September 28th, 2023
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Skins have remained an important aspect of Counter-Strike 2 since the early days of the title’s release. Over the years, the skin economy has grown extensively and has become one of the prime reasons behind the continual growth of the competitive shooter. These skins are in-game cosmetics for weapons that don’t provide players with any form of competitive advantage, but simply enhance the visual quality of their guns.
CS2 skins generally come in all price ranges, with the cheapest skins being as low as $0.03 while the pricier skins can easily cost you as much as getting a brand new car. The legendary AWP Dragon Lore is a perfect example of the latter kind. The fabled AWP skin can seldom be found in the Steam Community Market and the Factory New variant will cost you upwards of $10,000. In fact, souvenir versions of the Dragon Lore selling for over $50K are also not unprecedented.
So why does the AWP Dragon Lore cost so much? Why would people choose to pay this much for some pixels that have no impact on the actual gameplay rather than buying a new BMW? Let’s take a look at the reasons behind this unbelievable price tag on the AWP Dragon Lore.
AWP | Dragon Lore (Factory New)
Starting at
$10,692.55
What Makes The AWP Dragon Lore Expensive
The price of the AWP Dragon Lore is primarily influenced by the same factors as any other CS2 skin in the Steam Marketplace - rarity and quality. The Dragon Lore, being one of the rarest and finest looking AWP skins in the entire game, checks both the boxes.
In the past, the Dragon Lore used to drop as a part of Operation drops like Breakout and Hydra, while the souvenir versions of the skin can be found in Souvenir Packages from major tournaments.
Currently, it’s impossible to obtain any version of the AWP Dragon Lore through in-game drops. The only way to get it is by buying it through the community market or third-party marketplaces. The reason behind the unavailability of the souvenir Dragon Lores is the fact that the skin is a part of the Cobblestone Collection, a map that was removed from the Active Duty map pool in mid-2019. While it’s possible to find Cobblestone Souvenir Packages on the Steam Marketplace at around $700, the odds of finding a Dragon Lore in them is extremely slim.
For the same reason, don’t expect to see the prices of Dragon Lores coming down anytime soon or until Valve decides to reintroduce Cobblestone to the Active Duty map pool.
Another reason behind the hefty price tag on the Dragon Lore is its impressive value as a long-term investment. Yes, a lot of casual players and professionals do buy the Dragon Lore to play with it since it’s a gorgeous skin, but there’s also a good portion of players who simply buy the Dragon Lore as an investment. Taking a glance at its Field-Tested variant reveals that the price of the skin has increased by roughly a whopping 500% over the last five years. This consistent growth of the Dragon Lore’s value makes it an ideal choice for investors throughout the globe.
That’s all there is to know about the reasons that make the AWP Dragon Lore so expensive. If you’re having problems saving up the money for the Dragon Lore, or having second thoughts about spending such a sum of money on skins, you can always opt for cheaper but equally gorgeous alternatives like the Neo Noir, Asiimov or Wildfire.
