The Best CSGO to CS2 Knife Upgrades

Counter-Strike 2 awaits moments away with visual upgrades, changes in functions, and an overall gameplay update that'll blow players away. In light of all the great changes coming to Counter-Strike, we thought we would prepare an article showcasing the best knife upgrades within Counter-Strike. To those unaware, Counter-Strike 2 is releasing alongside major visual changes, completely redesigning some current skins in Counter-Strike Global Offensive. This will make the skins you currently own look different, impacting visuals and possibly the price.

Those who aren't particularly educated on the Counter-Strike 2 switch coming this summer, please feel free to check out some of our content explaining changes in skins, gameplay, elo, and investments. Hopefully, we'll save you the panic and confusion we all felt once Counter-Strike 2 was announced. One thing's for sure, players certainly won't be losing out on any money, and it'll be quite the contrary, especially with the significance of the skin upgrades! 

Best Counter-Strike 2 Skin Changes: Fades 

The Fade skin collection within Counter-Strike is arguably one of the most iconic skin series in the entirety of the game. The reasoning behind this is that the Karambit Fade releasing in August 2013 and automatically became the most desirable knife in the game. The release of the Karambit Fade pathed the way for future Fade skins, making them astronomically expensive and considerably glamorous in the eyes of the Counter-Strike community. 

The image above showcases the Bayonet in CS:GO compared to the Bowie Knife in Counter-Strike 2. As you can see, the Bowie Knife feels like it has more "soul" with brighter colors and a stronger aesthetic. The Bayonet, still desirable, looks less colorful and more drab in the Counter-Strike Global Offensive engine, showing considerable changes between the two skins. 

Despite the Fade skin collection already being overpriced, we can expect Fade skins to continue rising in price in correlation to the Counter-Strike 2 release. Many skins that contain a natural "shine" will rise in price. This is because the Counter-Strike 2 visuals exaggerate the looks and aesthetic of most skins in Counter-Strike, making them significantly better! 

Best Counter-Strike 2 Skin Changes: Doppler 

The image above contains two Phase 4 Doppler skins, the M9 Bayoney being on Counter-Strike Global Offensive and the Bowie Knife being on Counter-Strike 2. The differences between these images are ridiculously obvious, the Bowie knife is significantly more shiny, detailed in pattern, and feels more alive. However, there can be a disagreement that the original Doppler is better due to the professionalism of the Knife, it doesn't attract too much attention and can remain low-key.

The Doppler collection consists of many different phases; 1, 2, 3, 4, black pearl, ruby, sapphire, and that's if you exclude Gamma Doppler knives. The Doppler knives are known for their unique patterns and phases, costing more/less money depending on the phase and pattern the player obtains. Therefore, the Counter-Strike 2 update completely changes the game for these types of skins because of the vast amount of changes happening to each pattern and phase. 

Dopplers have considerably risen in price since the showcase of CS2 and we can see why, the knife is significantly more desirable due to the character each knife has. Despite leaving the original copy of the Doppler in CS:GO, we can look forward to seeing these knives in-game a little more, except they might get us killed because we can't stop looking at them! 

Best Counter-Strike 2 Skin Changes: Vanilla 

The Vanilla knife series has been a huge disappointment for years. The knives have been dull and dark, often being used by players who want to save money or don't know a good knife and glove combination. As seen in the comparison above, the newer CS2 M9 Bayonet in the bottom image takes the trophy. It's shiny, bright, and dominates the screen with professionalism. Players who don't like the typical Fade or Doppler can finally resort to purchasing a knife of this kind.

The Vanilla skin series has increased in price significantly since the showcase of Counter-Strike 2, and however, maybe the purchase is worth it considering the visual changes. Personally, I don't think the Vanilla is on everyone's "to-buy" list because of other skin updates that are more significant. Therefore, the astronomical rises in price are likely to be temporary. Once the game has been released and everyone is used to items like the Vanilla skin series (which isn't rare), players will lower the price in desperation to buy rarer and more desirable finishes. 

Best Counter-Strike 2 Skin Changes: Tiger Tooth

The Tiger Tooth has been a great "cheap" high-tier skin alternative for years. Due to the absence of uniqueness and colors on each blade, players have lacked reason to price Tiger Tooth knives too extensively. The knife was a great addition to yellow lovers or players who simply wanted a flashy knife, but the blade never felt special until now. 

The knife has had a complete overhaul with how the colors appear, making it more lustrous and appealing for general players, catching the eye more. It's amazing to think why these knives didn't look like this at the beginning. The knife would be far more expensive and desirable. The Tiger Tooth collection will likely rise up to be incredibly popular within a short time; the knife will be a perfect addition to S-tier skins such as the Dragon Lore, Gold Arabesque, and other rare skins. This is simply because it's so flashy now; skin lovers sometimes don't care about the details but only aesthetics, going for overly colorful and overt inventories that will contain knives like the M9 Tiger Tooth. 

Best Counter-Strike 2 Skin Changes: Case Hardened 

The Case Hardened collection is huge due to the different variants of skin patterns available, some costing more than $500,000 to purchase! The iconic case-hardened collection relies solely upon the "shine" Counter-Strike provides. As seen in the comparison, Counter-Strike Global Offensive provides quite a great experience. However, Counter-Strike 2 is unmatched. The knife overall looks smoother and more clean, whereas the bottom knife looks more like an oil spill instead of artwork. 

Whereas some players may prefer this, the aesthetic of Counter-Strike 2 is just undebatable. Although there are thousands of circulating opinions regarding the case-hardened changes, players that own expensive patterns are really in difficult positions right now because of how much of an influential stage we are with Counter-Strike skin prices. Case-hardened knives have the ability to lose their renowned reputation of riches and success, all because Counter-Strike 2 decided to change the dynamics of the game. However, by the images we can see there's nothing to worry about!