You are buying ships wrong! Save Hundreds or Thousands on the Star Citizen Pledge Store

[Update!] A new video is available showing how you can easily automate your chains using the CCU Game tool: • Save On Ships The Easy...
This video will teach newcomers and experts alike how to save hundreds or thousands of dollars by CCU chaining on the Star Citizen Pledge Store.
Contents:
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Why Purchase?
02:56 - Ship Purchasing Basics
07:28 - CCU Chain Example
15:08 - Warnings & Recommendations
18:37 - Closing
CCU Chain Google Sheets Template (Make a Copy):
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
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[@galactichazzard8932]

One thing that absolutely needs to be added to your video is that if you're using a referral bonus ship as a CCU, all the attributes from the referral will transfer to the new ship which means that the LTI will be applied BUT (not meltable and not giftable) will also be transfered to the new ships. I followed your advice and I CCUd my MPUV-1C referral all the way up to a $600 Carrack before I finally realized that I couldn't melt of gift my Carrack anymore, as referral ships are not giftable or meltable and this is what I started my CCU chain with. I had to open a ticket with concierge support and lucky for me they did me a favor and removed all the CCU's and returned the money in my store account. This is not something they normally do and they advised me to be more careful in the future, so I suggest for everyone to stay FAR FAR away from doing CCU chains using referral bonus ships.

[@mr.mardoc8651]

Why is this a problem if you actually wanted the carrack?

[@galactichazzard8932]

@@mr.mardoc8651 Well, the answer is actually quite simple. Year after year CIG just keep on nerfing all types of ships and when that happens and they become much less efficient or apealing to me (and many others) so I like to have the option and ability to melt any of my ships and purchase something else instead of being stuck losing $600USD. It may not mean much to some but this $600USD ship actually cost me $950CAD. If you're rich and can afford it then I'm really happy for you but it isn't my case. Hope this answer brings some clarification as to the reason why. Btw, I did buy another Carrack but now I at least have the option to keep or melt it if it turns into a flying turd or if I so desire. Cheers...

[@seanwarren9357]

How absolutely convoluted... No wonder CIG catches flack. Thanks for the solid overview.

[@lonnixlethe]

I agree that it could be way simpler. But I think in a way this more complicated system rewards their more loyal players by giving them an opportunity to get pretty big discounts. So at the end of the day, its a trade-off I suppose.

[@keithwoods9302]

Thank you for this well thought and explained chaining concept. I have been in the verse a little over a year. Starter ship was the Titan. During my first IAE nomad was offered war bond with LTI. I purchased the ship for the LTI with intent to eventually trade up… now over 8 months later I am still sitting with same two ships…mainly because I didn’t know how to proceed forward. This video will definitely help me to progress forward to the ship I really want without having to pay an arm and a leg for it.

[@lonnixlethe]

Apologies in advance for the shameless plug of another one of my videos, but if you are just now starting your chains, you may benefit from using a tool called CCU Game. I've recently made a video about how to get the best (read cheapest) chains using that tool here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHLTiHSgndpghKc

[@ShadeLightTheory]

I think I finally understand how this works, so you buy the updgrades when they are on sell and once you have all the pieces in your chain you apply them and get the ship you want. Didn't even think of the fact that you could buy upgrades in advance and apply them later, makes way more sense why you need a spreadsheet now. Time to plan ahead and see what deals I can catch at Invictus!

[@lonnixlethe]

This is it! Though many would recommend waiting until the last possible moment to apply the upgrades so you can retain flexibility in case you change your mind on which ship you want

[@Suirady]

But if you have 1 ship how can you buy all the pieces for the chain? You will have to wait for the same amount of years as the steps you have in your chain minus the steps you use store credit, right?

[@DocMagnum]

Great and thorough explanation. Ill definitely bookmark this for future reference!

[@LordTiberius52]

Excellent video. I got my MSR for $140. I could have had it for $130 (half of normal $260 price), but I chose a non- discount CCU for its hangar flair

[@markwatson4101]

I originally got into an MSR from a P72 Emerald (wish I'd picked up several of those Emeralds). I was new to CCUs and impatient so it wasn't a great savings and I didn't keep track. Now I'm working on an Endeavor chain that's over a year old and at $195. The problem is that I've started picking up random other CCUs without a plan, just in case. It's addictive.

[@lonnixlethe]

It can be easy to fall into the "I'll get this just in case!" trap. Though hopefully with the example provided in the video, you will be able to see how to tell exactly which CCUs you'd need to complete your Endeavor chain. This should help prevent you from unnecessarily buying random CCUs in the future. There is also a tool called CCU Game that can help you identify exactly which CCUs to buy. I recently did a video on that not too long ago. If you are interested, I'd recommend you take a look! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHLTiHSgndpghKc

[@TheTurbanatore]

I just missed the recent IAE sale, but thankfully I came across this video so I will be ready for the next sale in 6 months. Thanks!

[@silenciummortum2193]

New player here… amazing detail and very informative! Earned a sub!

[@4thousand561]

this is the only video that was clear about it, thank you

[@3Dsirius]

Thx for the video dude. During this Invictus free flight event I bought Pisces starter pack combo and upgraded the ship to Titan, so 10$ cheaper than Titan starter pack combo. Keep posting.

[@keeldat]

Funding the game is my primary reasoning I buy ships with with real money. I consider the other two reasons you mentioned as perks for helping out with the funding. Btw, great CCU guide. Thanks!

[@lonnixlethe]

I’m with you. For me it’s a combination of all three, though also mostly to support the project. I think while having access to other ships may open up some gameplay loops like mining, that most of the progression in the game will come from systems you can’t buy your way into like reputation. And when it comes to LTI, a nice safety net, but likely will still want to have upgraded insurance. Thanks for sharing!

[@ClockWorkJake]

WONDERFUL CONTENT "Lonnix"!! I've been watching & reading content about STar Citizen fairly regularly - trying to see a decent entry point where I feel comfortable enough about some things to have confidence I won't be going about it in a way where I would need to either completely start over & re-build from scratch after realizing I made a massive mistake in the way I have structured something fundamental to my base character or account such that the only way to alter it would be to begin again (i've had to do this MANY times in various MMORPGs - where I don't fully understand the critical nature of certain amount of points in building a character of a specific type, or just in general & the only option to fix was either massively expensive, or to just scrap everything & start better) The other thing being, of course - to learn enough to begin in a way that MAXIMIZES the value I get in game for every dollar spent, and avoid any potentail limitations that come from acquiring something via package/pledge/cash purchase, or in game money purchase...... OF ALL the videos I time I have spent watching Start Citizen content, THIS SPECIFIC VIDEO has given me more KEY information I will 100% USE as the basis for my entry into the game & structure my acquisitions around these theories... providing they remain fundamentally unchanged..... I do want to note - as a youtuber that doesn't have a million followers yet - Your vocal presentation is quite good, You enunciate fairly well, the audio quality is sufficient & i'd say a touch better than average, your cadence & tone is not unpleasant to the ear or in any way bothersome or difficult t understand... WITH ONE CAVEAT - there are (& likely always will be) Certain words that contain sounds that just aren't picked up well via microphone. I had difficulty with several words & phrases & had to re-wind repeatedly - and still never fully picked it up - It would be worth your time to attempt to identify things like that - focus on enunciating to a ridiculous degree when it occurs, or during editing, either add a small line of text spelling out what you are saying - gr going back & re-recording a totally different word or phrase more easily under stood & dub it in. Other than that, if there is ANY way you could actually show on screen the actual mechanical purchase or listing of you interacting with what you are describing, it'd give every word you say a hundred times more impact. Nice work, Keep it up & good luck. Please do one on character path/career selection, & choosing a city to start if you already haven't... and MAYBE what package you recommend starting out with our best path of entry. That's about all I need to figure out now & I'm IN! (I Finally just got a new PC/GPU & it was my only real excuse for not jumping in )) Thanks much & Take Care ~*~ SamuraiJake

[@lonnixlethe]

Thank you for the kind words and constructive feedback. I am so glad you found the content useful. This was one of my first videos made, and I have already learned a lot since it was created, but the suggestions for continued improvement are welcomed. Also, I have added the ideas you mentioned to my list of future potential videos.

[@ClockWorkJake]

@@lonnixlethe You've obviously got some personal assents that work well & a great instinnc for it, as early as it is in this game, once it's released, with you already having plenty of foundtional content up & ready, I'd be shocked if you don't gain a few hundred thousand followers dang near overnight.

[@HawkesGaming]

Lonnix this was a very well done video.

[@JustThisGuy42]

Damn dude. I definitely fall under the "time is money" category, but way to go on your trade ladder.

[@Blackcat70_]

MY Goodness... thank you for this (and the otther) videos. Quite a journey to understand ccus, lti tokens, melting, etc. The key was your videos and that dang ole CCU GAME tool! Holy smokes. Thank you! Im working on the impossible .. mule to MM!

[@lonnixlethe]

Amazing! Thanks so much for your comment! I am super glad you’ve found the videos useful. And I really hope you enjoy your LTI MM!

[@ohoiboi9818]

I think you did a really good job producing this video. The information was rich and through. Did you edit everything yourself? If you don't mind sharing from concept/creation/completion how long did it take for you to make it? Does the game have video capture options or do you use something else. Apologies for all the questions and any time loss incurred from answering them.

[@lonnixlethe]

Thank you for your comment! I do all the editing myself. Each video takes me between 40 and 80 hours, depending on the length. This one I think was closer to 60 hours if I recall correctly. I am still relatively new to editing though so I am hoping that will speed up with more experience. The game doesn’t have built-in game capture software but it does have a built in 3rd person camera that lets players film cinematic shots when combined with a screen recorder software like OBS. I use a combination of self-filmed shots and cuts from promotional material CIG releases. I think this video relied much more heavily on the promotional material side of things. Hope i was able to answer all the questions you had! 😄

[@ohoiboi9818]

You did great thanks for everything. hope everything goes well for you and just encouragement don't ever give up or give into negative comments etc. Your doing what most will never attempt or have the courage to do and you do it well.

[@yavin24]

"Please be responsible, and only spend within your means..." Because this is the only video game that can become a life-altering addiction lmfao XD But seriously, thank you so much for this video, very well done! Exactly what I was looking for on how to do CCU purchasing :)

[@JohnQuePublic903]

World Of Warcraft *Enters Chat*

[@Adam-082]

uh what? There are tons of video games that can be life altering because of addiction.

[@Adam-082]

eve online enters chat

[@Adam-082]

Lost ark enters chat

[@Adam-082]

almost all blizzard games enters chat

[@PelProS]

thank you for the video

[@lexlexendary8621]

i upgraded from aurora to titan, and im gonna keep it at that. ^^ game is to cool to cut corners on buying ships with $$

[@lonnixlethe]

The Titan is a cool ship! Buying even only one ship at all gets you in to the servers and supports the development. There will be plenty of crews with much bigger ships by the time the game fully releases that you can join so don’t feel pressured to keep upgrading.

[@stefensmith9522]

This year was the first time I tried the ccu chains, melted most of what I had and went to town. I ended up with a odyssey for $425. I don't know why i didn't do this earlier

[@lonnixlethe]

That's pretty good! Did you apply the chain? Or are you going to leave it to try and get further discounts on the next events?

[@stefensmith9522]

@@lonnixlethe I went ahead and applied it, I'm impatient lol

[@lonnixlethe]

@@stefensmith9522 I hear you! I did that my first few chains as well. Might cost a little more, but It's not so bad cause you will get some loaners to use in the near term.

[@siriusscepter]

Good video thanks

[@citizeninja]

Great guide, I'd recommend it to newcomers, and really to anyone anytime the topic comes up. I bought an MSR this IAE for $130 starting with the bonus LTI Argo Cargo-Spartan-Gladius(staying here for awhile)-M50-RAFT-Razor-RetaliatorBase-Prospector-KhartuAl-Vulcan-Scorpius-MSR-$130

[@lonnixlethe]

Nice! That’s a huge discount getting 50% off. Well done 👍 I wish I was smart enough at the time to do the same with my MSR. I only got like 23% off 😛

[@citizeninja]

@@lonnixlethe There's also a CCU chain to the BMM for $265 this IAE...but i jumped the gun and paid $325 for mine. I can still get it for $265 if i chain it after my MSR, so maybe i'll do that, and use the first half of my BMM chain for another future/concept ship. The MSR is a keeper, but also easy to buy in-game within a couple of weeks of starting from a full wipe (by grinding). Other half of the MSR chain (above) to BMM is: MSR-Redeemer-Endeavor-C2-Prowler-400iExplorer-M2-BMM-$265 ($550 ship value)

[@lonnixlethe]

I think picking up the second half of the chain from the MSR to the BMM is a smart idea. MSR should be relatively easy to earn in-game compared to many other ships; certainly easier than the BMM. I'd be curious to hear if that's the path you went down. I did see this BMM chain and was able to pick it up right before the IAE ended. Pretty stoked. Might even see its release before the end of 2022. Fingers crossed!

[@RobertWentzellIII]

I love my msr. First ship I hop in after wipes.

[@citizeninja]

@@RobertWentzellIII yeah, I’m definitely gonna make a new CCU chain for the MSR to replace the one that’ll be upgraded to the BMM

[@Marsarch571]

Great video! Such a simple explanation that my mouth dropped when everything came into place! I do have one question though. when you said "we'll use store credits to upgrade from the $90 Gladius to the $100 Cutlass Black", did that simply mean we'll pay the missing $10 to ccu the warbond gladius to a normal cutty ?

[@lonnixlethe]

That is exactly correct! When the prices between two ships are so close, if the destination ship (cutty in this case) were warbond, it would likely be the same price or less than the source ship (gladius). This would violate the rule that each CCU must be increasing in value. In these cases, you can buy a normal (non-warbond) CCU to bridge the gap. Because it's not warbond, you can also use store credits for these 'bridge' CCU purchases.

[@ShadowcatAlfa]

my fuckups 10 years ago in buying and melting shit means I have a bunch of lti aurora tokens lol. Good to know those are super useful now

[@marlboro9tibike]

Even when I have my CCU chain, I will start with Aurora simply to enjoy everything from 0 to hero.

[@lonnixlethe]

I love the idea of zero to hero. Though for me, my plan is to do this on an alt account. One thing to be cautious about is that if you plan on upgrading your aurora, it may not have LTI. May not be an issue, but if you do upgrade it significantly, you wouldn’t have that base level of protection

[@bray8949]

I'm curious, where did you pull the values for new value and warbound price? I'm finding it hard to decide what ships to buy after the argo till vulture

[@lonnixlethe]

Only during certain times of year ships will go on sale. When they are on sale they will get a ‘warbond’ discount. We just passed the IAE sale in November. The next sale will be the ILW in May I believe. When these sales occur, you will be able to locate the discounted warbond prices

[@sean_gilbert]

Newish player here. I purchased the warbond HoverQuad with LTI that just came out. I'd like to eventually have the MSR with the LTI on it. Would you be able to help me set up a CCU chain to get me there? I have the Google sheet downloaded and I have my starting point and end point set up. I just don't quite know how to fill in the rest. I don't necessarily understand how you know what will be on warbond when. I'd really appreciate any help you are willing to give.

[@lonnixlethe]

Sure thing. I am happy to provide one on one help on the discord. discord.com/invite/E8wmAbqANC I have also made another video on a tool called CCU game that will help you build chains using ships as they go on sale. You can find a link to that video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHLTiHSgndpghKc

[@DillonBabcock]

i should start working on a chain to a carrack, i'll have to keep an eye out for a good lti token

[@lonnixlethe]

Grab a Hoverquad bike! $25 LTI token. That’s as good a deal as I’ve ever seen

[@DillonBabcock]

@@lonnixlethe just grabbed 2 earlier today! officially on my way to me and my friends new space home 😎

[@wallium_8180]

Hello, I have a question, if I uprgrade the ship that was include in the starter pack, am I going to lose the game or what ?

[@goodss2730]

I upgraded my aurora to a hull c and i kept the game itself aswell, so it should work.

[@lonnixlethe]

GOodss is correct. You will not lose access to the game if you upgrade your starter ship. The starter package that lets you access the game is an attribute of the ship. When you upgrade you keep all attributes of the original ship. This is true not only for game packages, but also with insurance, hangers and hanger flare.

[@Maxxmentum]

What happens if you upgrade to a ship not in game yet, do you get a loaner til its ready?

[@lonnixlethe]

Great question! For any ships that you own that are unreleased, you will get one or more loner ships. The loaners typically perform a similar set of roles as the concept ship. You can find the list of loaners available for each ship here: support.robertsspaceindustries.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003093114-Loaner-Ship-Matrix Do keep in mind that if you are CCU chaining, only the last applied CCU counts towards determining which loaner ship you get. Individual unapplied CCUs don't grant loaner ships. This means if you are holding off applying your CCUs to try and maximize the discount, you will only get a loaner from the base standalone ship, assuming it is unreleased of course.

[@GavyJ53]

did they make a change to this because i cant select the warbond edition at the ship upgrades page despite it the spirit ships having a warbond edition im only able to select the standard.

[@lonnixlethe]

Warbond upgrades are not always available when the warbond base hull is for sale. I’d recommend keeping an eye out during IAE for more warbond sales as this is when they are most widely available

[@animry]

Hi thanks for the video, i hope i came across your video before i did my purchase I hope you can help me with the below case: Basically I'm running two accounts in my 2nd account I'm planning to gift the game package (which has CCU applied to it) to my main account. The plan is to melt the gifted package into store credit in my main account, then upgrade an existing LTI ship (bought with real money) to a new ship and pay the difference using store credit available. Is this doable? Would the new ship be gifted or bound to my account?! Thanks in advice.

[@lonnixlethe]

This should be completely doable! As a matter of fact, I believe I have outlined the process in my video here: studio.kzbin.infosgryepkqpts/edit A few things to keep in mind, you may need to wait 30 days before you can transfer your game package from your secondary account to your main account. Also, once you transfer the secondary account's game package, it will then be bound to your primary account because that will use its ability to be gifted one time. However, this likely won't be an issue if you plan to melt. You won't be able to transfer the free referral ship from your secondary account to your main account because referral bonuses can't be gifted. Happy to answer any other specific questions you might have!

[@siddheshkadam1988]

i joined in this IAE, got the nomad starter pack warbond which gave a 10 year insurance, upgraded to cutlass black the next day and later to a constellation tauras. i do have the 10 year insurance to the tauras now, my plan is to buy the higher priced ships gradually but i want to have LTI which i feel i wont be able to add to my current ship. what would be a good path to follow and is there any way to get LTI on my current package ?

[@lonnixlethe]

That sounds like a great start! So, to get LTI on your current ships you are not completely out of luck, though you would have to get quite lucky. It is possible to add LTI to an existing chain IF there is a CCU in your chain that has LTI. However, these CCUs are rarely on offer. And, even if you did find one on offer, it would have to be within your target price range. Possibly a more reliable approach would be to keep an eye out for future low-cost (

[@siddheshkadam1988]

@@lonnixlethe thank you for the detailed reply. subscribing :)

[@Qwarzz]

Been sitting in my 300i since 2012 and I assume I'll always have that too. Considered upgrading it to something a few times but didn't really see any reason to do so. It's hard to say what the game even will be at release so I can't be sure what I'd like to have then. More powerful ship would of course help after every wipe during alpha and beta but ehh...

[@lonnixlethe]

Absolutely. It’s certainly a more cost effective route if you don’t know what you’d like to do in the game at release

[@trevoC132]

Funny enough the built in "game" in the pledge store is the only one that is finished.

[@UnknownMoses]

I purchased my mustang alpha with 3 month insurance back in 2017, not i looked at upgrading it to a Cutlass Black for the difference in price. If I purchased the Cutlass Black as a stand-alone ship I would get 6 month insurance. My insurance has obviously expired on the Mustang Alpha so what insurance would I end up with on the Cutlass Black after upgrading? Also, as someone who does not play that much, forgetting to renew insurance would be easy to do and losing a ship I paid real money for would be very annoying. The insurance mechanic is interesting and would help prevent pay to win but at the same time, losing a ship because forgetting to update insurance isn't good either.

[@UnknownMoses]

Also, currently the only ship with LTI is the Carrack package for 1100.00 dollars. I'd love to buy it but, one that is a lot of money for a game.

[@senzar9970]

Soo, if you upgrade to a warbond ship, the value from the new ship to the next is calculated as non warbond? And that saves the money?

[@lonnixlethe]

Yep! A very concise explanation. 👍🏻

[@senzar9970]

@@lonnixlethe ah! Good to hear, I was a bit unsure. Now IAE can come :D

[@abracadabra3814]

I have purchased the uee exploration 2950 pack.Can i swap a ship for a less expensive one instead of upgrading and paying more? Imwould like to have a credit for a single ship and not the entire pack….. I don’t know if it is clear enough as an explanation

[@lonnixlethe]

I am sorry to report, but CIG does not allow for melting individual ships from a pack. You can either upgrade the ships in the pack using CCUs, or you melt the entire pack and use the money to buy the ships individually (potentially saving money with CCU chains). This lack of flexibility is one of the biggest downsides to owning a pack. On the bright side though, it will be much easier to use these bigger ships to earn the cheaper ships in game, if you do decide to keep your pack and upgrade further from there.

[@abracadabra3814]

@@lonnixlethe yes I wanted the carrack…the freelancer dur and the terrapin were not what i wanted…. The carrack isn’t sold separately soni will keep the pack.

[@lonnixlethe]

The carrack (and every other ship) does go on sale in November for the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. But, otherwise you are right, it is not a regularly available ship.

[@waterfalls4540]

Base hull you chose has LTI. But it is not giftable. Correct?

[@lonnixlethe]

You are correct. In this video's example I am using a LTI ship from a referral bonus. Because it is a referral bonus, it is not gift-able.

[@mr.mardoc8651]

How are you able to use store credit for the gaps if you are buying warbonds, isnt the entire point that they need new money to purchase them or am I missing something?

[@Korrack]

In case you still need the answer; In a sample chain “a b c d e f” If new money war bond upgrades are “b d f” you fill the gaps “a c e” with credit upgrades

[@mr.mardoc8651]

@@Korrack thanks that helps

[@0Myale0]

All Great, if you could bye the the MSR from store.. but it's not buyable.

[@lonnixlethe]

It will be on sale again! Check back in march during the Invictus Launch Week (ILW) or in in November for the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE). If that’s a ship you want to to buy at a discount, don’t let’s it’s current unavailability prevent you from starting a chain.

[@nightdevil6666]

Ok so the only way this works is if you can find ships that are discounted and eventually resell/trade them for max value and keep doing that until you hit the amount of ships necessary to get the ship you want?

[@lonnixlethe]

Not exactly. You will find discounted upgrades (instead of standalone ships) that will let you go from one ship to the next larger ship. Each time you apply the upgrade you get to stack up each upgrades discounts. I mention that it's not trading because if you melt these ships you only get back what you paid losing the discount.

[@nightdevil6666]

@@lonnixlethe My wordage was wrong lol. I meant upgrade. So if you get the upgrades at reduced value, you have to wait until they hit max value again to make headway on the next ship?

[@lonnixlethe]

@@nightdevil6666 Technically, no. However, if the ship does increase value you will get difference between old and new price as bonus value. I would suggest you try not to think about how to account for price changes as the most common end result simply means you can melt an CCU and reclaim the credits. In my opinion, planning on price changes from ships or upgrades is too speculative, especially when you can chain discounted upgrades in a much more predictable way as is outlined in the video. -------------- The trick that the video outlines is that when you buy a discounted warbond upgrade, you are getting a more expensive ship for less than sticker price. For example, let’s say you’ve spent $55 on an avenger titan as your base ship. You want to end up at a constellation andromeda worth $240. You could upgrade directly paying $185, the difference in value between the two ships . However, if you are patient and wait for discounts, you can get the ship for cheaper. Let’s say there is a warbond sale for upgrading to a nova tank; normally a $120 vehicle but at a warbond price of $95. It’s not the ship you want, but you can use this upgrade to stack your discounts. So you buy the upgrade to the Nova and pay $40, the difference in price between your avenger titan ($55) and the nova ($95 on sale). If you were to apply this upgrade to your titan, the ship would be worth $120 which is the full value of the nova. However, you will have only paid $95 total due to the warbond discount on the upgrade; already $25 in savings. However, you don’t want a nova so you decide not to apply the CCU so you can keep using your titan. Instead you just keep the upgrade as an item in your hanger for later. Next, maybe a few months later, the andromeda CCU goes on sale for $225, a $15 discount on a ship worth $240. To stack this discount, we will buy this upgrade from the Nova tank paying $105, the difference between our $120 nova and the $225 (discounted price) andromeda. We now have a complete chain connects our titan to our target ship, the andromeda. To use our andromeda we must apply each CCU in order. First we apply the avenger -> nova upgrade, followed by the nova -> andromeda upgrade. We now have a ship worth $240, but because of the $25 discount on the nova and $15 discount on the andromeda we’ve only spent $200. You can add as many links in your upgrade chain as you are able. The only restriction is that you can only apply upgrades that increase in value. So if the original ships value of a potential upgrade is below the final value of the previous upgrade in the chain’s value, the store won’t sell an upgrade(downgrade really) for this combination. For example, if you already own the avenger to nova upgrade and the next warbond sale has a cyclone mt for $65 instead of $75, you won’t be able to use this because the cyclone’s value is below the value of the nova. You will need to pick one of the two upgrades to continue your chain. It’s for this reason that it’s recommended to buy the smallest value upgrades as possible. If we would have upgraded from a $90 gladius to the $95 nova tank instead of from the avenger, we would have only had to pay $5 to go from a $90 ship to a $120 tank. That’s 5x more value than we paid for. Then we could have also grabbed the upgrade from the $65 discounted cyclone mt from the avenger titan for only $10, turning it into a $75 ship. Then, even if there is no discount, we can always do a standard upgrade paying $15 (possibly even in store credits) to go from our $75 to cyclone mt to the gladius where we can continue the same chain as before. However, in this example, because we bought the smallest upgrades possible, we were also able to squeeze an additional $10 warbond upgrade in our chain lowering the final value we paid to $195. That’s 18.75% savings on an andromeda that is still worth $240. This was super long winded so I hope this was all clear and not more confusing. If you get lost in the example, hit me up on the channel’s discord and I’ll be happy to walk you through it

[@RobertWentzellIII]

Brain officially melted

[@lonnixlethe]

Hopefully in a good way!

[@spinwardbound]

Wow. This still works?

[@lonnixlethe]

Indeed. It does!

[@jamespalmer5358]

Did you forget to add the $35 starting cash? Plus the $95, for $130 total? That's a 50% discount still! Thanks either way.

[@lonnixlethe]

Then base hull (Argo MPUV-1C) used in this example is $0 due to being acquired via a referral bonus. If you did buy this ship without the referral bonus then your math would be spot on!

[@pistolwhip7130]

if you missed the bmm before it jumped then that sux for you,

[@lonnixlethe]

You are right that the BMM was amazing for getting lots of free value for the early backers of that ship. However, if the BMM is your target ship and you don’t mind it won’t be giftable, there are plenty available for around half price on the grey market. If you go that route do be sure to stick to reputable sources like star hanger.

[@housebaelishgaming]

What's the ship called at 2:21?

[@lonnixlethe]

I believe the ship you are asking about is the Aegis Eclipse.

[@housebaelishgaming]

@@lonnixlethe thanks

[@gaatjegeenrukaangek6]

nice tactic, but insead of keeping my eyes on the pledge store and doing lots of waiting, calculating, and hoping to be lucky for months if not years, I just work 1 to 2 days and pay for the darn ship.

[@lonnixlethe]

If you are fortunate enough to be in that position, that certainly is a valid tactic as well! And it does help fund the game more too if that’s a priority of yours 👍🏻

[@lonnixlethe]

Thinking on this approach a bit more, I do want to point out that if you do buy the ship directly, you may miss out on a opportunity to apply a better level of insurance such as LTI. You still can of course skip all the chaining and instead buy an upgrade from your LTI token directly to your preferred ship if you wanted to keep things simple.

[@gaatjegeenrukaangek6]

@@lonnixlethe that indeed is true, but it feels like a lot of a hussle. it might be an option if you are really planning on experiencing everyship for a good while but for me that simply won't work taken the time I have available to play each day. I get the save your money mentality but it indeed requires a lot of patience and luck.

[@lonnixlethe]

@@gaatjegeenrukaangek6 it does require patience, but probably not as much luck as you might think. Sure, ships do need to go on warbond sale, and they do need to fit in the gaps in your chain, but the two biggest ship sales are at the same time each year; ILW end of May and IAE in November. Even if you don’t get a ‘perfect chain’ where every warbond purchase feeds into the next warbond purchase with minimal new money spent leading to ~50% or more savings, just having a few links in the chain can save $100 or more on medium to large ships. Also, you can always take store credits and buy non-warbond CCU to patch up any holes in your chain whenever you are done so you always have an out, even if the luck of what goes on warbond sale isn’t in your favor. So I might say that luck is optional; only really needed for min/maxing a chain.

[@Hytension]

Lol it's the functional equivalent to trading stocks. But keep working bro! You got this.

[@DJSikosis]

Talk about confusing ... I think I'll just stick with my starter ship for the moment.

[@lonnixlethe]

It is a little convoluted, sure. But like riding a bike, it’s not so bad after doing it once.

[@IsThatDrak]

i need an asprin. think im gonna stick with me mustang coz that made no sense whatsoever to me lol

[@CrankCraven]

This is convoluted af. I really want to play this, as someone with hundreds of hours in elite. But this cash cow shit will have to go once the game fully releases, so I really think waiting is the play

[@lonnixlethe]

Please keep in mind that you only need a starter ship to play the game. Eventually every ship becomes available with in game currency. This is where I would recommend everyone starts. This method is for people who really enjoy the game and want to support the project by pledging additional funds, but also want to maximize their pledge rewards in the process.

[@Ace-Brigade]

Not anymore

[@8outof10catzDOOM]

Doesn't always work, I worked out that from a prospector to a redeemer you pay slightly more by upgrading in stages as opposed to just doing one upgrade. Do you honestly think they would make it so they could potentially lose profit? I advise everyone to do the maths before doing this method, work it out beforehand otherwise you may end up paying either the same or slightly more.

[@lonnixlethe]

I am sorry to say, but it would appear as though you may have some misunderstandings about how CCU chaining works. If I had to guess, the reason your calculations did not show any discounts is that you were probably not including the limited-time warbond sales that reduce the price of the final ship. Without these warbond discounts, you are correct that the final price of the ship would remain the same regardless of how many non-discounted non-warbond upgrades you have in the chain. I would encourage you to rewatch the video paying special attention to how specifically warbond upgrades (not just any upgrade) can be stacked to get the big discounts. I too will review the video to find any places that this may not have been made exceptionally clear. This will let me know what to update in a future re-release of the video to avoid confusion for any other viewers. Additionally, I also wanted to highlight some of the reasons why CIG would provide these discounts. CCU chaining incentivizes citizens to stay engaged and continue supporting the project. By having a reason to continually return to the game to get these incremental discounts, it is more likely that these citizens will have the game front of mind and therefore will be more easily convinced to spend more money and invite their friends. These discounts also reward these highly-engaged citizens by enabling them to purchase larger ships at lower prices. This makes these citizens with the discount feel special ultimately increasing their loyalty. Lastly, CCU chaining breaks ship purchases down into much smaller bite-sized payments that over time can enable citizens to spend much more on the pledge store than they would typically be able to do in a single large lump-sum purchase. If you would like personalized assistance so you too can take advantage of these discounts, I'd be happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have on discord: discord.gg/E8wmAbqANC I sincerely hope that we can sort out any misunderstandings so you too can receive the benefit of CCU chaining. Cheers!

[@whitesyrup9049]

so instead of just buying the ship you slowly spend the money on discounted ships till you get the one you want at discount so spend a year buying ships on sale till you have enough spent to trade for the one you want??? I think thats what you are trying to say

[@lonnixlethe]

Indeed. It does take longer, but for citizens looking at building an ideal long-term fleet this is how you can get multiple ships for the price of one. And when planning for the future, oftentimes these fleets will include ships and gameplay loops that haven't been added to the game yet. In these circumstances, it makes the waiting much more tolerable because you wouldn't be playing with the target ships yet anyways. The only caveat I might add to your statement (and it is mostly semantics) is that you don't need to 'trade' in the previously purchased ships. Instead, you'd simply apply the upgrades to reach the target ship.

[@whitesyrup9049]

@@lonnixlethe so you keep all the previous ships as well I thought you upgraded from one ship to the other till you got the one you wanted

[@lonnixlethe]

Possibly I misunderstood what you meant by 'trade'. When you upgrade you do go from one ship to another, so at the end you will have only one target ship per chain. But there shouldn't be any exchanging or 'melting' of any of the purchased upgrades to get to the target ship. Hopefully phrasing it this way is more clear.

[@whitesyrup9049]

@@lonnixlethe okay that is clear but I understand the concept I might try it out to explore more ships while I wait for the one I want thank you for the video it helped and explained pretty well

[@parisgwyr7865]

You keep spending money in something you will get free playing

[@lonnixlethe]

I know this has been covered before, but for many people, they may have the money to spend on their favorite ships, but not the time to earn these ships in game. In particular, I am thinking of busy professionals who only get a few hours a week to play. The value of buying ships is further compounded if these people want to play during the alpha when there are still wipes to money and ships. While these techniques to get ships cheaper are targeted towards unreleased ships where people have to wait anyways, they can also be used during huge events like ILW and IAE to get pretty big discounts on already released ships. Finally, I know some people (myself included) want to support the game, but still want to get the most out of their money spent. By buying ships in this way, you can also add LTI to nearly any ship in the game, which also will provide a low level of protection that will allow for relatively easily returning to any purchased ship’s gameplay loop despite what misfortunes occur to our ships in the verse (such a needing to use a ship to earn the money for its improved insurance and losing it in the process). This isn't to say that buying ships is for everyone, but instead to share and respect different perspectives from others in the community.

[@zachfinger]

You still had to buy all those warbond ships, do you even want those?

[@lonnixlethe]

Each of the warbond ships you buy are only stepping stones to lock in the discount toward the ship you want. These aren’t ships you necessarily want or would even use. It’s actually encouraged not to apply the warning for those ships until you have the full chain to keep maximum flexibility for reworking your chain if ever need be. I hope that answers your question!

[@Hinru13]

I'm so confused :(

[@cogthrone9312]

same haha

[@lonnixlethe]

Is there a particular part you found confusing? Happy to answer any questions you’d have. Also, understanding which parts are unclear will help me know what to rework when I release an update to this video. Thanks!

[@Galactic-Bulge]

@@lonnixlethe ok i can buy back my IAE MSR, how do i get to a Polaris or better etc?

[@lonnixlethe]

@@Galactic-Bulge are you looking to start a new chain to get to the Polaris? Or are you wanting to upgrade the MSR? If a new chain, there is an amazing deal for a $25 LTI token now with the quad bike. If you are asking about mechanically how to organize a chain that goes from either of these ships to the other, I’d recommend using the CCU Game tool. Shameless plug, I’ve made a video on how to do that here! Save On Ships The Easy Way - Automate CCU Chaining with CCU Game kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHLTiHSgndpghKc

[@EdwardRatliff]

So you spend a year of your life and go through all that to save $100??

[@lonnixlethe]

It could be a lot more than $100 depending on which ship you are buying, especially if you have multiple chains going at once for many different ships. The wait is much more tolerable if you are chaining towards ships that haven’t been released yet.

[@Ash_Rackham]

I have an A2 that cost 305 dollars. And a carrack for 325 the "savings" can be considerable.

[@bwbedwetter3075]

is this still relevant?

[@lonnixlethe]

It is! These mechanics still exist in the pledge store and warbond sales are still happening every few months.

[@bwbedwetter3075]

@@lonnixlethe i am so confused by this even after watching it like 3 time lol, its probably because i only upgraded from the aurora to the titan. i am looking for a ship around 200-250 dollars with lifetime insurance. is this video implying that i will need to wait for multiple events to happen before i can get that high of a discount towards a concept ship? with invictus week coming up idk if i should buy a ship outright or try this CCU chaining

[@lonnixlethe]

@@bwbedwetter3075 you may need to wait for multiple events, but you don’t have buy the upgrades in order. You should pick your target ship then buy any warbond upgrade that becomes available that fits within your chain. Do be aware that if you want lifetime insurance, you may need to start a new chain from a concept or referral ship unless you get really lucky with them releasing a LTI upgrade.

[@lonnixlethe]

@@bwbedwetter3075 I would maybe also add that if you have questions about how to CCU you can tag me in the discord linked in the video description. I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible answering any questions you may have directly

[@broderp]

Why so many hoops, so dumb. The makers of this game know most will not fiddle with this and just buy what they want. It's a cash grab.

[@lonnixlethe]

There are a few hoops, certainly. However, another way to look at it is that they are rewarding their fans for being loyal by providing small discounts in regular time intervals for staying active in the project. Not saying this is a right or wrong way to do it; just a different perspective.

[@sal592]

what.

[@lonnixlethe]

Hi @sal, if you have specific questions I am happy to answer them on discord!

[@peenice]

Nice, but its a lot if waiting and fucking around.

[@lonnixlethe]

You aren’t wrong. But for anyone who’s got more time than money, or who wants to build a pretty big fleet, it can be worth the hassle.

[@peenice]

@@lonnixlethe yeh no I do appreciate it, but some time you know it is with SC. I just have to have the ship now! Ha

[@lonnixlethe]

@@peenice agreed. It’s best for when the ship you want is unreleased. Much less pressure.

[@bme7491]

release 1.0??? LOL. We'll all be dead by then.

[@lonnixlethe]

Maybe… just maybe 😛

[@peterbach1126]

And how do you get LTI ships ? xD yeaaahhhh..

[@lonnixlethe]

Every ship is offered with LTI during either its concept sale or when it is first released. Keep an eye out for patch releases or in-game events as this is when most of these sales coincide.

[@cmdr_talikarni]

Uh no thanks, not spending hundreds in real money for digital items...

[@lonnixlethe]

That’s perfectly fine! All ships will eventually be available to purchase in game. This technique is to get the most out of their money for people who have already decided they want to support the project.

[@ntg158]

Bro can you help me how i can buy a DRAKE CORSIAR right now i have an Aurora upgraded to Mercury! thanks

[@lonnixlethe]

Because the corsair is less than the MSR ($250 < $260), if you've applied the Mercury CCU then won't be able to get a CCU from the MSR to the corsair. In this case, you would need to melt the Mercury and put the funds towards a new chain for the Drake Corsair. If you've been buying war bond CCUs for the Mercury, this approach is not advisable because you will lose the warbond discounts you've acquired. Alternatively, If you haven't yet applied the CCUs, you can instead update your chain so that the Corsair is a link on the way to the MSR. If you already have a warbond CCU to the MSR, you probably wouldn't be able to use it any longer because the value would be less than Corsair, but this would only be one link in the chain. If you'd like more direct and specialized help, please reach out to my on my channel's discord: discord.gg/E8wmAbqANC