M4A4 | Howl (Well-Worn)

The M4A4 | Howl in Well-Worn (WW) belongs to the Contraband rank. The float ceiling is 0.40, so this wear covers only 0.38 to 0.40, and the skin has no Battle-Scarred at all. Of the skins in this rank, it is the only one for the M4A4 in CS2.

What the M4A4 | Howl looks like in Well-Worn

This is a red-and-black M4A4 with the head of a howling wolf on the side of the receiver. Underneath is a dark olive-gray, almost black, crossed by ragged red stripes and tongues. The wolf's head is orange-yellow, the mane red and the fangs creamy white; the jaws reach down onto the trigger guard. An even red fills the grip and the tube of the stock. The handguard, magazine and buttstock keep the dark base with red tongues, and the densest red stripes lie on the handguard and the stock. Only the muzzle end and the front sight are left unpainted. The model carries no inscriptions or numbers.

Wear takes the red from the high points first: the ribs of the handguard, the edge of the carry handle, the butt plate and the corners of the magazine. The wolf's head sits on a flat panel and stays whole longest, so even in the lower wears the skin is easy to recognize. Wear is fixed at the drop and does not grow with time.

Where the M4A4 | Howl came from

The finish came from the Steam Workshop and was released on May 1, 2014, in the Huntsman Weapon Case; its number in Valve's catalog is 309. About a month and a half later Valve upheld a copyright complaint. The payouts to the authors were withdrawn, and the finish was taken out of the case and moved to the Contraband rank. Since then the data lists Valve as the designer, although Valve did not draw it.

What to check before buying

Before paying, look at these:

• the float: in this wear the M4A4 | Howl is a tight band of 0.38 to 0.40, where the difference between listings is hard to catch;


• stickers and a name tag left by an earlier owner;


• the drawing: it is applied identically across the whole run, so there is nothing to select by pattern.

What the M4A4 | Howl costs in Well-Worn

Well-Worn is almost the same price as Field-Tested: it costs just 1.04 times as much. Minimal Wear is 1.06 times dearer than Well-Worn, and Factory New 1.5 times. The skin has four wears, from Factory New down to Well-Worn.

In the Contraband rank the M4A4 has only this finish, so there is no row of price neighbors among M4A4 skins. It has to be compared with other Contraband items, not with rifles.

Getting the M4A4 | Howl

No CS2 case contains this skin: it was removed from the Huntsman Weapon Case when it moved to the Contraband rank.

StatTrak and Souvenir

The M4A4 | Howl has a StatTrak version, and the finish has no souvenir packages.

Stickers and craft on the M4A4 | Howl

For a sticker set in CS2, note that the wolf's head takes the side of the receiver. Stickers are easier to place closer to the stock and the handguard. Red and yellow stickers pick up the palette, and white ones echo the fangs. On the dark base, contrasting stickers show clearly.

Who this wear suits

Well-Worn is the sensible wear for the M4A4 | Howl when:

• you want a Contraband skin whose wolf on the side is recognizable even in the lower wears;


• you want a version that costs only 1.04 times as much as Field-Tested;


• the 0.38 to 0.40 band is tight, and every listing is the same.