The Lowdown: CSGO Update 1.36.02

Last September 11, Valve released Update 1.36.02 for CSGO. It was a significant patch for the game, so if in case you haven’t been caught up to speed with the new set of changes in Valve’s in-house real life-inspired shooter, read up before you get back in the crossfire.

Trading CSGO Skins in China is Allowed

Perhaps the biggest change in this update isn’t something that would only affect Chinese players. In fact, CSGO has become free-to-play in China if users verify their identity through Perfect World, a game hosting service (similar to China’s version of Steam). Once that’s done, players will not only be able to play the game without any charges but also receive “Prime” status, which means they’ll only have matches with players that also have Prime status.

With Update 1.36.02, Chinese players will finally be able to trade among themselves. For gamers playing CSGO via Perfect World will no longer have to buy from Steam whenever they want CSGO Skins, cases, or keys.

Smoked and Aimpunched

Update 1.36.02 has fixed a game-breaking glitch on smoke grenades. Before the patch, players were able to make the smoke from the grenade as clear as vapor by simply renaming a few shader files. Thankfully, this was corrected; now, players can no longer tamper with game files but are still be able to connect. Anyone who tries to get down and dirty will receive an error message. If you’re thinking of using this exploit to gain an unfair advantage, don’t count on it.

Another significant development is the reduced unarmored aimpunch. For those unfamiliar with the mechanic, aimpunch is a mechanic that enables unarmored player’s to aim flinches whenever someone gets hit. A player get rewards for taking offensive action and penalizes them for not wearing armor. However, with this update, while aimpunch will still mess up affected players’ aims, it will no longer be as punishing as before, making it less rewarding for their enemies.

The next focus of the gameplay tweaks in Update 1.36.02 is in the use of pistols. The goal of these changes is to promote the use of pistols, especially with skilled players. Front and center of this development are two pistol models: the Glock and P250.

Handguns Getting Handier

The Glock has been made to be more about getting up close and personal since it’s now better suited for accurate players who prefer close-quarters shootouts. To make it even more suited to this new role, the pistol’s base damage has also been elevated, but its damage, when shot from longer distances, is reduced. Also, its accuracy when fired and moving has been improved. Overall, on top of receiving a more defined usage, the Glock has been given a buff. A well-deserved one at that because it’s the simplest and one of the most reliable pistols in the game.

Meanwhile, the P250 is the exact opposite of the Glock. In fact, the P250 is now mostly for longer-distance engagements, in particularly against unarmored enemies. The damage, both baseline and at longer distances, has gone up; however, armor penetration and accuracy while moving have reduced, and not as stellar as Glock’s.

Allowing China’s CSGO players to trade cheap CSGO Skins and tweaking two pistols to make them more distinct, Update 1.36.02, has made positive changes even though it’s not a big patch. Hopefully, Valve would continue giving the player base meaningful updates like this so that CSGO can continue to be one of the best first-person shooters out there.