Survival Knife Case Hardened: Blue Gem Seed Patterns
The Survival Knife was introduced to Counter-Strike 2 on November 18, 2021, on the release of ‘Operation Shattered Web’, in 11 different variations including the Case Hardened finish.
One of the most coveted variants of the Case Hardened finish is what is referred to as the Blue Gem, where a large surface of the weapon is covered in a blue shade. Such a pattern is highly sought by collectors and garners a considerable premium over and above the market value of regular Case Hardened skins.
In this article, we will have an in-depth look at what the Case Hardened patterns are all about, the wide variety of seed patterns for the Survival Knife Case Hardened, how rare and valuable the Blue Gems can be, and how you can get one for your own collection.
The Survival Knife
The Survival Knife is the modern, sleeker-looking version of the Gut Knife. It shares a similar hook design on the top of the blade but adds serrations on the bottom and a distinctive gap in the middle. The blade is also less rounded in contrast to that of the Gut. Currently, it provides good value for money to people looking for a mid-tier knife and is considered a safe investment with its price expected to rise in the future when more finishes for this knife are released.
The Case Hardened Pattern
The Case Hardened pattern was first introduced in CS2 in 2013, as part of the Arms Deal Collection, specifically for the AK-47. In later years, this pattern was utilized for other weapons, including the Mac-10, the Five Seven, and the knives.
The pattern is transferred to the weapon in a cookie cutter style from a pre-designed color sheet which can best be described as a grayish base on top of which are blotches of dye that take on different hues, or a mottled effect in other words. The center of each blotch is a bright blue color, which turns darker as it moves away from the center, a thin purplish shade at the edges of each blotch, and finally a dull gold color.
The use of this transfer method from the sheet means that the majority of Case Hardened skins are unique, falling under one of a thousand different patterns available, resulting in each skin of a particular weapon being distinct from the others.
Typically, a higher amount of the blue shade on any Case Hardened weapon tends to raise its price and is considered a rarity. The lesser the amount of blue shade on the visible surface of the skin, its value diminishes and moves progressively closer to its original market value. It is important to note that the wear condition does not have any influence on the seed patterns other than darkening the shades of color, and even a knife in Battle-Scarred condition can be a Blue Gem.
List of Survival Knife Case Hardened Patterns by Tier
If you are looking to get a better understanding of the Case Hardened patterns available for the Survival Knife, either because you want to purchase one or check the value of your own Case Hardened skin, look no further. Below, we have a comprehensive index of all patterns available for this skin:
| Group | Pattern Seeds |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 403, 456, 169, 681, 316, 577, 281, 704, 58 |
| Tier 2 | 922, 55, 449, 668, 634, 351, 601, 585, 583, 447, 210, 850, 628, 880, 556, 180 |
| Tier 3 | 170, 372, 166, 915, 797, 202, 632, 496, 533, 262, 67, 336, 588, 187, 345, 239, 837, 624, 103, 383, 529, 700, 698, 157, 179, 288, 430, 887, 393, 429, 954, 916, 349, 812, 867, 286, 162, 387, 872, 516 |
| Tier 4 | 442, 828, 955, 537, 669, 818, 14, 417, 941, 750, 116, 503, 715, 525, 374, 151, 606, 294, 10, 107, 719, 959, 235, 227, 619, 680, 519, 325, 507, 689, 91, 88, 269, 203, 899, 879, 807, 292, 176, 299, 547, 610, 820, 108, 504, 869, 523, 821, 693, 675, 222, 298, 640, 710, 532, 969, 878, 363, 760, 526, 866, 84, 806, 261, 665, 613, 790, 805, 794, 902, 560, 428, 973, 651, 212, 168, 641, 789, 670, 740, 910, 241, 137, 124, 386 |
The pattern index determines the placement of the colors, their sizes, and shapes on the surface of the skin. Tier 1 contains the #1 Blue Gem seed pattern for the Survival Knife which is 403, where the play-side surface is covered entirely in blue, as well as other patterns with the highest amount of blue on the play side. As you move down the tiers, the amount of blue on the skin diminishes, thus reducing the value of the skin. Lower-tiered Case Hardened skins have more of the dull gold and gray hues on them.
What Inspired a Design Such As The Case Hardened?
Case Hardening was a process developed during the early days of gun manufacturing in the 18th century and later to add high carbon content to the low carbon steel used in gun making, thus making it stronger and able to withstand more stresses. This was usually done by sealing the steel with animal hides and bones in an airtight container made of ceramic or other substance and heating it in a furnace. The bones and hides would turn to carbon monoxide gas and penetrate the surface of the metal. After the heating process, the metal would be dipped in a chemically treated quenching bath. If the bath was agitated with air bubbles prior to moving the steel into it, the surface would take on a mottled color effect similar to the one seen on the Case Hardened skins in CS2.
What Is a Blue Gem Case Hardened Skin?
A Blue Gem is a type of Case Hardened skin that has the highest surface area of the weapon on the play-side (the sides of the weapon visible on the screen during play) covered in blue, with minimal or no other colors from the Case Hardened color palette, such as the dull gold or gray.
How Valuable Are These Blue Gem Skins?
Blue Gem Case Hardened skins stand to be one of the rarest in CS2. It is no wonder then that although the value of each may vary depending on certain factors such as the weapon they are on, they command some of the highest prices in the game.
This is evident from the fact that the most expensive knife valued in CS2 was a Karambit Case Hardened Blue Gem in Factory New condition, with the seed pattern #387 valued at around USD 2 million. Although it remains unsold with a Chinese collector, the day isn’t far off till someone decides to make it their own. According to the famous YouTuber Anomaly, the chance of unboxing this same skin again is an unbelievable 0.00000027%. To put this into perspective, you would have to open 3,703,703 cases on average until you get one.
How Much Is a Blue Gem Survival Knife Worth?
The Blue Gem for the Survival Knife was unboxed sometime last year by a Chinese player with a Tier 1 seed pattern #403, Well-Worn condition with a 0.426 float value. The value for this knife has been determined to be in the range of USD 20-30k.
How Can I Get a Blue Gem?
You can search the various online marketplaces to find listings of Case Hardened Skins for the Survival Knife, and inspect these either in-game or refer to the pattern index above to see which tier it belongs to. However, a large majority of the ones that have already been unboxed usually belong to private collectors who sell to the highest bidders, since a Blue Gem variant for any CS2 knife is a highly prized item.
Alternatively, you can try your luck at unboxing a high-tier Case Hardened pattern such as the Blue Gem from either the Shattered Web Case or Fracture Case. But be forewarned, you have a higher chance of unboxing a Sapphire of a Gamma Doppler finish than getting a Blue Gem.
Survival Knife: Case Hardened
The Case Hardened pattern on the Survival Knife covers the entirety of the blade, while the black plastic handle remains as is. The float values for this knife range from 0.00 (Factory New) to 1.00 (Battle-Scarred), meaning that it is available in all wears, with a higher float value resulting in overall darker shades of colors.
If you don’t feel lucky enough trying to find a Tier 1 Case Hardened pattern by opening cases, and a Blue Gem variant is not within your budget, you can still become part of a bunch of collectors who highly regard this skin by buying one instead.
Click on the link below to check out the various offers available for the Survival Knife Case Hardened, and know that in the long run, this will probably be an investment well done.
Concluding Remarks
We hope that you now have a good understanding of the Survival Knife Blue Gem Case Hardened skins. To summarize, the said skins are some of the rarest in CS2, and the chances of unboxing one are very slim. However, on the off chance that you get your hands on one, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that it would be equivalent to finding a treasure. These skins are highly valued by CS2 players, influencers, and collectors alike. An investment in a good Case Hardened pattern even if it is not a Blue Gem is well worth the cost in the long run.
