Valv has radically changed the graphics in the new version of Counter Strike, so the interest of the gaming community in what skins look like in CS 2 is understandable. Moreover, for some players this is not idle curiosity, but also an opportunity to make great money. To do this, you need to know which skins will look more colorful and brighter than in CS GO, which coloring will be changed for the better, in order to buy them in advance before the release of the final version, then resell them during the rush and raise a good margin.
Changes in the best side
Of course, high-quality graphics are most noticeable on maps redesigned for the new engine, but skins were not deprived of attention from the developers. Next, we will talk about 3 categories of innovations, and also figure out how the best skins in CS 2 differ from their counterparts in CS GO and give examples of such colorings, say a few words about the disadvantages of the new skins and tell a couple of funny stories.
3 categories of innovations for skins
The first thing most kaesers pay attention to in the beta of the new Counter Strike is the cool effects, including on skins In CS GO, the coloring looked dull and did not shimmer depending on the light intensity. In KS 2 this flaw was corrected, now skins look like stickers with holographic effects. This is probably the main reason why skins, both expensive and cheap, may become more expensive in the summer of 2023, immediately after the launch of CS 2. They will simply look cooler than before.
The second feature is abrasions, which, in general, went unnoticed by the Kaeser. In fact, the quality effects outweigh the other skin improvements in CS 2, however, this does not mean that they are absent.
If you remember, in the old Counter Strike, the coloring was “Battle-Scarred” in quality. it usually looked uninspired, and in some places even ugly. Because of this, the cost of such skins could be below par compared to the “Factory Direct” quality. Now there is an opinion among analysts that in the new Contra, low-quality colorings will be valued more highly and, accordingly, cost more.
The third change is details. This is especially noticeable in the appearance of coloring on AWP sights.
Transferring skins to CS 2
Perhaps this issue was definitely in the first place in the Kaeser community. The reason for this is quite clear. Put yourself in the shoes of an avid gamer who poured a lot of time and money into skins and was then given terribly unpleasant news: Valv is making new coloring pages for CS 2, but the old ones will be thrown into the trash along with your money. Do you think you would be happy with this arrangement? Of course not. So the guys from Valve understood perfectly well that there is no need to anger the Kaesers and spoil the release of the long-awaited second part of Counter Strike.
So the skins in CS 2 will be transferred completely without any options. In the end, Valv cannot destroy the huge market for skins that has developed over the past few years and also spoil relations with skinmakers who earn impressive sums from skins included in the game.
And now let's talk about the skins that have become better in the new version of Contra.
Improved skins (part 1)
Let's start with the most popular weapon - AWP. You may have heard about the Sun in Leo coloring, which was valuable in the old Counter Strike solely for its rarity. Otherwise, she was, to put it mildly, not very good. Dim color, pattern without contrasts.
But in CS 2 the skin literally blossomed. The new engine gave him a chance, adding rich purple color, a metallic sheen and clarity to the drawing.
Golden shade lovers can also rejoice, because there is evidence that their favorite color looks absolutely stunning in the new Contra. We will show this using the example of Gold Brick for MAC-10.
It is interesting that Valv, in his frequently asked questions (FAQ) for skinmakers, separately notes the uselessness of gold coloring, however, sometimes he nevertheless accepts them, despite his own prohibitions.
Gold Brick was lucky to get into CS GO and is doubly lucky in CS 2, because because of cool graphics skin in KS 2 began to shimmer coolly in the sun and began to look like a real gold bar.
Improved skins (part 2)
And now the good old Kalash. Of his skins carried over to the new Counter Strike, the one that stands out the most is the Legion of Anubis - an Egyptian-style skin that depicts the god Ra, who represents life, and the god Anubis, who symbolizes death. The creator of the skin put an interesting meaning into it: the Kalashnikov’s owner is kept alive by killing the enemy and bringing death to him.
This coloring was not very expensive, beautiful and therefore popular among gamers. It attracts attention with many small details and patterns.
Now, with the updated graphics in CS 2, the skin, although it has not changed, is still prettier, the color on it has become more saturated. So Legion of Anubis is still a great option for the AK-47.
Who really hit the jackpot in the new Counter Strike is Twilight Galaxy on the Glock-18. Previously, in CS GO, in our opinion, the skin was generally unshowy: a blue stripe with turquoise fuzzy inclusions of stars. Using the Source 2 engine, the developers managed to tweak the brightness on the skin, make the stars on it more visible and shiny and give the nondescript skin in CS 2, in fact, a second chance.
Improved skins (part 3)
We can’t help but note the cool change in Hot Rod for MP9. Yes, the skin is simple, there is nothing special in it, but this is a deceptive impression. If you looked carefully at every corner of this coloring, and watched how the rays of the sun flow from one part of the skin to another, then you would say goodbye to your old opinion. When we admired this skin in KS 2, we thought about how kaesers would play with it. After all, this skin with its shimmers can distract from the game. In general, admire him, but not in matchmaking. We warned you!
Another skin with a wow effect that you can easily get stuck on - Imperial Dragon on the P2000. A very bright and colorful skin, where a fire-breathing dragon is depicted on the barrel of a gun. Check out how he turned out in KS 2. Just amazing! Clearly drawn scales, contrast, transition of gradients from dark to light: the Imperial Dragon in the new Counter Strike has good opportunities to become even more popular than in CS GO.
Improved skins (part 4)
Of the budget skin options in CS 2, Magnesium for M4A4 stands out. This skin:
Simple in appearance;
Unobtrusive;
Grey with silver accents.
It is clear that its design is the most ordinary. However, the dull gray color that dominated the CS GO graphics played out completely differently in the new Counter Strike due to the addition of brightness. So there is every reason to expect at least a slight increase in the price of this skin.
Another skin that didn’t particularly stand out in CS GO is Bronze Deco for Deagle. The original bronze, as a metal, is quite dull in itself. So the coloring on Deagle in the old version of Contra was no better. Now, after the update, the skin in CS 2 has changed, the bronze has become more noticeable, the textures are clearer and brighter. I remember an old advertisement from the 90s: “Invite, just add water.” The situation is the same with this skin: “Bronze Deco, just add clarity and brightness to the color,” and the result is an excellent coloring for Deagle.
Disadvantages of skins according to the community
Typical situation: some gamers believe that the skins in the new Counter Strike have changed for the better, other players, on the contrary, noticed a bunch of minuses.
Firstly, the cartoonish coloring. The sharpness of the color has decreased compared to CS GO, but at the same time the brightness has increased. There were opinions that Valve made KS 2 a children's shooter.
Secondly, the loss of volume. In some cases, a skin in CS 2 becomes simply impossible to distinguish from a sticker. Thin engravings with bulges turn into flat designs.
Thirdly, some skins do not have a wear-retention mechanism. Those. it looks like this: a skin with “Factory New” quality indistinguishable from “Field Tested” quality. Both paint jobs are perfect and have no wear. Valv, of course, is aware, the community has repeatedly talked about this, so the developers promise to solve the issue with wear before release.
A little humor
A funny April Fool's joke was circulating on the Internet at one time about the fact that skins in CS 2 will be shoe ones. They even posted supposedly screenshots of the case for shoe skins and showed what kind of shoes could fall out of them, for example, shoes, sneakers, boots, boots and even high-heeled women's shoes. It would be funny to see a female character from the game running with a machine gun at the ready to chop up commandos in Louboutins. We think it’s worth pitching this idea to Valv, maybe they’ll make shoe skins for fun.
There were also rumors that a certain data miner managed to get to the source code of Counter Strike, where he found hints about changing the agent models. Those. supposedly in the future it is planned to give kaesers the opportunity to customize the agent completely according to their vision: put on/take off glasses, hats, change clothes and shoes.
To this we can only say one thing: follow the official news from Valve, the developers themselves will announce all changes in the game, and treat everything else with skepticism or humor.
