XCOM 2 Collection -97% Off (2024 Steam Spring Sale)

Yeah, that happens to me sometimes with some games :)
Don't think about it!

I got the game with Reinforcement Pack in a bundle; then I got the collection with the remaining DLCs for €3.45. I was also ecstatic. Also, still unplayed.

Same story for oh so many games :(

This is why i only buy at not more than 5€ or bundle ;)

In your case since you already own the base game that isn't factored in so your personal discount ends up being 95% instead for the other 4 items. The page tag that shows on the tab, as well as this thread, refers to the bundle in its entirety, which you'll see at 97% discount if you check it logged out/incognito

Edit: The bundle discount itself is 90% btw, however that applies on top of the already individually discounted prices, bringing the total discount from the base price to the % we are shown(in your case 95% since you own the base game)

The additional discount for the bundle is 90%. I believe it originally was 80%, same as the discount on the first XCOM's complete version. This discount is permanently available just for purchasing the bundle.

95% is the sum discount you're getting, after that 90% is applied across the various games, and multiplied against their individual discounts. Since you already own one of the two discounted games, that game isn't being calculated in, which is why your discount is only 95% rather than 97% (thus, if you were to also own War of the Chosen, your discount would be just the 90% offered by the bundle's own discount, since none of the other items in the bundle are individually discounted at the moment).

Since the page doesn't do personalized calculations until after loading, that'd explain why it still has 97% in the title, as that's what any not-logged-in account would see displayed in their summary. Basically, it's just the usual Steam store display quirks.

Putting everything else aside, it's rather confusing to claim "fake discount" as a response to the displayed percentages, when the actual prices can just be referenced instead. I did note the flat price history in my post, which appears to be 1:1 with your currency, so that should make for an easy reference. It's definitely a legitimate discount, and since the big appeal is the 50% off the Collection (80%->90% = an additional 50% discount) combined with the all-time-low price of War of the Chosen, it's still a great deal.

You could definitely try and hold out to see if the discounts persist and eventually overlap with a discount on the other DLCs, thereby lowering the percentage/discount even lower, but there's no guarantee either discount will persist.

Given that even wanting one of the DLCs is enough to make this Collection worth buying as an owner of the base game, it could be a pretty hard loss if they change the pricing back after skipping on the offer. Of course, if all you want is War of the Chosen, you'd potentially be better off waiting for a Fanatical discount or using Humble subscriber discount to reduce the price further (as Humble generally matches the store prices during sales directly).

Not seeing any bundles or steam store discounts that'd explain a Feb 2022 activation date (Bundles: Humble Bundle in early 2021 and repeated in summer 2022, Fanatical bundle in May 2022.) Closest thing I could find on the 14th was a $3.59 pricing on Fanatical and IndieGala (and similar pricing on three more obscure sites), so might want to check your purchase history on those.

Probably not worth it for the undiscounted DLCs alone, since even if it reverts back to an 80% bundle discount, you just have to beat a 50% discount average on the DLCs to get a better offer that way.

Currently available on Fanatical for $2.69, a bit cheaper if an individual has an active 5% off coupon (typically granted with any purchase or free game activation).

However, it's $0.29 in the bundle ($2.99 - 90%), making that a phenomenally better deal for those planning on getting the bundle anyway, and Fanatical's historical low for the base game is $1.98, so those wanting the base game on its own are probably best left waiting to see if Fanatical'll match that price again in the future.

Worth noting, but probably not worth adding to the thread post.