Top 10 Cases to Open in CS2: Hunt for Expensive Drops Wisely (Part 1)
Anyone who has ever opened a case in Counter-Strike did it with one goal in mind—to score a valuable drop. Some in-game items in CS are worth a lot of money, and many players hunt for expensive drops, often doing so without much thought. In this article, we’ll discuss the best cases to open in the game so that you don’t end up with a significant loss while chasing valuable weapons.
What is ROI and Why Is It Important?
Let’s start by explaining the concept of ROI (Return on Investment), which is displayed as a percentage. This figure is calculated using a fairly simple formula that considers the average value of each item and the cost of opening (average item price divided by the case price plus the key cost). Essentially, the lower the cost of the case and the more valuable items it contains, the higher the ROI. Expensive items are the main reason people want to open cases, so in simple terms, this percentage indicates how many valuable items are in the case. Some mistakenly believe that ROI represents the chance of breaking even and don’t trust high ROI figures, but breaking even is a different story altogether. Today, we’re here not just to come out ahead, but to hit the jackpot!
10. Winter Case eSports 2013 – ROI 61.17%
- Most Valuable Items:
– Knives (Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Karambit) in the “Crimson Web,” “Fade,” and “Case Hardened” skins with expensive Blue Gem patterns.
It’s not hard to guess that this case was released back in 2013, when the first skins started appearing in Counter-Strike. Over 10 years later, it’s no longer in the official drop pool (it can only be obtained by purchasing it on the marketplace). This means that these containers are becoming rarer, and the items they contain are entering the game less frequently, increasing their value.
Old cases are especially valuable because of their assortment of knives—there are only five, and only one of them (the Gut Knife) isn’t particularly valuable. The other four are in high demand and fetch significant prices, even for less rare and expensive patterns. For example, the price for a Karambit | Forest DDPAT is five times higher than for a similar pattern on a Navaja or Shadow Daggers. Therefore, it’s not shameful to pull even the most basic knife skin from this case, and the sight of a gold icon significantly boosts your Steam wallet’s chances.
The presence of relatively expensive weapons also makes opening the case more enjoyable, as anything above “Mil-Spec” quality will already pay for itself. However, this also leads to a downside in the form of high opening costs. The case costs over $10, and with the key, the total cost per opening is over $13. To get something valuable, you need to make as many attempts as possible, and not everyone can afford to pay that much for each try. On the other hand, big wins require big investments, and the chance to score one of the four sought-after Blue Gem knives attracts many collectors. Blue Gem knives are valued at enormous sums, and the only Factory New Karambit Case Hardened with pattern #387 in the world was sold for $1,500,000.
9. Chroma Case #3 – ROI 62.07%
- Most Valuable Items:
– Knives (Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Karambit) in the “Tiger Tooth,” “Marble Fade,” and “Doppler” skins with rare Ruby, Sapphire, and Black Pearl patterns.
This case is still in the drop pool but has been moved to the “rare” category, meaning it still appears in weekly rewards, but much less frequently. Because of this, the case price is quite high, but not exorbitant, and considering the number of good skins inside, it’s even quite reasonable.
The Doppler skin is one of the most interesting in the entire game and a favorite choice among many players. The dynamic pattern is arranged so that the knife blade can be several colors and is divided into several “phases.” Each phase corresponds to an approximate color scheme that can result from color mixing, but in most cases, they turn out to be unique. The most valued are when one color completely dominates and is the only one: red is called “Ruby,” and blue is “Sapphire.” Doppler knives are somewhat reminiscent of gemstones, looking quite natural despite their bright appearance.
Some people open cases containing Doppler knives not for profit, but for the thrill of hunting for a rare pattern.
8. Operation Wildfire Case – ROI 63.1%
- Most Valuable Items:
– Bowie Knife in “Fade,” “Case Hardened” skins with expensive Blue Gem patterns.
– AK-47 | Fuel Injector
Getting astronomically rich from this case is unlikely, but it’s far more possible to score a solid, valuable drop. This operation case has only one knife, which greatly increases the chances of getting it in a more expensive skin. When you have five knives in a case, the odds of seeing a less attractive blade proportionally increase.
The case is also good for having an expensive rifle (even more expensive than many knives), and the chance of getting a red weapon from this case is significantly higher—about 16 times higher. Therefore, the case should yield not only more returns but also more frequently. If it contained more valuable skins like “Doppler” or a more sought-after knife, it could certainly compete for the highest figures.
7. Chroma Case – ROI 65.11%
- Most Valuable Items:
– Knives (Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Karambit) in “Tiger Tooth,” “Marble Fade,” and “Doppler” skins with rare Ruby, Sapphire, and Black Pearl patterns.
Here’s an example where the details lie in the nuances and why you need to thoroughly understand the issue at hand. This case has an identical set of knives to Chroma Case #3, and people open it to hunt for the same “treasures.” However, this case statistically should save you a bit more money, even despite the higher cost of opening compared to its third-series counterpart. This happened due to the weapon drops, which are more expensive, and over the course of several case openings, you’ll get slightly more money back in your Steam account.
So, if you’re not interested in the weapons from Chroma Case #3 and you’re only after the jackpot in the form of a knife, it’s better to open the first version of this series. Although, at first glance, it seems that the third case is cheaper, making it more profitable to open in attempts to get a knife.
6. Killowatt Case – ROI 65.85%
- Most Valuable Items:
– Kukri Knife in “Fade,” “Case Hardened” skins with expensive Blue Gem patterns.
– AK-47 | The Empress
– AWP | Fever Dream
The newest case, which is currently profitable to open due to its extremely low cost. The case is actively dropping on servers, and its price is even lower than the cost of the key. It contains only one knife, which, as we’ve already determined, increases the chances of getting a valuable skin, and two expensive weapons that can pay off your opening and drop much more frequently.
Even a “Classified” quality drop will pay off the cost of each case opening and bring in at least double the money spent. We’ll see what happens over time if the prices of these skins drop a bit. As of summer 2024, this case is indeed more profitable to open than many others.