In context: Most Team Fortress 2 players would agree that it’s been a rough year so far. The iconic class-based shooter has made headlines recently, but for all the wrong reasons. Fans are fed up with Valve’s silence on major issues plaguing the game, especially the out-of-control bot problem.
Players even started a “Save TF2” petition that racked up nearly 350,000 signatures and review-bombed the game on Steam. Their main complaints were a lack of new content and no solution for the endless stream of bots taking over public matches.
But just as fans began to lose hope, Valve stepped in to announce that work was underway. Following the last major update in April, we now have the Summer 2024 Update for Team Fortress 2, and it’s packed with fresh content.
Most notably, it adds 10 new community-made maps to the rotation. From Embargo and Odyssey to Cachoeira and Applejack, there’s a whole lot of new territory for mercenaries to battle over. The update also brings 23 new cosmetic items in the Summer 2024 Cosmetic Case, featuring some slick community contributions.
Additionally, there are 38 new unusual effects for cosmetic items, created by the community. Eighteen new effects are for unusual hats, while 20 more bring some razzle-dazzle to taunts. All cases will be dishing out these summer-themed effects during the event period.
One unusual hat seems to be a sly reference that hardcore gamers and rap fans will appreciate. The “Vaudeville Visor” is a gladiator-style helmet that looks straight out of the film but its name and design nod to the legendary rapper MF DOOM and his iconic mask.
the MF DOOM inspired Demoman mask has officially been added to Team Fortress 2 holy shit pic.twitter.com/1CXBzIHZrx
– heavy team fortres 2 (@heavyfortres) July 18, 2024
Aside from all the fresh content, Valve has finally started taking concrete steps to combat the hacker bots. A recent support page clarifies their zero-tolerance policy, stating that any TF2 bans for botting or cheating are now permanent and non-negotiable.
The hard line seems to be working, at least somewhat. Player counts spiked in early July after Valve’s increased efforts against bots and received another bump from players returning for the summer event’s new maps and items.
Overall, the update finally gives long-suffering Team Fortress 2 fans some reasons to celebrate after a long drought of new content and out-of-control cheating.
