Dolphin
Template:Quote The Dolphin is a small ship produced by Saud Kruger. It is the latest in that company's line of luxury passenger ships, which are known throughout the galaxy as some of the finest vessels travelling the space lanes. A small vessel with a low asking price aimed at pilots seeking to start a career in passenger transportation, the Dolphin also boasts the ability to equip luxury suite cabins exclusive to the Saud Kruger brand. Furthermore, with its above-average jump range and a sleek design, the Dolphin has carved out a distinct role for itself not only in the field of space tourism, but in exploration as well.
Overview
The Dolphin is one of the three Saud Kruger ships designed as passenger liners, along with the Orca and Beluga Liner. Its intended role is as an entry-level passenger liner, similar to how the Type-6 Transporter is an entry-level freighter. However, the Dolphin's characteristics make it a viable ship in other roles as well.
Passenger missions are the Dolphin's primary focus. It can carry one Luxury Passenger Cabin, and up to 42 passengers when completely outfitted with Economy Cabins. Due to its high base jump range and low compartment space, the Dolphin is better suited for completing VIP contracts than bulk contracts.
The Dolphin excels as a budget explorer. By equipping a 4A Frame Shift Drive and the appropriate undersized and/or D-rated modules, as well as removing irrelevant optional modules, the Dolphin can hit potential jump ranges of 32-35 ly before engineering, giving it a jump range that is slightly better than the Type-6 and only marginally worse than the Asp Explorer, the latter which is considerably more expensive. Once engineered, the Dolphin can reach jump ranges approaching 70 ly. The Dolphin also has excellent heat management compared to most other ships and will rarely exceed 70% heat even when fuel scooping and charging its Frame Shift Drive simultaneously. With 9 optional module slots—the same number of slots as the Krait Phantom and 1 more than both the Diamondback Explorer and Asp Explorer—the Dolphin can be outfitted with all the standard modules for exploration, including a class 5 Guardian Frame Shift Drive Booster, a Fuel Scoop, two Auto Field-Maintenance Units, and a Planetary Vehicle Hangar; removing Supercruise Assist and the Advanced Docking Computer frees up enough slots for a Repair Limpet Controller and Cargo Rack for storing limpets. Furthermore, the Dolphin is well suited for exobiology as its smaller profile makes it easier to land on uneven terrain versus medium and large ships. However, the Dolphin's 16 t fuel tank can be a hindrance during long-distance travel, as it requires more frequent refuels while traversing multiple star systems and limits extended use of Supercruise Overcharge for quickly crossing large distances within systems.
The Dolphin can be outfitted to haul up to 84 t of cargo. This is 30 t less than the Type-6, which is around 300,000 Cr cheaper, making the Dolphin a subpar bulk trading vessel. However, the Dolphin's better jump range and mobility make it a good choice for trading Rare Commodities over long ranges.
In combat, the Dolphin's mobility and speed make it an agile and evasive vessel. While its offensive capability is limited to its two small hardpoints, giving it the same raw damage output as a Sidewinder, they have very good convergence, making it easier to hit targets with fixed weapons. Defensively, the ship's optional module slots allow it to be outfitted with a class 5 Shield Generator on top of a mix of Hull Reinforcement Packages, Module Reinforcement Packages, and Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages. A 4A Armoured Power Plant gives the Dolphin enough power to mount three high-rated Shield Boosters in tandem with most weapons.
Overall, the Dolphin is the most efficient choice for transporting VIP passengers, an effective budget exploration ship, and a more expensive alternative to the trade focused Type-6 Transporter, but it is ill-suited for combat activities due to its low damage output.
The Dolphin's cockpit is located at the front of the ship, and like other Saud Kruger ships, it features a tinted canopy that obscures the interior. The two small hardpoints are placed directly below the cockpit, on the underside of the ship.
All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Dolphin.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hardpoint | Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 |
| Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 4 | 4 |
| Thruster Mounting | Thrusters | E | 5 | 5 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 4 | 4 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 4 | 4 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 3 | 3 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 3 | 3 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Passenger Cabin | E | 5 | 5 |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Shield Generator | D | 4 | 4 | |
| Cargo Rack [x4] | E | 2 | 3 | |
| Cargo Rack [x2] | E | 1 | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Advanced Docking Computer | E | 1 | 1 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| (PAS) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (PAS) = Reserved solely for the Planetary Approach Suite or Advanced Planetary Approach Suite
Notes
- The Dolphin was added to Elite Dangerous by Elite Dangerous: Horizons The Commanders (update 2.3) on April 11, 2017.[1]
- Elite Dangerous: Beyond Chapter Four removed restrictions from the restricted module slots on the Beluga Liner, Dolphin, and Orca, allowing modules other than Passenger Cabins to be installed in those slots. Previously, these three Saud Kruger ships were the only ships with Passenger Cabin-only slots, a design trait that was intended to reinforce their gameplay niche as luxury passenger vessels.[2]
Videos
Gallery
- Concept art from newsletters
- Dolphin and ice asteroids
- Dolphin, Orca, Beluga and SLF
- Dolphin cockpit
- Dolphin ship cockpit view
- Dolphin Ship Stern at Gas Giant
- Saud Kruger Dolphin Blueprint
- Dolphin in a station rescue
