List of vehicles in the Halo universe

This is a list of vehicles in the Halo video game series. The Halo games let the player drive, pilot, and board a variety of vehicles during single and multiplayer gameplay, making their manouverability, firepower and speed available to the player. When driving or piloting a vehicle, the game switches to a third-person perspective.

Vehicles in Halo: Combat Evolved were indestructable (except for vehicles piloted by Covenant in the Campaign mode), and the only way to take control of an occupied vehicle was to kill the driver. Also, when the vehicle flipped over, the entire crew was ejected from it.

In Halo 2, the vehicle system was changed, adding the ability to recover from a flip, and the possibility to hijack a manned vehicle. In the campaign component of Halo 2, many levels contain a significantly higher number of vehicles than the first Halo game, due to the addition of damage and degradation which has the effect of each vehicle lasting for shorter periods of time, and the increased emphasis on vehicles in gameplay.

UNSC vehicles

UNSC vehicles are wheeled or tracked because humans do not possess the advanced hover technology of the Covenant.

Warthog

Warthog is the colloquial name for the M12 light reconnaissance vehicle. The Warthog itself looks like a dune buggy with a machine gun mount on a roll bar, similar to a technical. The standard vehicle of the UNSC armed forces, it is fast and maneuverable, but prone to rollovers during hard cornering.

The Warthog can carry a maximum of three people; a driver, passenger, and gunner. The gunnery position can hold a .50cal (12.7mm) minigun designed for anti-air and infantry supression or a 25mm Gauss gun of moderate anti-armor capabilities. However, in the novels, the Warthog is stated to carry 50mm chainguns or ArdentV Surface to Air missiles. The person in the passenger seat of a Warthog rides shotgun, able to use whatever weapons they currently have on them to attack enemies from the Warthog. This is somewhat ineffective, as it is often difficult to aim in a moving Warthog, though experienced drivers can line up shots for the passenger and gunner. The driver has no armaments other than the bumper of the Warthog. In the original Halo, this proved very effective as the bumper killed any enemy on foot instantly. However, the modified damage system in Halo 2 reduces damage based on the velocity that the Warthog was traveling and never provides an instant kill.

The M12 and all of its variants are issued with a variety of features, including four-wheel drive, independent suspension on all wheels, four-wheel steering, emergency brakes, radar, flood lights, and a winch. It is powered by a forward-housed low-profile hydrogen internal combustion engine. The hydrogen fuel is burned at very high temperature with a synthetic carbon/silicon catalyst to achieve even better fuel consumption. The entire vehicle weighs about 3.5 tons.

The UNSC has several other variants of Warthog at their disposal, but only two versions have been used by the Master Chief in action against the Covenant thus far.

The Gauss version of the Warthog appeared in Halo 2 and was not in the first Halo game. Also, in Halo 2 the Warthog has been given a horn to distract, annoy, or warn others. In campaign, sounding the horn will prompt nearby AI Marines to get into your warthog. The horn is often used in multiplayer games to notify teammates of empty gunner or passenger positions. The addition of an e-brake allows the Warthog to skid around corners.

The PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved includes a variant of the standard Warthog, called the m12A1 Warthog LAAV. This Warthog has a triple-barreled rocket launcher similar to the Human SPNKr, in lieu of a minigun. However, this Warthog can only be used in Multiplayer.

The Wathog may also be known unofficially as a "Puma."

Scorpion

The Scorpion Tank is a heavily armed human vehicle so named for its shape, with its main gun resembling a scorpion's stinger. The tank can hold a total of 5 people: a driver/gunner and 4 passengers on the track pods. The operator of the tank drives the tank and controls both the 105mm main gun and the .50cal coaxially-mounted machinegun. However, the capability to carry passengers has been taken off in multiplayer games in Halo 2. The 105mm cannon can fire both HEAT and Sabot-type ammunition depending on the target. Given that the tank uses an auto-loader and has a small turret the reload time is approximately 4 seconds per shot. This gun is capable of destroying most targets in a single shot. The .50 caliber machinegun is quite powerful and capable of tearing through ground forces quickly. Because it is coaxially mounted it is also highly accurate. Passengers of the Scorpion tank can fire whatever weapons they are carrying in the same fashion as the Warthog, but are much more exposed to danger than Warthog passengers.

The Scorpion weighs 66 tons and moves fairly rapidly; its top speed is between 30–40 mph. It has several layers of armor that cover it; however, it has a "dead zone" immediately adjacent to itself, where it can not fire without injuring its occupants.

Pelican

The Pelican dropship is a flying transport, capable of moving troops and equipment to battlefields through planetary atmosphere or the vacuum of space. It uses 8 jet engines on the ends of 4 stubby, adjustable wings to fly and can hold 12 passagers and 2 flight crew. It can also carry vehicles in the overhanging back section.

The Pelican is normally armed with a 70 mm cannon in the nose. Additional armaments can include rocket pods on the wings capable of firing 6–8 rockets in a burst, a rear-facing machine gun in the troop bay, and large anti-starship missiles.

The Pelican cannot be controlled by the player in Halo or Halo 2.

Longsword

The Longsword is the standard UNSC heavy interceptor used primarily against Covenant Seraph fighters, capital ships, and ground targets. It is stated, in Halo: First Strike, to be armed with 120mm/110mm rotary autocannons. Aside from the two rotary chainguns, the C-709 Longsword carries AGSM-10 missiles, Moray space mines, and the possibility of carrying a Shiva-class thermonuclear warhead. A pilot and separate navigator/weapons officer are required to fully operate the craft.

It cannot be flown in the campaign missions or multiplayer games, but is flown by the Master Chief to escape Halo in a cinematic sequence at the end of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Covenant vehicles

Land-based Covenant vehicles hover, and tend to be less vulnerable to uneven terrain. All Covenant vehicles have a signature purple sheen.

Ghost

Ghosts are light, single-passenger reconnaissance and rapid attack vehicles. The Ghost is equipped with twin plasma cannons that are similar to the Covenant plasma rifle, though with increased damage, faster rate of fire, unlimited ammo, and no cool-down time. This, combined with the Ghost's ability to move quickly, laterally, and over many obstacles, make it the most manueverable vehicle in the game, although the Ghost can be easily destroyed by explosives, grenades, or a few shotgun blasts.

In Halo 2, the Ghost has a boost function that doubles the speed of the vehicle but makes turning more difficult. While using the boost function, the Ghost cannot fire weapons.

Banshee

Banshees are single-passenger flying vehicles named for the characteristic wail of their engines. It is highly manueverable and armed with twin plasma cannons that can fire continuously without overheating. It is also armed with an underslung Fuel Rod Cannon that can prove effective at combating light-armored vehicles. It tends to be used in an attack role as it can evade most fire with its speed and flying abilities.

The Banshee was modified slightly in Halo 2 to include several new features. Like the Ghost, the Banshee acquired a boost function, allowing it to nearly double its speed, but cannot fire while boosting. It can perform aerial maneuvers, such as a barrel roll.

Banshee is the only playable flying vehicle. In Halo 2 multiplayer games, the fuel rod cannon was disabled for balancing reasons.

Seraph

Seraphs are the Covenant's standard fighters used to combat the UNSC Longsword and other attack ships. They are shown in Halo 2 and cannot be controlled by the player.

Wraith

Wraiths are single-passenger hover tanks, and are surprisingly manueverable and fast for their size. They are armed with a powerful plasma mortar gun that fires in an parabolic arc. These massive plasma shells are capbable of destroying vehicles and troops with a single hit. The Wraith also has twin plasma cannons that can target nearby targets in front of the tank.

The tank is fairly vulnerable to very close enemies and can be destroyed most effectively with explosive weapons such as the Scorpion tank's main cannon, the rocket launcher, or the Banshee's fuel rod cannon.

The Wraith also has a boost function, which triples the speed of the craft for about a second. It is very effective in ramming infantry, preventing an infantry from climbing atop the tank and pounding the driver out.

The Wraith can be piloted in Halo 2, but was not available in Halo. When being controlled by a player, the secondary plasma cannons are not useable. Wraiths have a slower firing rate in multiplayer.

Shade

Shades are stationary gun turrets capable of rotating 360°. They are entered like a vehicle and thrown around like one. They consist of a stand and a floating mobile turret-like seating with control systems to its gun. The gun fires three fairly slow, high powered bolts of energy.

The Shade cannons will also be encounted mounted on several of the larger Covenant vehicles as support guns.

A variation of the Shade appears in Halo 2 as one of two Covenant plasma turrets. It now sports a shield on the front of it that's reminiscent of the shield used by Jackals. Its firing rate is considerably slower and much vulnerable to damage than it's Combat Evolved counterpart.

Shadow

The Shadow is a hovering vehicle with a Shade turret on top. They are used to transport troops and vehicles, such as Ghosts. They move slightly slower than the UNSC Warthog.

Shadows are only encountered on the Halo 2 level Outskirts, cannot be piloted, and are not available in multiplayer games. The Shade turret atop the vehicle is functional.

Spectre

Spectres are hovering troop transport vehicles that serve a purpose similar to that of the UNSC Warthog. It can carry one driver, two side passengers, and one gunner. The gunner can control the Shade turret mounted on top. Unlike a normal Shade though, the turret fires smaller, weaker, blue plasma. It fires very fast though.. Like the Ghost and Banshee, it hovers and can use a boost to increase its speed.

The Spectre was introduced in Halo 2, but originally appeared in an E3 2000 trailer of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Covenant Dropship and Phantom

The standard, unnamed Covenant dropship from Halo: Combat Evolved is constructed from two long troop pods connected by a cockpit, giving it an appearance similar to a fork. The dropship is used to move troops and equipment and to insert troops into active battlefields. Despite having a shade turret mounted underneath the cockpit, the ship is not designed to engage enemy forces except while providing cover while deploying troops.

Phantoms are a dropship aircraft similar to the human Pelican dropship. The Phantom replaced the original Covenant dropship and was introduced in Halo 2. Like the Pelican and the original Covenant dropship, they are not player-controllable, nor can they be shot down. They are armed with a trio of Shade cannons which can be destroyed.

The elimination of the fork-shaped dropship and its replacement with the Phantom in Halo 2 can be attributed from issues with a bug in the original Halo: Combat Evolved game. Players could move close to and board the dropship through its large open bays while it was offloading troops. The dropship would take off and the player would be able to reach areas that would normally be inaccessible by foot or with other vehicles. Bungie designed the Phantom so that the player could not enter the Phantom, as Covenant troops drop straight through a hole in the model.

Scarab

The Scarab is a Covenant heavy walking tank that is basically a small building with four legs supporting it. It is armed with a super-powered plasma cannon, which shoots out of a large eye-like opening in its body.

It is a plot device in Halo 2 and is encountered on Earth and (used by Sergeant Johnson) on Delta Halo, although it is not a controllable vehicle. Its plasma beam is available as an easter egg version of the plasma rifle.

Forerunner robotic vehicles

Sentinel

Sentinels are angular, floating robots built by the Forerunner to contain the Flood. Unlike other vehicles/enemies, they have a nasty habit of releasing a long range EMP detonation that takes out your shields unless you are far away or behind a wall when you use an explosive on it to destroy it(fuel rod, rocket, etc.). They are armed with a beam weapon that is effective at destroying the hosts of the Flood. Sentinels are not player-controllable.

In Halo 2, the Sentinel beam weapon can be wielded like any other weapon.

Enforcer

Also called the Sentinel Major, the Enforcer is a larger, deadlier variant of the Sentinels. Able to sustain more damage and fire both energy projectiles and swarms of multi-missiles, they also have the ability to lift enemy vehicles with twin grappling claws and crush them. Two energy shields cover the nose of the craft, similar to handshields used by Covenant Jackals. They are much more difficult to destroy than normal sentinels and the explosions from getting the parts of your vehicle smashed by the claws can be devastating to your shields, even on easy mode.

Enforcers were first encountered by the UNSC and the Covenant on Installation 05 (also known as Delta Halo), and seem to protect the Fortress World's most sensitive areas from intruders. They are often accompanied by packs of Sentinels.

Constructor

Constructors are Forerunner robots that operate every Halo installation's control systems. They are not built for combat and rely on the Sentinels and Enforcers to protect them. They have been seen in Halo 2.