Everything to know about Acid Etched, CSGO’s hot new weapon skin

With the release of the Prisma 2 case, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive got another skin that can drop with a rare pattern. The P2000 | Acid Etched joins the Glock | Moonrise as the second default pistol to feature a rare pattern. The Acid Etched joins with a pearl-coated shamrock and some awesome color combinations.

Prisma 2 first released on April 1 loaded to the brim with pretty skins, most of which use the new pearl-like finish. On top of its “fade” patterns that CSGO players are familiar with, the skin can also drop from the Prisma 2 crate with a random special pattern, the shamrock.

The shamrock is the classic green four-leaf clover that can appear almost anywhere on the P2000 | Acid Etched. Its position varies depending on the weapons paint seed. It’s still too early to tell whether or not the shamrock is going to increase the value of the P2000s, but there are definitely some positions that the pattern can appear that are more visible.

As with all patterns, location and visibility matter. A half-inch to the right or left can make the difference between an $800 Slaughter-patterned knife and a $500 one. The same principle applies when you’re dealing with a more common item.

How CSGO’s paint seed and float affect P2000 Acid Etched

The position of the shamrock on the P2000 depends on its paint seed, a random number rolled by CSGO’s when the skin drops that affect how the game applies the weapon’s texture. Since all textures are 2D like a piece of paper, the paint seed can rotate, fold, and conform to the 3D model. In other words, the paint seed provides hundreds of different ways that skins can be applied to a weapon. 

As for the weapon’s float value, that’s where the P2000 Acid Etched is different from most skins. Sometimes called “condition,” this is the number that determines how scratched or on a CSGO skin. For the Acid Etched, however, the float value affects the skin’s brightness but doesn’t scratch or peel the skin in any way. Just like the AK-47 Empress, the Acid Etched simply becomes dimmer with a higher float.

So what are the most desirable locations? Well, there are two that have the potential to turn into high-demand skins. The first position is located directly above the grip of the P2000. It allows the shamrock to be uncovered When inspecting, the player has a complete and unobstructed view.

Players can check the weapon’s seed by inspecting it in their inventory and clicking the information button. There they can view the skin’s float value and “pattern” seed, also known as the paint seed.

The second position is located on the back of the slide. This one should be valuable since the shamrock is visible to the player at all times. That said, the skin is reflected down the middle and often turns the shamrock into a mashup of two patterns.

There’s another reason why seed 326 is valuable, though. It’s one of the only P2000’s we’ve seen that has what looks like a full fade in the webbing that crosses the skin. All possible colors from red to purple are visible on the weapon, giving it another side to its value beyond the shamrock.

There are several more places that could be valuable given the right combination of wear, lighting, and positioning. It’s still too early to know how rare each of these patterns is, but once the Steam Market settles down we’ll be able to get a better idea. Regardless, certain versions of the skin should be worth more than others. 

P2000’s with the seeds 159 and 149 are two of those other potentially valuable positions, readily visible during the inspection animation on the slide of the P2K. Additionally, they both have a ton of color that distinguishes them from the rest.

Like the Glock | Moonrise, the Acid Etched is a common skin with an uncommon pattern. Finding one with the seed that a player wants might take some time to do, especially since players can’t see the skin’s seed directly from the market. That means each one must be individually inspected.

The early the player finds one the better, however. Once the general player base becomes aware that it exists, rare pattern skins often increase in price.