Pimp My Motor Pool
Vehicular combat is one of the great features that helped Halo 1 stand out from the FPS pack. The sequel improved upon this by adding new rides and tweaking old favorites, making it very possible to enjoy a game without ever firing a hand weapon. If I had my way, Halo 3 would up the ante further. For multiplayer, vehicle options will be ranked as Light (Wolf/Ghost/Shade), Medium (Warthogs/Spectre), Heavy (Scorpion/Wraith), and Aerial (Owl/Banshee).
A60 Vertical Take Off & Landing Craft
Nickname: Owl
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Passenger
Armament: Twin 7.62mm Armor Piercing Tracer guns
About: When bombers and gunships can’t be called in for support, easily transportable Owls may be used to prevent Banshees from taking aerial superiority. Utilizing two ducted fans that give this VTOL its name, the Owl can turn on a dime, but lacks significant speed. A bucket seat facing back is ideal for a Jackhammer-toting passenger, or flag carrier.
Apparition
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 16 Passengers, 1 Gunner
Armament: Plasma Cannon Turret
About: The Covenant’s original dropship model, the Apparition is armed only with a single heavy plasma cannon. However, it can transport double the number of troops that a Phantom can. It’s exterior gravity lifts are stronger than a Phantom’s allowing it to transport a Wraith or provide an aerial launch platform for two Banshees. Not pilotable in-game.
Banshee
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot
Armament: Twin Plasma Cannons; secondary Fuel Rod Cannon
About: A low-atmosphere assault craft, it is heavily armored and difficult to counter without heavy firepower. The FRG secondary fire must recycle between shots (disabled for multiplayer). The overdrive boost function doubles its speed, at the cost of use of the plasma cannons.
D77 Troop Carrier
Nickname: Pelican
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Copilot, 1 Flight Engineer, 10 Marines
Armament: 70mm “Chin Gun”; 102mm Rocket Pods; 12.7mm M41 LAAG
About: The Pelican has been a guardian angel for many Marines, arriving in dire times with much-needed reinforcements and acting as a first-strike gunship. You won’t actually get to fly a Pelican, but part of an H3 mission sees the Chief manning a rear-mounted M41 as you’re chased by Covenant Phantoms and Banshees. You will also be able to pick a target for the copilot to fire on with the rocket pods. Not available in multiplayer.
Ghost
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot
Armament: Twin Plasma Cannons
About: A reconnaissance and rapid attack vehicle equipped with an overdrive booster. It is well-armored from the front, but the driver is otherwise exposed and an explosive power cell behind the left ‘wing’ is susceptible to small arms fire. Anti-gravity technology allows it to hover over any terrain, even water (which is something that I would like to take advantage of in H3). The overdrive boost function doubles its speed, at the cost of use of the plasma cannons.
M05 Armored Battle Cycle
Nickname: Wolf
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Driver
Armament: Twin 10mm Gauss Cannons
About: Some dare to call the Wolf impractical, but this recent addition is sure to prove its worth against the Covenant ground forces. It is designed for fast strikes while moving in and out of enemy firing range. The twin Gauss Cannons are designed to fire successively; one cannon fires while the other reloads. This is ideal for a combat motorcycle design, because Gauss technology has no recoil to affect handling. While the Wolf is a serious threat in vehicular combat, the high speeds and lack of tight maneuverability make it impractical against infantry (whereas the Ghost is great against infantry, but the weakest of all vehicles).
M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
Nickname: Warthog
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Driver, 1 Passenger, 1 Rear Gunner
Armament: 12.7mm three-barreled M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
About: The favored workhorse of the Marine motor pool, the Warthog is an all-terrain vehicle that is equally useful as both a troop transport and anti-infantry chariot. Two variations of the Warthog are also in production: The M12A2 and M12G1.
M12A2 Heavy Anti-Armor Vehicle
Nickname: Rocket Hog
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Driver, 1 Gunner
Armament: 102mm three-barreled SC-HE Rocket Launcher
About: A new variation on the old Warthog, this is a heavily armored model with a Rocket Launcher in place of the M41 LAAG. The auto-loading system is so bulky that it takes up the entire rear compartment, so fire controls are routed to the passenger seat. It can fire three in rapid succession, but it lacks the lock-on function now available for the M19 SSM. The M12A2 has heavier armor than a standard Warthog and it is more difficult to snipe the crew, but the tight quarters make it impossible for a flag carrier to ride shotgun. Excluded from matchmaking.
M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle
Nickname: Gauss Hog
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Driver, 1 Passenger, 1 Rear Gunner
Armament: 25mm Gauss Cannon
About: A variation on the Warthog introduced in H2. The Gauss Cannon uses an asynchronous linear-induction motor to produce a bipolar magnetic field capable of firing ferrous metal projectiles at hyper-sonic velocity. In layman’s terms, it fires hard and fast. With excellent armor penetration, the M12G1 is more effective against vehicles than infantry.
M808 Main Battle Tank
Nickname: Scorpion
Type: Human
Crew: 1 Driver, 4 Passengers
Armament: 90mm High Velocity main cannon; 7.62mm Armor Piercing Tracer secondary/coaxial gun
About: A versatile anti-vehicle weapon platform, the Scorpion is unrivaled on the battlefield. While it’s main cannon reloads, the driver may use the AP-T guns for support fire. Four Marines may hitch a ride on the independent caterpillar treads, but there is no defense for passengers and they may only fire their own weapons. The passenger option is disabled for multiplayer.
Phantom
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Copilot, 8 Passengers
Armament: Triple Plasma Cannon Turrets
About: The Covenant’s new dropship model, the Phantom is used mainly for inserting a small unit under heavy fire. Three automated plasma cannons act as point defense. The underside gravity lift can transport a Spectre or two Ghosts. Not pilotable in-game.
Scarab
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Copilot, 20+ Passengers
Armament: Plasma Beam Cannon; 2 Needler Turret
About: The most powerful assault vehicle in the Covenant ground fleet, it sports a massive articulated beam cannon that is instant death for even the mightiest tanks. The recharge cycle is lengthy, so two turret weapons on the front and back act as point defense, firing explosive crystal shards like scaled-up Needlers. Though heavily armored, a Scarab can be taken down via concentrated fire on the legs and well-placed rockets may knock out the weapons. A top deck allows the troops being transported to act as defenders. You can’t drive one in-game, but you may board and destroy it from within, or take the old-fashioned route and zip between the legs with the Rocket Hog like a Snow Speeder vs an AT-AT.
Shade
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot
Armament: Plasma Cannon Turret
About: The Shade has the dubious honor of being the first and only turret in H1, which acted as little more than a “Hey, stick a plasma grenade to me!” sign. In H2, the Shade is relegated to a mounted weapon--which you couldn’t man--on the Shadow troop transport--which you couldn’t drive. Personally, I see this as a terrible waste of potential. For H3, the Shade will return in all its glory, with the new ability of being able to walk on those insect-like legs. While piloted, it works the same as ordinary walking--though at reduced speed--with the advantage of heavy, unlimited firepower.
Shadow
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 8 Passengers, 1 Gunner
Armament: Plasma Cannon Turret
About: As the Apparition is to the Phantom, the Shadow is to the Spectre. This armored troop transport can carry a larger squad, at the expense of speed. The Shadow lacks an overdrive boost function, but has a Shade-class turret mounted on the top for point defense. The troop compartment can be converted to carry two Ghosts. Not pilotable in-game.
Spectre
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 2 Passengers, 1 Rear Gunner
Armament: Plasma Cannon Turret
About: Covenant technology tends to be imitative, rather than innovative, which would explain why this armored transport appeared after they were faced by the effectiveness of Marine Warthogs. The Spectre seats a total of four and uses anti-gravity technology for better handling, but the extra mass makes it fairly slow. It also has an overdrive boost function, which doesn’t interfere with the mounted plasma turret. It is ideal for team combat.
Wraith
Type: Covenant
Crew: 1 Pilot, 2 Passenger/Gunners
Armament: Plasma Mortar; Twin Plasma Cannons
About: The Covenant’s heavy assault vehicle for ground engagement is heavily armored, but the use of anti-gravity propulsion actually makes it less stable than the Scorpion. In place of the overdrive boost (it’s a frickin’ tank!), the pilot now has secondary control of the twin plasma cannons as secondary fire. The Wraith can seat two passengers on the wings, but this option is disabled for multiplayer.
