Fade skins are the oldest in Counter-Strike 2. They first appeared in the very first case! Even after all these years, the gradient still looks amazing and keeps finding new fans. The CS.MONEY Blog explains what these skins are, what a full fade looks like, and why it costs so much more.
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All Fade skins
Fade is one of the original knife skins. Every time Valve adds a new knife, it automatically gets a Fade version. For guns, though, it’s different. Right now, only seven weapons have a Fade skin:
The oldest one is the Glock-18 Fade, released back in 2013. The newest is the M4A1-S Fade, added by Valve in October last year.
Fade patterns and percentages
The look of a Fade skin depends on its pattern. Patterns are split by percentage — from 80% (lots of gray) to 100% (no gray or almost none). The general rule:
The closer to 100%, the more expensive.
Usually, only a few patterns get close to the perfect 100%. Among them, one is the true “full fade” — the pattern with the least gray possible. These skins are very rare and much more expensive. For example, a regular Glock-18 Fade costs around $2,000, but a full fade version can be five times more expensive.
Specialist Gloves Fade
Fade gradient gloves deserve a special mention. Unlike knives and guns, gloves don’t have a strict percentage system. Instead, the main rule applies: the more gradient, the better.
Collectors often pay attention to how the gradient on the gloves matches a Fade knife. For example, a combo of Karambit Fade #412 and Specialist Gloves Fade #490 looks almost perfect both in inspection and in-game — and of course, comes with a hefty price tag.
Best Fade patterns
If you want the maximum gradient, the best way is to search by pattern number. Luckily, for many skins, the top patterns are the same. Here’s a cheat sheet with the best Fade patterns for knives and guns:
- AWP, Karambit, Talon: #412.
- Bayonet, Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Classic Knife, Falcion Knife, Flip Knife, Glock-18, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, Kukri Knife, M9 Bayonet, MAC-10, Navaja Knife, Nomad Knife, Paracord Knife, R8 Revolver, Shadow Daggers, Skeleton Knife, Stiletto Knife, Survival Knife, UMP-45, Ursus Knife: #763, #575, #897, #636.
- M4A1-S: #374, #279.
- MP7: #80.
Important: besides true 100% patterns, there are so-called “fake full fades.” They look almost identical to real full fades during inspection, trading, or in-game. That’s why before buying a knife or an M4A1-S, you should always check the pattern list above.
Since Fade is a default skin type for knives, every blade has one. So if you want to buy a Fade but can’t decide between a Karambit or a Talon Knife in CS2 — follow the link and check our guide on choosing the best knife!
