| Factional variants of the Dragon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris | Rebellion | ||
The lend-lease Polaris Dragon is a Polaris ship in Escape Velocity Nova. To purchase a Dragon, you either must have failed in your service to the Dechtakars by refusing a mission, or you must have gone to P'ar Aed to begin helping the P'aedt with their research.
"The Dragon is a strange ship by Polaris standards, but a much more conventional weapon than their other creations. The Dragon's main biological component is the self-repairing skin that also acts as an etheric wave hyperdrive. Apart from that, most of the ship is conventional, if somewhat high-tech. It mounts twin wraithii cannon as its standard weapon, and has excellent speed and agility. It is the only Polaris vessel sold to outsiders, and then only to trusted friends of the Polaris." ― Buying a Dragon
The Dragon is a general purpose medium ship without much of a raison d'être. It's a good way to get an early Turreted BioRelay Laser, but the ship itself is outshined by its weaponry.
There is a Rebel version of the Dragon. Rumor has it that the Rebels acquired it through industrial espionage and are currently using it to prosecute a campaign of terror upon the Aldebaran system.
Likely due to an oversight, the 'trusted friends' that the Polaris sell the Dragon to are Heraani warriors that have been shunned by the Dechtakars.
Stats[]
"You are made welcome aboard this small Dragon, and the crew ask many questions about your homeland. They return to order as soon as the Nil'kimas starts your tour. «The Dragon is a ship meant primarily for our allies,» says the young-looking Nil'kimas who takes you on your tour. «If this ship should fall into enemy hands, they would glean little from her, as she is mostly... 'conventional' in her layout.» She looks mildly amused. «The Wraith cannon will self-destruct if tampered with, and the etheric wake skin will rot if the ship should fall.»" ― Hiring a Dragon
Untitled (#159)[]
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It does not mount twin Wraith Cannons.
Wild Variants[]
Shipvariant stat changes are relative to the stats of the basic model. The basic model is Untitled.
The following shipvariants are unavailable in the shipyard and must be captured in the field.
kemi (#312)[]
Kemi means 'student' in the Polaran tongue. It is a designation given to weaker ships which force their pilots to learn quickly.
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Nil'kimas (#313)[]
Nil'kimas means 'war-master' in the Polaran tongue. It is a designation given to ships that demonstrate that their pilots understand that the best way to survive is to have top-of-the-line statistics and firepower.
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This version of the Nil'kimas has 100 less shielding than the ones with cloaks.
Cloaking Variants[]
As the game progresses, Dragons begin to carry Cloaking Organs.
Stat changes are relative to their non-cloaking counterparts.
Cloaking (#260)[]
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The Dragon becomes significantly more expensive with a cloaking device.
Nil'kimas, cloaking (#320)[]
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This shipvariant has increased shielding and is the only Dragon that jumps faster.
Hyperspace Drifting Variants[]
As the game progresses, Dragons begin to carry Cloaking Organs and Tunneling Organs.
Stat changes are relative to their non-cloaking counterparts.
Cloak and Tunneling (#269)[]
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Nil'kimas, cloak and tunneling (#327)[]
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Nil'kimas, cloak and tunneling #2 (#409)[]
This variant is identical to #327, but 2.05M cheaper. Its purpose is unknown.
Gameplay Analysis[]
"This is a very nice medium-range warship. Not fancy in any one area, it's just kinda nice all around. If you are looking for a good Polaris ship to get for yourself, though, pass this one on by." ― EVula Survival Guide
The Dragon is good as a temporary ship when you're first working for the Polaris. If the 1=X beam bug has not been fixed, this ship is a notch above the Striker in terms of firepower if you add a fixed BioRelay Laser to supplement its turreted lazor, so it makes for a good frigate.
The Wraith Cannons are good for outranging and destroying Federation ships from a safe distance while the TBRL almost instantly destroys any fighters that catch up to you. Make sure to load up on plenty of Wraithii!
Mantra of the Dragon[]
- The Dragon is not an impressive ship.
- It is somewhat fragile.
- You will not feel like a god in a Dragon.
- But the cargo space is nice.
Images[]
There was an original dragon that was modeled by Scott, but it was literally a dragon - it was his attempt to 3D model one for rigging for some other game. It didn’t pass muster, so Dave Williams began again from scratch. Textures (such as they are) by Dave Williams, with bioluminescence decals by Stephen Chick, who also came up with the Polaris insignia.
Appearance[]
<ship description>
Ship Spins[]
This ship has 36 frames per set and 3 sets for 108 frames in total. It banks when turning in one direction for a certain amount of time. The lights pulsate.
- Ship: 80x80
- Lights: 80x80
- Engine: 80x80
Representative Images[]
Additional Images[]
| Castes: Kel'ariy • Mu'hari • Nil'kemorya • P'aedt • Tre'pira • Ver'ash Polaris Ships: Manta (v) (i) 250k, Sprite (v) (i) 500k, Striker (v) (i) 1M, Dragon (v) (i) 1.1M, Zephyr (v) (i) 2M, Arachnid (v) (i) 2M, Cambrian (v) (i) 2.5M, Scarab (v) (i) 7M, Raven (v) (i) 10M Polaris Storyline (Preamble • Intro Missions • Diplomacy Branch • Technology Branch • Rise of Ory'hara • Fall of the Polaris) Polaris Outfits • Polaris Weapons | ||