Vehicles. Lots of vehicles.

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Vehicle gameplay is one of my favorite aspects of the Halo games, and one of those things that really separates it from generic military shooters like Call of Dooty.

Now, each Halo game adds one brand-new new vehicle or another; in Halo 2 we had the Spectre. In Halo 3 we had the Chopper, Hornet, and Mongoose. In Reach, we got the Falcon and Revenant. In Halo 4, we got the Mantis.

Unfortunately, these new vehicles are always gone by the next game. Only the Warthog variants, the Mongoose, and the Wraith have stayed with the series since first being introduced. I’d like to see 343i bring back all of the old favorites; and add in some new toys while their at it.

As far as I’m concerned, the more variety, the better. I’d like to see as many weapons, enemies, and vehicles in Halo 5 as 343i can possibly fit without breaking things. So here’s my vehicular wish list:

NOTE: Be sure to read before you complain about certain vehicles being way too overpowered for multiplayer; I already noted below which vehicles should probably be exclusive Campaign, Spartan Ops, and Firefight, and which should be featured in all game modes:

All Game Modes (Campaign, Firefight/Spartan Ops, Multiplayer, Forge)
-Mantis
-Chopper
-Spectre
-Revenant
-Falcon
-Locust

Restricted (Single-player/Co-op and Forge Only)
-Grizzly
-Wolverine
-AA Wraith
-Hornet
-Pelican
-Broadsword

NOTE: Vehicles labeled as “Restricted” would most likely NOT be in matchmaking by default; but they would be available in Forge and Custom Games. There’s always the possibility that skilled Forgers could get these vehicles to work one way or another; I say give 'em a chance.

Otherwise, they should be there for your crazy custom games and machinima makers.

Mantis - If this thing is gone in Halo 5, I’m going to blow a gasket. 343i, DO NOT throw away the Mantis, I’m begging you.

Chopper - A single-seat light vehicle that could actually hold its own against heavier vehicles like the Warthog and sometimes even the Wraith; something the Ghost has never been able to do. Not to mention, its unique ability to Splatter other light vehicles; was there anything more satisfying than splattering a fully-loaded Warthog and earning a Triple Kill in the process?

Spectre & Revenant - The Covenant need more vehicles; let’s start with something that can match the Warthog for firepower and versatility. The Revenant was lots of fun, as was the the Spectre; though the latter would probably need a buff, as I don’t ever recall its main gun being all that powerful. Having a wider variety of enemy vehicles to fight (or otherwise highjack) would also make big vehicle battles more interesting in Campaign, Spartan Ops, and Firefight.

Hornet & Falcon - The UNSC needs an aircraft of its own to match the Banshee. The Hornet was great fun in Campaign, but way overpowered in multiplayer (except for the transport variant on the map “Avalanche”). The Falcon worked well across all game modes; I can’t believe they took it out. I’d love to see the Falcon return at the least, but I wouldn’t say no to the Hornet so long as it stays in Campaign, Spartan Ops, and Firefight (unless of course 343i can balance it for multiplayer).

Grizzly - I got to drive this in Spartan Assault, and I LOVE it. I’ve always loved the Scorpion, and this thing is basically a Scorpion on steroids. It would probably be a bit overpowered for multiplayer, but I see no problem with including it in the single-player/co-op modes in the game. In which case, I also think this tank should have both the main guns AND the secondary machine-gun controlled by the pilot (like with the Scorpion in Halo 2), as to further distinguish it from the Scorpion and Wraith with their useless secondary turret guns.

Wolverine & AA Wraith - Once again, I would make these Campaign/Spartan Ops/Firefight exclusives (but they should still be available in Forge for players who want to use them for unique maps & gametypes). Anti-aircraft vehicles could make the large-scale vehicle battles more interesting by allowing players more options; maybe you’d get tired of always using the Hornet every time you replay a mission, in which case it would be nice if you could take the Wolverine or AA Wraith for a spin instead, don’t you think? The more variety, the better.

Locust - Driving a Scarab might be a bit unrealistic, but how about the next best thing? I say again, the Covenant need more vehicles, and this little walking tank from Halo Wars would make a nice addition; and it would give the Covenant a light mech to compete with the Mantis.

Pelican & Broadsword - I wouldn’t mind seeing these two again in Campaign and Spartan Ops, so long as 343i does it right this time. The Pelican mission (Shutdown) was a big let-down, as there wasn’t much you could do with the Pelican. You blow up two groups of Phantoms, and then you go the rest of the mission on foot; unlike the Falcon mission in Reach (New Alexandria) where you have some side-objectives to tackle while piloting the Falcon, as well as plenty of Banshee & Phantom patrols to tangle with if you just feel like blowing off steam and having some fun in the Falcon.

The Broadsword wasn’t too bad, but it pales in comparison to it’s Reach counterpart, the Sabre. In the Sabre you could dogfight with Banshees and Seraphs, blow up Phantoms, and take on a Covenant Corvette; in the Broadsword, all you do is fly in a straight line and blast stationary turrets. This part of the mission is a cakewalk even on LASO; where as piloting the Sabre could be more challenging as you turned on skulls and cranked up the difficulty.

Naturally, all the classics (all Warthog variants, the Mongoose, Ghost, Scorpion, Wraith, and Banshee) should stick around. After 10 years of putting up with this, I’m tired of Bungie & 343i adding awesome new vehicles only to take them away in the next game.

2

I agree 100% good sir.

3

Very well made post. I can tell you put your heart into it, and I agree 100%.

4

A very nice thread with which I agree wholeheartedly! I would love to see some vehicles from Halo Wars appear in future Halo games, as well as some old favourites.

5

What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also

6

> What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also

You mean driving the Scarab or just fighting them like in Halo 3?

I suppose if they could get it to work… yeah, a drivable Scarab would be cool for one of the Campaign missions.

Me, I’d be happy if I could just blow them up like I used; some of my favorite parts of the Halo 3 campaign were the huge vehicle battles on missions like “The Ark” and “The Covenant”; fighting your way through hordes of Ghosts, Choppers, and Wraiths in the Scorpion and ending with a one-on-one fight with a Scarab? Epic.

One other thing I would like to see are Scarabs in Firefight; I was thinking that 343i could design a nice big open Firefight similar to the multiplayer map “Sandtrap” from Halo 3; a massive open battlefield with a focus on heavy vehicles and aircraft like the Scorpion, Grizzly, Wraith, Banshee, and Falcon. Lots of enemy vehicles to blow up, including the occasional Scarab or two dropping from orbit.

That’s the kind of thing I’ve wanted to see in Firefight since the game mode was first introduced; huge vehicle battles like those we see in Halo 3’s campaign.

7

You know which other vehicle it would be great to see appear in future Halo games? The Vulture! Oh, what I would do to see those flying above me in Halo 5, or maybe even be able to pilot one!

8

> What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also

Unless the Scarabs have a major overhaul I don’t want them. They were fun to screw around with on Co-op with friends (getting as many vehicles on top as possible etc.)
However, from a pure gameplay perspective I hated them. They weren’t fun to fight and didn’t provide a challenge.

9

> > What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also
>
> Unless the Scarabs have a major overhaul I don’t want them. They were fun to screw around with on Co-op with friends (getting as many vehicles on top as possible etc.)
> However, from a pure gameplay perspective I hated them. They weren’t fun to fight and didn’t provide a challenge.

Stronger Scarabs? Might not be a bad idea… if you were in a Scorpion tank they weren’t that hard to take down, but it was still pretty satisfying to watch them blow up.

How might they be more challenging? Should they have shields? Maybe remove that power core in the back so that the only way to take them out is by teamwork? It might provide a better challenge if 4 players had to combine their firepower to take down a Scarab, as opposed to just one player circling around and shooting it in the back…

If you have any ideas, by all means post them; so long as they’re constructive.

10

I will repeat what I said after Halo 2.

I WANT MY SPECTRE BACK!

And yes Hornet’s & Falcon’s too. Or something new.

11

I can’t see why it’s not possible! The xbox one isn’t a super computer but it is a sheeetload more powerful then the 360 so I hope 343i take advantage of the xbox one.

12

> > > What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also
> >
> > Unless the Scarabs have a major overhaul I don’t want them. They were fun to screw around with on Co-op with friends (getting as many vehicles on top as possible etc.)
> > However, from a pure gameplay perspective I hated them. They weren’t fun to fight and didn’t provide a challenge.
>
> Stronger Scarabs? Might not be a bad idea… if you were in a Scorpion tank they weren’t that hard to take down, but it was still pretty satisfying to watch them blow up.
>
> How might they be more challenging? Should they have shields? Maybe remove that power core in the back so that the only way to take them out is by teamwork? It might provide a better challenge if 4 players had to combine their firepower to take down a Scarab, as opposed to just one player circling around and shooting it in the back…
>
> If you have any ideas, by all means post them; so long as they’re constructive.

While I agree Scarabs are fun to fight, he has a point. Scarabs are really easy to kill. I agree that in order to actually make it a challenge, it needs to be a damage sponge. However, damage sponges aren’t all that fun to fight. Surely there is some middle to these two I just can’t think of XD

13

The more vehicles the better! I was very disappointed when Halo 4 gave us the fewest number of options since Halo 2.

The vehicle I would most like to see returning to multiplayer is probably the Chopper. The Spectre and Prowlers were both so rarely used that I never found myself missing them. As for a new addition, if 343 makes the Locust happen, I will be ecstatic.

I had an idea for a new vehicle the other day which could make another cool addition. I dubbed it the UNSC Griffin; you would get into a vehicle similar to the Mantis, but while piloting, pressing the right bumper would allow its legs to retract and cause it to transform into an aircraft. Then, in midair, you’d be able to transform back into a mech and return to the ground. The graphical fidelity of the XBone could allow 343 to make the transformations thrilling every time they’re performed, and such a hybrid would give Halo 5 a vehicle unlike any we’ve seen in previous games.

14

While I’m not a huge fan of vehicle gameplay in Halo, I have no problem with this idea assuming they can balance it properly.

I am certainly more open to this idea of evolution than ones focused around PODs and whatnot. Good Post

15

> > > > What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also
> > >
> > > Unless the Scarabs have a major overhaul I don’t want them. They were fun to screw around with on Co-op with friends (getting as many vehicles on top as possible etc.)
> > > However, from a pure gameplay perspective I hated them. They weren’t fun to fight and didn’t provide a challenge.
> >
> > Stronger Scarabs? Might not be a bad idea… if you were in a Scorpion tank they weren’t that hard to take down, but it was still pretty satisfying to watch them blow up.
> >
> > How might they be more challenging? Should they have shields? Maybe remove that power core in the back so that the only way to take them out is by teamwork? It might provide a better challenge if 4 players had to combine their firepower to take down a Scarab, as opposed to just one player circling around and shooting it in the back…
> >
> > If you have any ideas, by all means post them; so long as they’re constructive.
>
> While I agree Scarabs are fun to fight, he has a point. Scarabs are really easy to kill. I agree that in order to actually make it a challenge, it needs to be a damage sponge. However, damage sponges aren’t all that fun to fight. Surely there is some middle to these two I just can’t think of XD

They don’t necessarily need to be damage sponges to be more of a challenge. In Halo 3, the Scarabs would always just sit there and spin around to shoot you. They wouldn’t walk around or try to stop you from boarding them.

In the future, Scarabs should be a lot more mobile, and actually move around the battlefield in order to avoid being boarded. There should also be more than one objective to complete to be able to destroy it, all of which need to be destroyed within a certain time frame. Maybe you could have to go down to the control room to unshield the core, go destroy that, and then take out a secondary power supply located near the top gun or something. While this happens, Covenant could drop in via Phantoms or something, making your job harder for you.

While Scarabs were fun in Halo 3, they need to be more interesting and challenging in future Halo games in order to stand up to modern standards, and to make the campaign the best one of all Halo games.

16

A map perhaps 5 times the size of Ragnarok with vehicles galore. Awesome.

17

I don’t know some of those vehicles as I’ve never played Wars or SA, so I can’t speak to their value or coolness, but will happily take your word.

Regardless, Halo 5’s vehicle sandbox should be more Halo 3/Reach, less Halo 4. The more, the merrier.

Also, fughedabout the vehicle perks. Make 'em all durable, big, and diverse. The heavier the better. This is war in the halo universe, not Mario Kart!

18

What about the Cobra?

the UNSC could use a better anti-vehicle weapon on the ground.

and why restrict the Wolverine?
what would balance the wolverine is it’s inability to look down, and inability to target ground vehicles with its missiles, meaning it can be used only against aircraft, and also meaning that a bad driver can be easily countered by a warthog.

19

Yes please. Also, the two new ONI vehicles from Megablocks could be great (the VTOL and the Siege Bike).

20

> > > > > What about scarabs for campaign and I agree except I think the hornet should be in multiplayer also
> > > >
> > > > Unless the Scarabs have a major overhaul I don’t want them. They were fun to screw around with on Co-op with friends (getting as many vehicles on top as possible etc.)
> > > > However, from a pure gameplay perspective I hated them. They weren’t fun to fight and didn’t provide a challenge.
> > >
> > > Stronger Scarabs? Might not be a bad idea… if you were in a Scorpion tank they weren’t that hard to take down, but it was still pretty satisfying to watch them blow up.
> > >
> > > How might they be more challenging? Should they have shields? Maybe remove that power core in the back so that the only way to take them out is by teamwork? It might provide a better challenge if 4 players had to combine their firepower to take down a Scarab, as opposed to just one player circling around and shooting it in the back…
> > >
> > > If you have any ideas, by all means post them; so long as they’re constructive.
> >
> > While I agree Scarabs are fun to fight, he has a point. Scarabs are really easy to kill. I agree that in order to actually make it a challenge, it needs to be a damage sponge. However, damage sponges aren’t all that fun to fight. Surely there is some middle to these two I just can’t think of XD
>
> They don’t necessarily need to be damage sponges to be more of a challenge. In Halo 3, the Scarabs would always just sit there and spin around to shoot you. They wouldn’t walk around or try to stop you from boarding them.
>
> In the future, Scarabs should be a lot more mobile, and actually move around the battlefield in order to avoid being boarded. There should also be more than one objective to complete to be able to destroy it, all of which need to be destroyed within a certain time frame. Maybe you could have to go down to the control room to unshield the core, go destroy that, and then take out a secondary power supply located near the top gun or something. While this happens, Covenant could drop in via Phantoms or something, making your job harder for you.
>
> While Scarabs were fun in Halo 3, they need to be more interesting and challenging in future Halo games in order to stand up to modern standards, and to make the campaign the best one of all Halo games.

My idea was that it should probably take a bit more teamwork to take down a Scarab in a co-op game… here’s what I had in mind:

That “power core” in the back? That which you normally have to destroy in order to blow up the Scarab? How about they make that a Shield Generator instead; think about it. 3 players draw the Scarab’s attention with Scorpions, Grizzlies, Gauss 'Hogs (whatever they got) while a 4th player sneaks up behind the Scarab and boards it, destroys the shield generator, and then the tanks can finish it off with a barrage of artillery.

Teamwork would be all the more important under these circumstances in a Firefight game where you might have the Tilt & Mythic skulls activated at the same time; in which case, simply dumping ammo into the Scarab’s shields wouldn’t be enough.

That’s one way it could be done. Not sure if it’s the best way… but I like your idea as well. Making the Scarab more mobile, and giving the player multiple targets they would have to destroy in order to bring it down.

There has got to be a way to make the Scarab a more satisfying challenge.