About

Dust II, also known as Dust 2 and by its filename de_dust2, is a map in the multiplayer tactical shooter franchise Counter-Strike. A bomb defusal map set in a nondescript Middle Eastern area and the successor to the original de_Dust map, Dust 2 is generally considered the most popular and iconic Counter-Strike map. Since its debut in 2001, Dust 2 has frequently been the topic of memes and other online references.

Origin

Predecessor: Dust

Dust, also know by its file name de_dust, is a map designed by Dave Johnston,^[1] which has appeared in every iteration of the Counter-Strike franchise, and is also the only map that appeared in all parts of the franchise. The map was inspired by early development screenshots of a desert map from Team Fortress 2 development stages. It was originally given the title cs_destiny, but after further development, it was renamed to de_Dust (Counter Strike: Global Offensive gameplay video shown below).

Development

After completing the original de_Dust, Johnston went on to create de_Cbble (Cobblestone), which by many players was considered to be the spiritual successor of de_Dust. However, soon after, a direct sequel for the map named "Dust 3" was put into development, with the name changed to "Dust 2" during alpha testing. The map was introduced in the game's 1.1 update as an official map on March 13th, 2001.^[2]

2017 CS:GO Remake

In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the latest installation of the series, the map was available on release but was removed from Active Duty map rotation in 2016.

On October 11th, Valve released^[3] the revamped version of Dust 2, showing major visual alterations, new high-resolution player models, and tweaking numerous areas of the map (demonstration video shown below). Dust 2 became the fourth map in the game to receive a remake.

2021 CS:GO Remake

On September 22nd, 2021, Valve released a large Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update titled "Operation Riptide." The update included a major change to Dust 2 which removed the iconic direct sightline from the Terrorists spawn point to the point where Counter-Terrorists cross from their spawn to bombsite B (video shown below).

We're adding new maps during the Operation and updating Ancient and Dust2. Here's a sneak peek at Dust2 changes: pic.twitter.com/2nCfoFktYi

— CS:GO (@CSGO) September 22, 2021

The introduced change caused a viral debate within the Counter-Strike community, with many users criticizing the change and posting memes about it (examples shown below).

Spread

Competitive and esports

Dust 2 is regarded as the most well-known and famous Counter-Strike map in the series, and one of the most iconic multiplayer maps of all time, staying in the series' primary rotation of maps since its conception and being the go-to competitive map in esports tournaments.

Media Influence

On October 7th, 2009, YouTuber^[4] flashdeckanimations uploaded the video "Counter-Strike – DE dust2 HD", a stick-figure animation depicting a typical Counter-Strike session on the map. The video has garnered over 114 million views, over 1.2 million likes, and over 93,000 comments in 12 years (shown below).

Dust II has also be recreated numerous times, which includes map expansions and modifications such as de_dust2002, reproductions in games like Minecraft and Far Cry, and real-life versions for paintball.^[5]

Imitations

Since the creation of the map, imitations of the Dust II map appeared in numerous games, with known examples including multiplayer first-person shooters Assault Fire, Mission Against Terror and Arctic Combat.^[6]

Related Memes

Spiral Staircase on Dust II

Spiral Staircase on Dust II refers to memes and copypastas about the design of the spiral staircase located on the Counter-Strike map Dust II (de_dust2), and a video by YouTuber 3klikphilip about the staircase in particular. In May 2020, memes that used clips from the video as a non-sequitur punchline gained popularity online.

Boggles me everytime… pic.twitter.com/R8mQd6Th9J

— Mon (@M0nkena) May 11, 2020

Search Interest

External References