Commander Dracus

"This commander was a mere legionary under Ghaul's rule. He personally pulled the trigger on a horrifying amount of lightless Guardians during the Red War. He has since risen to become a warlord among the remnants of the Red Legion, and now that butcher carries Caiatl's banner."

- Zavala.

Commander Dracus was a Cabal Commander of the Imperial Cabal and formerly a Legionary of the Red Legion. He is infamously responsible for the deaths of countless lightless Guardians during the Red War, and the elevation to a warlord in the wake of Dominus Ghaul's death and Empress Caiatl's eventual ascension. Dracus would be one of many aspiring champions to join Caiatl's War Council through the Rite of Proving.

Biography
Commander Dracus served as a Legionary during the Red War under Dominus Ghaul and became known as a "butcher" for the numerous count of lightless Guardians he had executed over the course of the War. After Ghaul's defeat, Dracus went onwards to create a name for himself and became known amongst the Red Legion's remnants as a warlord, achieving for himself the rank of Commander. Stationed on Nessus in the aftermath, Dracus hunted the small birds of the planetoid along with his comrades for sustenance, taking satisfaction in the challenge provided in the trapping of the animals.

When Caiatl's call radioed across the Sol System, Dracus was one of many to hear her call, yet did not regard the Empress as his leader, instead maintaining an utter devotion to the now-deceased Dominus even after death. Dracus expressed his disgust to a subordinate Legionary, who was unaware of the old traditions of the Rite of Proving. The female Legionary then offered a challenge to Dracus, to which he pondered for a moment the possible prospects of proving himself to Caiatl and shot the Legionary dead mockingly.

Later, Dracus is deployed to defend the Imperial Land Tank, Halphas Electus, in Watcher's Grave on Nessus against Guardians. He would fall in his own Rite of Proving to the Guardians.

Gameplay
After initiating the Rites of Proving, Commander Dracus will enter the battlefield via Drop Pod as a large horn plays in the background to signify his arrival. Dracus is a large Legionary who is supported by waves of Cabal reinforcements. His primary method of attack is a heavily modified Cabal Slug Shotgun which fires Arc damage at an incredible fire rate and range. He is also highly durable and capable of stomping the ground in combination with his jets to create a powerful shockwave.

When his health is depleted by a third, Dracus will create an immunity shield and summon a Shieldbearer Centurion as his champion to shield him. Killing the Centurion will disable Dracus' immunity shield and allow players to damage him again. Once he reaches half health, Dracus will move to a specific spot and summon a Portable Cabal Shield, forcing players to close in on him to either damage him or the shield. At his last third of health, Dracus will call another Shieldbearer and then use another portable shield, as well as receive even more reinforcements. If the fireteam handles the hordes of Cabal correctly and concentrates fire, the Commander will finally capitulate.

Trivia

 * Commander Dracus was originally referred to as Commander Dravus in the lore tab "The Hopeful Legion" of the "From the Front" Lorebook when the Season of the Chosen was released. This is likely a spelling mistake from the Bungie team as it was later changed to Dracus.
 * The same lore tab also refers to Dracus as a commander before heeding Caiatl's call, thus stating Dracus was also a Commander of the Red Legion.

List of appearances

 * Destiny 2
 * Season of the Chosen