Like Saud Kruger's other passenger vessels, the Dolphin can accommodate a luxury-tier passenger cabin, allowing it to transport passengers in comfort. And despite costing significantly less than its sister ships, the Beluga Liner and the Orca, the Dolphin boasts the same sleek lines and refined aesthetic.
— In-Game Description
The Dolphin is a ship manufactured 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 line of ships, along with the Orca and Beluga Liner. It can be considered the passenger equivalent to the Type-6 Transporter. Like its sisters, it is capable of carrying Luxury Cabins and has a focus on Passenger Missions, however it is somewhat viable in other roles as well.
The Dolphin has 84T of cargo space available for trading. Considering it has a similar price tag to the Type-6 and similar combat ability this makes the Dolphin a rather poor trading vessel; however, its higher jump range makes it a good Rare Goods trader or for long range transport.
In combat, the Dolphin is just as bad as the Type-6 and suffers from many of the same downsides with its Sidewinder grade offenses and mediocre shields and armour. However, it has better mobility and better hardpoint placement, allowing it to be much more nimble as well as making it easier to keep Fixed Hardpoints on target. Installing heavier Bulkheads will seriously reduce the Dolphin's jump range, as upgrades weigh in at 32t for Reinforced Alloys and 63t for Military Grade, Mirrored Surface and Reactive Surface Composites. Fitting a class 1 or 2 Hull Reinforcement Package will offer a comparable improvement in armour with only a small mass increase.
As an explorer, the Dolphin is a suitable low-budget option. It has a potential jump range of 35 ly before engineering, higher than that of the standard Type-6 and just slightly short of the more expensive Asp Explorer. 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. Its main weakness with regard to exploration is its low number of internal compartments, which leaves less room for staple exploration modules such as a Fuel Scoop, Guardian Frame Shift Drive Booster, Auto Field-Maintenance Unit, and Planetary Vehicle Hangar. Pilots who wish to embark on long-term expeditions may want to consider upgrading to a more spacious vessel.
Passenger missions are its focus and it does them more effectively than most other ships. It has one slot for a Luxury Passenger Cabin and plenty of space for more passengers alongside. With its very high jump range this makes it great at doing long-range passenger missions, including those looking to go thousands of light-years. It is not as good for bulk missions as it has low compartment space.
Overall, the Dolphin is a stylish exploration ship, the most efficient choice for transporting luxury VIP passengers, and a reasonable alternative to the trade focused Type-6 Transporter, but any combat activities should be avoided.
Dolphin hardpoint convergence
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.
Purchase Locations[]
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| BD+49 1280 | Archimedes City | Jan. 6, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Lalande 4268 | Lowry Ring | Jan. 6, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Lembava | Goldstein Port | Jan. 6, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Ix | Scully-Power Station | Jan. 6, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Asellus Primus | Beagle 2 Landing | Mar. 1, 2019 | |
| EQ Pegasi | Merbold Ring | Jan. 26, 2023 | |
| Cemiess | Meech Dock | Jan. 6, 2019 | |
| Liu Di | Sudworth Orbital | Jan. 6, 2019 | |
| Mizar | Judson Station | Jan. 6, 2019 | |
| LHS 2651 | Kennan Dock | Jan. 6, 2019 | |
| Eta Serpentis | Carver Station | Jun. 2, 2019 | |
| Aulin | Aulin Enterprise | Jan. 6, 2019 | |
| Kokojina | Ali Ring | May 24, 2021 | |
| Sol | Abraham Lincoln | Feb 28, 2024 |
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 Dolphin.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SmallHardpoint | 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]
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