Orca
Template:Quote The Orca is a ship manufactured by Saud Kruger. One of the galaxy's most popular passenger liners, the Orca combines Saud Kruger's signature sleek aesthetics and luxury accommodations into a relatively affordable package in the large-size ship range. As with other Saud Kruger vessels, it is capable of equipping Luxury-class Passenger Cabins, a manufacturer-exclusive feature. Although the Orca's initial specifications are not especially impressive given its heavy focus on passenger transport, with the right modules and engineering it can be transformed into a surprisingly manoeuvrable ship with above-average jump range. In most roles other than combat, the Orca can get the job done in style.
Overview
The Orca is essentially a passenger carrier version of the Type-7, sacrificing many of its upsides to focus on the passenger aspect, similar to what the Dolphin was to the Type-6.
Where officially its maneuverability is slightly better than an Anaconda and worse than a Beluga Liner, in practice the Orca handles far better than this rating suggests. It has a remarkably high turn rate, high acceleration and max speed, and it is very good at strafing. However, its relatively small power plant and limited hardpoint capacity prevent it from becoming a great combat ship. Its large size makes it an easy target, and its shield and armor are mediocre at best for a ship of this size and class. One of the biggest downsides to the ship is the hardpoint placement; all of which are on the underside of the ship making it easy for ships to stay out of the Orca's firing range. This hasn't stopped a handful of Commanders setting up groups dedicated to combat in Orcas, and like any ship, it is still formidable with engineering and skilled pilots.
The Jump range can reach a rather impressive average of 36lys making it a very good explorer at a fraction of the price of the Anaconda. This makes the Orca a better ship for long distance passenger hauling than most others and contributes heavily to its role as a cruise ship, allowing Commanders to take high-paying VIPs many light-years. Its range is still less than that of a Diamondback/Asp Explorer, which are both a fraction of the price and much better at self-defense.
As a trader or miner the Orca is a very bad option. In both aspects, the Type-7 is a far better option especially due to the Orca's huge pricetag. At a maximum 194T of possible cargo it has the lowest of any large ship, even lower when shielded.
The biggest downside the Orca has is its pricetag; it is only slightly better at its roles than the Dolphin or Type-7 but at more than ten times the cost. It is also worse than the Beluga Liner at everything but jump range; Commanders looking for passenger missions may choose it instead. The Orca is very good at carrying passengers long range, however because of the weight it's ill-advised to bring bulk passengers long range; at which point the Dolphin outclasses the Orca.
The hardpoint placement of the ship is as follows: all 3 hardpoints are located on the underside of the ship. The large hardpoint is placed in front of the front landing gear, whereas the 2 medium hardpoints are located side by side behind the large hardpoint.
The Orca's heat dispersion capabilities are relatively poor, so caution must be taken when adding or engineering modules with a high thermal load. The ship is especially prone to overheat when scooping fuel.
The bridge is located on the bottom of massive window in the front of the ship, with the pilot's seat, on the left side. From there the pilot enjoys excellent viewing angles in all directions but down.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| Lalande 4268 | Lowry Ring | Mar. 3, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Momus Reach | Ralphus | Mar. 3, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Lembava | Goldstein Port | Mar. 3, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Ix | Scully-Power Station | Mar. 3, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Kruger 60 | Kepler Gateway | Mar. 3, 2019 | |
| Atagat | Glashow City | Mar. 3, 2019 | |
| Cemiess | Shoemaker City | Mar. 3, 2019 | |
| Exioce | Macmillan Depot | Mar. 3, 2019 | |
| Mizar | Judson Station | Mar. 3, 2019 | |
| Alkaid | Camus Orbiter | Mar. 3, 2019 |
Outfitting
- Main article: Outfitting
All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Orca.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Hardpoint | Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 |
| Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 | |
| Large Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 3 |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 5 | 5 |
| Thruster Mounting | Thrusters | E | 6 | 6 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 5 | 5 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 6 | 6 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 5 | 5 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 4 | 4 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x32] | C | 5 | 5 |
| Internal Compartments | Cargo Rack [x32] | E | 5 | 6 |
| Cargo Rack [x16] | E | 4 | 5 | |
| Cargo Rack [x16] | E | 4 | 5 | |
| Shield Generator | E | 5 | 5 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| Planetary Approach Suite (H) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (H) = Requires Elite Dangerous: Horizons, reserved solely for Planetary Approach Suite
Trivia
- Initially decals could not be fitted. Now they can and even some basic paint jobs are available (Vibrant pack, Tactical pack, and Military pack)
- A 'fasten seatbelt' tone will sound in the cabin when using this ship's boost.
- According to the Newsletter #84, with 0.016% of players piloting it the Orca is the least popular ship in the game.
- Beyond Chapter Four removes restrictions from the restricted module slots on the Beluga Liner, Dolphin and Orca. This allows them to equip modules other than Passenger Cabins in those slots.[1]
Videos
Gallery
- Orca docked
- Passenger ships
- Orca Sunglare 02
- Orca Sunglare 03
- Orca Sunglare 04
- Cockpit view.
- Orca cockpit sideview
- Orca with the Black Friday paintjob.
- Orca Over Earth-Like Planet
- Orca Landed On Planet
- Orca mining within an Ice Ring.
- Saud Kruger Orca Blueprint
- Orca and Coriolis station
- Orca and an Earth-like planet
- Orca atmospheric landing fan art
- Orca & SRV for scale.
- Orca rear side and a gas giant
- Orca and an Earth-like, terrestrial planet
- Orca ship underside
- Ember Red to match my Rickenbacker FireGlo
