Survival Case Hardened Blue Gem Patterns
Counter-Strike 2 is loaded with a variety of skins for in-game weapons, creating a bustling market of their own. Right now, this market is heating up offering the most diverse range of skins across all price ranges, with styles that vary widely and some rare options going for thousands of dollars.
Knives are particularly hot on the skins market, with survival knife Case Hardened Blue Gems standing out as high-value, commonly bought, and frequently used styles.
But what exactly sets some of these knives apart, drives extreme prices for certain patterns, and keeps even cheaper skins in high demand? Well, it all comes down to a system of tiers and classes. So, let’s break it down.
What are the Differences Between Survival Case Hardened Patterns?
Case Hardened is a replica of a real-life technique of metal hardening that, in the process, creates a unique multicolored pattern. This finish style, predominantly blue and gold, is applied to certain CS knives and weapons, creating a truly unique look that catches the eyes and stands out visually.
The grade of rarity and value of these patterns are marked by the presence of blue and gold colors — the more blue/gold hue on a weapon, the higher its value. Rich blue weapons are called “Blue Gems” (and “gold gems” if they’re more on a gold side) and are highly sought after in the community, which often pushes up such a high survival Case Hardened Blue Gem price.
But how do you spot Blue Gems? Each skin has a set of attributes: rarity, the extent of wear, and pattern index (also known as paint seed). Specifically, Blue Gem patterns are defined by their seed. A skin seed/pattern is a unique identifier that determines the visual appearance of a weapon's skin. It is a numerical value from 1 to 999 assigned to a skin, which lays out the specific pattern overlay on the weapon.
The game’s algorithm uses the skin seed to generate the pattern on the skin. Different seeds turn out different visual effects, even for the same type of skin, resulting in unique variations of color placements and designs.
How do Skin Seeds Work?
1. Randomization
When a skin is generated (like from opening a case), a random seed is assigned to it. This means that even identical skins can come out looking different based on their seed.
2. Pattern Templates
Each skin has a base pattern or template that the seed modifies. The seed determines how the colors and designs spread across the weapon.
3. Rarity and Value
Some patterns bring about more aesthetically pleasing or rare designs, like Blue Gems or other highly sought-after patterns. Skins with these rare patterns can fetch higher prices on the market. Because of this, survival case-hardened patterns are categorized into four groups (tiers) based on color distribution and appearance, each reflecting the pattern's demand and rarity.
Survival Case Hardened Seeds
With all the technical details out of the way, let’s dive into the best survival Blue Gem seed options you can get in every pricing segment on the Steam market right now.
1st Tier Survival Case Hardened Patterns (Blue Gem)
We’re kicking off with the most prized Blue Gem-grade knife seed patterns that are rich and shiny to different extents, where blue completely dominates on both sides.
Group | Pattern Seeds |
Tier 1 | 403, 58, 681, 169, 456, 601, 316, 577 |
Just look at this beauty right here — clean and sharp, a hue that’s almost crystal blue, covering the knife all over. The obverse side is almost entirely blue, with plenty of hue on the reverse as well. Tier-1 Blue Gem Survival knives are truly something — a status symbol, a style statement, and a reflection of a player’s commitment.
Factory-New Survival Knife | Case Hardened | Pattern: 169 (a Blue Gem) | Price: $20-30K+
However, Survival blue gem price can be pretty extreme, with the rarest, best-preserved, rich-blue knives going for over $20K. Yes, this is the serious collector/trader territory, with extremely valuable virtual assets up for grabs.
Here's another seed pattern to give you a sense of premium, tier-1 skins. It’s considered to be the best available case-hardened seed finish for the Survival Knife. Again, with lots of clear blue.
Factory-New Survival Knife | Case Hardened | Pattern: 456 (a Blue Gem) | Price: $20-30K+
Bonus screenshot of the Survival Blue Gem, just to show you how gloriously it glistens in the “Italian” sun (map: Italy; pun: intended).
2nd Tier Patterns
It's not always clear where the difference between the tiers lies, as most of the knives from the second tier have almost as much blue as those in the first. This is actually good news for collectors, as prices for the 2nd tier are much more moderate, allowing even ordinary players to get their hands on a Blue Gem.
Group | Pattern Seeds |
Tier 2 | 704, 449, 281, 585, 922, 634, 55, 210, 351 |
This is the last level of a real Blue Gem Survival pattern — this knife’s playside barely has any gold or purple splotches. Technically, it’s not a Blue Gem yet, but it’s the closest thing you can get. These knives can be fairly rare on the market (our guess is people just love to hang onto them). However, when market positions do pop up online, they usually go for $600 to $1,000, or even $1,500+ depending on the wear and current market conditions.
Factory-New Survival Knife | Case Hardened | Pattern: 449 (not a Blue Gem) | Price: $600-1,500+
3rd & 4-th Tier Patterns
These patterns are more common and affordable, letting you step into the world of Survival Case Hardened Blue Gem collecting or trading. Most of the knife area here is covered in gold, but you can still find something pretty close to the highly sought-after Blue Gem at a much more reasonable price.
Group | Pattern Seeds |
Tier 3 | 837, 915, 880, 556, 628, 345, 850, 202, 583, 288, 668, 239, 447, 372, 67, 170, 336, 417, 349, 632, 496, 533, 107, 529, 887, 262, 503, 393, 162, 430, 269, 954, 383, 166, 797, 867, 180, 374, 157, 588, 537, 116, 916, 624, 715, 103, 187 |
Tier 4 | 959, 523, 176, 812, 669, 88, 507, 525, 286, 429, 700, 179, 698, 442, 899, 222, 91, 818, 941, 613, 866, 675, 606, 108, 325, 750, 610, 828, 955, 519, 294, 516, 235, 794, 821, 227, 619, 151, 693, 710, 299, 600, 807, 387, 59, 871, 95, 719, 292, 400, 805, 203, 689, 995, 665, 14, 973, 298, 526, 547, 462, 84, 504, 551, 124, 859, 878, 646, 138, 806, 564, 680, 315, 872, 3, 528, 902, 790, 820, 546, 969, 740, 651, 212, 910 |
Below is the tier-3 seed pattern at number 202, which is still close to higher-rated seed finishes. And yet, while there is more blue finish overall on this one, it is of a weaker, dimmer hue, making it considerably cheaper than its color-rich counterparts.
Factory-New Survival Knife | Case Hardened | Pattern: 202 (not a Blue Gem) | Price: $300-450
This is the best Survival Blue Gem pattern you can get for the price, hovering just over $300, with $300-$450 options available online. It's a very enticing option, and the factory-new state just looks so clean (although, if you want, you can find the same knife with the same seed pattern of another wear level).
The most affordable, tier-4 survival Blue Gem pattern to date starts at $300 in the Steam community market (the best-proven option), but 150-dollar options can also be found on other marketplaces online.
Battle-Scarred Survival Knife | Case Hardened | Pattern: 871 (not a Blue Gem) | Price: $150-300
As you can see, this isn’t technically a Blue Gem weapon, with lots of gold finish (about 70%) splashed over the knife’s base. But still, it is visibly hardened, putting it in the category of the much-desired and ever-popular items in the market.
Conclusion
This comprehensive overview of Survival Case Hardened Blue Gem seed mechanics, options, and nuances should steer you right in understanding, picking, and buying (or selling/trading) a true Blue Gem. With all the options out there, hardened case-type seeds command the highest bottom-line cost, with even basic survival Blue Gem seed easily topping $5,000. So yeah, be ready to invest if you're eyeing a Hardened Case Blue Gem. We hope our guide has you covered, and good luck on the battlefield!
