Daq Dragus, previously known as Durasteel during his fighting career, was the individual responsible for recruiting Hunters to participate in the Grand Arena owned by Balada the Hutt on Vespaara. He not only trained these Hunters but also guided them in shaping the personas they wished to embody. Presenting himself as a showman, he served as the public face of the Hunters of the Outer Rim, while simultaneously functioning as an employee and associate of Balada the Hutt. In his Durasteel persona, Dragus competed in clandestine fighting circuits, always equipped with combat attire.
Once a combatant known as Durasteel, Daq Dragus joined forces with Balada the Hutt to establish the Hunters of the Outer Rim, a competitive arena where participants, known as Hunters, vied for dominance. Dragus's primary objective within the Grand Arena was to craft a captivating and enjoyable spectacle for the audience. While he occasionally accepted the unorthodox stories that Rieve brought during her initial days in the arena, his ultimate goal was to refine her into a more disciplined and cooperative Hunter. Eventually, Dragus became a mentor to Rieve, providing training and assisting in the development of her Hunter character. He mandated additional training sessions for her, including private instruction with himself, J-3DI, and Grozz. His keen sense of entertainment also led him to integrate Huttball into the match lineup.
When Rothwell's henchmen attempted to inflict widespread damage on the Grand Arena, Rothwell donned his Durasteel attire and adopted the persona to confront the invaders. Dragus ultimately captured Rothwell and was saved from the explosion of a Class-A thermal detonator by Rieve.
When tensions escalated between Mandalorian mercenary Aran Tal and former bounty hunter Imara Vex, a physical altercation erupted in the Arena's chow room. Daq was compelled to step in, discharging warning shots and instructing the pair to reserve their conflict for the Arena. He escorted them out as droids were dispatched to clean up the aftermath.
The animosity between Tal and Vex would be one of many issues Dragus would face. Sentinel, a stormtrooper and loyalist of the Imperial, and Pilbush, an Ewok with a strong affinity for the Rebel Alliance, were immediately at odds from their initial encounter. One night, Sentinel stealthily approached Pilbush's AT-ET and defaced it with the Imperial crest. Despite his attempts to justify his actions, Dragus remained unimpressed and ordered Sentinel to clean the Ewok's walker. When Pilbush retaliated by destroying Sentinel's beloved E-Web Heavy Repeater with her AT-ET, and Sentinel responded by dismantling her walker's legs and leaving them outside her door, Dragus grew exasperated and reprimanded both of them, insisting they repair each other's equipment.
Even after Sentinel emerged victorious in a Clash against Pilbush, their rivalry persisted. Following a confrontation that resulted in the destruction of Sentinel's prep pod, Daq Dragus mandated that they collaborate to relocate Sentinel's remaining belongings to a new pod as a form of punishment. Hours later, upon completion of the task, Dragus instructed them to express one positive sentiment about the other. Sentinel refused, and Pilbush began to hurl insults at him in Ewokese; Dragus, disgusted, departed.
When the Iridonian Zabrak Nox became a Hunter, she immediately clashed with Rieve. On one occasion, a physical fight between the two started in the trainging grounds, and Dragus had to step in, telling them to settle their differences in the Arena.
Shortly after a Clash between Nox and the Miraluka marksman Diago, Balada and Daq Dragus arrived at the Training Ground, announcing that Balada's prized tiara had been stolen from her chambers. They offered a reward for the capture of the thief, hinting that this may have something to do with a new Hunter who would be arriving shortly.
In his younger years, Dragus was a skilled fighter, and even after retiring from active combat, he retained his expertise in hand-to-hand combat. He possessed a remarkable ability to analyze his opponents' fighting styles and exploit their vulnerabilities, a skill he attempted to instill in Rieve. When she later inquired about his decision to retire from fighting, he explained that he derived greater satisfaction from training others and serving as the public representative of the Hunters, without having to endure the physical toll of combat.
Dragus's costume consisted of a bare torso, complemented by substantial armored gauntlets that matched his armored boots. He sported form-fitting red pants and a robust metallic band encircling his waist. In his professional capacity with the Hunters of the Outer Rim, he selected attire suitable for creating a spectacle. Upon his initial encounter with Rieve, he was dressed in a dark blue suit paired with a white undershirt and an orange neck scarf. On another occasion, he donned a shimmering purple suit and a red-and-black suit.
The initial mention of Daq Dragus occurred in the 2023 mobile video game Star Wars: Hunters, which underwent a soft launch on November 16, 2021, in a limited number of countries. Dragus subsequently made his debut appearance in the 2023 tie-in novel Hunters: Battle for the Arena, authored by Mark Oshiro and released by Disney–Lucasfilm Press on March 7, 2023. During the 0.19 update of Star Wars: Hunters, Dragus received his first visual representation through a sticker cosmetic within the game, which was launched on January 9, 2024.