish their games fair and square.

Armory credits are hard to come by. Completing a full competitive game rewards a paltry two credits, barely enough to purchase a couple of stickers in the Armory Pass. To remedy that, clever CS2 fans uncovered an XP farming exploit, ditching hours of gameplay for a quicker route. In casual mode, players rush mid and spam grenades, wrapping up rounds in just 10 seconds.

This tactic condenses long matches to five minutes, but at a cost. Those who refuse to join the frenzy risk getting kicked out by a majority vote.

To maintain game integrity, Valve has now made knife and utility damage not contribute as much to the Armroy pass. That means eliminating enemies quicker by tenderizing them with grenades, which may wrap up rounds quickly, won’t gain as much XP. This is applied in casual, competitive, and Wingman mode. Players may still attempt XP farming in deathmatch, but it’s much trickier to replicate team grenade damage in that fast-paced mode.