M4A1-S | Basilisk (Factory New)

Skin overview

M4A1-S | Basilisk is a dark etched finish: an engraved basilisk sits on the receiver, and the handguard and silencer carry a fine scale-like texture. In Factory New the gunmetal surface is even and the light-grey engraving keeps its full contrast. The serpent is easy to make out when you inspect the rifle.

Item type: rifle. The weapon is available only on the Counter-Terrorist side. Restricted sits in the middle of the rarity scale: noticeably rarer than Mil-Spec, yet not truly rare.

Patina: an aged metal surface; wear is part of the design, so the gap between qualities is less visible.

Other qualities of this skin: Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred.

How the skin looks in Factory New

The whole rifle is finished in dark gunmetal with a slight olive tint. The receiver carries an engraved basilisk drawn in fine light-grey lines, and the ribbed handguard has a matching scale-like etching. The long silencer is covered with rows of small rounded marks, while the stock, pistol grip and magazine stay plain dark metal. On worn copies the receiver edges, the carry handle, the top of the handguard and the silencer tip lose their tone first, and the etched lines gradually fade into the surrounding metal.

The metal has an even tone with no visible scuffs on any part of the rifle. The engraving on the receiver and handguard keeps full contrast, and the silencer texture is crisp. In game the rifle looks uniformly dark and clean from the first-person view.

Factory New quality — float range 0–0.07

The float of M4A1-S | Basilisk ranges from 0 to 0.68; the Factory New quality covers 0–0.07 — 10% of this skin’s scale. Within the range, copies with a lower float look cleaner and are valued higher.

Where the skin comes from: collection and case

The skin’s collection is The Vanguard Collection with 14 skins in total.

The source is Operation Vanguard Weapon Case (on sale since Nov 5, 2014).

Price by quality

Among 9 skins of the M4A1-S in the Restricted grade and this quality, this skin ranks 3rd by price, counting from the dearest.

StatTrak™ and Souvenir

There is also a the StatTrak™ version: the counter on the weapon tracks kills. Right now it is 37% dearer than the regular one. There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Stickers and crafts

Dark, metallic and holographic stickers in silver, gold or olive tones match the gunmetal finish. Placing them on the receiver near the engraving or along the handguard keeps the basilisk as the focus, while a single bright accent stands out well against the dark base.

What to look at before you buy

• Check where the float sits within the wear range, since copies near the cleaner edge of a grade keep more contrast in the engraving.
• Inspect the receiver to see how clearly the basilisk engraving reads on this copy.
• Look at the carry handle, receiver edges and silencer tip, as these parts lose tone first.
• Check for applied stickers or a name tag and decide whether they suit you.

Who the Factory New quality suits

• Collectors who want the engraving at full contrast.
• Sticker crafters who need a clean dark base.
• A choice for those who want the Basilisk at its sharpest.