CS2 Agent Patches: Between Valve's Abandonment and High Prices
A little over 4 years ago, Valve released Agents Patches as a new item into Counter-strike. Although the idea behind it might seem cool, we can’t overlook the fact that it's useless.
Patches are placed on agents’ clothes with three standard positions: Front, back and shoulder.
Since CS2 is a first-person shooter, you can’t really see the patches opposite to the other items such as skins, stickers and even agent skins as the sleeves are visible.
Just like the rest of the cosmetics in the game, Patches are also split into different rarities from Mil-Spec (Blue) up to Classified (Pink).
So, could it be an idea from Valve that failed to meet expectations or even success? Possibly.
We currently have five different patch collections including Major Patches from PGL Stockholm 2021. But they were all released between 2020 and 2021.
CS:GO Patch Pack was the first one to be released, containing some of the game’s art heritage with classic stickers like the Howl, Crown (The Boss), Rage, Welcome to the clutch on top of old operation pins like the Wildfire, Hydra and Phoenix.
Only a month after, the Half-Life: Alyx update dropped, introducing a thematic items collections including Collectible Pins Capsule, Sticker Capsule, and the Patch Pack.
Valve doubled down on these Patches with the warm welcome it received from the community, as it was a “good potential investment” by releasing the Metal Skill Group Patch Collection late 2020.
It took almost a year to see a new pack, but the release of the Operation Riptide Patches was revolutionary, shaping the current state and setting the price higher than ever.
During April of last year, the Bayonet Frog patch crossed the $100 mark as the most expensive item. Its price has been growing steadily and is currently sitting at over $400.
The low supply and high demand could be a reason behind the fluctuation among many others.
But strangely enough, there is only one Major Patch Pack from PGL Stockholm back in 2021. Since then, Valve has released quite a few cases and sticker capsules.
Them going dark on releasing new content isn’t anything new. But, it’s been well over three years since the last Patch Pack. The low sales numbers could explain the abandonment, but since we can’t see any official numbers, it remains a speculation.
If you fancy getting your hands on them despite the prices, here are the best Patches from each pack:
CS:GO Patch Pack:
The CS:GO Patch Pack was first introduced to CS2 4 years ago, on February 24th, 2020. It was released as part of the "CS:GO Patches" update.
Patch | The Boss
Patch | Howl
Patch | Phoenix
Patch | Hydra
Half-Life: Alyx Patch Pack
The Half-Life: Alyx Patch Pack was first introduced to CS2 4 years ago, on March 22nd, 2020. It was released as part of the "Half-Life: Alyx Items" update.
Patch | Health
Patch | Copper Lambda
Patch | Sustenance!
Metal Skill Group Patch Collection
The Metal Skill Group Patch Collection was first introduced to CS2 3 years ago, on December 3rd, 2020. It was released as part of the "Operation Broken Fang" update.
Patch | Metal Silver Demon
Patch | Metal Legendary Eagle Master
Patch | Metal The Global Elite
Patch | Metal Master Guardian
Operation Riptide Patch Collection
The Operation Riptide Patch Collection was first introduced to CS2 2 years ago, on September 21st, 2021. It was released as part of the "Operation Riptide" update.