Santa Containers Strategy Guide

The main strategy to increase your chances of getting Tier VIII or higher ships from Santa containers, and thus avoid low-tier ships, is to acquire all the lower-tier Premium ships (Tier V-VII) that are in the Santa container drop pool before opening your containers.

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Here is the breakdown of why and how this works:

The Core Mechanic: Drop Pool Exclusion

• Unique Ship Drop Rule: Santa containers are designed to drop a Premium or Special ship you do not already own if a ship drop is triggered.
• Tier Groups: The ships in Santa containers are categorized into three main groups, usually with different base drop chances (e.g., in a Mega container):
  • Tier V-VII ships (Highest chance)
  • Tier VIII-IX ships (Moderate chance)
  • Tier X and Rare ships (Lowest chance)
• Chance Distribution: If a container is "rolling" for a ship and selects a ship group that you have completely cleared (meaning you own every ship in that group), the chance that was allocated to that group is redistributed proportionally among the remaining ship groups that you do not fully own.

In essence, by owning all the Tier V-VII ships in the pool, you completely eliminate the highest-chance drop category, forcing those chances to be added to the higher-tier ship groups, thus significantly improving your odds for Tier VIII, IX, or X ships.

Practical Steps to Avoid Low-Tier Ships

• Identify the Drop Pool:
  • Check the official announcements or the in-game Armory/Premium Shop description for the current year's Santa containers. They usually list the total number of ships and sometimes the full ship list for each tier group (V-VII, VIII-IX, X/Rare).
• Acquire the Tier V-VII Ships:
  • Check the Armory: Look for the Tier V, VI, and VII Premium ships listed in the drop pool that are currently available for resources like Coal or Doubloons in the Armory.
  • Use Resources Wisely: Purchase these lower-tier ships using Coal or the lowest amount of Doubloons possible, especially those that cost less than the expected cost-per-ship from the containers. Using Coupons for Doubloon purchases can also make this more cost-effective.
  • Prioritize the Lowest Tiers: Start with Tier V and VI ships, as they are generally the cheapest to buy outright, and they make up the bulk of the highest-chance drop pool.

Important Note: This strategy requires a significant investment of resources (Coal/Doubloons/money) to acquire the low-tier ships, but it is the only way to actively manipulate the random drop chances of the Santa containers.

Other General Tips

• Open Mega Containers: Santa's Mega Gift containers have the highest overall ship drop chance and the best distribution of chances towards higher-tier ships compared to the Small or Big Santa containers.
• Be Aware of Guaranteed Drops (Mercy Rule): There is a guaranteed ship drop mechanic (e.g., a ship guaranteed after 14 Mega Containers without one), but this is just a guaranteed ship—it doesn't guarantee a high-tier ship. The acquired ship will still come from one of the three tier groups.