Spectre

This article documents its subject as it pertains to the gameplay of the Halo games, rather than the lore.

Spectre
Gameplay role
Faction:	Covenant
Weapon type:	Ground
Locomotion method:	Hover
Counterparts:	Human (UNSC): Warthog Covenant: Revenant Prowler
Weapon stats
Armaments:	Plasma cannon

The Spectre is a medium Covenant ground vehicle, first made playable in Halo 2.

Universe and lore

The Spectre are a set of Covenant vehicle patterns. The Wuzum-pattern Spectre in specific was seen as early as the Battle of Sargasso in 2546, during the War of Annihilation. The Wuchek-pattern Spectre however was a much rarer sight on the battlefield due to it's design.

The following is a list of all vehicles known by the "Spectre" moniker in Halo lore that have appeared in the games:

• 

  Wuchek-pattern Spectre
  Halo: Combat Evolved (cut)

• 

  Wuzum-pattern Spectre
  Halo 2

Overview

Counterparts

Several vehicles act as counterparts to Spectre in gameplay. On the Covenant side, the Revenant and Prowler both act as a medium sized, passenger capable weapons platform. The Prowler even makes use of a plasma cannon itself. From the UNSC is the Chaingun Warthog, which acts in the same manner albeit with a kinetic based weapon.

• 

  Revenant
  Halo: Reach
  

• 

  Prowler
  Halo 3

• 

  Chaingun Warthog
  Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Online and Halo Infinite
  Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2

Gameplay

First-person shooters

Main article: First-person shooter

The Spectre differs slightly depending on the game. In Halo 2, it features a rear-mounted, rapid-firing plasma cannon which provides 360 degrees of fire and can hold three others after the driver.

Campaign

The Spectre is a usable vehicle in Quarantine Zone, Uprising, and The Great Journey in Halo 2's campaign.

Multiplayer

The Spectre can spawn on the maps Burial Mounds and Coagulation.

Advantages

• Stable firing platform thanks to its flat and heavy design and evenly-placed propulsion drive.
• Its plasma turret is very accurate with high rate of fire, delivering a reasonable amount of damage to its target; it is ideal for taking down Banshees, and can be used with success against infantry.
• It is capable of carrying a gunner and two passengers in addition to the driver.

Disadvantages

• High vulnerability of passengers to small arms fire and splash damage from nearby explosions.
• The gunner must also lead their targets when firing at medium to long range, as there is a noticeable travel time for the plasma projectiles.
• The turret performs poorly against armored vehicles such as the Scorpion, as the plasma cannon's bolts will be reflected by the tank's armor.

Tactics and strategies

• Its rapid-firing linear plasma cannon makes it very useful against Banshees because it is more accurate and fast instead of the normal, slow plasma bolts. On Legendary, a Spectre can be very irritating to a Banshee as it is not easy to hit.
• The Spectre, whilst disadvantaged in speed compared with other vehicles, has its advantages in combat. The Warthog can hold three people, where as the Spectre can hold four. This is a minor advantage, but can be useful as it provides extra fire support, giving the Spectre defense on all sides-especially if the occupants are armed with weapons like Rocket Launchers or Fuel Rod Guns (giving the Spectre a better chance against vehicles).
• The Spectre is the likely choice for getting to the top of multiplayer maps such as Coagulation and Burial Mounds, thanks to its indefinite boosting ability.
• Similar to the Ghost, the Spectre is an ideal vehicle for splattering enemies
• One excellent tactical strategy is to use the Spectres and other vehicles as a combination like the Warthog and Ghost, for more firepower and protection which is quite effective against groups and a small number of enemy infantry and vehicles.
• Spectres hold one extra player as opposed to the Warthog, a usual favorite for teams. While the Spectre is less commonly used, the extra seat provides advantages for objective based games, such as Capture the Flag.
• The Spectre is also suitable for rapid movement across a map. While players may obtain and stay in a Warthog, the Spectre can be used to carry a small team across distances to be closer to combat.

Production notes

Main article: Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles § Shadow

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Gallery

• 

  HUD of the Spectre's turret in Halo 2.

• 

  HUD of the Spectre in Halo 2: Anniversary.

• 

  HUD of the Spectre's turret in Halo 2: Anniversary.

List of appearances

• Halo 2 (First appearance)
• Halo: Combat Evolved (Halo: The Master Chief Collection-only)