M4A4 | The Emperor (Factory New)

The M4A4 | The Emperor (Factory New) is a Covert rifle skin wrapping the receiver in an ornate art-nouveau illustration of a crowned emperor in regal red and gold. Factory New is the cleanest grade this skin comes in, showing the artwork at its most detailed, with the fine linework fully intact.

Design

The Emperor is built around a decorative art-nouveau portrait of an emperor figure, framed in rich red and gold for a luxurious, imperial feel. It was custom painted using the Emperor tarot card as inspiration, and it's a community design by OniLolz, Zaphk, and 2Minds. The finish carries a fitting in-game line: "Lead with your head, even if it means ignoring your heart."

M4A4 | The Emperor (Factory New) Float and Wear

Factory New is the top of the ladder for this finish, with the illustration reading sharp and the colors at their most saturated. There's no meaningful scuffing at this grade, so the delicate detailing of the emperor portrait — the crown, the ornamental flourishes — stays completely intact. If you want the artwork exactly as the designers drew it, this is the exterior to chase.

M4A4 | The Emperor Rarity

Rarity: Covert — the red tier, the top grade for a standard weapon skin. Covert M4A4s are among the most sought-after rifle skins in the game, and The Emperor sits comfortably in that company.

M4A4 | The Emperor Case and Collection

The M4A4 | The Emperor is part of The Prisma Collection and drops from the Prisma Case, released on March 13 2019. The Covert tier as a whole drops about 0.64% of the time from the case, which makes it a rare pull — most copies change hands on the market rather than being unboxed directly.

M4A4 | The Emperor Patterns

The M4A4 | The Emperor has no random pattern variation — the emperor illustration sits the same way on every copy, so there's no paint seed or "blue gem" to hunt. Wear and float are the only things that separate one Emperor from another.

StatTrak & Souvenir

A StatTrak™ M4A4 | The Emperor exists and adds a confirmed-kill counter; it's a rarer, pricier drop than the standard skin, and the counter is permanent, carrying over when the item is traded or sold. There's no Souvenir version — Souvenir weapons come only from Major-tournament packages, and the Prisma Case was never a Major souvenir drop.

M4A4 | The Emperor Price

Factory New sits at the very top of the Emperor price ladder, since it's the cleanest grade the skin comes in — a clear step above Minimal Wear. It's a premium pick within the M4A4 lineup, reflecting its Covert status and the popularity of the design. It's available to buy on Skin.Land with instant delivery and no hidden fees.

FAQ

Is Factory New worth the premium?

If you want the artwork at its best, yes. Factory New shows the emperor illustration at its sharpest, with no wear touching the fine detail, and it's the most collectible grade of the skin. Lower exteriors cost less and still look good from a distance, so the premium is really about owning the top-condition copy.

Which gloves go with the M4A4 | The Emperor?

Its red-and-gold palette suits a warm, regal loadout, so red, crimson, or gold-accented gloves pair beautifully — they echo the emperor artwork rather than clashing with it. Dark leather wraps also work if you want to lean into the luxurious, imperial vibe of the design.

Is the M4A4 | The Emperor a Covert skin?

Yes. The Emperor is a Covert — the red tier, the highest grade a standard weapon skin can carry. That places it at the top of The Prisma Collection and among the most desirable M4A4 finishes overall, which is a big part of why it commands premium prices across every wear.