Halo Reach Vehicles: New Additions and Halo Classics

Halo Reach Vehicles: New Additions and Halo Classics
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Halo Reach Vehicle Guide

The vehicles of Halo are an important part of the franchise. What would halo be without the Warthog or Ghost? Reach has many of the same vehicles found in previous Halo games, but also includes some new vehicles never before encountered. This guide will help you get acquainted with the vehicles in Halo Reach.

Banshee

Built for close-quarters dogfighting and ground support, the Banshee is a maneuverable fighter that is particularly effective against ground vehicles and fixed enemy positions. It appears multiple times in the single-player campaign, but typically in situations where the player has access to heavy weapons. As a result the Banshee usually isn’t much threat because it is lightly armored and quickly falls to heavy fire.

Banshees are also available on some multi-player maps. They are difficult for players with small arms to destroy, but can be taken down quickly with guided weapons like the Rocket Launcher or well-aimed fire from Warthogs and other ground vehicles. The Banshee’s main weapon is a pair of plasma guns that are great against infantry and light vehicles. The Banshee also has a fuel rod gun that can be used to bomb heavier targets, but it is dumb-fire and can be difficult to aim. Dive bombing is a popular tactic with the Banshee for this reason (it is the easiest way to hit) but be mindful that diving straight at a target makes you very easy to hit.

Ghost

Halo Reach Vehicles: Ghost

The agile Covenant Ghost is largely the same as in previous Halo games. This single-seater is essentially a support offensive vehicle that makes numerous appearances in the campaign. It is usually easy to deal with in the campaign because the driver is exposed and often an unshielded grunt. Simply killing the driver will knock the ghost out of commission. Explosives and Warthog mounted guns also work wonders.

In multi-player the Ghost is deadly. It fires two plasma guns that are decent for killing infantry and great for killing vehicles. The Ghost is quick as well, so you can easily dodge enemy fire. It can be made even quicker by using the Boost feature (alt fire) which increases speed for a short period of time. Boost can also be used to run over players and instantly kill them.

The Ghost would be great for securing objectives if it had room for more than one player. As it stands, however, it is simply a nice support vehicle for covering fellow teammates.

Falcon

Halo Reach Falcon

The Falcon is basically a flying Warthog. In campaign it can carry a number of troopers, but in multi-player it carries three people like a Warthog. The Falcon is actually rather easy to fly because it is slow and stable, but this also is a problem defensively. The Falcon is not very maneuverable and will easy succumb to anti-air fire like rocket launchers. The two passengers are in relatively exposed positions, which opens up the possibility of being sniped.

It is a very quick way to get across a map, but its usefulness compared to the Warthog will depend on the terrain of the map. The Warthog will have difficulty on maps with many obstacles, but the low-flying Falcon is actually more exposed to enemy fire in many situations.

Offensively, the Falcon is strong. In campaign a Falcon with two gunners can handle a seemingly unlimited number of Banshees on normal difficulty. In multiplayer a fully-loaded Falcon can rain heavy fire onto an enemy position with its two heavy machine guns.

Mongoose

Halo Reach Mongoose

This fast two-person ATV is occasionally found in the campaign and frequently found on team multi-player maps. The Mongoose has no weapons of any kind. The rear passenger can fire a gun, but doing so with any accuracy is often difficult because of the Mongoose’s quick speed and often unpredictable movements.

The role of the Mongoose is simple – it gets you where you need to go quickly. This is critical in mutli-player team games. The Mongoose is often given the task of securing objectives because it can be used to deliver two players to a location quickly. The players using the Mongoose are vulnerable to fire, however. Speed is this vehicle’s only defense.

Scorpion Tank

Halo Reach Scorpion Tank

The Scorpion is a main battle tank that appears in the Halo Reach campaign briefly and in some multi-player maps. It is similar to the previous versions of the Scorpion, but seems to have been modified so that it cannot take as much damage (the older Scorpion could take numerous rocket shots in campaign mode). However, the new Scorpion also seems to have a more powerful weapon.

In multi-player the Scorpion is used to assault enemy positions. It isn’t well suited for flag running because it is slow and large. However, the big cannon can kill enemy vehicles and Spartans at very long range. A second player can man a machine gun turret in order to kill Spartans who come in close. This is important because the cannon has a dead zone – it can’t fire at targets right next to it, nor should it, as the splash damage would be deadly.

While the Scorpion isn’t a good flag-runner, it is important on objective maps because it diverts enemy attention. A Scorpion assault can provide cover while a team of Spartans on a Mongoose secure the objective.

Revenant

Halo Reach Revenant

New for Halo Reach, the Revenant is a mid-size vehicle that serves as the missing link between the Ghost and the Wraith. It not very large and very maneuverable like the Ghost, but it fires a mortar projectile with a large AOE like a Wraith.

In campaign you’ll run into the Revenant frequently, and it can be a real pain. The Revenant can deal a lot of damage to Ghosts and Warthogs on a direct hit, so you have to be careful to avoid incoming fire. The Revenant is tough to deal with on foot, as well – you’ll need a Rocket Launcher or other explosive weapon.

In multi-player the Revenant makes a good flag runner, particularly if you’re playing with one buddy and you want to raise hell. The Revenant can take on passenger and the driver can both fire and drive, which makes it possible to stay in the vehicle and provide fire support while an ally captures an objective. As in the campaign, the Revenant is resistant to small arms fire and is best taken out with explosives.

Warthog

Halo Reach Warthog

This Halo classic has remained essentially the same throughout the different games in the franchise. In the Halo Reach campaign it is used in several sections to attack Covenant positions that would be difficult to break on foot.

In multi-player the Warthog is even more critical. Although not as fast as the Mongoose, the Warthog is still very easy to maneuver and, just as importantly, it has a beefy weapon. This is usually a mounted machine gun, but variants exist with anti-armor guns and missiles. The fast speed and heavy firepower of the Warthog makes it excellent for securing objectives on team maps, but be careful if you get out of the Warthog – the enemy might steal it and use it against you.

The Warthog should always be on the move. Although the vehicle itself is basically invulnerable to small arms fire, the players inside the Warthog are not. The Warthog is very vulnerable to high explosives like grenades and rockets and it flips easily if it makes contact with other vehicles or is hit with a glancing blow from explosives.

Wraith

Halo Reach Wraith

The main Covenant battle tank, the Wraith is a heavily armed and armored vehicle built for direct assaults on enemy positions. Although considered a tank, the Wraith is actually more like a cross between a tank and a mobile artillery unit.

The main cannon has massive splash damage and fires on a significant arc. The Wraith’s cannon is easy to dodge at long ranges, but it is more capable of digging opponents out of cover than the cannon on the Scorpion. The Wraith also has a secondary weapon, a mid-range plasma gun that provides cover against infantry in close-quarters combat.

The Wraith’s purpose is basically the same as the Scorpion – direct assault. It is typically faced as an opponent in the campaign, but is sometimes used by players on multi-player maps. The Wraith can be taken out by heavy weapons like rocket launchers and grenades but is essentially invulnerable to small arms fire.