Prima Games eGuides Halo 4 eGuide

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Halo 4 eGuide Essentials Intel

Vehicles

UNSC Vehicles

Warthog

  • Designation: M12 Force Application Vehicle
  • Crew Capacity: 1 driver, 1 passenger, 1 gunner
  • Primary Armament: Machine Gun Turret, Gauss Cannon, Rocket Launcher

The Warthog is the symbolic ground transport for the UNSC, which remains in use to this day. Versatile and quick, the Warthog continues its proud service and tradition of being tough as hell. Three variants of the Warthog are available in Halo 4 .

  • When playing alone, allow a Marine or Spartan to take up the mounted gun on any Warthog you commandeer. They are incredibly accurate with these weapons. Gunners on a Warthog also enjoy some added resistance to gunfire, which is also a big plus.
  • Don’t sit still for long. The Warthog is built for speedy transport and maneuverability in warfare, so use it right. So long as you have a gunner, you can concentrate on defensive driving while they do all the killing.

Mongoose

  • Designation: M247 Ultra-Light All Terrain Vehicle
  • Crew Capacity: 1 driver, 1 passenger

If recon needs to get somewhere quickly, they can take a Mongoose. One of the fastest UNSC land vehicles, the Mongoose can take a pair of soldiers over the same terrain a Warthog can, and is a harder target to hit.

  • The Mongoose appears available during the Campaign on Mission 4. It is far more prominent in multiplayer as a flag capture vehicle or small transport. A driver gets a runner to the enemy base, the runner gets the flag, gets back on the Mongoose, and then they ride off to victory. That’s how it works in theory. In practice, both driver and passenger are exposed to fire from all sides. You will have to put your driving skills to the test if you want to survive such a brazen strategy.

Scorpion

  • Designation: M808 Main Battle Tank
  • Crew Capacity: 1 operator, 1 gunner, 4 passengers
  • Primary Armament: Primary Cannon
  • Secondary Armament: Machine Gun

The Scorpion is another UNSC mainstay, having proved its worth on hundreds of battlefields across the galaxy in the fight against the Covenant. A popular Marine saying is “Tank beats everything!” You would be hard-pressed to disprove it.

  • With a gunner on the machine gun, and some infantry riding aboard the tank, getting close to a Scorpion is a hazardous activity at best. The main gun on a Scorpion outranges just about any vehicle in the game. A properly driven and supported Scorpion will never be in danger.

Pelican Dropship

  • Designation: Dropship 79 Heavy Troop Carrier
  • Crew Capacity: 3 crew, 10–14 passengers
  • Primary Armament: Autocannon

The standard UNSC dropship has seen refinements over the years, but has remained the same craft throughout its service. Despite its size, the Pelican is surprisingly agile and quick, allowing it to place troops into hostile or otherwise tight landing zones. The unique profile of the Pelican signals relief and reinforcements for troops on the field.

Pelican Gunship

  • Designation: Gunship 79 Heavy Troop Carrier/Mobile Armory
  • Crew Capacity: 3 crew, 10–14 passengers, 2 gunners
  • Primary Armament: Autocannon
  • Secondary Armament: Laser Cannon
  • Tertiary Armament: Heavy Cannon
  • Quarternary Armament: Machine Gun x 2, Heavy Cannon

A variant on the standard Pelican dropship, this gunship is meant for more than just battlefield transport. Armed to the teeth with an Autocannon, Laser Cannon, Heavy Cannon, and two Machine Guns, the Pelican Gunship is the deadliest transport fielded by the UNSC.

  • Sadly, you only have one opportunity to fly a Pelican Gunship, and that is in Mission 6 of the Campaign. If you’re playing on Co-Op mode, all of the gun stations can be manned by players, making it one of the most powerful fliers in the game.

Mantis

  • Designation: HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Armor Defense System
  • Crew Capacity: 1 operator
  • Primary Armament: Machine Gun
  • Secondary Armament: Missile Launcher

The Mantis combat mech towers over the battlefield, ruling it through size and firepower of its heavy machine gun and its guided missile launcher. Should enemies draw close, the Mantis can execute a lethal stomp maneuver to clear its surroundings. Unlike most other UNSC land vehicles, the Mantis possesses energy shielding technology, allowing it to weather firepower intended to take down full-sized tanks.

  • The newest addition to the UNSC arsenal possess awesome killing power, but suffers from a fairly low movement speed. It also takes the longest of all vehicles in the game to recover from the EMP effects of a charged Plasma Pistol shot. Do not let the enemy get the chance to stun your Mantis or you can expect a swift death.

Broadsword

  • Designation: F-41 Exoatmospheric Multirole Strike Fighter
  • Crew Capacity: 1 operator
  • Primary Armament: Autocannon x 2
  • Secondary Armament: Missile Launcher x 2

A newer UNSC space fighter, the Broadsword contains defensive shielding to withstand the trip into the anti-fighter defenses found on hostile capital ships. Broadswords are capable of carrying Havoc-grade nuclear payloads to ensure enemy capital ship destruction.

  • Only piloted during the final mission.

Mammoth

  • Designation: Mobile Anti-Aircraft Weapons Platform M510 Siegework/Ultra-Heavy
  • Crew Capacity: 3 crew, 20–30 passengers
  • Primary Armament: Magnetic Acceleration Cannon (MAC)
  • Secondary Armament: Rocket Turret x 2

One of the largest UNSC land vehicle in existence, the Mammoth comes armed with multiple anti-armor/anti-infantry systems, and carries a sizable contingent of ground troops. The most dangerous weapon on a Mammoth is the Magnetic Acceleration Cannon (MAC). Firing a slug at a fraction of the speed of light, the MAC gives the Mammoth the ability to support the destruction of larger vessels.

  • Appears in Mission 5. Cannot be driven, sadly, but one can dream. You can direct the MAC to fire on air targets, like Phantoms and Banshees using the Target Designator.

Covenant Vehicles

Ghost

  • Designation: T-32 Rapid Attack Vehicle
  • Crew Capacity: 1 operator
  • Primary Armament: Plasma Cannon x 2

Ghosts provide rapid transport and close ground combat support for Covenant troops. Ghosts are surprisingly durable for their size, and their overall profile protects drivers from frontal assaults.

  • The Ghost is a fantastic land vehicle to commandeer. The boost system can help you evade most common land warfare threats while returning fire with the dual Plasma Cannons.
  • Can be hijacked from its driver. It’s best to disable it with a Plasma Pistol first. Trying to run down a Ghost is futile if they know you’re coming.

Wraith

  • Designation: T-26 Assault Gun Carriage
  • Crew Capacity: 1 driver, 1 gunner
  • Primary Armament: Heavy Plasma Mortar
  • Secondary Armament: Plasma Cannon

The sight of Wraith’s Plasma Mortars falling gracefully onto UNSC positions has become a recurring nightmare for many war veterans. The Wraith is a prime example of Covenant technology, emphasizing extreme firepower in a purple, curved, and armored package. The mounted Plasma Cannon makes approaching from the front difficult. The Wraith’s antigravity drive gives the vehicle incredible speed and maneuverability that a Scorpion could only dream about.

  • Always engage a Wraith from long range if you’re in a Scorpion. The Wraith’s Plasma Mortar is brutally powerful, particularly on Legendary, where it can one-shot your tank.
  • If you’re in a Warthog, stay on the move. The Wraith’s boost system can propel the tank through your Warthog, if its Plasma Cannon hasn’t already gutted you, or if a near miss from a Plasma Mortar hasn’t already flipped you end over end.
  • If you are on foot, use a Plasma Pistol to disable the Wraith. You also can get close to the machine, board it, and destroy it with a grenade. If you have no grenades, you can literally punch it to death once you’ve boarded it. Do not board a Wraith from the front unless the gunner is dead. Otherwise he will just kill you for being a so careless.

Banshee

  • Designation: T-26 Ground Support Aircraft
  • Crew Capacity: 1 operator
  • Primary Armament: Plasma Cannon x 2
  • Secondary Armament: Fuel Rod Cannon

The unique wailing sound of a Banshee in the air is a warning to take cover. The pilots of these fighters are skilled enough to pick off infantry with the fighter’s mounted Plasma Cannons or Fuel Rod Cannon. Although its aerial grace has cost the Banshee armor, shielding, and survivability, the fighter is typically deployed in such numbers that these amenities are not a concern for their commanders.

  • Banshees are extremely light on armor. While you’re piloting one, you can survive a pounding on Easy and Normal, but on difficulties higher than that it feels like you’re flying a paper airplane against flamethrowers.
  • The Banshee is capable of special flight maneuvers designed to throw off enemy gunners and fighters. In practice, this works better against the player than it does against the AI. The Covenant pilots have a sixth sense to avoid homing missiles and incoming gunfire, and they can do this while lining up a fuel rod shot or preparing for a Plasma Cannon strafing run.
  • If you’re trying to bring a Banshee down on foot, the Plasma Pistol is one of the best weapons for the job, if you can lure the craft close. The Rocket Launcher can lock on and kill it in one hit, but the Banshee can easily evade any rockets with one of its special maneuvers. The Plasma Pistol method is preferred, since a disabled Banshee can be hijacked!

Phantom

  • Designation: T-44 Troop Carrier
  • Crew Capacity: 1 pilot, 1 weapons officer, 20–30 passengers
  • Primary Armament: Plasma Autocannon
  • Secondary Armament: Plasma Cannon x 2

A heavily armed and armored dropship that can perform landing operations on complex terrain, and boarding actions against capital ships in and out of atmospheric conditions, the Phantom quickly became a feared symbol of the Covenant onslaught. For a time, it was the best armed troop transport fielded by the alien collective.

  • Phantoms are tough, but not invincible. A Scorpion or a Wraith are equally capable of bringing down a Phantom in short order. A Mantis is also capable of single-handedly bringing down a Phantom, but it has to work harder for it.
  • The guns mounted to a Phantom can all be destroyed. If you’re in a Scorpion or a Mantis this is a good idea to try, as these vehicles have the hardest time evading the Phantom’s attacks.

Lich

  • Designation: Deployment Platform T-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy
  • Crew Capacity: 1 pilot, 1 weapons officer, 30–40 passengers
  • Primary Armament: Plasma Autocannon
  • Secondary Armament: Plasma Cannon x 4

Rarely seen throughout the Human-Covenant War, the Lich is the largest troop transport seen in the Covenant arsenal. Armed with multiple Plasma Cannons and a beam weapon powerful enough to sunder the armor of a Mammoth, the Lich brings an impressive compliment of ground troops to the field.

The only Lich you face in combat is met in Chapter 5, and it’s a costly battle to fight. No known weapons can bring the Lich down from the outside. It can only be destroyed from the inside. Boarding the vessel, killing your way through its crew, and then destroying the reactor is no easy task.