HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis/Gameplay

Campaign and Spartan Ops

• The Mantis is only available in two Halo 4 campaign levels, Infinity and Composer. Both levels involve waves of Covenant infantry and as such multiple Mantises are available in case the player's original Mantis should be heavily damaged or destroyed. The player should always be weary of enemies wielding Type-33 fuel rod guns and overcharging their Type-25 plasma pistols.
  • In Infinity the player should use the Mantis' missiles to destroy the multiple Type-44 Phantoms and Z-510 focus turrets. The Mantis' machine guns and stomp ability are more than capable of dealing with the Covenant and Promethean infantry even on Legendary. The player should also be weary of the occasional Type-26 Banshee. A combination of the Mantis' machine guns and missiles will make quick work of all aircraft.
  • In Composer the player should once again use the Mantis' missiles to destroy the incoming Phantoms. However, unlike Infinity, the Phantoms will drop both Type-26 Wraiths and Type-32 Ghosts. The player should always keep a distance between their Mantis and enemy Wraiths as a boosting Wraith is capable of destroying a Mantis regardless of difficulty. Also, unlike Infinity, there are many more Banshees present in this level and are a threat when they are sent in waves. It's best for the player to find cover where they can hide until their shields are up before they engage another Banshee squadron.
• In Spartan Ops the Mantis is only available in three chapters, Shootout in Valhalla, Backup, and Out the Other.
  • In Shootout in Valhalla the four Mantises will always spawn back if destroyed. The only real threat is the occasional Wraith and the massive amount of Banshees in this chapter. This makes it ideal for the player to complete there Covenant vehicle destruction commendations using the raw power of the Mantis.
  • In Backup the Mantis should only worry about enemies wielding fuel rod guns and Z-390 incineration cannons. All enemies can easily be killed using the Mantis' main weapons.
  • In Out the Other the Mantis should take out the hordes of Promethean Watchers first before moving onto the Knights.

War Games

• In War Games the player should always have a designated vehicle-based loadout. For their tactical package they should always use Wheelman. A disabled Mantis takes the longest to recover out all the vehicles in Halo 4 making Wheelman an absolute must. For their support upgrade they should use either Gunner, so the Mantis' machine guns can fire longer before overheating, or Survivor, so that they may survive your Mantis' destruction.
• A Mantis pilot should always use the Mantis as a support vehicle in War Games. It only takes a magazine from a precision weapon to take down a Mantis' shields.
• Assuming the shields are up each time a Mantis can potentially take three shots from a M6 Spartan Laser.
• Using the stomp ability is a good way to kill enemies behind walls your main weapons cannot penetrate.
• The Mantis is very deadly to M12 Warthogs. The M12 Warthog LRV's M46 machine gun is rather ineffective against a Mantis and the M12R Warthog's missiles can easily be sidestepped by a Mantis at various ranges. The only Warthog a Mantis pilot should be weary of is the M12G1 Gauss Warthog. The Gauss Hog's M68 Gauss cannon can kill a fully shielded Mantis in three shots. The best way to deal with any Warthog is to use the Mantis' missiles, which can lead to flipping the Warthog and may even splatter the former occupants, or if the Warthog is close use the stomp ability.
• The Mantis should also be used to help your team against enemy Banshees. Like in campaign a combination of the machine guns and missiles will shred Banshees apart.
• While engaging an enemy M808 Scorpion the player should always stick to cover and launch all five of their missiles after the Scorpion has fired it's 90mm cannon. Once they've fired their missiles they should once again get back into cover.