Case Hardened Pattern Skins in CS2: Complete Guide

CS2 boasts a wide array of unique skins, each with distinct characteristics. Some skins are no longer obtainable, and skins change significantly with the level of damage. But there are Case Hardened skins that attract players with their unique design and the possibility of getting their own unique pattern!

Still haven’t heard about Case Hardened skins? Looking to deepen your understanding of them? Or perhaps you’re wondering how to get your hands on these desired items? Look no further! Our article provides all the answers you’re seeking.

What is a Case Hardened Skin?

CS2 Case Hardened skin is a special, one of the most desired and famous skins in CS2. And it’s not an exaggeration because the uniqueness lies in the fact that each Case Hardened skin has its own unique pattern. The skin itself looks like ordinary metal under the influence of hardening. Perhaps you have seen how blacksmiths strongly heat swords and then put them into cold water.

All Case Hardened skins convey this process exactly. The skins appear to have been intentionally left midway through the tempering process. You know that each blade differs from one another: metal, temperature, and, of course, the blacksmith influence this. Just like with Case Hardened, each skin is unique. They have similar but different Case Hardened patterns!

The first Case Hardened skins were released a very long time ago, specifically on August 14, 2013, and only a few people probably remember this event. The skins appeared as part of the “Arms Deal” update in what was then the current version of the game: CS:GO.

At that time, players were not yet aware of the skin’s uniqueness, and for example, an AK-47 | Case Hardened in perfect condition (FN) cost approximately $13-$ 15. Over time, players realized that the skin has a unique feature and the pattern can change. This is how the Case Hardened pattern, known as Blue Gem, appeared.

What is a Blue Gem?

As we mentioned, players quickly realized that all Case Hardened skins are unique. Still, they discovered an interesting feature: skins with more blue color were significantly rarer, and only a few players received them. Exactly such skins, which were rare and featured a lot of blue color, began to be called “Blue Gem.”

Due to the great hype surrounding these skins, their price has grown to astronomical levels over time. Some variations of Case Hardened knives with a unique Blue Gem pattern were sold for six-figure sums. And the well-known AK-47 | Case Hardened, was sold for a then-record $400,000.

Well, we learned a little about the history of skins, so now we can move on to the main thing: reviewing all Case Hardened skins!

All Case Hardened Skins in CS2

CS2 has a vast array of Case Hardened skins, so we’re going to categorize them into distinct groups. This will make it easier for you to browse, as listing and describing every single one would be quite tedious.

Case Hardened Skins for Weapons and Gloves

In CS2, there are only three Case Hardened skins available for weapons. The most famous one is, of course, the AK-47 | Case Hardened, a highly recognizable and extremely valuable skin. Some collectors are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to own the rarest variations of the Blue Gem.

However, not everyone knows that there are also MAC-10 | Case Hardened and Five-SeveN | Case Hardened skins. While they follow the same pattern principle, they’re much less expensive, mostly because these weapons aren’t as popular in the game, which makes the skins less sought-after.

AK-47 | Case Hardened

• Release Date: August 14, 2013
• Rarity: Classified
• Price Range: $180 – $400
• StatTrak: Yes
• Souvenir: No

MAC-10 | Case Hardened

• Release Date: September 21, 2021
• Rarity: Restricted
• Price Range: $90 – $105
• StatTrak: No
• Souvenir: Yes

Five-SeveN | Case Hardened

• Release Date: November 8, 2013
• Rarity: Restricted
• Price Range: $7 – $17
• StatTrak: Yes
• Souvenir: No

Don’t be surprised, but we also included Hydra Gloves | Case Hardened in this section because knives are better considered separately from other skins, as there are an incredible number of them! Also, if you are interested in most expensive gloves in CS2 for your collection, this article is for you.

Hydra Gloves | Case Hardened

• Release Date: February 14, 2018
• Price Range:$120 – $620

If you’ve been dreaming of the perfect knife and glove combo to stand out from the crowd, you’ll find it right here.

Please note that we do not list the prices of the StatTrak version or Souvenir versions, but rather the price of a regular skin without a unique Blue Gem pattern or other more expensive patterns.

Case Hardened Skins for Knives

There is quite a large number of variations of CS2 knives with a Case Hardened design, so you will have something to choose from if you liked the design. To help make your knife selection a bit more enjoyable, this article includes a complete list of CS2 (CS:GO) knife commands – a set of console inputs that let you spawn, test, and switch between different knives in offline mode or on private servers.

So, if you’re wondering what cases have Case Hardened skins, no problem. For your convenience, we have grouped Case Hardened skins immediately by the cases in which they first appeared.

CS:GO Weapon Case (August 2013)

• Karambit | Case Hardened
• M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened
• Bayonet | Case Hardened
• Flip Knife | Case Hardened
• Gut Knife | Case Hardened

Operation Breakout Weapon Case (July 2014)

• Butterfly Knife | Case Hardened

Huntsman Weapon Case (July 2014)

• Huntsman Knife | Case Hardened

Falchion Case (May 2015)

• Falchion Knife | Case Hardened

Shadow Case (September 2015)

• Shadow Daggers | Case Hardened

Operation Wildfire Case (February 2016)

• Bowie Knife | Case Hardened

Horizon Case / Danger Zone Case (August 2018)

• Talon Knife | Case Hardened
• Ursus Knife | Case Hardened
• Navaja Knife | Case Hardened
• Stiletto Knife | Case Hardened

CS20 Case (October 2019)

• Classic Knife | Case Hardened

Shattered Web Case / Fracture Case (November 2019)

• Skeleton Knife | Case Hardened
• Survival Knife | Case Hardened
• Paracord Knife | Case Hardened
• Nomad Knife | Case Hardened

Kilowatt Case (February 2024)

• Kukri Knife | Case Hardened

We suggest checking out this article. It offers a deeper understanding of CS2 knife types.

How to Get Case Hardened Skins? 

If you want one of these Case Hardened knives or skins and are wondering how to get them, it’s worth warning you that getting them is not that simple. So, let’s take a closer look at the ways to obtain these skins.

Of course, the first option is to get skins by opening cases! You might be thinking, “Well, that sounds easy enough!” – but it’s worth noting that the chances of getting these skins are quite low, especially for knives! As you know, all knives have a drop chance of approximately 0.26%. To put that into perspective, that’s about one knife per 400 openings.

Just imagine how much money you need to spend to get one of the knives in a case. However, you also need to understand that each case contains many different knives, so the chance of getting exactly a Case Hardened one is significantly lower.

The second option, which is more reliable, is opening special-themed cases on websites that deal with CS2 case opening. For example, on Hellcase, there is a special Hardened CS2 Case that features a variety of cool Case Hardened skins.

The third option is to buy these skins, but sometimes there is no desire to spend a large sum on CS2 Case Hardened skins, and sometimes you want to trust luck and get it cheaper, but the choice is only yours!

All Cases With Case Hardened Skins

If you dared to get skins exactly from cases, then you need to know what cases have Case Hardened skins. We have compiled a list for you of all cases where you can find the desired skins.

Here they are:

• CS:GO Weapon Case
• Huntsman Weapon Case
• Operation Breakout Weapon Case
• Falchion Case
• Shadow Case
• Operation Wildfire Case
• Horizon Case
• Danger Zone Case
• Clutch Case (this one includes Hydra Gloves | Case Hardened)
• CS20 Case
• Shattered Web Case
• Fracture Case
• Kilowatt Case
• Revolution Case (you can also find Hydra Gloves | Case Hardened in this one)

MAC-10 | Case Hardened is part of “The 2021 Dust 2 Collection”. You can obtain it from Dust 2 souvenir packages, such as Stockholm 2021 Dust II Souvenir Package, Antwerp 2022 Dust II Souvenir Package, and Rio 2022 Dust II Souvenir Package. It does not drop from regular cases.

Why are Blue Gems so expensive?

At the beginning of the article, we briefly touched upon the topic of why Case Hardened Blue Gem skins are so expensive. Still, perhaps we should elaborate on this topic a bit more for new players and for those who have never been interested in it.

Every Case Hardened skin that you obtain in the game, whether it’s by opening a case, a trade-up contract, or opening a souvenir package, this skin undergoes a special pattern check, or more precisely, how this pattern will be placed on the skin. This is a Pattern.

There are 1,000 variations of how the pattern will be placed, and there are also 1,000 patterns. Think of them as templates or stencils: the base artwork stays the same, but the placement of the colors and details changes depending on the pattern number.

However, the main question that concerns us is, “Why are Blue Gem variations so expensive?” The answer is quite simple. There are a few Blue Gem patterns for each skin. Sometimes, it can be just one pattern, and sometimes it can be three or five. Because the chances of obtaining them are so small, and because these patterns are actually quite beautiful, their prices skyrocket.

Just imagine spending a long time opening cases in search of the desired Case Hardened skin, only to find that you need it to pass another pattern check. Then you need to get lucky again to obtain precisely this rare pattern. It’s truly incredible.

Even if you calculate the chances of getting such a skin, the number you will see will definitely make you give up the idea of opening cases in search of Blue Gem variations, but they sometimes appear on the market, and it’s not just luck anymore. It’s truly a miracle!

What Makes Case Hardened Skins Unique?

Well, if we seriously ask this question, many factors can be listed, but the main ones are, of course, their design and popularity. Yes, there are interesting, unique variations that cost millions, but these are isolated cases.

Most users play with ordinary skins featuring unremarkable patterns that are not highly valued. This is because the skin itself is truly beautiful, with its iridescence in the sun, these interesting blue spots, and a uniqueness that players appreciate. It offers something they often don’t find in other CS2 skins.

Tips for Identifying Valuable Patterns

The most important advice that will help you understand that you have received an expensive Case Hardened skin is the amount of blue color on it. If you notice a lot of blue colors, then congratulations, you have become lucky and received skin, even if it’s not the best pattern, one that is valued more highly than ordinary variations.

To Sum Up

Case Hardened skins are a large topic that not everyone understands, and not everyone is aware of their existence. However, thanks to our article today, we hope you’ve learned a lot of new things and can proudly say that you know everything about Case Hardened skins well.

If you enjoy our content and would like to learn more about CS2, its skins, and its rich history, we invite you to read our blog. We’re here to provide you with the finest, and we’re doing it for you!

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