Valve Destroyed the Romance of Pool Day in CS2 and Here’s Why

On the night of June 26th, a major update for CS2 was released, adding the Pool Day map to the game. It’s practically identical to fy_pool_day from CS 1.6, but there are some important nuances. In this article, we’ll explain how Valve ruined the romance of this legendary map.

The fastest card in CS:GO

Fy_pool_day was popular back when most people didn’t have decent internet at home. Back then, CS was played primarily in computer clubs. There was no matchmaking or 5v5 play—all available public servers for 20-32 players were packed to capacity, and players simply enjoyed the shootouts.

On popular maps like de_dust2, de_inferno, or even cs_assault and cs_militia, a round could last up to five minutes. Server administrators typically set round lengths fairly long, allowing one side to find and eliminate all enemies. Players who died early in the round were forced to sit and wait for the others to finish. This meant that most of the time was spent not playing but observing the actions of others in first-person. Fy_pool_day, on the other hand, was one of those maps where a round typically lasted no more than a minute.

Its second advantage is its weapon diversity. While many Aim maps were quick to play, they often only offered specific rifles or even pistols. On fy_pool_day, however, almost every weapon from CS was represented. Moreover, many weapons considered useless on classic maps performed exceptionally well here.

The shotgun is more useful than the AWP.

Some CS 1.6 players may not be aware that there’s a buy zone on the fy_pool_day map: equipment can be purchased at the end of the pool’s bridge. However, almost no one took advantage of this, as weapons were usually picked up from the floor at the start of the round.

Let’s categorize weapons on fy_pool_day into three tiers of effectiveness. Let’s start with the useless ones. The Scout is undoubtedly at the top of this list. This rifle kills with one shot to the head only and requires a full bolt action after each shot. In the fast-paced gameplay of fy_pool_day, every second counts, and at the start of a round, you’ll hardly be able to fire more than one or two shots from the Scout—you’ll either get picked off by a more effective weapon or rushed while hiding around a corner. Submachine guns, with the exception of the P90 and MP5, and the M-60 machine gun are also poor performers. Low accuracy at any range and insufficient damage put their owners at a disadvantage against opponents armed with something better.

Medium-effective weapons have their pros and cons in different situations. For example, the AWP can be useful at certain angles and positions, but the fast-paced gameplay on fy_pool_day doesn’t allow for the ability to cycle the bolt without risking being killed by a shotgun-wielding rusher. This also applies to the M3 shotgun, which is only effective at very short ranges. The P90 and MP5, while offering average damage, excel at medium and short range accuracy.

The best weapons on fy_pool_day include all four assault rifles: the AK-47, M4A1, Krieg, and AUG. They’re accurate at any range and deal a lot of damage. But the real kings of fy_pool_day are the Leone shotgun, known as the “Crocodile,” and the rapid-fire AU-1 sniper rifle. The Leone is positioned comfortably for both sides and is ideal for flanking rushes. It can only be countered with a precise headshot or by catching an opponent reloading. Otherwise, it will wipe out anyone in seconds, regardless of accuracy. The Leone is also accurate on the move, allowing you to quickly close the distance without stopping fire. The AU-1 is versatile: at close range, you can fire without zooming, and at longer ranges, the scope helps.

Proper respawning is the key to success

At first glance, gameplay on fy_pool_day seems like a merciless and chaotic meat grinder, where everyone simply runs forward and destroys each other. But after hundreds of rounds, every player begins to notice the little things that allow them to achieve maximum effectiveness in various situations, be it the beginning, middle, or end of a round.

First and foremost, success in a round depends heavily on your starting respawn. It accounts for 50% of success, and you have to rely on luck: ideally, you want to spawn near a good weapon that an ally won’t have time to grab. For example, the terrorists have a spawn near the right mirror, where you can find a P90, an M3 shotgun, and an M60 machine gun. To get to the best weapons, you need to enter the passage already overlooked by a player with an AK-47 or AU-1. Another bad spawn is located a little further back. The closest good weapon there is a rapid-fire rifle, which is immediately grabbed by another player. There are also spawns near a Krieg and an AK, which are also likely to be quickly grabbed. Ultimately, only bad or average weapons are available.

The best respawns are those where you can immediately pick up the Crocodile and rush. These spots are on the flanks, so the first encounter with the enemy will be at a comfortable shotgun range. This is especially true for the Terrorists: the CTs have an unfortunate respawn near a small pool, where a player spawns just a few meters from the nearest weapon and can be quickly killed if they rush with a pistol.

Winning a round on fy_pool_day means a lot. Survivors keep their weapons, and with quick reflexes (or a freezetime), you can catch your opponent at the respawn. Fragmentation grenades can be found at the bottom of the pool, which can be thrown at the enemy respawn at the start of the next round. While they can be picked up during a round, doing so is risky: you need to go to the center of the map, making yourself an easy target. If diving with a shotgun, remember that it doesn’t fire underwater. After winning a round, you can shop on the bridge, for example, for armor or flashbangs. Flashbangs often caused conflicts in clubs: in such chaos, it’s difficult to use them correctly, as they blind not only enemies but also teammates, which irritated especially nervous players.

By the way, you can plant a bomb on the bridge, but it’s the most useless option on fy_pool_day. Going to the center of the map, planting the bomb, hoping to survive for three seconds, and then retreating to cover is a hopeless proposition.

The developers have completely destroyed the spirit and philosophy of fy_pool_day

When you see the news headline “Valve added fy_pool_day to CS2,” it seems true. Players who remember CS 1.6 will at first be in disbelief, but then rejoice at the chance to once again engage in fun, bloody fights around the pool, recalling flank attacks and hiding in the restrooms. However, nostalgia will instantly vanish when they read in the patch notes that Pool Day is only available in the Arms Race mode.

At first glance, nothing terrible happened, as Pool Day is perfect for Arms Race: its compact size, design allows for shootouts at various ranges, and even with a knife, it’s easy to find the right moment to stab your opponent and win the match. But for old-school players, fy_pool_day isn’t Arms Race or Deathmatch at all. It’s a map where even the most inexperienced player can defeat the hardcore gamers who terrorize the entire server. Therefore, regardless of skill level, experience, or ambition, fy_pool_day was loved by almost everyone.

Is the legendary fy_pool_day in CS2 officially dead?

On the one hand, Valve’s decision is understandable. Developers and fans alike were eager to bring Pool Day back into the game. But where else could it be added besides Arms Race? In regular or competitive matchmaking? On the other hand, fy_pool_day became legendary not only for its map design but also for other aspects described in this article. Now, they simply disappear, and there’s no concrete solution for how to bring it back into Valve’s official matchmaking.

Even if you launch Pool Day in a mode other than Arms Race, there will be no weapons on the floor or grenades in the pool. The developers left the buy zone on the bridge, but it doesn’t change much—almost no one used it anyway. However, you can find the Pool Day (Classic) map in the Workshop , which retains all the attributes of the legendary fy_pool_day. You just need to find a community server running it, and you can enjoy the game! Yes, walls are no longer shot through the same way as in 1.6, and there are some bugs in the new engine—for example, due to the nature of water in Source 2, it is impossible to emerge from the bottom of the pool. However, the remake’s creator has included ladders for access. He also took into account the important aspect of weapon respawning—until you pick it up, grenades and shots will not move the weapon.

But the question remains: do modern Counter-Strike fans really need this? Or is it just nostalgia, and will the old fy_pool_day forever remain in 1.6, and attempts to bring it back, even with new graphics and a new engine, will never be able to recapture the same feeling?