What quality of skins is better in CS:GO

Many people are interested in a simple, and at the same time complex question from the series «what quality of skins is better in CS:GO?». And if it were only limited to the degree of wear and tear. This is a huge body of knowledge with many variables, nuances, interesting aspects that will surely come in handy when collecting and buying items of this game universe. 

In a nutshell, quality is formed based on the following aspects:

• rarity;

• StatTrak meter;

• wear rate;

• skin type (regular or contraband);

• belonging to souvenir items;

• the stickers on the case.

And now let's analyze in detail what's what.

How the rarity of skins is formed

If you try to approach this question logically, you will not achieve anything. You can observe an array of top-of-the-line pistols and rifles in the game from the shire, or unremarkable skins of arcane quality. It is unclear what Valve is guided by when compiling the — collection.

It is known that there are several types of rarity in the game:

• White (gray) — consumer;

• Blue — industrial;

• Blue — army;

• Purple — banned;

• Pink — classified;

• Red — secret;

• Gold — extremely rare (knives or gloves).

We talk about it in more detail right here. https://lis-skins.com/blog/kakie-skini-csgo/ 

But this grading only applies to guns and knives. Agents, gloves and stickers have their own rarity scale, although one parameter they all have in common is — color. Be guided by the table (purple, blue, red, etc.) to represent the value of the items and understand what quality skins are better in CS:GO.

What is StatTrak

If you've ever spun a case roulette or watched videos on the subject, you've probably seen bloggers go crazy when they see a rare StatTrak skin. In fact, it does not differ at all from the usual one, except for one detail — counter of confirmed frags.

The probability of a skin drop with this thing is 10-15 times lower, that's why the price difference between a regular gun and its StatTrak-analog is often 300-500% on the secondary market, so keep it in mind.

Each gun has its own counter. If you have, for example, two identical M4A4 Emperor (Straight from the factory and Worn), each will keep different statistics. 

Wear and tear — is not an indicator

A player who does not understand what quality is best to choose skins in CS:GO will most often lean towards the latest — factory ones. There are a total of five degrees of image wear:

• Straight from the Factory (Factory New) — complete transfer of the author's design with no scratches or scuffs;

• Minimal Wear (Minimal Wear) — light signs of use;

• After Field Tested (Field Tested) — visible paint/gradient defects;

• Well Worn (Well Worn) — significant pattern/texture wear, large amount of bare metal;

• Battle Scared (Battle Scared) — often semi-naked metal where it is difficult to determine the concept of the skin.

Example M4A4 Devoted Paladin in a worn state

And this is the same one, but straight from the factory — the difference is palpable.

But there are exceptions to every rule. Some skins just get darker as wear increases, covered in a layer of patina. As an example — AK-47 Cartel. 

Others expose hidden pass-hacks, which were originally conceived by the skin author. Take for example the Nova Soldier shotgun. In the worn condition, various tricks like painted tanks on the hull appear on it.

Some models of skins with a high degree of wear are valued even higher than the factory ones. So it's all individual.

Smuggling as an indicator of coolness

If you more or less follow the skin market, you should understand the value of smuggling. It is rare, highly limited in quantity, and constantly increasing in price. 

Today in CS GO only two items can boast this parameter:

• M4A4 Howl rifle;

• Morning Howl sticker.

All because the author of the original image sued Valve for stealing the idea of the art from him. The case gained such momentum that Gabe, for the first time in the game, had to remove the original rifle, and on those that were already in the inventories of gamers, to remake the drawing. 

Today, you can no longer find Voi on free sale, and the copies put on the trading floors are obscenely expensive.

Souvenirs and everything about them

Can a

souvenir

You don't have to go far for examples — Cobblestone 2018 collection with souvenir AWP Dragon Lore.

The rifle itself is extremely rare, and its souvenir version is not only as rare as a unicorn, but the cases cost a decent amount. We are not talking about the keys to them at all.

But this is not the case with all skins. Some souvenirs cost pennies, and differ from regular ones only by a commemorative inscription visible in the inventory. 

This is the scary word stickers

If you want to know more information about CS GO stickers — you are here. https://lis-skins.com/blog/Kak-poluchit-naklejki-CS-GO/  

Recently, there was a momentous occasion in the game's community: a gamer bought the rarest M4A4 Howl for $100 ,000. The money is just cosmic. 

But the skin is also remarkable because it was pre-stickered with 4 iBUYPOWER stickers at once, each of which today is valued at around 12-13 thousand bucks!

This is a holographic sticker that could only be obtained from the EMS Katowice 2014 Challengers capsule. Actually, you can still get the sticker today, but the box will cost more than $2000. They are extremely rare.

So if you found some strange rifle with a price of about 100 rubles, but they ask for it 10-20 times more than the market value — always pay attention to the stickers.

Let's summarize

What have we got in the dry balance? And that there are plenty of exceptions to every rule. In 90% of cases, the best in terms of quality will be a secret skin straight from the factory with a StatTrak meter. 

But if you dig deeper — you can find so many interesting options you never knew you had.