Climbing the tech tree, unlocking newer and deadlier toys, and building up your army is one of the most satisfying parts of strategy games. With Halo Wars 2 out now, we thought we’d walk you through your new toybox. Read on for all the units you’re able to command in Halo Wars 2.

• Halo Wars 2 Torrent
• Halo Wars 2 Leader Guide

A seventh leader, Sergeant Forge, is also available as special bonus for pre-order/early access customers and will be available for purchase via the Marketplace. Good for me as I pre ordered the ultimate edition:)From what they said on a stream. RTS's, which is what Halo Wars 2 is, are quite different. They do not rely on a single map - including StarCraft into your first statement about games relying on a single map is simply incorrect - but rather need multiple maps, as almost everything about a match is heavily affected by the map it plays on. Size, resource placement, terrain - all.

For all the latest on editions, factions, story and in general, here’s everything we know about Halo Wars 2.

UNSC

The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is an agency of the Unified Earth Government, and humanity’s military presence in space. They’re represented in Halo Wars 2 by the Spirit of Fire, a colony ship refitted for military purposes and capable of sustaining an army. You’ll command the UNSC’s armies in the single-player campaign, and have the choice of leading them or their adversaries, The Banished, in multiplayer.

UNSC Infantry

Marines

The staple of the UNSC military, Marines are core infantry and moderately capable against everything in all game modes. In single-player and multiplayer, they’re available from the start (tier zero), but can be upgraded at tier one to throw grenades, and at tier two you can add a combat technician to their squad (he can repair vehicles and carries a rocket launcher).

Hellbringers

Returning from the original Halo Wars, Hellbringers are a cheap anti-infantry unit with a big flamethrower and a lovely Scots accent. They are strong versus buildings and infantry (obviously), weak to vehicles, and can’t engage aircraft. They’re available at tier zero, so can be a deadly rush unit. You can upgrade them with dispersion nozzles, which can set the ground on fire, at tier two.

ODSTs

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or ODSTs, are a special forces group within the marines, which we suppose makes them the best of the best of the best. Elite infantry, they can be dropped into combat at a moment’s notice. They have the ‘Demolition Charge’ active ability, with which they will throw timed explosives that are effective against structures and garrisons.

In blitz, they are only available via a power, which drops a squad of them, and are exclusive to Captain Cutter.

Sniper

Snipers are cloaked scouts who excel at picking off enemy infantry at very long range. They can also cloak themselves and detect enemy cloaked units, but they can’t engage either vehicles or aircraft. They are available at tier one and can be upgraded with a Stanchion rifle at tier three, gaining extra damage.

Spartan

Spartans are technologically-enhanced super soldiers, created by the UNSC in a series of ethically dubious training programmes. John-117, better-known as the Master Chief, is the poster boy of the Halo shooter games and a product of the Spartan-II programme.

In Halo Wars 2, Spartans are hero units for the UNSC faction. They are strong against everything and have the ‘Spartan Slam’ active ability, which causes the Spartan to leap high in the air and slam an enemy, taking control of enemy aircraft or vehicles.

They also have the ‘Shield’ passive ability, granting an energy shield which absorbs damage and regenerates when out of combat – exactly like it does in the shooters.

In blitz, there are three different Spartans available, each restricted to a different leader, each with a different new passive ability on top of the above. Professor Anders has Douglas-042, who has the ‘Guard’ passive, enabling him to take damage on behalf of nearby allies. Isabel can field Alice-130, who has the ‘Reflect’ passive, which deals half of damage received back to an enemy attacker.

Finally, Captain Cutter has Jerome-092, who has the ‘Rush’ passive, which means he doesn’t suffer fatigue when deployed outside his base in blitz.

UNSC Vehicles

Cyclops

First introduced in Halo Wars, the new version of the Cyclops is a tier two anti-vehicle walker with a gun on its arm. It can’t engage aircraft, but can be upgraded with shock rounds, which increase its damage. In blitz, it’s classified as weak against infantry.

Jackrabbit

Debuting in Halo Wars 2, the Jackrabbit is a fast scout trike. It can detect cloaked units, but comes without any weaponry as standard. It is available from the start, though, and can be upgraded with a mini-frag launcher at tier one, so it’s an option if you like rush tactics. At tier two you can add a support drone, which increases its line of sight and repairs it. In blitz, the Jackrabbit is classified as moderate versus infantry and vehicles, and weak to aircraft.

Warthog

The Warthog has appeared in each of the Halo shooters and in the first Halo Wars. A core UNSC vehicle, it’s strong against infantry and moderate versus vehicles and air. It also has the ‘Ram’ active ability, which will cause it to charge through enemies, dealing damage.

Wolverine

Introduced in Halo Wars, the Wolverine is a half-track with a pair of missile pods on its back, intended to bring down enemy aircraft. It can detect cloaked units and was available at tier two in the multiplayer beta. In blitz, it’s classified as weak to infantry and vehicles.

Kodiak

The Kodiak is a heavy artillery vehicle, with eight big wheels and one big gun. You’ll need to deploy it to fire that gun, which renders it immobile, but it can put out punishing damage at extreme range. It’s strong versus infantry and vehicles, but vulnerable to aircraft. In the multiplayer beta, it was available at tier two.

Scorpion

The Scorpion is the UNSC’s main battle tank, though it’s not as big or scary as the Grizzly. It’s strong versus infantry and vehicles, and moderate versus air. In the beta, it was available at tier three, and could be upgraded with the ‘Canister shell’ active ability at the same tier, which enabled it to do area damage.

Grizzly

Now we’re talking. The Grizzly is the biggest tank the UNSC deploys, a double-barrelled, four-tracked beast that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Mammoth tanks of old Command & Conquer games.

In blitz, Grizzlies are strong versus infantry and vehicles, and moderate versus air. They have the ‘Missile Barrage’ active ability, which will fire several missiles at medium-range targets. They are exclusive to Sergeant Forge. Lucky fella.

UNSC Aircraft

Hornet

The Hornet VTOL helicopter is the mainstay of the UNSC air force, and has appeared in several of the Halo shooters as well as the original Halo Wars. It’s a core air unit, available at tier two. In blitz, it’s classified as strong against vehicles, and moderate versus infantry and other aircraft.

Nightingale

The Nightingale is a support helicopter, able to help your forces out with several useful abilities. First, its trio of restoration drones can heal friendly infantry and vehicles (they’ll do this automatically when close enough). Second, it has the ‘Defensive Smoke’ active ability, which enables you to cloak all units and suppress combat within a given area. Finally, it has the ‘Detect’ passive ability, and can reveal nearby cloaked enemies.

Just don’t expect to do any fighting with it. The Nightingale is unarmed, and can’t engage any enemy targets.

Vulture

The Vulture is a slow-moving heavy gunship, and one of the largest aircraft fielded by the UNSC. It’s available at tier three and has the ‘Phoenix Missile’ active ability, which launches a devastating missile attack with a wide area of effect. In blitz, it’s classified as moderate versus infantry but strong versus vehicles and aircraft. It has

Condor

The Condor is an aerial ‘super-unit’. In blitz, it’s only available temporarily via a power card, and will leave the field after a certain time has lapsed. Its main party trick is the ‘Heavy Gauss Barrage’ ability, which fires three magnetically accelerated slugs at a target to devastating effect. Because it has the ‘Rush’ passive ability, enabling it to ignore deployment fatigue, you can drop it on the map wherever you like. We’re not sure how it’ll work outside of blitz just yet.

The Banished

Having splintered from long-time Halo villains, The Covenant, The Banished are the UNSC’s enemies in the campaign and the second of the two factions you can command in multiplayer. They are led by an alien named Atriox, who renounced the Covenant after they sent too many of his clanmates to die in their wars with humanity. Tired by that war and rent with internal strife, the Covenant began to dissolve, and Atriox and his followers absorbed much of their former strength, manpower and weaponry.

Banished Infantry

Grunts

The Unggoy, called Grunts by the UNSC, were a client species of the Covenant employed as labourers in peacetime and cannon fodder in war. The Banished use them in much the same way. They are core infantry, weak to vehicles, moderate against other infantry and aircraft.

Suicide grunts

As you might guess, these are grunts who have been fitted with large bombs. Their only purpose is to get near enemy troops and blow up – they are very effective against infantry, weak to vehicles, and can’t engage air. They have the ‘Blast’ passive ability, meaning that if killed them, they’ll blow up anyway.

Elite rangers

The Sangheili, known to humans as Elites, are warlike aliens who were one of the two founding species of the Covenant. Their rivalry with the Brutes was at the heart of the Great Schism, which led to the Covenant’s collapse.

In Halo Wars 2, Elite rangers are scouts and snipers. They are strong versus infantry, but weak against vehicles and aircraft. They have the ‘Detect’ passive, and can reveal cloaked enemies.

Jump pack brutes

The Jiralhanae, who the UNSC name Brutes, are strong bearlike aliens, and the final addition to the Covenant before its collapse. Atriox, leader of the Banished, is a Brute, and has somehow united a certain number of Brutes and Elites under his leadership despite their rivalry.

In Halo Wars 2, Brutes wield jetpacks and gravity hammers, and excel at battering enemy buildings into rubble. They are moderate against infantry, weak to vehicles, and can’t engage aircraft. They have the ‘Jump Strike’ active ability, which will cause them to leap forward and smash the ground, damaging and stunning nearby enemies.

Download the game album documentary youtube. Hunters

The creatures known to the UNSCas Hunters are actually bipedal masses of Lekgolo, a worm-like former Covenant species which can clump together to exponentially increase their intelligence and strength.

In Halo Wars 2, they are anti-vehicle infantry – they are weak against other infantry, strong against vehicles, and can’t engage aircraft.

Honor Guard

Elites wielding Halo’s iconic energy swords, the Honor Guard are a Banished hero unit. They are strong against infantry and vehicles, but can’t attack air. They have the ‘Shield’ and ‘Cloak’ passive abilities, enabling them to not only hide but tank some damage with their regenerating energy shields.

In blitz, they are exclusive to Shipmaster.

Warlord

The Warlord is another hero unit for the Banished – a big, armoured Brute with a siphoning gravity hammer. Like most other heroes he has the Shield passive, but also the Siphon passive, which automatically heals him equal to the damage he deals. This should make the Warlord an incredibly tough unit.

As if this weren’t enough, he also has the ‘Gravity Shockwave’ active ability, which stuns enemy units and structures with a massive hammer slam. The Warlord is classified as strong against infantry and vehicles, but can’t attack aircraft. In blitz, he’s exclusive to Decimus.

Atriox’s Chosen

Brutes hand-picked by Atriox, his Chosen are another Banished hero unit. Halo fans will recognise the big ‘Brute Shot’ grenade launchers they wield. Atriox’s Chosen have ‘Shield’ like other heroes, but also have ‘Shock’, meaning they intimidate enemy troops, reducing their armour. Unsurprisingly, they’re exclusive to Atriox in blitz.

Banished Vehicles

Chopper

Choppers are basically large engines with a seat to carry their Brute pilots. They have the ‘Ram’ active ability, like the UNSC Warthog, are available at tier one, and can be upgraded with shrapnel rounds at tier two. They could detect cloaked enemies in the multiplayer beta, but their blitz card doesn’t have the ‘detect’ ability as of January, so this may have changed. In blitz, they are strong versus infantry, moderate versus vehicles and weak to aircraft.

Ghost

A favourite for many who played the shooter games, Ghosts are light hover vehicles ideal for scouting. They are moderate versus infantry and vehicles, and weak against aircraft. Ghosts have the ‘Ram’ active ability and the ‘Shield’ passive ability, so they are more durable than you might think at first glance.

Ghosts are exclusive to Shipmaster in blitz.

Marauder

Marauders are two-man light tanks, and core vehicles for the Banished. In blitz their card indicates they’re strong versus infantry, and moderate against vehicles and aircraft. Elsewhere, they’re available at tier two, and can be upgraded with thicker armour at tier three.

Reaver

Reavers are bipedal, anti-aircraft walkers. They are weak to infantry and vehicles, but with their two missile pods, they excel at shooting down enemy aircraft. They can detect cloaked enemy units, and have the ‘Predatory Leap’ active ability, with which they can jump a short distance to escape or ambush enemies. They’re available at tier two.

Locust

Locusts are quadrupedal walkers, smaller counterparts to the fearsome Scarab. Formerly used by the Covenant for both mining and combat purposes, they excel at crushing enemy buildings and have a good range, but are weak against aircraft and only moderate to infantry and vehicles. They have the Shield passive ability and are available at tier two.

Wraith

One of the Covenant’s mainstay armoured vehicles, the Wraith is an infantry support tank. It’s strong versus infantry and vehicles, moderate to aircraft and has the Shield passive ability. It’s available at tier three and can be upgraded at the same tier with the ‘Scorch Mortar’ active ability, which causes lingering damage.

Scarab

The Scarab is the Banished super unit, seen duelling a Retriever Sentinel inthis YouTube videofrom a community event, courtesy of MasterofRolness. It’s the bigger brother of the Locust, a giant quadrupedal walker with a huge flamethrower.

There are limitations on its use. In normal multiplayer only three can be fielded at once. In blitz, it only stays on the field for 30 seconds, is deployed via a power card, has the Rush passive ability to protect from deployment fatigue, and the ‘Carapace Shield’ active ability, which renders it briefly invulnerable.

Banished Aircraft

Engineer

Huragok, known to humanity as Engineers, are funky-looking jellyfish who will repair and heal nearby allied units, and can reveal cloaked enemies. They also have the ‘Overshield’ active ability, which casts a temporary shield to protect nearby allied units. Like the Nightingale, they can’t engage any enemies. They’re available at tier one.

Banshee

The Banshee is the Banished’s core ground assault aircraft. They’re available at tier two, and can be upgraded with a plasma torpedo at tier three, which makes them much stronger against other aircraft. In blitz, their card indicates they’re strong versus vehicles, and moderate versus infantry and other air units.

Shroud

Shrouds are an aerial support unit that look a bit like a mini-Reaper from Mass Effect. They can cloak friendly units and are available at tier two, but can’t engage any enemies.

Blisterback

Halo Wars 2 Torrent

One of Halo Wars 2’s coolest new unit designs (we think), the Blisterback is an airborne artillery weapon. Looking like a giant tick, they cruise menacingly over the battlefield. When ordered to deploy, they will land, anchor themselves in the earth and open their missile tubes, ready for firing. They’re available at tier three, and in blitz are classified as strong versus infantry and vehicles, and moderate against aircraft.

The Forerunners

The Forerunners were a highly advanced race who colonised millions of planets in the Milky Way roughly 100,000 years ago. They built many wondrous things, among them, the Ark, which is central to the conflict between The Banished and the UNSC in Halo Wars 2. Though not a core faction and unplayable in either single- or multiplayer, you can get hold of some of their units in certain circumstances. These are them.

Halo Wars 2 Leader Guide

Aggressor Sentinel

Aggressor sentinels are drone-like light aircraft. They will protect capture points in Domination multiplayer games, and you can field them yourself if you’re playing Professor Anders in blitz. Their blitz card indicates they are weak to infantry, but moderate versus vehicles and aircraft.

Protector Sentinel

Another variety of Forerunner Sentinel, the Protector’s blitz card classifies it as a core aircraft, moderate versus infantry and other air, and strong versus vehicles. They have the ‘Lockdown Bolt’ active ability, a lightning bolt than can stun and damage vehicles and structures. Again, you can use them in Blitz if you’re Professor Anders, but it’s not yet clear if or how they will appear in other game modes (see also: Super Sentinels, below).

Retriever Sentinel

Retriever Sentinels are an ‘ultimate’ unit. One can be seen attacking YouTuber MasterofRoflness’s base in this YouTube video. This was taken from the 3v3 multiplayer mode, so we know they can be fielded here.

A roughly equivalent ‘Super’ Sentinel in the original Halo Warscould be recruited by the player, along with other Sentinel types, ifyou captured a Forerunner factory. These were neutral buildings, protected by AI Sentinels.

Which units are proving most handy so far? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/HaloWars2

Go To

Halo Wars 2 is a Real-Time Strategy game set in the Halo universe, developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly for the Xbox ONE and Windows 10. It is a sequel to 2009's Halo Wars.

Set in 2559 (twenty-eight years after the original Halo Wars and about a year after Halo 5: Guardians), the story begins with the UNSC Spirit of Fire's crew finally waking up after being in cryo-sleep for nearly three decades, only to find themselves at an ancient Forerunner installation known as 'The Ark' (the very same one that the second half of Halo 3 was set on). However, it turns out they aren't the only people there; a hostile Brute-led Covenant splinter faction called 'The Banished' have already set up shop, and are seeking to use the Ark for their own nefarious purposes. Despite having completely missed the events of the last twenty-eight years, Captain James Cutter of the Spirit of Fire must now match his wits against Atriox, the Banished's terrifying powerful and brilliant leader.

Like the original Halo Wars, the multiplayer allows the player to choose which side to take command of, with both factions (the UNSC and the Banished) each having multiple unique leaders who each provide their own special bonuses.

The game was officially released on February 21, 2017, with those who bought the Ultimate Edition getting it on the 17th.

A Downloadable Content campaign titled 'Awakening the Nightmare' was released on September 26th, 2017. In it the player takes control of the Banished for a single-player campaign, specifically two Banished Brute brothers Pavium and Voridus, as they deal with a Flood infestation originating from the space station High Charity, which had crash landed on the Ark.

Previews: Announce Teaser, E3 Trailer, Launch Trailer.

Tropes of Halo Wars 2:

• And the Adventure Continues: The game doesn't end with the Banished taking a decisive defeat, and the ending cutscene shows Atriox to still have substantial forces left to him. The Spirit of Fire is still left stranded above the Ark, and the new Halo Anders' is riding on is hijacked by a Guardian.
• Ascended Extra: Red Team in the previous game had little characterization other than being the best soldiers aboard the Spirit of Fire. With Sergeant Forge's death, they take center stage as Captain Cutter's main field leaders, with Jerome-092 receiving the most focus.
• Big Bad: Atriox, the terrifying chieftain of the Banished, is the main antagonist.
• Bullying a Dragon: In the penultimate mission, Atriox gives Cutter an ultimatum, saying he will let the Spirit of Fire live and all humans leave in safety if they leave the Halo and the Ark to him. Cutter shoots back that the Ark now belongs to the Spirit of Fire, and that Atriox can piss off. Isabel then reports that Atriox has never been so mad.
  • It's zig-zagged between them. Atriox didn't take the humans seriously and the entirety of the game is them managing to inflict more damage on his army than the Covenant ever did.
• The Bus Came Back:
  • After it looked like they would be left in eternal canon limbo after the end of 2009's Halo Wars (Aside from a tease in Halo: Escalation that went nowhere and heavily implied a Bus Crash had happened), the Spirit of Fire's crew are back in the fight.
  • The Brutes themselves are also this, with their last outing as a major antagonist being all the way back in Halo 3 nearly nine years ago before being Demoted to Extra in Reach and being Put on a Bus for the entirety of the Reclaimer saga.
  • Joining the Brutes in returning after a long absence from the games are the Brutes' signature attack vehicle the Chopper (missing since Halo 3), and the gigantic siege-breaking Scarab walker (last seen in Reach).
• Bus Crash: As set up in Halo: Tales From Slipspace, Serina, the Spirit of Fire's AI from the previous game, died seven years into the ships' 28 year voyage. The game opens with her last transmission, giving her farewell before she self-terminated.
• Call-Back: Remember how Guilty Spark in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary started launching chunks of his Halo into space to kill time? Anders uses the same function to dispatch the attacking Banished near the end of the game.
• The Cameo: While Captain Cutter's Elephants have been removed from the UNSC unit roster, they do appear as the central structure for UNSC bases.
  • Sergeant Forge returns as a multiplayer commander, and has several unique lines referencing the fact that he died in Halo Wars.
• Cool Bike: The UNSC Jackrabbit, a three-wheeled scout vehicle.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The Brutes and their strength has been something of note since their first appearance all the way back in Halo: First Strike, where one surprised even the Master Chief himself by managing to overwhelm and nearly kill him. It comes as no surprise that Atriox, who's powerful even for a Brute, was able to deliver a curb-stomp to the ill-prepared Red Team.
  • The scrap on the Ark that the Banished salvage is described by Isabel as coming from a battle near the end of the war where 'the Master Chief saved us all', clearly nodding to Halo 3.
  • Isabel was stationed at the Henry Lamb research outpost, which is explicitly named after a UNSC scientist from the novel Halo: Hunters in the Dark.
  • Several of the Phoenix Logs are all but outright stated to be from the perspective of 000 Tragic Solitude, aka the Ark's Monitor and main antagonist of Hunters in the Dark, with several of the logs combining to serve as something of a prequel to said novel.
  • Red Team is limited to driving around in a Warthog in the first mission, and close examination reveals that their armor is similar to the armor worn by Master Chief in the first Video Game/Halo. After Jerome and Douglas return to the Spirit of Fire with Isabel, their armor is upgraded to the most modern Mjolnir spec, including jump jets and other advancements though Alice's upgraded armor remains a plot hole, since she was cut off and isolated for most of the campaign.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Atriox delivers an impressive one to three Spartan-IIs rather effortlessly.
• Cruel Mercy: Atriox lets Red Team live as a way of humiliating him. This turns out to be a serious mistake as they spend the rest of the game hammering his forces, partially driven by revenge.
• The Dragon: Atriox's main lieutenant and muscle is Decimus, a Brute powerful enough to take on multiple Spartans and armies in gameplay, and even to call down orbital bombardment on his own position fearlessly (with the survival aid of an extra strength energy shield.)
• Doomsday Device: A backup Halo features prominently in the plot. The final mission revolves around holding the line until it can be disarmed.
• The Dreaded: Atriox, hands down. The Covenant used him and his clan as cannon fodder, and turned him into a legend, a rebel so terrible he was at least as big a threat as the entire human race. The biggest difference? The Covenant almost beat humanity. They never came close to beating Atriox.
• Elite Mooks:
  • ODSTs make their glorious return to the games.
  • The Sangheili (aka Elite) mercenaries serving in the Banished are implied to be this relative to the rest of the faction.
  • While not considered Mooks at all, the Spartan-I Is (along with other 'Warlord/Hero' type units) are certainly elite, and wade into battle with nearly disturbing ferocity and effectiveness.
• Enemy Chatter: Like in the original Halo Wars, units have a diverse array of context-sensitive lines.
• Enemy Exchange Program: Like in Halo Wars 1, Spartans can hijack enemy vehicles.
• Establishing Character Moment: Atriox is introduced by having him single-handedly defeat three Spartan-IIs at once (establishing his strength), saying that the one he defeated was 'just a man', as he suspected, and then letting them flee so his forces can follow them to their base (establishing his cunning) while taunting them with a 'run, little demons' (establishing his sadism).
• Eviler Than Thou: The Banished; the Covenant not only feared them, but couldn't even curb them even in their prime.
• Expy: The Protector Sentinels in this game resemble the Super Sentinels from Halo Wars.
• Fear Is the Appropriate Response: Isabel's initial advice to Red Team and then Cutter boils down to run the hell away from Atriox.
• Genius Bruiser: Atriox is the strongest Brute we've seen since Tartarus (possibly even stronger), but is also extremely intelligent to boot. This throws everyone for a loop, since most Brutes are usually, well, Brutes.
• Here We Go Again!: A bleak and depressing example, as the Spirit of Firefinally gets somewhere only to immediately be thrust into conflict with Covenant races once again. The E3 trailer and accompanying song (I Know You by The White Buffalo) play up the tragedy element of the fight for all it's worth.
  • The Ark itself and its usage in creating another Halo, presumably another copy of Installation-04, serves a heavy role similar to that in Halo 3 as both the main battleground between a human and a Covenant-divergent force as well as a potential refuge away from the possible firing of the Halo Array.
  • In the Awakening the Nightmare expansion, the Flood re-emerge on the Ark.
• Hold the Line: As with many Real-Time Strategy games, Halo Wars 2 has many of them. Hell, there's even a mission named 'Hold The Line' which involves doing just that.
• Hover Tank: In addition to the Wraith, the Banished also have the Marauder, which is sort of the Brute version of the Revenant.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Captain Cutter and Professor Anders have been redesigned to look like their new voice actors Gideon Emery and Faye Kingslee.
• Late to the Tragedy: When the Spirit arrives at the Ark, it discovers that the UNSC garrison there has already been completely wiped out by the Banished, with the only survivor being a traumatized logistics AI.
• Let's You and Him Fight: Isabel does this to cripple the Banished by staging an opportunity to hijack their flagship and make it attack the Ark itself, instigating the installation's defenses to retaliate against the Enduring Conviction and take it out.
• Locked Out of the Loop: The Spirit's crew awaken with zero idea of what's been going on in the last twenty-eight years (sans the distress signal Anders picked up, which lets them know that either the war is still going on or the UNSC won). However, they do quickly find a UNSC logistics AI who fills them in on some of the details, in addition to providing updated specifications for improved equipment developed while they were out. This causes some confusing consternation in The Stinger, when Anders runs into one of the Guardians.
• Killer Space Monkey: Unlike Jul 'Mdama'sCovenant, the Banished is primarily run by Brutes instead of Elites.
• Kill It with Fire: UNSC Hellbringers make their return from the original Halo Wars.
• Macross Missile Massacre: Courtesy of the UNSC's Wolverine anti-air tank and Vulture gunship, and the Banished's Blisterback Spider Tank and Reaver Chicken Walker. The new Grizzly tank also has some missile pods that can launch a barrage of missiles as a special ability, making it into even more of a Mammoth TankExpy than it already was.
• Magnetic Weapons: In addition to Gauss Cannon-armed Warthogs, the UNSC also has snipers equipped with M99 Stanchions, coilgun sniper rifles originally introduced in the Expanded Universe.
  • One mission also sets up a Sentinel counter: the Spirit Of Fire using their MAC^* to essentially fire blanks, generating an EMP pulse to drive off or destroy the Sentinels.
• Marathon Level: Several levels are lengthy ones, but 'Under The Dark' takes the cake; on Legendary, it can take over two hours to complete.
• Mini-Mecha:
  • The UNSC Cyclops makes its return, except this time it's an anti-vehicle unit equipped with a gun, instead of an anti-structure melee unit like in the original.
  • The Banished have the Reaver, an anti-aircraft Chicken Walker.
• Mundane Utility: The Spirit of Fire's crew intend to use a Halo, one of the most advanced weapons in existence, as a radio relay.
• My Greatest Failure: Isabel is clearly haunted by her inability to do anything to stop Atriox from massacring her previous crew: she's nearly catatonic when found by Red Team, and panicked for several missions afterward. She summons these memories for additional, rage-driven strength when she's trying to destroy the Enduring Conviction. The memories of their screams nearly drive her to tears.
• Oh, Crap!: The reaction of Red Team to Atriox during the first mission, after he effortlessly disables and nearly cripples Douglas.
  • The Shipmaster has this reaction when he sees a fully-completed Halo emerge from the Ark's foundry.
• One-Man Army: The members of Red Team, Spartans Jerome-092, Alice-130, and Douglas-042, are almost unstoppable on their own: Jerome and Douglas use powerful, single-shot weapons (Spartan Laser and Missile Launcher, respectively) while Alice carries a minigun, and they can destroy anything short of a Super Unit given enough time to do so. Anything they can't kill, they can hijack and turn against their enemies, and if the unit they've commandeered is destroyed, the Spartan survives to continue fighting on foot. It's not until halfway through the campaign that you get to control more than one in a mission, but until then, one is more than enough. The last two missions in the campaign let you control all three simultaneously for glorious carnage. Averted on higher difficulty levels, where they are quite a bit squishier, but still formidable.
  • Alice even gets her own focus mission, 'One Three Zero', based on her single-handedly evading the Banished and freeing some allies. The scouting report even points this out: Even a lone Spartan can be a formidable force.
• Orbital Bombardment: The Spirit of Fire can launch several different weapons and defenses to support ground units, including Archer missiles, Lotus mines, and a turret.
  • Decimus' favored tactic when he's being overwhelmed is putting up a very powerful energy shield, and then having ships in orbit bombard his position with anti-capital-ship beam weapons.
• Pride: Atriox's only real flaw and it is Pride Before The Fall given how much damage the Spirit of Fire does to his forces. Subverted as Atriox survives.
• Put on a Bus: The Elephant, Cobra, Hawk and Vampire from the first game aren't usable in this one, though the Elephant does appear as the new central structure for UNSC bases.
• Ragnaroof Proofing: The Spirit of Fire has been out of action for almost 30 years after one hell of a skirmish against both the Covenant and the Flood in the previous game and yet, they still have the resources to fight another war without refueling their supplies and staff first.
• Ramming Always Works: The Warthog's special ability involves hitting the gas and running into (or over) something.
  • How the Banished flagship Enduring Conviction is taken out of the picture, with an absolutely massive Zerg Rush of Aggressor Sentinels literally cutting the ship in half with suicide runs, thanks to Isabel invoking a Let's You and Him Fight situation.
• Remember the New Guy?: Atriox and the Banished have apparently existed for a while, long enough for the Covenant to be fighting both them and the UNSC at the same time, but have never been mentioned previously. Phoenix logs eventually establish that Atriox has zero love for anyone not Banished, and ONI (human spies) actively conspired to avoid provoking him during the Human-Covenant War.
• Revisiting the Roots: With regards to the art design: both sides have aesthetics that are more reminiscent of Bungie-eraHalo as opposed to 343 Industries-era Halo. Justified on the UNSC side, since their gear is (at least initially) twenty-eight years out of date.
• Rousing Speech: Captain Cutter gives one after being introduced to the threat of Atriox, defying Isabel's cynicism and openly standing his ground and deciding to face the Banished head on to stop them.
  Cutter: We are just one ship, and an old one at that.. but here we are. Thirty years past what anyone could ask of us. Our war is gone, the lives we had are gone, the worlds we knew have moved on. And now, all that we may have left are those standing beside us and the duty that defines us, battle after battle fighting side by side, together. Where you see half a crew Isabel, I see family. Courage. And a thousand heroes who swore to fight their way through hell before they ever, ever turned their backs and run. And where you see one old ship, I see home.. and that is alwaysworth fighting for!
• Scavenged Punk: The Banished equipment looks like they are ram-shackled together with whatever parts they can find.
• Siege Engines: The UNSC Kodiak, which is basically Halo's version of the Siege Tank.
• Spider Tank: Besides the Locust (making its return from Halo Wars) and the Scarab, the Banished also have the Blisterback, a six-legged mobile missile battery that can also fly to get around.
• Spikes of Villainy: The Banished have this to an even greater degree than Halo 3's Brute-dominated Covenant; their vehicles all have a spiky aesthetic to them, and they seem to favor spiked helmets for their Brutes.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Due to the standard lives of UNSC AI being limited to seven years, Serina, the Spirit of Fire's snarky shipboard AI, spent her remaining life fixing up the ship before terminating herself, leaving the ship without an AI until Red Team brings back Isabel.
• Super Soldier: The Spartan-IIs of Red Team make their return.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The Banished are effectively this, at least gameplay-wise, for the Covenant.
• Trapped with Monster Plot: Though it goes unmentioned in favor of the Rousing Speech above, the Spirit of Fire doesn't really have a choice about fighting Atriox. Since they used their slipspace drive as a bomb in the previous game, they can't leave the area even if they wanted to.
• Underestimating Badassery: Atriox, for all of his skill and genius, doesn't take a single half-spent human ship very seriously. The Spirit of Fire proceeds to run a guerilla war against him that kills one of his favorite generals, devastates a super-carrier, and delivers Atriox's first real defeats. Let's just say he really probably came to regret not killing the Spartans he did.
• Undying Loyalty: Decimus, and a majority of the Banished in general, are shown to be extremely loyal to Atriox as a result of his strength, his genius, and his legend, leading to them finding the courage to abandon the Covenant altogether as they followed him.
• Unknown Rival: The Banished, a breakaway rebel faction that even the Covenantdeemed a threat, never came into the knowledge of the UNSC both before and during this game, which led both the Ark teams and Spirit of Fire being under-prepared to deal with them. Phoenix logs indicate that ONI was aware of The Banished, and Atriox in particular, prior to his appearance here, but didn't get a chance to confirm much of anything about him, and found him so overtly hostile to everyone, including humans, that they made zero attempt to capitalize on an Enemy Mine situation for fear of getting destroyed.
• The Usual Adversaries: Subverted. The Banished do not consider themselves a continuation of the Covenant; in fact, they originated as an anti-Covenant rebellion.
• What a Piece of Junk: A lot of the Banished's equipment look to be largely scrapped together from salvaged parts (including extra layers of armor visibly bolted onto most of their vehicles), but that doesn't make them any less deadly.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Towards the end, it appears as though riding through a Halo's portal will allow the Spirit of Fire to get back to human space and contact them. Unfortunately, the Halo heads through the portal too quickly for the Spirit of Fire to follow through, leaving them stranded once again. As for Anders, just before the ring can reach its destination, it is yanked out of slipspace and hijacked by a Guardian under the control of Cortana.
• You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!: Pretty much Isabel's reaction to Red Team asking what the strength of the Covenant force that attacked her outpost was.
• Zerg Rush: Suicide Grunts, en masse.

• Brick Joke: Voridus jokes early that the next time the Covenant lose a war, they should pick up after themselves. After defeating the proto-Gravemind, Atriox tells him and his brother to clean up their mess.
• The Bus Came Back: After being presumed destroyed since the end of Halo 3, the Flood have returned to the Halo franchise. Narrowly subverted with the Gravemind; the proto-gravemind discovered in the final mission is destroyed before it completes its final metamorphosis.
• Attack of the Monster Appendage: One Flood unit is simply a tentacle that bursts from the ground to attack units (Type 1), and at various points absolutely colossal tentacles emerge to block off pathways (Type 2).
• Body Horror: Naturally, the victims of the Flood end up this way, rapidly mutating into misshapen monsters upon infection. The first combat-form witnessed in a cinematic is a brute covered in pulsating green tumors that have seemingly overtaken his eyes, and he was infected offscreen only a few scant minutes before being shown.
• The Dreaded: The Banished are just as frightened of the Flood as the Covenant, except for Voridus, but he quickly changes his tune when he actually sees them.
• Even Evil Has Standards: The Banished have their goals of conquest, but the last thing they want is the Flood devouring the galaxy.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: The Banished against the Flood. Atriox even abandons positions he was setting up against the Spirit of Fire because the Flood posed a much bigger threat.
• Final Boss: An immense proto-gravemind on the verge of its final transformation is battled in the final mission.
• Genre Blindness: Voridus hears about the Flood, is ordered by Atriox not to break through the quarantine around High Charity, but ignores him and his brother's warnings, believing the Flood to be a work of propaganda by the Covenant.
• Gory Discretion Shot: Done to a squad of brute scouts entering High Charity; the camera cutting away just before they're devoured by the reawakened Flood. We see the aftermath, however.
• Happy Ending Override: Awakening the Nightmare does this to the third game: The Flood infesting High Charity are revealed to have survived the activation of Installation 04-b in vast numbers, and the Banished accidentally free them from a quarantine enforced by the Sentinels.
• Non-Player Character: While the Flood have an extensive roster of units (more extensive than what they had in the previous game, at the least), they are an AI-only faction that only appears in the DLC's campaign.
• Room Full of Zombies: High Charity. When the Banished cut open a single, tiny hole in the protective dome erected by the Sentinels, a nigh-unstoppable horde of Flood pours from the gap within minutes, overrunning the surrounding landscape and devouring everything they see.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: High Charity is intact and is still completely infested with the Flood, though the Sentinels of the Ark have constructed a solid dome around the ruins to contain the infestation, and keep the surrounding landscape under heavy guard. Unfortunately, the Banished destroy most of the defenses in order to salvage loot from the debris field, and Voridus' greed leads him to cut open a tiny part of the shield in search of further treasures within the city itself. Within mere minutes, tens-of-thousands of Flood start pouring through the breach.
• Tentacle Rope: Employed by a number of pure-forms during the initial outbreak to incapacitate Banished soldiers, binding their arms or dragging their feet out from under them so infection forms can latch onto their bodies unhindered.
• Tempting Fate: Vorius dismisses the rumors of monsters lingering in the wreckage of High Charity. Even the level name he does this in is called 'What could go wrong?'!
• Too Dumb to Live: Voridus, who dismisses the Flood as Covenant propaganda and sees no problem with tearing open the obvious sentinel quarantine around High Charity. While Voridus himself survives, his actions unleash the Flood and nearly result in the extinction of all life on the Ark and the return of the Gravemind.
• Trapped with Monster Plot: With the Enduring Conviction destroyed during the events of the main campaign, the Banished have no way of actually escaping the Flood, which are well-known for devouring entire planets in days if not opposed.
• Zerg Rush: The Flood have this tactic as central to their gameplay, as their infection forms come in large unit sizes and can infect slain enemies and vehicles into units they control. Their introduction in Awakening the Nightmare is to swarm out of High Charity as a hundreds-strong swarm of infection forms, easily overrunning the Brutes outside the entrance.
• What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Nearly quoted by Vordius himself, and directly quoted by the name of the first mission.
• You Don't Look Like You: A very mild example, but in cutscenes the Flood are portrayed with their typical green pallor, while in-game they're instead colored in fleshy shades of pink and red. Various pure-forms have also taken to sporting glowing orange pustules/tumors, which aren't present in other installments.