Sparrow



A Sparrow is a small, speedy, one-person, land-based vehicle used for rapid, local transportation. Sparrows are used by Guardians to get from place to place quickly within a map or area. Each Guardian has at least one unique, personalized Sparrow stored in that player's jumpship, which can be summoned at will.

A new character will obtain his or her first Sparrow during the mission The Warmind. Other Sparrows can be obtained by opening the fifth Golden Loot Chest on Earth or purchasing them from the Tower.

Design
Sparrows are lightweight, fast-moving craft designed to provide Guardians with a way to quickly get around on a planetary surface. Little more than a drive engine, antigrav system, steering system, and seat, the Sparrow is lightweight, fast, and maneuverable, capable of getting a Guardian into or out of danger, and its small size means it's easily acquired from Guardian Transmat Networks. Sparrows come in a dizzying array of different colors and styles, ranging from simple versions favored by Guardian neophytes to powerful, custom-built versions with unique drive engines and options such as rotational thrusters or strafing engines. Steering is managed via the pedals, whilst the handheld grips control thrusting and braking mechanisms. A comms system and sensor suite is located right in front of the driver's seat. A rare few Sparrows have been fitted with overdrive systems that enable them to go especially quickly... At the risk of the engines going critical and exploding, that is.

The Sparrow is not a combat vehicle. Whilst it's fast and relatively hard to hit, it's also rather fragile and easily destroyed by enemy fire, and essentially gives no cover whatsoever to its rider. Sparrows can, however, run down smaller enemies, especially with more advanced versions that are both faster and offer a tougher chassis. It's worth noting that a common problem sited by many Guardians in the field is that due to its design, the Sparrow has a poor center of gravity, which means it is prone to rolling over if used carelessly. Some Sparrows, fitted with strafe or rotational thrusters, have less of a problem with this drawback, but for many Guardians, the Sparrow needs to be handled with caution, or it's quite capable of capsizing at an inopportune time.

After taking enough damage, a Sparrow will fire its engines and launch itself as a projectile, exploding on impact and causing damage to anything nearby.

Stats
The durability and speed of the Sparrow directly corresponds to its rarity.

Tier 1
This is the basic Sparrow S-10 that every Guardian can acquire by completing The Warmind.

Tier 2
These are the 20-class Sparrows, with the exception of the Sparrow S-10V. Each class will have different Sparrows in this tier.
 * Vanguard Sparrows
 * Sparrow S-10V
 * Titan Sparrows
 * S-20 Cavalier
 * S-21 Cavalier
 * S-22 Cavalier
 * Hunter Sparrows
 * S-20 Nomad
 * S-21 Nomad
 * S-22 Nomad
 * Warlock Sparrows
 * S-20 Seeker
 * S-21 Seeker
 * S-22 Seeker

Tier 3
These are the 30-class Sparrows.
 * Vanguard Sparrows
 * Sparrow S-30V
 * Sparrow S-31V
 * Sparrow S-32V
 * Crucible Sparrows
 * S-30C Phoenix
 * S-31C Phoenix
 * S-32C Phoenix

Tier 4
These are the 30-class Sparrows upgraded with a drive from Xûr. He sells Emerald Coil, Plasma Drive, Stealth Drive, and Void Drive. Each increases the speed and durability of the Sparrow, but also changes the contrail color. Emerald Coil will make the contrail green, Plasma Drive will make it blue, Void drive will make it purple, and Stealth Drive will make it red.

Tier 5
These are special legendary Sparrows with the highest durability.
 * EV-30 Tumbler
 * SV7 "Lightbearer"
 * XV0 "Timebreaker"

Tier 6
This is a special exotic Sparrow.
 * S-99 Dawnchaser

Trivia

 * Sparrows are designed to be in keeping with Destiny 's overarching fantasy theme elements, giving the "knights" of the Destiny world a "horse" to ride. They are designed to make getting from place to place "fun... not a menu option."
 * A Sparrow is capable of achieving speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour, but not in gameplay.