In Counter-Strike 2, there are a handful of different ways to jump into a competitive 5v5 match. The two most popular options today, in-game Premier matchmaking and the third-party service FACEIT, offer skill-based matchmaking options for players to use. Each have their own rank system, based on an Elo rating gained by winning matches.
Many players wonder how these ranking systems compare. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how both systems work and how each rating range compares.
Premier Rating
With the release of CS2, Valve reworked the ranking system for the Premier competitive matchmaking mode. Previously, you would earn a rank ranging from Silver 1 to Global Elite, which corresponded with a hidden ELO value. Valve essentially did away with the named ranks, and now show ELO directly to the player. Upon winning 10 games, players earn a Premier Rating, ranging from 1000 to above 30,000.
Rating is changed by winning and losing matches, and isn’t based on personal performance. How much you gain is determined by your team’s rating compared to the enemy team
FACEIT Level
FACEIT levels work much the same as Premier Rating does. FACEIT Level is determined by your Elo rating, which can range from 100 to infinity, and is changed by winning and losing games on the FACEIT platform. How much gained/lost is determined by your team’s likelihood of winning based on the FACEIT levels of those in the match.
How do the two compare?
FACEIT: Level 1 – Premier: 1,000 – 3,000
FACEIT: Level 2 – Premier: 3,000 – 5,000
FACEIT: Level 3 – Premier: 5,000 – 6,000
FACEIT: Level 4 – Premier: 7,000 – 8,000
FACEIT: Level 5 – Premier: 9,000 – 10,000
FACEIT: Level 6 – Premier: 10,000 – 12,000
FACEIT: Level 7 – Premier: 12,000 – 15,000
FACEIT: Level 8 – Premier: 15,000 – 17,000
FACEIT: Level 9 – Premier: 17,000 – 20,000
FACEIT: Level 10+ – Premier: 20,000+
Many players choose to play on FACEIT because of its superior anti-cheat technology. Players report that the higher end of Premier rating is marred by cheaters, rendering it difficult to climb further up the leaderboard. At the time of writing, ratings above 23k are considered to be 0.1% of the player base according to data from Leetify. It’s likely if you are a player in the 17k-20k+ range, you spend more of your playing time on the FACEIT client.
How do I improve my Premier Rating/FACEIT Level?
Ranking up is no easy task, and there’s no silver bullet.
Ranking up requires stringing wins together, so if your goal is to rank up quickly, increasing your chance of winning should take precedence.
Play with friends
Playing with friends is a great way to increase your chances of stringing wins together. Being able to play in the same positions consistently allows you to perform better in those positions. The more the merrier. Queuing with a party of 5 is always ideal.
Don’t doom queue
It’s best to avoid queuing up when you know you’re not having a good time. Sometimes it’s best to take a break, and return to the game when you’re feeling better about playing. Your teammates, and your Elo, will thank you.
Practice often
Practice makes perfect, and there’s no better way to practice than with Refrag.
Refrag offers industry-leading practice tools designed to help you climb to the upper echelons of Counter-Strike 2. The best place to start your training journey is with the Refrag Bootcamp, a guided training system that targets every part of your game needed to climb the ranks, regardless of which platform you play on.
What are you waiting for?
