| ||||||||||||
The Vaygr were tribes of nomadic warriors from the Vaygr Reaches.
Overview[]
Bent on cosmic domination, this formidable warrior race from the galaxy's eastern fringes threatens the Hiigarans' very existence in the name of Sajuuk. The Vaygr roam the galaxy subjugating the races they encounter and cannibalizing their technology. This nomadic way of life is reflected in their military organization. A fast, mobile, and overwhelmingly offensive force, the Vaygr, rather than obeying the orders of a high commander, are assembled into smaller, less cohesive fleets of ships.
History[]
Vaygr and the Crusades[]
In the beginning, Vaygr was a name for the tribes traveling throughout the Vaygr Reaches of the Galaxy, conquering worlds that they encountered. Traveling only on sublight drives in fleets called Crusades, they managed to conquer and enslave many worlds, eventually becoming a notable force within the Galaxy.
Makaan and the Vaygr War[]
The Uniting[]
Throughout the history of the Vaygr many warlords found various Progenitor relics, commonly proclaiming themselves Sajuuk-Khar, however only one of them, named Makaan, succeeded in finding one of most important - the Third Hyperspace Core in the Hethlim Ice Fields. Since Makaan found the Third Core many other warlords joined forces with him, and the Vaygr begun to create overwhelming fleets, and began to move towards the Inner Rim worlds. Makaan also managed to convince Taiidan Imperialists to join forces with him, as they still had a strong desire to retake Hiigara. This way the Vaygr started a Holy Crusade, conquering many worlds in a path stretching from the Vaygr Reaches, through the Eastern Fringes, and up to the Inner Rim worlds. Each planet the Vaygr conquered was stripped of all available resources that could be used to feed the Crusade then left barren.
The combined strength of the Vaygr crusades is difficult to estimate. The Homeworld 2 manual describes the forces assembled by Makaan as 'a fleet larger than any since the time of exile'. Presumably this means the Vaygr have even greater forces available to them than the Taiidan Empire at its height. In game, the Mothership fleet fights its way through upwards of two thousand fighters, six hundred corvettes, three hundred frigates, about sixty destroyers, twenty-seven carriers, thirty cruisers and eleven shipyards, plus Makaan's flagship, two 'Vaygr Outposts' and a great number of support vessels (note that in Homeworld levels are more difficult if the player's fleet is closer to full strength, as was the case for the most part when collating these figures). Given the scale of the Vaygr War it seems this total is but a few percent of the entire Vaygr armada, which would have fought for a number of years across many thousands of light years of space conquering hundreds of worlds.
Sajuuk-Khar[]
- "Children of Hiigara... you are beaten." — Makaan
After a few years the whole of the Inner Rim was at war with the Makaan led Vaygr (fans usually call these 'Makaan Elite Guard'), and soon after they managed to reach Hiigara. The Vaygr forces managed to lay siege to Hiigara soon after destroying Tanis Station, however there was still one primary target that wasn't in their hands - the Second Core, which was on board the Pride of Hiigara, the Hiigaran mothership under the command of Karan S'jet, also known as Fleet Command. The Vaygr Fleets chased the Pride while simultaneously conquering worlds and searching relics. Throughout this chase, the Pride's fleet encountered many Progenitor sites and relics, most horrifying were the Keepers. In the middle, both the Pride and the Vaygr managed to salvage a Progenitor Dreadnaught ship, with the Vaygr presenting it to Makaan. It turns out that these Dreadnaughts are the keys to Balcora (connected with the gate outside), where the great Sajuuk lies. Turns out that Sajuuk is neither god or a supernatural being, it was a ship. Makaan and the Hiigarans struggled for control over the titanic ship. In the battle, Makaan was destroyed, and the Hiigarans united the Three Hyperspace Cores inside Sajuuk in exchange of the Pride. The Hiigarans' fleet returned to Hiigara.
Nimbus Galaxy[]
At some point, a Vaygr Crusade under the command of Makaan's son, Jochik Kaan arrived in the Nimbus Galaxy. This was known at the time by at least the Tanoch. As a result they are considered as Allies with the Tanoch people and now are refuges in the Tecuban territory
Jochik Kaan and the Vaygr Commander joined forces with Tecuban to defeat the Chicuat people and are going to get a Progenitor Artifact.
Technology[]
Given their inclination toward the subsuming of cultures and technologies through nomadic conquest, the Vaygr have a bolted-together collection of technology, some of it ancient but functional through constant repair, some of it from their conquests, most recently acquired from their invasion of the Inner Rim. At a technological standstill for centuries, the addition of new technology and tactics represent the first leap they have made in millennia. Due to their close proximity to a number of artifacts and relics, they appear to have an extensive knowledge of Progenitor culture and technology, surpassing all younger races but the Hiigarans. As an example of their knowledge of Progenitor technology, their battlecruisers are equipped with the Trinity Cannon, which is back-engineered from Progenitor artifacts, though their understanding of the cannon technology is not complete.
Starship Technology Design[]
Unlike Hiigaran ships, Vaygr ship designs are extremely focused. They are each, for the most part, designed to counter a single ship class or type. Against that target ship type they more often than not perform better than the Hiigaran counterpart intended for the same role, but they perform quite badly against almost anything else they are not intended to fight. With Strike Craft they also have a tendency to use larger numbers of individually weaker ships for a squadron. This is also apparent in their Carrier design, with each being able to build only one ship type and thus multiple Carriers are needed for a broad range of construction options.
Weapons[]
In terms of weaponry, the Vaygr heavily prefer missiles over virtually anything else. They do have projectile and energy/beam weaponry, but it comes in far more limited use. Of note is the Plasma Lance, a piece of weaponized mining technology.
List of Vaygr ships[]
Trivia[]
Concept art of the Vaygr
- While in the finished game Makaan appears to be human-like, concept art of Homeworld 2 released later hint at another appearance of the race during earlier stages of production. The Vaygr depicted therein are thin-limbed, four-fingered toad-like humanoids shown in skintight black suits and face/breathing masks. It is possible that Makaan is actually from a different race while the Vaygr he commanded are the real Vaygr.