Summary
In preparation for the 2024 season, we’ve made some small changes to our rulebooks with our learnings from our first CS2 events, as well as some general housekeeping for the new year. These changes include increasing the amount of additions that ESL Challenger League teams can make during the regular season, as well as updating our region designations within our ruleset to more accurately reflect our qualifier regions. We also added specific rules designed to outline our stance on teams/players with potential conflicts of interest going forward.
General Rules changelog
- Updated the regions in 1.3 Regions to more accurately reflect the regions for which we run qualifiers
- Corrected the naming of 2.23.3 EPT Championship slots from ESL National Championship Events
- Introduced 2.12 Conflict of Interest and the subclauses 2.12.1 Conflict of interest for participants and 2.12.2 Conflict of interest for team staff in order to make our stance clear on any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in the future
- Updated 4.2 Configs and drivers to reflect changes made to configs and their stored locations in CS2
- Updated 6.1 List of countries/territories and their assigned ESL regions to reflect the changes made to our regions, as mentioned above
Game Specific Rules changelog
- Added 2.9.2 Warmup maps to clarify our position on workshop map requests
- Updated 2.9.3 Scripts and added examples of legal scripts
- Updated 2.10.4 Use of bugs and glitches for CS2
Replacement Rules changelog
- Updated the circumstances for replacing teams before closed qualifiers starting in order to protect the aim of the rule when events have staggered closed qualifiers
Roster Restrictions changelog
- Increased the amount of additions that can be made in 2.2.1.1 ESL Challenger League additions from 2 to 3
- Updated 2.4.1 Lineup restrictions during ESL Challenger League to state that a majority roster must be used in the majority of first stage matches
ESL Pro Tour - CSGO General Rules 2023
1.3 Region
For ESL events, the world is divided into five main regions which are as follows:
- North America
- South America & Antarctica
- Asia
- Oceania
- Europe & Africa
The regions can be further divided into subregions, as ESL sees fit.
For a list of all countries and their primary assigned region, see 6.1. Exceptions to this list may be made on a per-game basis, where necessary.
2.12.1 Conflict of interest for participants
Players and coaches submitted as part of the team are not allowed to have any financial interest in the success of any other participant that is competing in the same competition. They are required to affirm that they have no conflict of interest (including any business entanglement such as shared management or ownership) with any other participant.
2.12.2 Conflict of interest for team staff
No person or entity that has direct or indirect influence or control over any organisation that has a team taking part in the competition is allowed to have direct or indirect influence nor to hold any shares/stocks or other financial stakes in another such organisation. An exception can be made if the involvement is extremely minimal or “unintentional”, e.g. if the amount is so low that any financial benefit of it could never match the direct benefit from the success of the actual organisation.
2.23.3 EPT Championship Slots from ESL National Championship events
Only the winning team of an ESL National Championship tournament is eligible to receive a direct invitation. If the winning team already earned a direct invitation, or declines the invitation for the ESL Pro Tour CS Championship, then the slot will be transferred to the global ESL World Ranking pool and does not trickle down to the second placed team from the qualifying tournament. If a team first wins a slot for the EPT Championship Play-In, and then later on wins a slot for the EPT Championship Group Stage, then the Play-In slot will be transferred to the global ESL World Ranking pool and does not trickle down to the second placed team in the tournament which initially qualified to the EPT Championship Play-In.
4.2 Configs and drivers
All participants must send in their configs and list of required drivers (software names and version numbers) by a specific deadline set by the tournament administration before the event. If any participant doesn’t send in their configs and drivers, they may have to manually set up their config on site and play with default drivers. The team will not receive additional time to set up their config manually.
Submitted config folders may only include:
CS2 Convar Configs:
Steam\userdata\YOUR_ID\730\local\cfg\cs2_machine_convars.vcfg
Steam\userdata\YOUR_ID\730\local\cfg\cs2_user_convars_0_slot0.vcfg
CS2 Key Bind Config:
userdata\YOUR_ID\730\local\cfg\cs2_user_keys_0_slot0.vcfg
CS2 Video Settings:
userdata\YOUR_ID\730\local\cfg\cs2_video.txt
Additionally, each participant is allowed to submit one other configuration file with any required aliases, along with a text file with any other settings, e.g. launch options, NVIDIA or monitor settings, or a requested spotify playlist.
6.1 List of countries/territories and their assigned ESL regions
To see these changes, please refer to Appendix 6 in the ESL Pro Tour - CSGO General Rules
ESL Pro Tour - Game Specific Rules 2023
2.9.2 Warmup maps
Only the Steam workshop maps ‘CSStats Training Map (CSGOHUB)’ and ‘Aim Botz - Aim Training (CS2)’ are available on the tournament image. No other maps will be added upon player request.
2.9.3 Scripts
All scripts are illegal except for buy, toggle (e.g. on/off, 0/1), grenade quick switching and jumpthrow scripts. Participants may be penalised for forbidden scripts in any config file, regardless of if it is in use, or even stored in the game folder in question. Examples of allowed scripts:
Jumpthrow, e.g.:
alias "+jump" "+jump"
alias "+throw" "-attack; -attack2"
alias "+fall" "-jump"
bind "v" "+jump; +throw; +fall"
Jumpthrow +run, +left, +right, e.g.:
alias "+throw" "-attack; -attack2"
alias "+runthrow" "+forward;+jump;"
alias "-runthrow" "-jump;-forward"
bind n "+runthrow;+throw"
Grenade quick switching, e.g.:
alias "+flash" "slot3"
alias "-flash" "slot7"
bind "c" "+flash"
2.10.4 Use of bugs and glitches
The intentional use of any bugs, glitches, or errors in the game is forbidden. It is at the tournament administration’s discretion as to whether or not the use of said bugs had an effect on the match, and whether or not they will award rounds, or the match, to the opposing team, or if they will force a rematch. The usage of the following bugs is strictly forbidden. If any bug used is not listed here, it is at the tournament administration’s discretion whether or not a punishment is necessary:
- Moving through clipped areas where the movement is not intended by the design of the map (any walls, ceilings, floors etc).
- The bomb may not be planted in a location where it cannot be defused
Planting the bomb in such a way that no one can hear the beeping sound, or the planting sound. - Pixel walking. A player is considered to be pixel walking if they sit or stand on invisible pixels on the map, where there is no visible edge.
- Disrupting any map features with the use of items (e.g. stopping the train on Overpass).
It is recommended to check with tournament administration whether or not a certain bug or glitch is considered illegal.
The following bugs are explicitly allowed:
- Defusing the bomb through walls and items etc.
- Covering the bomb with objects in the map or graffiti spray
- Using graffiti spray to track the bomb timer
- Silent drops
- So called “surfing” on tubes
- Molotovs that spread through terrain
- So called “infinite” grenade distance throws
The tournament administration reserves the right, retroactively or otherwise, to add more bugs to the list of explicitly allowed bugs.
ESL Pro Tour - Replacement Rules 2023
EPT Masters Level Tournament
Before the start of each closed qualifier
In the event that a team drops out before their region’s closed qualifiers have started, the following will happen:
Global ESL World Ranking slots
- The next team in line from the ESL World Ranking at the time of the dropout will receive an invitation to the tournament.
Regional ESL World Ranking slots
- The next team in line from the ESL World Ranking of that respective region at the time of the dropout will receive an invitation to the tournament.
ESL Partner Team slots
- The next partner team in line from the ESL World Ranking at the time of the dropout will receive an invitation to the tournament.
If the slot cannot be filled with another partner team, the next non-partner team in line from the ESL World Ranking at the time of the dropout will receive an invitation to the tournament.
EPT Challenger Level Tournament
Before the start of each closed qualifier
In the event that a team drops out before their region’s closed qualifiers have started, the following will happen:
Global ESL World Ranking Slots
- The next team in line from the ESL World Ranking at the time of the dropout will receive an invitation to the tournament.
Regional ESL World Ranking Slots
- The next team in line from the ESL World Ranking at the time of the dropout of that respective region will receive an invitation to the tournament.
ESL Pro Tour - Roster Restrictions 2023
2.2.1.1 ESL Challenger League additions
During the regular season, participants can make up to three (3) player additions. Any player additions must be made no later than two (2) hours before the participant’s next scheduled match start time. The final time additions can be made is twenty four (24) hours after the final regular season match of that respective region concludes. No additions can be made during the playoffs or relegation stage.
2.4.1 Lineup restrictions during ESL Challenger League
A participant must use the majority of their starting lineup from the previous season until they have completed a majority of their matches during the first stage of the regular season.
