USP-S | Dark Water (Minimal Wear)

Skin overview

USP-S | Dark Water is a Restricted pistol finish in dark charcoal tones, with wavy aquatic stripes running over a chrome base. Minimal Wear is the cleanest grade this skin comes in, so it is the version to pick if you want the stripes and the metallic sheen as sharp as possible. The finish reads as deep and even, with only faint marks on the edges.

Item type: pistol. 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.

Anodized Multicolored: several colours in the metal coating; it wears little, the colours only dull with use.

Appearance in Minimal Wear

The silencer carries the most visible part of the pattern: dark diagonal stripes in charcoal of different reflectivity wrap around it like ripples on water. The slide is almost black with a soft metallic sheen and the USP TACTICAL lettering on its side, while the frame and trigger guard keep a lighter steel tone. The grip is dark with a scratched, textured overlay that matches the rest of the finish. On worn copies the paint goes first from the muzzle end of the silencer, the edges of the slide and the back of the grip, where the chrome base starts to show.

In Minimal Wear the stripes on the silencer and slide are intact, with at most fine light marks near the muzzle and on the top edge of the slide. In game at normal distance the pistol looks clean and dark, with the metallic sheen clearly visible. The grip texture and lettering stay crisp. Copies at the low end of the range are close to a fresh finish.

Minimal Wear quality — float range 0.1–0.15

The whole float range of USP-S | Dark Water is 0.1–0.26; Minimal Wear takes the 0.1–0.15 segment (31% of the scale). The lower the float within the range, the cleaner the surface looks and the higher a copy is usually priced.

Origin of the skin

The skin’s collection is The Arms Deal Collection with 9 skins in total.

It drops from CS:GO Weapon Case (on sale since Sep 20, 2013).

What it costs in each quality

Taking Minimal Wear as the baseline, Field-Tested — 13% cheaper. Based on the cheapest SkinOut.gg listing of each quality, otherwise on the market reference.

Among 12 skins of the USP-S in the Restricted grade and this quality, this skin is the dearest.

StatTrak™ and Souvenir

This skin has a the StatTrak™ version with a kill counter. Right now it is 2× dearer than the regular one. There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Stickers and crafts

Silver, holo and dark monochrome stickers sit well against the charcoal and chrome palette. A single accent in cold blue or white on the slide adds contrast without breaking the restrained look.

What to check before buying

• Check where the float sits within the grade, since the edges of the slide and the silencer tip change most across the range.
• Look at the muzzle end of the silencer and the back of the grip, as these lose paint first.
• Note any applied stickers or name tag, as they change the look and resale appeal.
• Decide whether you want the StatTrak™ version, which is available for this skin.

Who should buy Minimal Wear

• Players who want the cleanest available version of this pistol for everyday CT games.
• Collectors who care about crisp stripes and an even metallic sheen.
• Sticker crafters who need a clean dark base for silver or holo accents.
• In short: the grade for those who want Dark Water at its sharpest.