de_nuke

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The original Nuke map for Counter-Strike was set in a Southwestern canyon environment similar to that of the Half-Life level Surface Tension, including shipping crates belonging to Black Mesa Research Facility. The interior parts of the map were set in a rusty warehouse holding nuclear materials. In Counter-Strike Source, it was modified to resemble an old, decommissioned nuclear plant with cooling towers under a gloomy sky. While initially being set in Germany, it was later switched to an American plant. Upon the level's 2016 redesign, its appearance was updated to have a 'clean institutional aesthetic' based on real nuclear plants, and its name altered to the Cedar Creek Nuclear Power Plant. This, and its switch to a bright, sunny blue sky, were done to give the level a more readable aesthetic as well as increase believability within the in-game setting. More clearly defined purposes for rooms made player call-outs more useful.

In Their Own Story

The smoke hadn't fully cleared from the A-site catwalk when Vega heard the molotov hiss through the tunnel behind her. She didn't turn. She didn't need to. Three seconds. Maybe four. She pressed her back against the cold concrete, felt the heat bloom across her spine, and rolled the flash she'd been saving for two rounds out of her glove just as the enemy AWP operator crested the mid tunnel.

The white flash swallowed the corridor. She heard the reload—two, three, four clicks of the bolt. She was already moving, boots ringing on the grated floor, the taste of cordite and cold steel in her mouth. The AWP operator stumbled, fumbling, and the next thing she knew the round was over, the killfeed scrolling, and her team-mate's voice crackling through the comms: "Clean. Next one."

She exhaled. The compound groaned around her, pipes ticking, fluorescent tubes buzzing their sickly green hum. de_nuke didn't care who won. It only cared that you were organised, that your smokes landed on time, that you trusted the man in the next corridor to be where he said he'd be. Everything else was noise.

Reader's Guide

The map is known for its complex layout. It is used heavily in competitive play and continues to be divisive even after its revamp. It is notorious for being a haven for the defending team.

Did You Know?

• The map was first released in November 1999 for the original Counter-Strike.
• The 2016 redesign was part of the 'Operation Wildfire' update.
• The map's name was altered to the Cedar Creek Nuclear Power Plant in the 2016 redesign.
• Nuke is known for large open areas.