Case Hardened Skins in CS2: Advanced Guide

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Among all the skins in the vast collection of Counter-Strike items, the Case Hardened family is very special. The glorious reputation of elite weapons comes mainly from the unique Blue Gems pattern. It’s one of the most expensive skins in CS2!

Even beyond this extremely rare version, Case Hardened skins are very popular among players. This finish is available for a few weapons, including the most effective in the game.

As a CS2 investment, Case Hardened items can pay off significantly. However, you should be especially careful when picking pattern IDs. The general rule is to prioritize skins with big blue and gold areas on the weapon’s body.

The uniqueness of some Case Hardened variants comes on top of the general rarity of these skins. Obtaining such items requires luck or cash.

In this guide on DMarket Blog, we discuss everything related to CS2 Case Hardened, including pattern breakthrough and tips on how to obtain one.

What Are Case Hardened Skins?

Unlike some other skin families, this one doesn’t involve too much artistic creativity.

Case hardening is a real-world metalworking process that leaves distinguishing patterns on the metal. They are converted to a digital image to make Counter-Strike weapons look like they are really case hardened with this skin on.

The first Case Hardened skin was added to CS:GO alongside the historic update that brought such items to the game, the Arms Deal update. It was AK-47 | Case Hardened, which remains one of the most sought-after skins even today.

The basic pattern image features an abstract mix of colors: blue, gold, and purple over a silver metallic background.

Which Weapons Have Case Hardened Versions?

The Case Hardened family of Counter-Strike skins includes versions for an assault rifle, a pistol, an SMG, gloves, and 20 knives. The full list is below.

different cs2 items with case hardened skins

AK-47 is the best pick among all the Case Hardened skins, both for playable inventories and for investment purposes. The metallic parts on the weapon’s body are big, making Blue Gem variants exceptionally rare: it’s one of the most expensive skins in CS2.
Five-SeveN has a pretty small metallic part on the upper side, which makes blue and golden versions slightly more common.
MAC-10 looks great with a Case Hardened skin, even if its handle is still a big chunk of gray. This SMG is at high levels of our CS2 weapon tier list, and the popularity of MAC-10 | Case Hardened complements the effectiveness of the gun for anti-eco and force buy rounds.
Hydra Gloves are the only type of CS2 gloves with a Case Hardened skin. The signature patterns cover a small part of the outer and internal surfaces.
Butterfly Knife has metallic plates on the handle, and they are also covered in the Case Hardened patterns.
Kukri Knife: The blade is big, but the dark gray handle is also pretty notable.
Paracord Knife: The metallic tip under the wrapped handle is metallic, which extends the skin coverage.
Nomad Knife also has a small metallic element on the handle, and it’s a neat addition.
Survival Knife comes with a brutally big blade, so the canvas for the Case Hardened patterns is extended.
Skeleton Knife: The internal metallic plate is nicely visible under the wraps on the handle. It’s difficult to have the entire Skeleton Knife | Case Hardened blue or golden.
Talon Knife has a beautiful white handle and a metallic ring to extend the Case Hardened patterns.
Falchion Knife: This model is pretty unique in the lineup of all knives in CS2 that have a Case Hardened skin. Falchion features a full-metallic handle, and the versions with the pattern covering the entire surface have the most impressive effect.
Bayonet: One of the most popular CS2 knives looks awesome with a Case Hardened skin thanks to a classically formed and big blade.
M9 Bayonet: The dark handle and saw on the blade make the Case Hardened skin absolutely amazing. It’s one of the most popular knife skins of this family.
Karambit Knife features one of the top Case Hardened skins. The basic model is iconic in the community, and Blue Gem Karambit is a real treasure in any CS2 inventory. The handle is dark, and it comes with a full metallic ring.
Stiletto Knife is small and elegant, and the metallic plates of the handle support this luxurious impression.
Classic Knife is notable with its massive blade, which is a good feature for Case Hardened skins. The handle has elaborate decorations.
Gut Knife has pieces of red wood to form a handle over the big metallic blade. The metal and the color patterns on it are still visible.
Bowie Knife: The signature wide part of the blade is an excellent canvas for the metalwork patterns. The metallic elements of the handle look really beautiful.
Navaja Knife: The metallic extension on the handle continues Case Hardened colors. The marble part is orange.
Flip Knife: The narrow blade is more likely to be fully covered in unique colors.
Shadow Daggers are two solid metallic pieces, which is a great basis for the Case Hardened color elements.
Ursus Knife has a metallic tip and a lighter surface on the handle.
Huntsman Knife is generally one of the biggest knives in Counter-Strike, and its Case Hardened version seriously benefits from extended metallic parts and brutal elements of the blade.

Understanding Patterns and Blue Gems

The process of creating the final version of a Case Hardened skin involves placing a weapon’s shape over a vast basic image. Sometimes it happens that a gun or a knife moves into the area with a lot of blue and gold. It’s how rare variants are formed, such as unique Blue Gem items.

A pattern ID is a numerical representation of where the gun or knife shape was placed on the image. The community has figured out pattern IDs for some very valuable Case Hardened skins.

AK-47 | Case Hardened: 661, 151, 955, 321, 387, 670, 179
Karambit | Case Hardened: 387, 442, 269, 321, 73, 955, 853, 902, 507, 776
Butterfly Knife | Case Hardened: 182, 652, 398, 838, 29, 494
M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened: 783, 601, 417

Blue Gem Case Hardened skins are items with a dominance of blue elements on the weapon’s body.

Skins for smaller weapons, such as the Five-SeveN or Stiletto Knife, should be fully covered with blue. For AK-47 | Case Hardened, rare pattern IDs may come with some addition of golden and metallic areas. Still, a Blue Gem version of AK-47 is primarily blue.

Getting a Blue Gem is an extremely rare occasion. The basic image for Case Hardened skins has many small areas of this color, and only in specific places of it is a big enough blue patch.

Due to such rarity, those few Case Hardened Blue Gem skins that appear on the market are very valuable. They are some of the best for investment.

Also, there are Gold Gem patterns of Case Hardened skins in CS2. They are valuable and expensive for the same reasons.

How to Get Case Hardened Skins

If you want to have a Case Hardened skin for your CS2 collection, choose one of the following methods. They differ from each other in terms of the probability of success.

Open CS2 Cases

The Case Hardened firearms are not of the highest rarity in CS2 cases, so the chances of obtaining them are higher than for Covert items.

AK-47 | Case Hardened can drop from the CS:GO Weapon Case. The container itself is one of the most expensive, as it was released back in 2013 and is now discontinued.
Five-SeveN | Case Hardened is part of CS:GO Weapon Case 2.
MAC-10 | Case Hardened is part of the 2021 Dust II Collection. It drops directly in the game or from Souvenir packages connected to CS2 esports Majors.

CS2 Hardened knives drop from quite a few CS2 cases. Check out this list of all CS2 cases with knives if you feel lucky about the random drop.

The chance of obtaining a knife is still very low, around 0.26%. It’s also not a guaranteed Case Hardened, as the containers have other knives in the pool.

Case Hardened Skins from Trade-Up Contracts

If you use ten items of a lower rarity from the same case/collection in a trade-up contract, the game will give you a random skin of a higher level.

For example, for a chance of AK-47 | Case Hardened, you need to “burn” ten Restricted skins from the Arms Deal Collection: USP-S | Dark Water, M4A1-S | Dark Water, or Glock-18 | Dragon Tattoo.

As an investment, this method is very doubtful: the basic items are not cheap. Purchasing Case Hardened skins on a marketplace is more reasonable.

As for Case Hardened knives, you need to use five Covert skins for a trade-up contract. They should be from the same case/collection, too. Check the price of the original items before taking such steps.

Buy Case Hardened Skins

It’s the best answer on how to get Case Hardened skins if you want a guaranteed result. You can buy Case Hardened skins on DMarket, as the marketplace has a wide variety of offers.

It’s a good idea to double-check the rarity of patterns and inspect items in the game. The Case Hardened family features many pattern variants, and you need to make sure you know which exact version is on offer.

What Determines the Price of a Case Hardened Skin?

The range of prices for Case Hardened skins may be wide, even if the basic items are the same. The following list highlights all the factors to determine the market value.

Float Values are important for all CS2 skins. The best-looking ones are Factory New and Minimal Wear. They are the rarest and most expensive. High Float Values are the cheapest, but they have visual disadvantages, like scratches and faded colors.

Rare pattern IDs are significantly more expensive. We discussed this aspect in a dedicated section above. Unique Blue Gem and Gold Gem variants are among the most sought-after items in Counter-Strike.

Souvenirs are an important feature in determining the price. Case Hardened skins from Souvenir packages are generally more expensive.

Sticker combinations can increase the price, too. This factor is significant only with rare tournament-related stickers: for example, those related to Major winners or prominent players who won the title with a Case Hardened gun.

The basic weapon itself is also meaningful. The AK-47 rifle and the Karambit Knives are very popular in the community, and therefore, their Case Hardened versions are also expensive.

Pricing and Rarity Explained

The most expensive Case Hardened CS2 skins belong to popular weapon types, feature rare patterns, and have low wear levels. When these factors combine in one item, they become unique treasures.

Popular weapons are the AK-47 and the Karambit Knife as top tier, and the Butterfly Knife, the M9 Bayonet, and the Bayonet are marginally less popular.
Factory New and Minimal Wear are the premium levels in terms of wear.
The most iconic rare pattern IDs are #661 for AK-47 | Case Hardened and #387 for Karambit | Case Hardened. These are pure Blue Gems.

Among the known high-value sales, we can mention AK-47 | Case Hardened #661 with a value of $1 million+ and Karambit | Case Hardened #387 for its cost of $1.5 million+. Rare Case Hardened skins are in some of the most expensive CS2 inventories.

Conclusion

Case Hardened skins are generally iconic in the Counter-Strike community. With rare patterns, their value shoots to the stars. Blue Gems versions of the AK-47 and the Karambit Knife are the most expensive CS2 skins.

The random creation of Case Hardened skins makes items with a dominance of blue and gold very desirable among players. Checking this factor is important before purchasing.

Although obtaining Case Hardened skins from cases is possible, getting the exact item on a marketplace is more reliable. It can even be cheaper, considering potential failed attempts.

FAQ

What makes some Case Hardened skins more valuable than others?

Rare variants that feature a dominance of blue or gold on the weapon’s body or the knife’s blade are more valuable. Other factors include low wear levels and the popularity of the basic weapon.

What is a “Blue Gem” in CS2?

A Blue Gem in CS2 is a Case Hardened skin that is fully covered with blue color patterns. Such items are identified by the pattern IDs, such as #661 for AK-47 | Case Hardened and #387 for Karambit | Case Hardened.

How do I find my Case Hardened pattern ID?

Inspect skins from your inventory in the game and then click the round “i” icon in the bottom menu. The pattern ID is shown in the pop-up menu as “Pattern Template”.

What is the rarest Case Hardened pattern in CS2?

Pure Blue Gem is the rarest Case Hardened pattern. Blue Gem AK-47 | Case Hardened has the pattern ID #661. Karambit | Case Hardened has the pattern ID #387.

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