Wuzum-pattern Spectre

Template:Ship The Spectre is a Covenant ground assault/transportation vehicle. At first, it could be considered analogous to the Prowler, though designed in typical Covenant style. It is exclusive to Halo 2, although it was originally slated to appear in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Introduction

The Spectre is a multi-troop, armored transport. It is a medium sized vehicle, but maintains the high maneuverability most Covenant vehicles are renowned for. While it's slower than the Ghost, but faster than the Wraith, it can easily move while in confined spaces such as a tight box canyon (see The Great Journey). This vehicle can only be found in Halo 2. It is not prone to flipping, unlike its counterpart, and this makes it good for assaults.

The Spectre's main weakness is that its occupants are quite exposed. The rear-mounted Plasma Cannon is very dangerous and can rapidly deplete an enemy's shield, and has a 360 degree firing arc. It has the capacity to hold two passengers besides a gunner and a driver.

Operation

A Spectre mounted on the Phantom's undercarriage

The Spectre, like many other Covenant vehicles, has the ability to rapidly increase its speed with the aid of a booster. It can do this at the cost of great maneuverability. When boosting, this vehicle is particularly indicated for splattering oncoming infantry; also the main cannon remains operational when boosting. Good pilots are capable of using the 'A' button to lift the Spectre's nose to improve it's turning ability, like a Ghost. It offers two seating positions for passengers and thus allows them to add to the vehicle's firepower with their own weaponry. However, these seats are completely exposed and as such the passengers are very vulnerable to small arms fire and splash damage from nearby explosions. A protective metal carapace shields the driver’s seat. It leaves the drivers head exposed, however, and as a result leaves the driver prone to being sniped.

The Spectre is much larger than the Ghost and thus heavier, as a result it flips less often as a result of grenades and other explosions. It provides a stable, mobile gun platform for heavy anti-infantry fire and a method of delivering troops into the heart of a battle.

Deployment

The Spectre, included with all Covenant land based vehicles, is delivered mainly via a dropship. So far only the Phantom has been seen to do this, however, Spirits may be equally capable but they have never been seen deploying Spectres. Obviously it can also be deployed by a starship's Gravity Lift.

Appearances

The Spectre's first appearance is in Halo 2, at the beginning of the level Quarantine Zone. Other appearances are during the Uprising and Great Journey levels, and can be used in many multiplayer maps. Though it is exclusive to Halo 2, early Spectres were seen in the Halo E3 2000 Trailer, but did not make it into the final version of the game. It is replaced by its Brute counterpart, the Prowler, in Halo 3.

Spectre in Combat

The Spectre offers one defensive weapon, a rapid firing Plasma Cannon placed at the rear of the vehicle offering 360 degrees of fire. It should be noted that unlike most plasma cannons, the Spectres cannon's fire is much more linear and accurate.

The weapon is devastatingly powerful and can cut through infantry with ease. However against vehicles it does not do so well. The rounds fired actually bounce off of Wraith and Scorpion Tank armor, doing minimal damage.

A Spectre in Coagulation.

It's 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 to other vehicles, has it's 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. This is also useful in Campaign, allowing the player to carry more allies further into the level.

Use in Multiplayer

It is generally unused in multiplayer. It is the only vehicle not to spawn by default in any multiplayer map. The Spectre is somewhat slow when compared to other vehicles in multiplayer such as the Ghost and Warthog, thus making the Spectre a so-so vehicle to run over enemies, giving them time to dodge or jump over. The Spectre is the most likely choice for getting to the top of Coagulation and Burial Mounds to glitch to the top of those maps, because it doesn't flip as easily, and can be boosted indefinitely. When on top of the map, they have almost a complete view of everything below and players have a great opportunity to snipe other opponents. The Spectre can also reach the upper level of Foundation, making it ideal for splattering in the narrow walkways.

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.

File:1221710347 Plasma turret.jpg

A Spectre's plasma turret.

Advantages vs. Warthog

The Spectre has many advantages over its UNSC counterpart. First, the Spectre has a much more stable firing platform. This is in large due to the Spectre going at a much more stable speed. Even when using a Frag Grenade, the Spectre can remain upright. It is very maneuverable as well, it can turn around without moving, which can be useful in many situations. It also has very accurate Plasma Cannon in the back. It is ideal for taking down Banshees, and can be used in succession against infantry. The Spectre has the ability to carry one more passenger than the Warthog, giving it an advantage in CTF games. The Boost function that all Covenant land vehicles have is great when trying to escape from hotspots and for splattering. Also, a metal cover on top protects the driver.

Disadvantages vs. Warthog

The one best argument against the Spectre is the exposure of the passengers and gunner. While the drivers seat is protected by a metal covering, the passengers are easy targets for snipers on all but one angle. Another major problem is the low speed of the Spectre. Unless boosting, it barely outpaces a Wraith, and is quite poor with maneuverability during a boost. Therefore, it is easy pickings against a Rocket Launcher, or any other vehicle with better maneuverability, such as the Banshee. Its turret, while effective against aircraft and infantry, is not useful when attempting to take down tanks.

Character Compatibility

• Elites
• Brutes
• Grunts
• Spartans
• Marines
• Flood Combat Form (Human)
• Flood Combat Form (Elite)

Trivia

The original Spectre present in the E3 2000 Trailer.

• It seems that during the construction of Halo: Combat Evolved the Spectre was a vehicle that Bungie had in mind, but ended up on the cutting room floor. At the time it seems to have been called the Shadow. It can be seen in the Halo E3 2000 Trailer.
• If you press and hold A while driving, the air brake will engage. The front end will rise, enabling you to climb some walls.
• In Halo 3 it seems to have been replaced by the Prowler, which is a very similar Brute vehicle and thus, Bungie probably felt no point to bring the Spectre back in Halo 3 since there was already one slightly better replacement variant (The Prowler's armor is rather strong, it is able to withstand up to two rocket hits normally).
• The turret shots bounce off of the heavy armored vehicles like Wraiths and Scorpions. although they can still cause damage.
• A glitch occurs when two players in the passenger seats have Sentinel Beams. If one player fires their Sentinel Beam, then the other player's Sentinel Beam will appear to fire as well, though this will not drain the second player's battery, and it will not increase the damage. If the second player fires their beam, the only effect on the target will be from them.
• The turret of the Spectre in the Halo E3 2000 Trailer probably gave the origin of the shade turret in Halo: Combat Evolved.
• The Spectre has a weaker cannon and armor and lower stability than the Prowler, but is capable of boosting and maneuvering faster, as well as offering more cover to its driver and passengers
• It is likely that the Spectre was continued to be used by Covenant Separatists, as it is unlikely that the Elites would have used the Brute Prowler.
• Like most of the other Covenant vehicles, the Spectre is named after some sort of ghost-like creature.
• Usze 'Taham's armor color looks very similar to the Spectre's color.

Related Pages

• Warthog - UNSC equivalent of the Spectre
• Prowler - Covenant Loyalist equivalent of the Spectre.