. Halo Guide - Warthog
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Halo Guide/Warthog

Crew: 1 driver + 1 passenger (plus 1 more in rear)
Armament: M41 LAAG

The M12 light reconnaissance vehicle, or Warthog, is the standard vehicle of the UEG armed forces. It is fast and maneuverable, but prone to rollovers during hard cornering. A three-barreled machine-gun is mounted in the rear of the vehicle. Armed passengers significantly increase the unit's anti-infantry capacity.

Notes: The Warthog is a four-wheel drive vehicle good for scouting and light-medium assaults, proficient at defending itself and more vulnerable allies if necessary. It is armed with an M41 LAAG, and is quite adept at running down fleeing enemies. The Master Chief is able to take the wheel of the trusty Warthog in many missions, as well as multiplayer. In addition to the driver, the Warthog can carry two passengers, one manning the turret in the rear of the vehicle, the other riding shotgun.

With:
The Warthog is a nice all-round vehicle. It's fast enough to squish that pesky Elite under your treads, and able to ferry that flag carrier across the map in minimal time. The gunner provides excellent firepower in the form of an LAAG (note that the gunner's big juicy head sticks out from the turret, making them prime sniper meat - in assaults, gunners tend to die first. Make sure it isn't someone too important, such as the team leader or the flag carrier). In combat, a good idea is to drive clockwise in wide circles around a target, meaning the gunner can concentrate on firing instead of aiming, and the passenger can provide auxiliary fire (this also protects the driver from direct fire, prolonging the life of the unit. Bare in mind, the LAAG has a minimum range of two or three metres). The passenger can provide anti-armor or sniper support for the vehicle if armed with an RL or Sniper Rifle respectively, and is also able to throw grenades. However, the passenger suffers from a limited field of view, and aiming can be difficult due to the movement of the vehicle. For this reason, unless they are a crack shot, the Warthog should be stopped while the passenger engages in sniping duty.

Which brings us to the Warthog's main weakness - explosives. A single rocket or grenade can flip a Warthog and kill its crew. In multiplayer, a Warthog is often an irresistible target for enemies (after all, one rocket = three frags). Keep that Warthog moving! Speed is its greatest asset in battle, and the only factor stopping a rocket from hitting your bumper (bar possibly a sloppy aim). If you can dodge that first rocket, you should have no problem running down your assailant. Warthogs are also vulnerable to charged bolts from Plasma Pistols. While the bolt won't track your vehicle, a hit will lower the shields of everyone in the car - put that erratic driving to good use. :)

A good idea is to use the Warthog to drop the two passengers behind enemy lines or in the thick of battle, using it's speed to get in and get out without sustaining critical damage. If facing a group of heavily armed opponents, don't be afraid to ditch the vehicle and use it as cover (just remember to warn your passengers before you bail). That being said, if you are using it as a shield and a rocket comes your way, strafe to prevent a flying Warthog from crushing you. Remember, Warthogs are all about teamwork. Keep your gunner moving, checking behind the vehicle for ambushes. As a bonus, this makes a headshot on the gunner with a Sniper Rifle slightly more difficult. If you bail, tell your friends. If you see a target, warn your gunner. Likewise, if you're gunning and you see a rocket streaking towards you from behind, tell your driver to start dodging!

Another tactic is to use the Warthog as a mobile shelling signaler, with the passenger firing a volley of sniper rounds at enemies to direct the Scorpion's shells. This is particularly effective against distant groups of tightly packed enemies, as any targets not killed by the sniper can be blown to mush by the Scorpion's cannonfire. Should any enemies get in too close, gun them down yourself. This tactic, while effective against stationary or slow-moving targets such as other Scorpions and dug-in soldiers, loses its advantage against fast-moving targets such as Ghosts and other Warthogs (unless you have a good rocket marksman). Which leads us to the next section.

Against:
Baring in mind the Warthog's strength is speed and its weakness is explosives, logically the best way to attack a Warthog is with rockets or grenades whilst it's moving relatively slowly or stationary. Try to position yourself at close-med range when attacking, so the driver has a small reactionary window to dodge your rocket (if you miss the first shot, chuck a couple of frag grenades in the vehicle's general direction to scare the driver and hopefully discourage him from rushing you head on, allowing you time for a second shot).

A good tactic is to position yourself in cover at a place where you will be able to shoot from behind the target Warthog. Here a some good rules of thumb:
1. While driving normally, the camera prevents the vehicle's driver from seeing directly behind the Warthog, and
2. If the driver turns the camera to see directly behind the vehicle, the Warthog must be stationary to prevent it from turning, meaning
3. A turning Warthog is no better than a stationary Warthog, and a slow Warthog is a dead Warthog.

Basically, if you shoot off that rocket directly behind the Warthog, the driver must either turn the camera or hear the rocket to register the attack (the gunner could warn the driver, but they tend to watch the road and keep their aim forward or sideways). And as rockets travel faster than Warthogs, and you positioned yourself relatively close to the vehicle when you fired, you should end up with a large explosion and three new kills. Bare in mind, the rocket may not kill the driver and passenger if they bail, but it will definitely kill the gunner (provided the rocket hits the behind of the vehicle), and the survivors will either be killed when the Warthog flips or escape with no shields and low health, and thus easily sent soaring with the aid of a grenade or two.

A common desperation tactic is to rush the Warthog head on and throw plasma grenades at it. This is generally not a good idea. However, if you must charge, bare in mind that the grenades will adhere to any part of the vehicle but the windshield. A frontal grenade bears similar results to a frontal rocket attack, though with less flippage and a slightly higher likelihood of survivors due to the long grenade fuse.

In terms of vehicle-vehicle combat, a Scorpion would be the best to attack a Warthog. Its cannon will kill all the Warthog's occupants with a glancing hit. Just be sure to dodge any rockets the passenger fires. Warthogs are somewhat ineffective against each other, though if it comes down to that, a rocket or two should help. Make sure that passenger keeps throwing those grenades. AR or LAAG fire will disable the scopes of passenger weapons, which can be a deterrence if he is armed with a Sniper Rifle or feels the need to use the RL scope. When attacking Warthogs with a Ghost, try and approach from behind to catch the driver off-guard. The plasma should paralyze and kill the gunner, allowing you to move to the rear-left of the vehicle (where the passenger can't hit you) and blast away at the driver. Keep strafing! A Ghost against a Warthog should never be a fair fight, mainly because of the former's speed (surprise factor) and the ability to strafe. The only things to worry about (other flipping on your target and bailing, or the gunner, which you should take out yourself or get a teammate to snipe at) should be rockets from the passenger. However, rockets are easy enough to dodge in a craft as nimble as the Ghost.

Try and lure a clumsy Warthog driver onto ice. Warthogs lose their speed and turning on ice, which makes for easier sniping. Some drivers even just give up and bail on ice, making the sniper's job somewhat easier. If they use the vehicle as cover, rocket it, and watch the Warthog crush the unsuspecting fools.

If a shelling signaler Warthog is becoming a nuisance, take advantage of the situation - the vapour trails from sniper rounds will lead you straight back to their source. Feel free to snipe back, or launch a rocket at them.

© 2003 Jack Campbell and Chris Barrett. All rights reserved.