What Is The Most Important Parameter Of The Skin?
The most important parameter of any CS:GO skin is its quality, which is represented via the float value. Although weapon finishes have many other important characteristics, such as pattern index, presence of a StatTrak counter, or rarity, the float is what the buyers should consider first. It has a direct influence on the skin appearance, and, consequently, its market value. In total, there are five categories, from worn CS:GO skins to new ones:
Battle-Scarred has the worst look, and the image is often barely recognizable.
Well-Worn has some significant defects, although the weapon looks better than in the previous case.
Field-Tested, true to its name, represents the state of the weapon which has already been in use for some time.
Minimal Wear has some small usage marks.
Factory New has a pristine look, showing the design of the weapon skin in its best state.
For many weapons, the distinction between FN and MW states is not that significant, which allows you to spare some money but still get the weapon finish that looks good enough.
Can New CS:GO Skins Become Worn?
When new players see worn CS:GO skins, many of them naturally start to worry if their recently obtained skins can also deteriorate with time. But here is the difference between CS:GO and many other games that have a well-developed economy of in-game items: in Counter-Strike the quality of the skin is determined at the moment of its creation (for example, when it dropped after a match or from opening the case). After that, the value cannot be changed, no matter how often you equip the skin. Consequently, players can use skins in-game as often as they want without being afraid that their precious items will change their appearance.
This seems logical, if we consider, that the CS:GO skins have purely cosmetic value. Being able to showcase them in the game and boast to other players about your collection is a significant part of the value, so, obviously, the developers don’t want to discourage players from equipping the skin. As floats can vary from 0 to 1, there are many variations possible for each type of in-game item. But each skin has a fixed value assigned to it, so it won’t change with time.
How Does Wear Level Affect The Skin?
If you explore the catalog at Steam Community Market or any third-party skin-trading platform, you discover that some worn CS:GO skins look more appealing than others. Even with high float levels, on some skins, you can barely recognize the pictures, while on others it only gets darker or less pronounced. This happens due to the existence of various types of weapon finishes in CS:GO. Each of them has its own style, and there are differences regarding their reaction to wear level.
When we consider this factor, all skins can be divided into three groups. The first one includes skins with a finish that imitates paint coating in one or another way. The most common type is “Custom paint”, but there are several others that work in the similar way, for example, “Solid Color”, “Spray Paint” or “Anodized”. In general, if the skin looks like it has some image, graffiti, or drawing on it, it belongs to this category.
The worn CS:GO skins of this type looks as if the paint starts to peel off. Some parts, such as the weapon grip or magazine, lose the coating altogether, so the bare surface is revealed. Even in the MW state some scratches or blemishes can be seen. Increasing wear level significantly affects the appearance of the painted skin, so the versions with higher floats are much less valued.
One more category of the weapon finish is known as “Patina”. It imitates the effect which exists in reality: many metals, such as brass, chemically react with air which results in the development of a special coating on the surface, changing its color. Worn CS:GO skins with a patina effect, such as P250 Verdigris, become greener or just darker.
The last type combines the previous two. It is known as “Gunsmith”. In this case, increasing wear level affects various elements of the weapon differently. For example, the AUG Syd Mead in Battle Scarred state loses paint coating on the barrel, while the images on the handle remain intact and just get darker.
Due to these differences, the dependence between weal level and price is not as straightforward as you may expect. While some in-game items quickly lose value with the float increase, some worn CS:GO skins remain as valuable as their better-looking counterparts.
Are Worn Weapons Always Cheaper?
There are even some rare cases when weapons with higher floats become more valuable. The most famous example is AWP Asiimov. Naturally, most players want to obtain MW or FN versions, as they have the most unscratched design. But to some, the Battle Scared version has its own uniqueness. It is known as a so-called “Black Asiimov” because, due to the destruction of the paint layer, the scope and some other parts appear completely black.
Below you will find some other examples of worn CS:GO skins which are valued more than their versions with near-to-zero floats:
Glock-18 Off World. On high floats, the drawing on the skull is revealed, and there are generally more details on the body of the weapon. According to some players, the BS version looks even better and has more character to it.
P250 Verdigris. This gun, which was already mentioned above, gets greener with the float increase, and many players consider worn versions better-looking.
P90 Death Grip. Uncanny hands which cover the body of the gun in the FN state, turn into bare bones, giving the skin an even scarier look.
AWP The Prince. This worn CS:GO skin demonstrates an effect similar to the above-mentioned AWP Asiimov. Battle Scarred versions have a solid black scope with contrasting yellow rings, which many players like more than the FN one.
Tec-9 Hades. The same happens with this Tec-9 skin, as the ancient helmets turn into skulls. Interestingly, the skin is named after the ancient Greek god of death and the underworld.
AWP Safari Mesh. The wear effect for this gun looks simpler in comparison to previous guns but is still found interesting by many players. In FN it looks like an unremarkable camouflage pattern. But in BS state the paint peels off almost entirely, revealing the bare metal surface, which suits well as a background for many stickers.
There are some other Patina skins, which change color depending on the wear level. If you want to buy P2000 Imperial Dragon or M4A1-S Night Terror, explore the catalog first and look at various worn CS:GO skins to choose, which shade you like the most.
Do not forget that knives are affected by wear effects as well. A good example is Classic Knife Night Stripe. A low-float version looks not very remarkable, while on high values the curved stripe along the edge of the blade is revealed. Consequently, the most pricey versions of the skin are not the Factory New, but Minimal Wear or even Battle-Scarred ones.
How Does Skin Appearance Change With Wear?
As you have seen, the appearance of worn CS:GO skins can differ from their pristine versions in many ways, sometimes not very straightforward. But there are also the opposite examples: some skins change their look very slightly even in high-float states, which opens another opportunity for buying them cheaper. Naturally, if the difference between Factory New and Well-Worn can be distinguished only by close inspection, why pay more?
There are guns of various styles in this category, so you can pick up some remarkable weapon finishes for an affordable price:
AWP Mortis. The complicated and intricate design remains mostly intact. The colors look a bit faded, and there are some wear marks visible on the magazine and the scope, but that’s all. In the meantime, the BS version is up to four times cheaper than the FN.
AK-47 Bloodsport. There are some dirt stains on the worn CS:GO skin, but otherwise, it remains as impressive as the low-float version.
M4A1-S Leaded Glass. The design imitates the pattern created from the pieces of colored glass. The body of the gun looks pretty much the same in the BS version. The suppressor gets slightly darker, but this doesn’t harm the overall impression.
MAC-10 Allure. This gun is a rare case when the design with such a quantity of small details retains its quality look on high wear levels. Impressed by the classic Japanese art, this MAC-10 will be a gem of any collection.
Sawed-Off Highwayman. This variation of Sawed looks good both in FN and BS conditions. Which one to prefer, depends on personal preferences. The vintage style of this finish is only highlighted by wear marks.
On the opposite, there are skins, which quickly lose value with high wear. For example, worn CS:GO skin of Fade category or the designs, some geometric patterns or Case Hardened series have more visible wear marks, so players will naturally prefer low-float versions.
Knowing the quality of the skin is important to evaluate the price. Always study the float and wear category of the skin before concluding the deal to find the best offer.
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