Released at the end of November 2019 during the presentation of the Carrack during CitizenCon 2949, the Anvil C8X Pisces Expedition package offers the same advantages as the Mustang Alpha and Aurora MR packages except that here you will have 6 months of insurance instead of 3. But apart from this detail, it remains to be seen if the Pisces is really a Starter worthy of interest?
- First Level Hangar (Self Hangar),
- No Digital Goodies,
- 6 months insurance,
- 1000 EUC.
| Starter Pack |
Price HT |
Insu. |
UEC |
Licence Value |
Hangar Value |
Goodies Value |
Ships Value |
Pack Value |
Gain on CCU |
Gain on Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustang Alpha Starter Pack | 45.00$ | 3 | 1000 | 45.00$ | 0.00$ | 1.00$ | 30.00$ | 77.00$ | -15.00$ | 32.00$ |
| Aurora MR Starter Pack | 45.00$ | 3 | 1000 | 45.00$ | 0.00$ | 1.00$ | 30.00$ | 77.00$ | -15.00$ | 32.00$ |
| Anvil C8X Pisces Expedition | 60.00$ | 6 | 1000 | 45.00$ | 0.00$ | 1.00$ | 45.00$ | 92.00$ | -15.00$ | 32.00$ |
| 'Goodies' Value | Valorization of digital content, UECs, Flairs and Skins if any |
| Ships Value | Valuation of the ships present in the pack according to their CCU value |
| Pack Value | Valuation of the whole content |
| Gain on Ships | The ratio between the Ship Valuation and the purchase value of the pack excluding VAT, is positive only on high value packs. |
| Gain on Pack | Ratio between the Value of the Pack and the purchase value of the pack excluding VAT |
Is the Anvil C8X Pisces Expedition a viable starter ship?
As such, the Pisces C8X Expedition is not a bad ship.
Considering the fact that it is compact, has 4 size 1 weapons, a cargo capacity of 4 SCU's and the ability to carry two passengers in addition to the pilot, all tagged "Expedition" on paper, one might be tempted to say that it is a little gem in your hand.
The problem is that when you look closer, you quickly realize that this ship is more minimalist and that in the end, well, there's something better...
Comparable armament of an Aurora MR.
First of all, the Pisces is not a hunter, but it is nevertheless equipped with 4 size 1 weapons, two of which are size 1 Gimbal, and two Marksman I missiles. This puts the Pisces on a par with the Aurora MR in terms of weapon points, except that the Pisces is fully equipped while the Aurora MR will have to acquire its last two weapons in play.
No bed.
I'm not really looking at this kind of detail in the context of ships of this size as I feel that a small ship will always need to refuel and I can't really imagine disconnecting in the middle of nowhere. But I know that some players place a lot of importance on being able to disconnect anywhere in the game.
No modularity.
In Whitley's Guide to Pisces, it was suggested that Pisces could be modular.
Bad luck, in the Pisces Q&A it was announced that this would not be the case at all.
The Pisces is as it is designed and cannot be transformed.
The C8X has "Expedition" only the name.
Don't think you have a real expedition ship here. The Pisces was designed to complement the Carrack and go where the Carrack can't. But without the Carrack, the Pisces is quickly limited. And don't think the C8X version is any different from the C8 version that comes with the Carrack, because in fact the C8X is just a C8 with two extra size 1 weapons and a special livery in Anvil's colors, but the equipment remains the same.
No jump module...
While during the CitizenCon CIG announces the arrival of the jump points, which will then be presented in the ISC of December 5th, they find nothing better than to propose a Starter ship which is not equipped with a jump module.
You will be able to add one later when it's in game when it's possible, but it's a bit light as compensation when a simple Aurora MR at $30.00 HT offers a bed, two size 1 weapons mounted on Gimbal and a jump module.
It's expensive to pay for the special Anvil livery
This is a great pity, because the Pisces C8/C8X is a good shuttle that will proudly complement the Carrack, but it is not a starter ship at all.
Against an Aurora MR at $30.00 HT and an Avenger Titan at $60.00 HT, the Pisces has a hard time making a name for itself with its $45.00 HT. Nothing justifies such a cost, and one has more the impression to overpay this ship for the simple luxury of having a special Anvil livery.
At $45.00 HT the Starter ship that doesn't even have a jump module, at this price, you might as well add $15.00 HT and take an Avenger Titan, you will lose the capacity to carry two passengers but on the other hand you will have a real Starter ship that won't be afraid to go into battle if you feel like it.
The absence of 42 Squadron isn't helping...
I find this regrettable, especially since when it was released during CitizenCon 2949, the warbond edition of the Pisces was offered in standalone, in a pack including Star Citizen, and in a pack including Squadron 42 and Star Citizen. But since then, the pack including Squadron 42 has disappeared and only the version including Star Citizen remains.
In the end, this pack is only of interest if you're aiming for something bigger and don't plan to invest in the Squadron 42 solo campaign.
The goal is to acquire the pack for its 6 months of insurance and then upgrade the Pisces to an Avenger Titan, 300i/315p or any other ship worth between $50.00 and $60.00 excluding VAT.
Beyond $60.00 HT, I advise you to forget about this package and look at the other packages...
