Factory Units

Ghost

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Fast assault recon unit.

Base Unit

Upgrade #1: Boosted Ram Ability

Weapon Type: Chassis Ram

Enables the Boosted Ram ability on Ghosts, allowing them to effectively ram their targets.

Upgrade #2: Strafe

Allows Ghosts to more effectively dodge incoming grenades and rockets.

Upgrade #3: Scout Shield

Adds an energy shield to Ghosts that deflects some incoming damage.

Ghost Overview

The Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle, called the Ghost by the UNSC, is a very common Covenant scout vehicle. It is lightly armored and carries twin Plasma Cannons for armament. It is quick and excellent for harassing infantry; even UNSC tanks have trouble hitting it since it is so agile. Piloted by an Elite, it is very effective as a light vehicle. The Ghost has very powerful upgrades such as a Boost ability; additional thrusters, allowing it to strafe and juke incoming enemy fire; and an energy shield that deflects incoming assaults.

Tactics

The Covenant’s answer to the Warthog, the Ghost shares many similarities to the UNSC Scout unit but begins with a ranged weapon and must upgrade to a Ram ability, compared to the Warthog’s initial Ram and Gunner upgrade.

The Ghost is a fast, lightly armored reconnaissance unit. It fills exactly the same role as the Warthog and has almost all of its strengths and weaknesses. Consult the Warthog section for further details.

As the Ghost can fire long range, it is immediately able to tackle foes that fire back.

As you progress along the Ghost’s upgrade path, the Strafe upgrade allows the vehicle to automatically dodge some enemy fire, making them fairly effective against most units. They still explode with alarming regularity, though—that armor isn’t thick!

The Ghost differs from the Warthog in that it must be produced in a Factory (the Covenant equivalent of a Vehicle Depot), compared to the UNSC’s Firebase.

The Ghost is arguably even more useful at the very start of battle, as you can begin production with a Tech level of zero (compared to needing Tech Level 1 for Warthogs). This enables you to construct a Factory immediately, producing ten or more Ghosts and destroying enemy Scouts, collecting crates in all different directions, and harassing enemy bases. This is the same tactic the Warthog uses, but the Ghost can get this done even more quickly.

Brute Chopper

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Fast assault recon unit.

Base Unit

Upgrade #1: Autocannons

Weapon Type: 35 mm Autocannons

Adds front-firing 35 mm guns, improving the Chopper’s attack.

Upgrade #2: Stabilizers

Improves autocannon accuracy and damage.

Upgrade #3: Ramming Target

Increases damage inflicted when the Chopper runs over enemies and decreases the damage taken.

Brute Chopper Overview

The Type-25 RAV (Rapid Assault Vehicle) is a ground vehicle used exclusively by the Brutes and is known colloquially as the Brute Chopper. It is a heavily armored two-wheeled Recon and assault bike, able to tangle with light vehicles and easily dispatch infantry with its twin Autocannons. It sacrifices nothing compared to the Ghost and is one of the greatest scouting craft ever to see combat action.

Tactics

The Brutes’ answer to the Ghost and Warthog, the Brute Chopper shares numerous similarities (and tactics) with these two scouting vehicles. Unlike the Ghost, it begins with a Ramming ability and can fire only long-range after the Autocannon upgrade. The Brute Chopper can also run over enemies with the final upgrade, increasing the ramming damage severely. (Consult the Warthog and Ghost sections for further details on the strengths and weaknesses of this type of craft.)

Opt to use most, if not all, of the Ghost’s tactics, but beware the additional Population and supplies it takes to construct each Chopper; it is twice as expensive to build.

However, it is much more battle-tested. Three Choppers can comfortably take down a neutral base, and Choppers can hold their own against light vehicles. This allows you to try some aggressive initial tactics, such as Rushing the enemy using Choppers with Autocannons to tear through a loosely defended base.

The Chopper’s armor can withstand a reasonable amount of battering, even from a Turret, allowing the vehicle to survive for a greater period of time than a Ghost. Expect to take more territory if you’re driving this Recon vehicle.

Wraith

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Mainline battle tank, good speed and excellent range combine to make this a powerful ground vehicle.

Base Unit & Variant

Upgrade #1: Heavy Shield

Adds an energy shield that deflects some incoming damage.

Upgrade #2: Scorch Ability

Weapon Type: Plasma Mortar Cannon (Override Syphon)

Enables the Scorch ability that superheats an area of terrain for extra damage.

Upgrade #3: Plasma Modulator

Greatly increases the damage of the Wraith’s Plasma Mortar.

Wraith Overview

The Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage, also known as the Covenant Wraith, is the Covenant’s main battle vehicle. Heavily armored, it functions more like a tank than the attached artillery-like cannon would suggest. It fires a Heavy Plasma blast at targets, causing area-of-effect damage and melting through enemy armor. The Wraith is fairly quick and can devastate enemy armor columns and infantry at range. It is also equipped with antipersonnel Plasma Cannons. They carry thick armor that is almost invulnerable to small-arms fire. Upgrades include a heavier shield that provides more defensive strength; a Scorch ability that allows it to set the ground on fire, causing extra damage; and a plasma modulation upgrade that vastly increases the main gun’s firepower.

Tactics

The Covenant’s main ground vehicle, the Wraith tank’s role, strengths, and weaknesses are essentially the same as the UNSC Scorpion’s.

Used in nearly identical tactical plans as the Scorpion, the Wraith’s first upgrade is shielding, but it can still launch devastating salvos with its Scorch ability.

The Wraith differs from the Scorpion in that its upgrade path allows shields. When upgraded, the Wraith is now a little more adept at hit-and-run tactics; trundle into an enemy encampment and fire away, then back out of range before your shields are completely depleted, and repeat this tactic.

The Wraith’s Scorch ability effectively burns foes with a Plasma Burn attack, wounding or damaging them over time. This means foes feel the effects of a Wraith’s attack afterward; this is another benefit for hit-and-running.

Locust

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Counter-building vehicle, very slow and best set to destroying unprotected enemy bases.

Base Unit

Upgrade #1: Overdrive Ability

Weapon Type: Charged Plasma Cannon (Overdrive)

Enables the Locust Overdrive ability, which uses the Locust’s shield generator output to overcharge its beam weapon. Attack power is drastically increased at the expense of the Locust’s shields.

Upgrade #2: Shield Amplifier

Locust shields regenerate much more quickly.

Locust Overview

The Locust, like the Scarab, is another mining vehicle repurposed for military use. The Locust uses a powerful mining laser to inflict great damage to buildings. Although slow and expensive, the Locust is a serious threat to UNSC forces and buildings. It has incredible range and can hit enemy forces when even their longest range units cannot strike back. Once upgraded, a pack of Locusts can quickly decimate an enemy base in only a few seconds. The Locust has two upgrades that can make it a more effective fighting machine: Overdrive, which increases movement speed, and Shield Amplifier, which increases how much punishment it can take.

Tactics

This “mini Scarab” is a slow, long-ranged artillery unit. The Locust’s biggest drawback is that it isn’t very effective against enemy units, as its primary role is taking out enemy structures. Utilize the Locust for just this purpose; stride toward an enemy building but attack from the farthest range possible (which is usually longer than a defender’s attack). This gives you as much time as possible to lay waste to an enemy base.

Locusts can be upgraded to receive the Overdrive ability. This optional secondary attack removes the Locust’s shields in favor of increasing the damage it causes; naturally this is viable when you aren’t being attacked by enemies or when you wish to sacrifice a Locust that has almost destroyed a building and needs a boost of attack power to finish the job.

The Locust is like a UNSC Cobra, with all the building-striking tactical advantages. However, it doesn’t have the Cobra’s antivehicle power and is therefore less of a threat to ground troops. The damage a Locust causes to enemy units is very low.

Do not build Locusts if you are primarily interested in attacking foes or defending from enemy troops; build them only if you plan on taking down enemy structures quickly and from long range. Even then, you don’t need many, and they can fill specific roles, such as destroying enemy Turrets while your other forces engage the enemy.