Help me make a few decisions with my remaining credit and CCUs here
TL;DR: I have credit and high-value CCUs that make it possible to go big without spending new money. Crucible or Vulcan? Reclaimer + Arrastra over smaller industry ships? Perseus, Polaris, or Tiburon?
Everything in green is either a WB purchase or finished CCU chain, so essentially locked in unless I upgrade further.
I've been patient with CCUs and recently capitalized on the Raft, Hull B, and Railen price increases, which opened up some larger ships at ~50% off or more (Ironclad melt: $195, M80: $145, Hermes: $120, etc.). I still have unused CCUs with solid value behind them, including one larger chain (caps at A2 currently with ~$300 melt value depending on where the Railen ends up) that I originally eyed for the Polaris but decided against it for a few reasons:
- I mostly play solo or with 2-3 friends, so the Polaris rarely gets fully crewed. The Perseus thrives with just 2-3 people on turrets.
- I plan to use the Liberator as my modular forward operating base, making the Polaris's carrier role redundant.
- Undermanned, the Polaris punches well below its weight (John Crewe has never heard this phrase spoken aloud). I wanna kill big things without needing 7+ crew to get there
The Tiburon is now complicating things, so Perseus vs. Tiburon speculation is welcome regardless of how tired of a debate it's already become.
Unused CCUs and targets:
- Nova --> Raft x4: Liberator, Super Hornet, Terrapin Medic, one TBD (Vulcan?)
- Cutlass Red --> Hull B x3: Crucible, possibly Reclaimer, one TBD
- Terrapin Medic --> Railen x3: Liberator, Perseus, one TBD (Arrastra?)
The Railen's final price obviously affects all of this.
Am I falling into the trap of maximizing CCU value over fleet practicality? Some of these larger ships need crew I won't always have, but it also won't cost much more of my credit to go big.
For example, the Crucible repairs everything but likely needs crew to do it. Is the Vulcan more appropriate for my fleet size even if it only saves me $50 or so in credit?
I like the "earn down" philosophy of "pledge big ships, buy small ones in-game", but I also like having LTI options available from day one without crewing requirements.
A few footnotes on the weird picks:
- Aurora Mk. I: tied to my SQ42 pack, basically a collectible
- C8X: converted from a referral P-72 snub because I wanted a proper Carrack shuttle and the C8x gets 2 more s1 hard points
- Aurora Mk. II and Clipper: pure vibes, no real purpose for owning them beyond liking the way they look/perform