Hey everybody! This is NOT a sponsored post.
I just want to share my cleverness with whomever thinks this is clever.
Right now Steam is holding their supersale on Civ 6.
After a modicum of consideration, I convinced myself that I would play it even though I have civ 5 but choose to play civ 4 instead. I was informed by friends that they preferred 6, and so, since I want to play with them, I ... well, you know.
So, at the Steam store, I see that supersale. Civ 6 is $14.99, usually $59.99. Good enough.
But... YOHO.
DLC in bundles.
Now, I try not to fall for marketing gimmicks, but I also have heard from friends, when I complained that civ 5 was less appealing to me than civ 4, that you NEEDED the expansions to get the full experience.
Well blast me to gosh darn outer space, I shall not fall for their gold-encrusted ice cream scam!
So, I never did, and happily played civ 4.
But here is this bundle staring me in the face... wait... TWO bundles?
So, the base game is $14.99.
There's a Civilizations bundle for 80% off at $7.60. (which doesn't include the base game)
and there's a PREMIUM bundle which says it's an additional 46% off, but which is $47.63
Hm.
What's in the premium bundle?
It's the game, the civilizations bundle, and two expansions (that I assume are akin to the Beyond the Sword and Warlords expansions of Civ 4)
BUT!
They take the sale price of the base game... and a sale price for those expansions, but NOT the sale price of the civilizations bundles.
Time to research what happens if you already own elements of a bundle before purchase...
YES AHA!
Here's the hack:
You have to buy the standalone game first $14.99 with the 80% off civilizations bundle $7.60 ($22.59)
Then you buy the premium bundle, which doesn't make you buy what you already own, and so is $18.88.
$41.47 is less than $47.63!
MUAHAHA! We saved more than 6 dollars! We have hacked the world!
By the way, these discounts are good until... I think October 7th, 2020?
No guarantees. I don't work for Steam.