CS2’s Case Hardened weapon finish is one of the most exotic. The pattern is so extensive, it’s been compiled into a special catalog. We’ll discuss how to acquire all the Case Hardened skins, what Blue Gem is, and how to obtain them. But not all the Case Hardened skins are really expensive, there are some of them anyone can buy.
What is Case Hardened?
It’s been around for hundreds of years, and it’s called Surface Hardening. Valve took inspiration from that.
The process of getting hardened skin involves mixing iron with a liquid of carbohydrates. The liquid is then heated. Result: a thin layer of high-carbon steel on the iron! Blue gems get their color from this. The color of Hardening can vary from blue to purple to gold, depending on the elements and technologies used.
The first Case Hardened skins came out along with the first Weapon Case, the AK-47 Case Hardened and knives. By the way, Case Hardened pattern is available for all knives in the game including Case Hardened Karambit.
Case Hardened Patterns
A total of 19 knives, AK-47, Five-SeveN, and MAC-10 with Case Hardened patterns are in CS2. Despite each weapon’s unique hits, all of them are very popular.
Case Hardened texture is applied randomly to the weapon model. There’s a number from 1 to 1000 that determines the texture’s location. These numbers are called Pattern Index.
The pattern index decides everything, and the price can jump ten times. Blue Gems and Gold Gems are the most expensive skins in this series.
What is a Blue Gem?
Blue Gems are Case Hardened skins with the most blue on them. There’s a lot of interest in these skins among traders and players. The most famous Blue Gem skin is AK-47 Case Hardened with Pattern Index #661. Since it’s the best, it costs A LOT. A recent sale of one of these beauties went for $400,000. Karambit Case Hardened is even more expensive, as it’s now the most expensive knife and skin in CS and costs $1,500,000.
Why are Blue Gems so expensive?
AK-47 Blue Gems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for a reason. They are really rare. There are usually one or two of the best patterns and about ten good ones.
As an example, let’s look at an AK-47 Case Hardened with pattern number 661. Overall, there are around 90.000 AK Case Hardened in the game. There are 123 of them patterned #661. There are only nine Factory New ones out of 123. So it is just nine skins for all CS players! It’s no wonder they cost so much.
Best Case Hardened Skins
There are more than ten unique Case Hardened patterns on the AK-47! They can be divided into three categories: Blue, Gold and Mixed.
AK-47 Blue Gems
The Blue is the most expensive. It includes The Scar, Blue Top+Bottom, 50/50, Blue Mag, and Blue Barell. Some of them are single pattern indexes; others can allow multiple.
The Scars are the coolest Case Hardened skins. Golden color in the form of a strip on the receiver gives it its name, while blue is on the sides and back. Pattern numbers: #661, #321 and #670. The best and most expensive is #661.
There’s no need to explain what Blue Barrel and Blue Mag are about. You’ll find the best blue magazines in patterns #587 and #502. There are a few patterns in Blue Barrel, like #151 or #856, but they’re not very valuable.
Blue Top+Bottom and 50/50 are skins with the corresponding blue patch placement. Since it could be a whole bunch of Pattern Indexes, they’re not that rare. For example, #092. In fact, prices can be very different, especially if the blue covers the back.
AK-47 Gold Gems
It’s much easier to get Gold Gems. It’s just Case Hardened skin with the most gold. The Patterns are #219 and #784. Gold dominates both, with only a few splashes of other colors.
Now, it is Mixed Case Hardened skins.
The Case Hardened texture has purple frames around all blue spots. Skins painted purple, silver, blue, and gold with many such spots are called Rainbows or Galaxys. They’re cheaper than patterns above, but still more expensive than usual items.
There aren’t any specific names for other patterns, so there’s no extra cost.
Case Hardened Knives
Knives don’t have as many patterns, but they still fall into two categories. There are two sides to every Case Hardened knife in CS one you see when you play and one you don’t. Those colors on the front are a lot more valuable than those on the back. Percentages are used to measure blade color ratios. Skins with a higher percentage are rarer and more expensive.
All Case Hardened knife skins can be divided into five categories:
all gold, aka Gold Gem, Ursus Knife #120
little blue, up to ~20% of the blade area, Bayonet M9 #211
half blue, ~50% area, Bowie Knife #27
blue blade, Bayonet #74
completely blue, aka Blue Gem, Karambit #387
All ratios are calculated based on the knife’s front side; the back side is just a bonus.
The most expensive knives are Blue Case hardened Knives. A Karambit Case Hardened with an all blue blade went for $120,000 a couple of years ago. There’s no doubt that this is one of the biggest skins deals ever.
Case Hardened Five-SeveN
Comparatively, Five-SeveN is like Case Hardened knives. They calculate Colour Ratios, too, which determines the cost. The most expensive, of course, are Blue Gem skins. Pattern numbers: #278, #690 and #868. For everything else, more blue means more money.
There’s nothing special about Gold Gem patterns, and they look too much like Five-SeveN | Copper Galaxy.
How to Get Case Hardened Skin?
There are two ways in which you can obtain a Case Hardened skin. In the first place, simply look for offers on auction sites, inspect the skins, measure the percentage of blue and gold, and then, if you want to buy for cash or bargain for skins, then look for a guarantor. It goes without saying that this option is lengthy and boring, and it takes a lot of time in the end. There are, however, other possibilities as well, such as opening cases or doing a Trade Contract.