ILW 2953 WB CCU watch

FZD

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Translation of the title:
ILW = Invictus Launch Week
2953 = 2023
WB = Warbond
CCU = Cross Chassis Upgrade
watch = keep a beady eye on

What are WB CCUs?
They're how CIG does discounts. They require new money (so no store credit) but you can get $5, $10, $15, $20 or more knocked off the price of a regular CCU.

"$5 dollars? Why bother" I hear you ask.
Well the cool thing about these is that you can combine the discounts if you can fit multiple WB CCUs in the same CCU chain. It's basically make your own discount. Now, you have to pay at least $5 for a CCU, so the smallest WB CCU you can buy is a $10 CCU discounted to $5, or a 50% discount. Not too shabby.

The thing to keep in mind here, is to always select the ship closest in value to the WB CCU discount point. So for example, let's say Arrow ($75 melt value normally) has a $5 discount WB CCU on it. You can't pick 325A to Arrow CCU, as that'd be $0 CCU and CIG doesn't do those. For obvious reasons. Instead, you could, and probably should, pick 315p ($65 melt value) for a $5 off, and pay $5 at 50% discount. Of course you could pick 300i ($60 melt), possibly because you own a 300i, and pay $10 at 33% discount. But you really shouldn't. This is for two reasons. Firstly, because WB CCUs are new money, so you'd have to put in $10 new money, when you could've just used $5 store credit for 300i to 315p and then used $5 fresh money for 315p to Arrow. Secondly, and more importantly, the smaller CCUs you use the better chances you have to fit some new future CCUs into the chain. Thirdly, specific to this and some other cases, 315p is permanently available. So even if you don't have store credits right now, you can get that normal 300i to 315p CCU whenever.

"Okey, but it's still just $5 dollars, like what are you going to do, keep doing this for years and, then what, get ships for next to nothing?"
Yes. Absolutely yes. This really is "build your own discount." If you have the patience to do this over several sale events, you can get something like my $155 Banu Merchantman CCU chain. That's quite a steal. Or if you got more money than patience, you can do this over like one event and walk away with perhaps a 30% total discount depending on the target ship and your luck. That's not bad either.

"But isn't the goal to support the development! Why not just pay the full price of ships?"
Well, if you get a ship for 50% off, you still got the option to buy a second ship also for 50% off. You'll still fund with the same amount, only you got twice the amount of ships now. Cool, right?

If you want an example of what has happened during a sale in the past, here is the Invictus Launch Week thread from last year https://testsquadron.com/threads/friendly-reminder-that-warbond-ccus-are-a-thing.19713/ as well as thread for IAE 2952 https://testsquadron.com/threads/iae-2952-wb-ccu-watch.20063/

It's on. Let's go!

Todays Ship(s)Warbond CCU PriceNormal pricePermanently available starting pointClosest available starting point
Vulture$160$175Prospector ($155)Prospector, Razor Ex ($155)
Finale----See Below--

On a side note, Storm concept can help you get a discount using store credits. It'll probably be a couple of years and end up being like $5 or $10 discount, so no need to go crazy over it, but just thought I'd mention that.

Summary:
DateShipWarbond CCU PriceNormal price
19th - xxthVulture (3.19 release related)$160$175
19thA2 Hercules$675$750
20thMercury Star Runner$240$260
21stEclipse$280$300
22ndAvenger Warlock$80$85
23rdGladiator$155$165
24thBallista$130$140
25thAquila$290$310
26thNova$110$120
27thCorsair$230$250
28thCutlass Red$125$135

Finale:
DateShipWarbond CCU PriceNormal Price
29thGladius$80$90
Nova$110$120
Ballista$130$140
Hurricane$195$210
Scorpius$220$240
Corsair$230$250
Mercury$240$260
Eclipse$280$300
Caterpillar$305$330
A2 Hercules$675$750

Thoughts: Well, the finale CCUs this year are remarkably chainable. Something like Gladius-Nova-Ballista-Vulture-Hurricane-Scorpius-Eclipse-Caterpillar-A2 Hercules would save you $200 from the price of A2 Hercules, which is pretty nice. Though personally I'd probably prefer stopping at Caterpillar with a $125 discount, then grabbing a Caterpillar-Gemini CCU and then Gemini-Crucible and Gemini-Endeavor for some potentially much more potent savings. It's not certain, but Crucible and Endeavor are old concepts that could go up by "a lot" once they start seeing work done.

(Note: I mean, buy as small CCUs as possible, I only wrote stuff like Ballista-Hurricane for brevity, you should actually turn that and other larger gaps into like Ballista-...-Constellation Taurus-Hurricane)

Also summoning @Brictoria if you're up to tag team this this year as well :)
 
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Brictoria

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I'm here :)
DateShipNormal ship priceCCU ship priceSavingCheapest CCU starting optionMinimum Cost CCUMaximum CCU Discount
19th and FinaleHercules A2$750$675$75$650 (Concept) Banu MerchantMan
$600 (Limited) Carrack
$315 (permanent) Mole
$25 (Concept)
$75 (Limited)
$360 (permanent)
75% (Concept)
50% (Limited)
17% (Permanent)
20th and FinaleMercury Star Runner$260$240$20$235 (Limited) Cutlass Steel, Vanguard Hoplite
$190 (Permanent) Constellation Taurus
$5 (Limited)
$50 (Permanent)
80% (Limited)
29% (Permanent)
21st and FinaleEclipse$300$280$20$275 (Concept) Apollo Medivac
$275 (Limited) Blade, Retaliator Bomber, Vanguard Sentinel
$240 (Permanent) Constellation Andromeda
$5 (Concept)
$5 (Limited)
$40 (Permanent)
80% (Concept)
80% (Limited)
33% (Permanent)
22ndAvenger Warlock$85$80$5$75 (Limited) Reliant Tana, Avenger Titan Renegade
$75 (Permanent) Arrow, Roc DS
$5 (Limited)
$5 (Permanent)
50% (Limited)
50% (Permanent)
23rdGladiator$165$155$10$150 (Concept) E1 Spirit, Expanse, SRV
$150 (Limited) Retaliator Base, Razor LX
$150 (Permanent) Freelancer Max, Mantis
$5 (Concept)
$5 (Limited)
$5 (Permanent)
67% (Concept)
67% (Limited)
67% (Permanent)
24th and FinaleBallista$140$130$10$125 (Limited) RAFT, 350r
$125 (Permanent) F7C-S Hornet Ghost
$5 (Limited)
$5 (Permanent)
67% (Limited)
67% (Permanent)
25thConstellation Aquila$310$290$20$275 (Concept) Apollo Medivac
$275 (Limited) Retaliator Bomber, Vanguard Sentinel, Blade
$240 (Permanent) Constellation Andromeda
$15 (Concept)
$15 (Limited)
$50 (Permanent)
57% (Concept)
57% (Limited)
29% (Permanent)
26th and FinaleNova$120$110$10$100 (Limited) Hawk, M50
$100 (Permanent) Cutlass Black
$10 (Limited)
$10 (Permanent)
50% (Limited)
50% (Permanent)
27th and FinaleCorsair$250$230$20$225 (Concept) Railen
$220 (Limited) Defender, Terrapin
$190 (Permanent) Constellation Taurus
$5 (Concept)
$10 (Limited)
$40 (Permanent)
80% (Concept)
67% (Limited)
33% (Permanent)
28thCutlass Red$135$125$10$120 (Concept) Legionnaire
$120 (Limited) Nova
$110 (Permanent) Centurion, F7C Hornet, Freelancer
$5 (Concept)
$5 (Limited)
$15 (Permanent)
67% (Concept)
67% (Limited)
40% (Permanent)
FinaleCaterpillar$330$305$25$300 (Limited) Starfarer, Eclipse
$240 (Permanent) Constellation Andromeda
$5 (Limited)
$65 (Permanent)
83% (Limited)
28% (Permanent)
FinaleGladius$90$80$10$75 (Limited) Reliant Tana, Avenger Titan Renegade
$75 (Permanent) Arrow, Roc DS
$5 (Limited)
$5 (Permanent)
67% (Limited)
67% (Permanent)
FinaleHurricane$210$195$15$190 (Permanent) Constellation Taurus$5 (Permanent)75% (Permanent)
FinaleScorpius$240$220$20$210 (Limited) Hurricane
$190 (Permanent) Constellation Taurus
$10 (Limited)
$30 (Permanent)
67% (Limited)
40% (Permanent)
 
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Doc Flanigan

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Is there any sense in taking more than a coupe of these A2 CCU's? Currently you can't CCU to anything above the A2. Maybe pick up a couple for "just incase" there's a CCU'd ship over the A2?
 
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FZD

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Is there any sense in taking more than a coupe of these A2 CCU's? Currently you can't CCU to anything above the A2. Maybe pick up a couple for "just incase" there's a CCU'd ship over the A2?
Well, personally I don't see much use for the A2 CCU. And you even need to fork over $25 new money per one. So I'm skipping it.
 

Dirtbag_Leader

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Only reason I can see to spring for the A2 CCU would be if you desperately want an A2, OR if you think the Polaris is going to have a price increase in which case the A2 *might* make for a nice stepping stone in the CCU chain. Maybe?
 
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FZD

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Only reason I can see to spring for the A2 CCU would be if you desperately want an A2, OR if you think the Polaris is going to have a price increase in which case the A2 *might* make for a nice stepping stone in the CCU chain. Maybe?
Oh right, good point. Polaris is virtually guaranteed to go up in price once it is flight ready. Though at $750 mark I shudder to think how much that flight ready bump will be. Might be cheaper to just straight up get a CCU BMM to Polaris, but it could really go either way so a betting man might bet on the A2 WB CCU.
 

Dirtbag_Leader

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Polaris is virtually guaranteed to go up in price once it is flight ready.
I got skeerd about that before the last IAE and went ahead and applied everything to go ahead and 'lock in' my Polaris chain, but if you're planning on one and DON'T already have the final CCUs, this A2 might be a good hedge.
 

Doc Flanigan

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I got skeerd about that before the last IAE and went ahead and applied everything to go ahead and 'lock in' my Polaris chain, but if you're planning on one and DON'T already have the final CCUs, this A2 might be a good hedge.
I got skeered too with all the recent talk of the Polaris, and locked in my Polaris chain at IAE too.
 

FZD

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Heads up pilots, the WB CCU's are daily, even though the manufacturers are bidaily.
Todays WB CCU is Mercury Star Runner @ $240.
 

Brictoria

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Just a minor note - The Vulture CCU is related to the 3.19 release and not Invictus... It may extend through the event, but that isn't guaranteed.
 

FZD

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Just a minor note - The Vulture CCU is related to the 3.19 release and not Invictus... It may extend through the event, but that isn't guaranteed.
Well, that's a good note. Hmm. I think I'll still need to note it somehow.
 

vahadar

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Tbh thinking about it, the A2 CCU is great. I did not buy it but will consider probably one at least if it comes back for the finale.

Previously, the only time the A2 was offered as warbond CCU since ship was flight ready, the saving was only 50$. So you needed a Perseus to get the cheapest CCU for 25$.

Now you can get the CCU for 25, from a BMM, which is 75 in savings.

Even if the bmm jumps at 700 or 750 or more, that warbond CCU will be better than the previous Perseus to A2. If you consider that this Perseus is made also from a BMM if you have the BMM to Perseus in hangar (my case).
 

FZD

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Today's CCU is Eclipse, which is another Warbond CCU that was offered in IAE 2952 just half a year ago. Aegis has like a dozen ships or so, surely there could've been another they could've picked? Well, in any case, it's a good CCU on the way to the $350 price point, where you still got some great ancient concept options like Endeavor and Crucible that could go up in price by a lot. The $350 price point has previously had ships such as the BMM (now $650), Carrack (now $600) and Hull D (now $450). Ships that touch that price point, well, I think they have a really good track record of going up by a lot. I think Hull C will be an exception though, because that'd also bump up Hull D and E. But you'll never know for sure.
 
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FZD

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Today it's Gladiator's turn. Can't remember when was the last time I saw this ship go on WB CCU sale, which is nice. I got a bit tired of seeing the same ships appear over and over. A good CCU for most CCU chains.
 

vahadar

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Today it's Gladiator's turn. Can't remember when was the last time I saw this ship go on WB CCU sale, which is nice. I got a bit tired of seeing the same ships appear over and over. A good CCU for most CCU chains.
May 2021 according to my hangar ;)

So far I havent spent a single cent this ILW. Beside the A2 CCU i'm hoping to see again at the finale, all other CCU were offered "recently", except for the Warlock that I havent seen before in a long time.
 
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Brictoria

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Brictoria

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Today it's Gladiator's turn. Can't remember when was the last time I saw this ship go on WB CCU sale, which is nice. I got a bit tired of seeing the same ships appear over and over. A good CCU for most CCU chains.
The problem with this one is that it overlaps the Vulture, which recently had a very large "release to flyable" price jump, so anyone who had CCU's from that time will already have better savings - the WB CCU at release was a $25 saving as well, those bought before release save even more (even the currently running 3.19 Vulture WB CCU saves more than this CCU).
 
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FZD

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Well, we're slowly getting together a database of which ships show up for sales. It does seem like CIG is offering the same ships over and over while others just never pop up.

On a side note, Storm concept can help you get a discount using store credits. It'll probably be a couple of years and end up being like $5 or $10 discount, so no need to go crazy over it, but just thought I'd mention that.

(even the currently running 3.19 Vulture WB CCU saves more than this CCU).
Oh yeah, good point.
 
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vahadar

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Well, we're slowly getting together a database of which ships show up for sales. It does seem like CIG is offering the same ships over and over while others just never pop up.
This 100% ^
Why offer some interesting CCU to fill most common gaps when you can just throw some CCUs most people wont use...

I also regret the time when we had a direct to flight ready with warbond CCU like for the Raft. I ran out of those already, so great CCU.

I would love to have a warbond CCU for the Lynx or the Storm...
 
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