Kilowatt Case: The First Case in CS2 History. A Review of the Best Skins.
On February 7, 2024, VALVE released the first case in CS2. The community had been eagerly awaiting this for almost a year. The last case, “Revolution,” was added to the game on February 10, 2023. The gap between such updates marks a new record in Counter-Strike history.
The Kilowatt Case brought players not only a new knife but also the first skin for the Zeus x27. All patterns from this container are already applied to new weapon models in CS2. If you didn’t know, with the transition to Source 2, developers slightly changed the appearance of equipment. However, they couldn’t transfer old designs to fresh models. Let’s take a look at the most interesting representatives of the new collection.
★ Kukri Knife
Let’s start with the main novelty of the Kilowatt case. Information about this knife appeared literally from the first days after the CS2 release. Insiders found it in the game files quite quickly, and workshop map developers on Steam promptly made it available for preview in the game. Initial reactions to the knife were mixed and did not impress the community. Nobody believed that employees of a small indie company would release it in such a form. But that’s exactly what happened. In the end, we got a bulky knife without unique animation and new color schemes. This knife is unlikely to be extremely popular among players, and its price will plummet in the near future.
AWP | Chrome Cannon
- Factory New – $1000
- Minimal Wear – $340
- Well-Worn – $160
- Field-Tested – $260
- Battle-Scarred – $122
The addition of such a skin to the game is like a breath of fresh air. The capabilities of the Source 2 engine are brilliantly demonstrated here. After you inspect this device in the game, you’ll forget about all the flaws and quirks of previous updates. Developers expected such a reaction and even left a quote with a small reference in the item description: “Where did this come from? Why do you ask?” – Butch, Weapon Merchant.
“Where did this come from?” Indeed, it was quite difficult to imagine such a thing on the old engine. Cool iridescent paint transitions and stylish minimalist design deserve such a reaction. Changes in wear also add some points because the skin only slightly fades and becomes less vibrant. Overpaying for “Factory New” quality is definitely not worth it, and you shouldn’t rely on current prices. The case has just been released, and the content’s value will be adjusted.
AK-47 | Inheritance
- Factory New – $930
- Minimal Wear – $340
- Well-Worn – $190
- Field-Tested – $200
- Battle-Scarred – $140
Adding the AK-47 in “Covert” quality has become commonplace lately. The pattern looks really cool, but the internet knows and remembers everything. Similar color schemes were found in Valorant and Cross Fire, sparking a lot of heated discussions.
If you overlook this fact, the skin turns out to be quite decent. Sometimes the strength really lies in simplicity. Pleasant colors, beautiful and neat patterns reminiscent of folk art. That is, if this skin remains in the game and no violations due to parallels with other games are identified. Such precedents have already occurred. In the previous Revolution case, a few days after release, the AWP Doodle Lore was replaced with the AWP Duality due to copyright infringements. So, be careful and wait before buying this item.
M4A1-S | Black Lotus
- Factory New – $165
- Minimal Wear – $70
- Well-Worn – $47
- Field-Tested – $40
- Battle-Scarred – $46
The first “Classified” skin from the new collection is the M4A1-S Black Lotus. The skin is in shades of purple and would fit perfectly into the “Purple set”. The body is covered with images of lotus flowers, and the art itself has a slightly embossed texture. The change in float is also quite interesting. In “Battle-Scarred” quality, the skin acquires a darker purple shade and doesn’t wear out. A similar approach was already used with the M4A1-S | Night Terror. It’s funny that because of this, the “Battle-Scarred” quality has become almost as expensive as the “Factory New” version. It seems the same will happen with this item.
Zeus x27 | Olympus
- Factory New – $75
- Minimal Wear – $45
- Well-Worn – $32
- Field-Tested – $32
- Battle-Scarred – $28
The first skin for this device in the game. Developers did everything very symbolically and added art with the image of the ancient Greek god to the game. The image of Zeus on the weapon with the same name. But besides symbolism, there’s nothing else attractive about this skin. The only reason it will be expensive is the crafting of “Covert” quality in pursuit of the AWP | Chrome Cannon.
USP-S | Jawbreaker
- Factory New – $97
- Minimal Wear – $45
- Well-Worn – $23
- Field-Tested – $32
- Battle-Scarred – $22
Interesting solutions for this pistol haven’t been added to the game for a long time. The final version turned out to be very successful. The original art of a barking dog, which is placed on the grip and slide in an equally original way. The graffiti inscription “Doggy” on the suppressor and several other decorative elements nicely complement the main concept. The price for this skin should be quite decent, so don’t expect significant changes.
Glock-18 | Block-18
- Factory New – $12
- Minimal Wear – $7
- Well-Worn – $5
- Field-Tested – $4
- Battle-Scarred – $4
The original concept with the Lego theme and the standout name Block-18 is worth paying attention to this skin. In the game, it really feels like the pistol is assembled from pieces of everyone’s favorite constructor. The restricted quality of the skin won’t allow it to be expensive, and currently, the price for such work is quite low. Most likely, no budget collection will do without it due to its unique style.
UMP-45 | Motorized
- Factory New – $2.3
- Minimal Wear – $1.2
- Well-Worn – $0.8
- Field-Tested – $0.6
- Battle-Scarred – $0.5
The last worthy representative from this collection will be of “Mi-Spec” quality. The skin is extremely detailed and beautifully executed. It’s good that the earnings of skin authors don’t depend on the price of their item on the trading floor. The UMP, especially in “blue,” won’t be expensive under any circumstances. That’s better for the users. Everyone can afford this device and diversify their inventory with this masterpiece.
The interesting skins from the Kilowatt Case are over. In any case, the case will go down in history as the first in CS2 history, but how much its contents will be liked among players remains to be seen.