The CS:GO Weapon Case Paved the Way for Skins, Cases, and a Thriving CS:GO Economy
8/3/2023
CS:GO Weapon Case was the First in a Long Line of CS:GO Cases
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive introduced its very first weapon case, the CS:GO Weapon Case during the Arms Deal Update. This case marked a momentous occasion in the game’s history. The Arms Deal Update was a major content update that brought a whole new level of customization and personalization to the game. It also introduced players to collectible weapon skins of varying degrees of rarity. With players now able to acquire, trade, and showcase their prized skins, the game evolved into something more. The addition built the foundation for what would become a thriving in-game economy centered around the trading, selling, and collecting of these incredible skins. The introduction of weapon cases would go on to revolutionize the way players interacted with the game and add another layer of excitement and engagement for the CS:GO community.
Diving into the CS:GO Weapon Case
Released alongside the eSports 2013 Case, the CS:GO Weapon Case was added to the game on August 14, 2013. The case was set up to be a rare drop after matches on official servers. Players would also need to have a CS:GO Case Key to reveal the contents. Later, Valve would release two more cases in this series, the CS:GO Weapon Case 2 which would be released in November 2013, and CS:GO Weapon Case 3 which would be released in February 2014.
What’s Inside the CS:GO Weapon Case?
The case contained nine weapon skins created by Valve. These skins have been dubbed the Arms Deal Collection. In addition, the case introduced a variety of finishes including the popular Case Hardened weapon finish which would go on to be featured on a variety of guns and knives. This particular finish also has the rare potential to present in an all-blue pattern which is called a “blue gem.” These blue gem finishes can be quite valuable on the market. While some patterns have gone on to be featured in other cases for other weapons, the Lightning Strike, Dragon Tattoo, and Wings skin patterns are exclusive to this case. The full list of skins included in this case are:
- Mil-Spec
- MP7 | Skulls
- AUG | Wings
- SG 553 | Ultraviolet
- Restricted
- Glock-18 | Dragon Tattoo
- USP-S | Dark Water
- M4A1-S | Dark Water
- Classified
- AK-47 | Case Hardened
- Desert Eagle | Hypnotic
- Covert
- AWP | Lightning Strike
The CS:GO Weapon Case also was the very first case to feature cosmetic knives. The knives came in Arms Deal finishes and would go on to be featured in a total of eleven different cases. Knife drops from these cases are extremely rare. The full list of knives from this collection includes:
- M9 Bayonet | Fade
- M9 Bayonet | Safari Mesh
- M9 Bayonet | Vanilla
- M9 Bayonet | Blue Steel
- M9 Bayonet | Crimson Web
- M9 Bayonet | Slaughter
- M9 Bayonet | Forest DDPAT
- M9 Bayonet | Night
- M9 Bayonet | Urban Masked
- M9 Bayonet | Boreal Forest
- M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened
- M9 Bayonet | Stained
- M9 Bayonet | Scorched
- Karambit | Fade
- Karambit | Safari Mesh
- Karambit | Vanilla
- Karambit | Blue Steel
- Karambit | Crimson Web
- Karambit | Slaughter
- Karambit | Forest DDPAT
- Karambit | Night
- Karambit | Urban Masked
- Karambit | Boreal Forest
- Karambit | Case Hardened
- Karambit | Stained
- Karambit | Scorched
- Flip Knife | Fade
- Flip Knife | Safari Mesh
- Flip Knife | Vanilla
- Flip Knife | Blue Steel
- Flip Knife | Crimson Web
- Flip Knife | Slaughter
- Flip Knife | Forest DDPAT
- Flip Knife | Night
- Flip Knife | Urban Masked
- Flip Knife | Boreal Forest
- Flip Knife | Case Hardened
- Flip Knife | Stained
- Flip Knife | Scorched
- Gut Knife | Fade
- Gut Knife | Safari Mesh
- Gut Knife | Vanilla
- Gut Knife | Blue Steel
- Gut Knife | Crimson Web
- Gut Knife | Slaughter
- Gut Knife | Forest DDPAT
- Gut Knife | Night
- Gut Knife | Urban Masked
- Gut Knife | Boreal Forest
- Gut Knife | Case Hardened
- Gut Knife | Stained
- Gut Knife | Scorched
- Bayonet | Fade
- Bayonet | Safari Mesh
- Bayonet | Vanilla
- Bayonet | Blue Steel
- Bayonet | Crimson Web
- Bayonet | Slaughter
- Bayonet | Forest DDPAT
- Bayonet | Night
- Bayonet | Urban Masked
- Bayonet | Boreal Forest
- Bayonet | Case Hardened
- Bayonet | Stained
- Bayonet | Scorched
Market Value and Rarity
The CS:GO Weapon Case only has around 500 listings on the Steam Community Market. While this isn’t the lowest number of listings for a case, this is the highest-priced weapon case in the game at around $105. Players do still have the ability to see this case drop in-game, but only very rarely. Currently, Prime Status players have a chance for a case drop after their first weekly level-up. However, cases from the Prime drop pool drop 99% of the time, while cases from the rare drop pool only drop 1% of the time. With over 25 cases in the rare drop pool, players can see how infrequently they will see this case.
The listings for the Arms Deal knives from the CS:GO Weapon Case are regularly priced over $500, with many coming in at over $1,000 and a few even getting as high as $2,000 in price. As far as the individual skins themselves, the StatTrak Factory New AWP Lightning Strike goes for over $1,200, with the StatTrak Factory New AK-47 Case Hardened skin in the same ballpark. Other skins coming in at over $500 include the StatTrak Desert Eagle Hypnotic skin, as well as other variations of these three top-selling skins. Even the lowest-priced skin still gets a minimum of at least $16 when it comes to this collection.
Get Your CS:GO Weapon Case
With its high price point and low drop rate, players generally have a hard time getting this highly-desired case. If they’re after one of the skins from the collection, they may be able to acquire one through purchase or trade at a lower price, but the rarest skins will cost quite a bit more. When it comes to the knives, players thankfully have several opportunities to get lower-priced cases to get one of these knife skins, but even those skins are extremely rare. Needless to say, almost everything about this case makes it challenging or expensive to get. Yet, if players focus on leveling up every week then they may get lucky enough to get this coveted case.