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Counter-Strike 2 may include a whole-new strand of customizables and collectibles to sit alongside skins and stickers, as a recent CS2 datamine reveals mention of “pets” in the upcoming Valve FPS game. For over a decade we’ve plundered CSGO cases to make our assault rifles, knives, and AWPs look as tricked-out as possible, but with Counter-Strike 2, there seems to be the possibility that we get an animal companion to follow us into battle, one that we can also style and modify just like our guns and gear. Dota 2 has pets. So do other multiplayer hits like World of Warcraft. Perhaps we’re about to see something similar in the world of Counter-Strike.
Judging from a recent datamine, there is seemingly a dedicated loadout slot in Counter-Strike 2 labeled “PET.” There are also mentions of something called a “pet capsule,” suggesting that we can somehow choose to bring an animal with us into CS2 battles.
Datamines have also unearthed a variety of texture files with the “pet” label, but as it stands, all of these contain just a simple placeholder image of a chicken. The Counter-Strike 2 user interface however presents some more substantial findings.
The pets are listed in the same inventory section alongside sprays, flair, and music kits, suggesting that they can be swapped and changed around, and form part of your customizable cosmetics loadout.
Whether this means that pets are fully realized in-game companions to tail behind you during combat, or perhaps just weapon charms shaped like animals, is unclear. The full datamine was performed by Valve aficionado and YouTuber ‘GabeFollower.’
The idea of actual, in-game animals following you around in Counter-Strike 2 seems a bit unusual. Despite the flashy skins and stickers, Counter-Strike has always been a relatively grounded FPS, distinctive from more modern shooters like Valorant or Overwatch 2 thanks to its more sober aesthetic.
Pets, in the Dota 2 or WoW sense, might compromise that – it feels like too drastic of an addition, when Valve has been traditionally very cautious about adjusting the Counter-Strike formula. Additional weapon charms or cosmetics makes more sense, with the so-called ‘pets’ simply becoming another unintrusive commodity that you can find in cases. We’ll just have to see.
In the meantime, get the latest on the Counter-Strike 2 release date. You can also get ahead of the game with the Counter-Strike 2 system requirements that we expect will be announced by Valve, or check out some of the other best free Steam games that aren’t CSGO.
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