Zurdo-pattern Wraith

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The Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage, commonly called a Wraith, is the Covenant's main heavy assault vehicle for ground engagements. The Wraith can be rapidly deployed in a combat-ready state by DX-class or Type-52 dropships, and thus is the bane of UNSC Soldiers and Marines.

It's the Covenant equivalent of the M808B Scorpion MBT. The Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery is a variant of the Wraith.

Weapons and Armor

The Wraith's primary weapon, a short-barreled Plasma Mortar, is fixed horizontally but can be skewed vertically. To aim the mortar, the entire vehicle must turn to face its target. The mortar can be retracted into the hull while not in use, a design advantage considering the vehicle's awkward firing requirements. The mortar fires large bolts of superheated, magnetically guided plasma into a "arc" shape in the air, raining down on enemy troops with tremendous force. A direct hit can penetrate nearly any armor, and even an indirect hit is often deadly. This makes shots less speedy and precise, but more capable of catching enemies off guard. The target must be at least eight meters away for the Wraith to use the weapon outside of the "dead zone", an area in which it would cause damage to itself as well as the target ^[1]

The secondary weapon of the Wraith is an automatic Plasma Cannon (There are two different versions: one in Halo 3 and one in Halo 2) which possesses an extremely high rate of fire and is powerful enough to penetrate the armor of light vehicles. However, although devastating to (and designed to deter) infantry and would-be boarders and barriers, the plasma cannon is ineffective against heavy armor.

Wraiths possess heavy armor and are difficult to destroy. The heavily armored hull and chassis make the Wraith almost immune to small-arms fire, and the vehicle can only be incapacitated by heavy weapons, artillery or internal explosions. The pilot is well protected within the hull, and even the weaponry are armored. Typical of assault vehicles, the front armor is capable of taking much heavier punishment than the flanks or rear. This is due to the fact that a Wraith possesses sloped armor on the front, which causes the armor to be much thicker than on the sides. However, even the underbelly of the vehicle is heavily armored to protect the anti-gravity plates underneath the chassis. Before the addition of the plasma cannons Wraiths were particularly vulnerable to infantry, and fast moving vehicles making flanking attempts, also due to the Wraith's slow speed and lack of a suitable anti-air weapon they are useless at deterring aerial assaults.

Gameplay

In battle, the Wraith is the covenant equivalent of a UNSC Scorpion Tanks, which are slower, but possess more precise weapons capable of firing along line-of-sight. But wraiths can indirectly bombard enemy forces. In Halo: Combat Evolved Wraiths can only be piloted by Elites. In Halo 2, Spartans, Marines, Elites, Brutes, and Flood Combat Forms may operate this vehicle. In Halo 3, Spartans, Marines, Elites, and Brutes still pilot Wraiths. The vehicle is slow and easily boarded, and without Ghosts as defending escorts, a boarding party has a good chance of success. However, having a passenger manning the plasma turret exponentially decreases the chances of a successful boarding, as the turret's wide field of view and high rate of fire make it ideal for destroying infantry.

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A Wraith's mortar explodes on impact with any object.

Halo: Combat Evolved

In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Wraith tank is a tough adversary and cannot be driven by the player. The Wraith first appears in the Grav-Bay of the Truth and Reconciliation. Some are also seen in the storage and shuttle bays of the ship. The vehicles appear in combat in Assault on the Control Room and Two Betrayals. This version of the Wraith has no anti-personnel weapons, and the graphics are less detailed than in future games, with the mortar looking like a tube. The Wraith can survive up to two to three direct rocket hits before being destroyed. While formidable, it is not without weaknesses. Wraiths can be flipped, knocking the Elite driver out of the vehicle and rendering it useless. Just like the Halo: Combat Evolved Ghost the Wraith floats noticeably higher than its Halo 2 and Halo 3 iterations. It is possible to drive a Scorpion or Warthog underneath the Wraith. Marines will occasionally shoot at the plasma mortars or even throw grenades at the plasma bombardments.

Halo 2

In Halo 2, the Wraith has two weapons: the standard plasma mortar and two automated Plasma Cannons. Although they are not very accurate, they can easily take down energy shielding. The turrets auto-target any enemy within range, making boarding a Wraith more difficult. However, the player cannot utilize these turrets themselves, meaning that the Wraith is somewhat ineffective in the player's hands. The Halo 2 Wraith also includes a booster engine, capable of tripling the tank's speed for about one second and requires five seconds to recharge. Though this can be used to travel more quickly, it is commonly used to run over enemies who are getting too close and is extremely effective due to the Wraiths reverse speed being identical to a Spartan/Elite running speed. This booster can crush small vehicles, such as Ghosts or Warthogs and damage other heavy vehicles such as Wraiths and Scorpions. It is even possible to boost and destroy/damage Banshees. It is also possible to get, while co-op with one player in a scorpion and the other in a wraith, UNDERNEATH a scorpion, so it can be carried arround. This version of Wraith is more difficult to defeat by melee unlike the version in Halo 3. The Halo 2 Wraith also has an airbrake, similar to the Spectre, that can be used to bring the nose up if the vehicle has launched itself into the air. The vulnerable exhaust panel on the rear of the Wraith must be removed before a grenade can be thrown into the vehicle, melees are common but it is possible to shoot the panel off with any weapon, even a sniper rifle. It is not possible to shoot off the front panel protecting the driver with a sniper rifle.

Halo 3

The new Wraith in Halo 3, with the turret operation seat.

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The cockpit of a Wraith

A different version of the Wraith appears in Halo 3. New features include visible headlights, faster and a more direct line of fire. However, the propulsion jet represents an extremely vulnerable spot in the armor, making it possible for the first time to destroy a Wraith with melee attacks from behind the tank with no direct melee attacks to the driver. A strong hit to the jet after removing its cover causes a violent chain reaction of explosions. The new turret fires energy blasts resembling the shots of the Plasma Rifle instead of a beam like the Spectre. The tank has a subtle greenish shine to it and an embedded latticework that glimmers in the light. The most dramatic design change added an exposed topside gunnery position with a 270° view, allowing for better defense against enemy soldiers and boarders. Boarding is made more difficult in that now boarders have both a pilot and gunner to kill before gaining control of the vehicle. The Wraith now has the ability to attack two targets independent of one another, (such as focusing the mortar on destroying a nearby Warthog, while the gunner takes out a player onfoot attempting to hijack the vehicle from the sides.) The turret is powerful enough to destroy a Ghost before one can successfully destroy the Wraith, (unless it gets right behind it and shoots at the jet.) The boost feature is no longer as potent a defense as the Halo 2 Wraith taking longer for the vehicle to achieve its optimum boost speed, this translates to the Wraith not being able to use the boost as an offensive system at extreme close range. The Wraith, although having the same top speed as its Halo 2 counterpart, has difficulty traversing high angles and its reversing capability is often inadequate. If boarded from behind or on the front of the cockpit the driver cannot exit the vehicle, another difference from the Halo 2 version.

Character Compatibility

Trivia

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A SPARTAN takes on a Wraith in combat

Halo: CE is the only Halo game where you can not drive a Wraith.
When in Halo 3 Forge, if you enter a Wraith normally, wait a few seconds, then exit by entering Monitor Mode, the Main Turret will not retract into the vehicle. This can sometimes give your enemies the false sense there's someone in the Wraith. If you flip the tank, you can give the same effect.
Make sure when playing multiplayer you have a turret man to support you. Even though you are doing most of the damage as the driver the secondary gunner (turret) will make it much harder for enemies to board and quickly dispose of your vehicle.
Marines call it a "Wraith" because, as mentioned in Halo: The Flood, "You would get one look at it before you turned into one".
Since many people attempt to board the Wraith, drivers usually boost to splatter them.
The mortars of the Wraith in Halo 3 go significantly further then its previous counterparts.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, one way to destroy a Wraith is to jump on it and throw grenades into the mortar cannon.
If you board the Halo 3 Wraith from behind you can melee or plant a grenade on the rear propulsion jet. This works especially well in co-op because the other player can distract it while you board and the turret can't reach you back there.
If a Halo 3 Wraith driver holds down the 'A' button while driving, the Wraith's front 'Wings' will enclose and pull the front of the Wraith upwards to form a wheelie. This makes a great way to splatter another vehicle or player.
The Plasma Mortar has changed from the Halo: Combat Evolved depiction. The Plasma Mortar was a lot taller than the one in Halo 2, also its shots were slightly smaller.
In multiplayer it is suggested to have the Wraith against a wall when possible, to prevent the weak spot from being hit.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, Wraiths are not drivable due to not being able to hijack vehicles, and the fact that Wraiths and Banshees were destroyable in the original Halo.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, it is possible to snipe the driver out of it during the level Two Betrayals, but you still cannot drive it. Also, the same applies for the Wraith after the player leaves the tunnel in Assault on the Control Room, if the player steals a Ghost and heads out to the lake area where the Wraith normally is (all of course while ignoring the enemies), he can see an Elite making a mad dash for the Wraith.
The Wraith is the only vehicle in Halo: CE that can be destroyed without a driver.
According to Bungie, the type of Wraith seen during the Halo: CE and Halo 2 eras were pre-2549 models. The type in the Halo 3 era where there was an additional turret seat for another person were post-2549 models.
The large cannon's shots start to fall downwards faster than normal.
The Wraith looks strikingly similar to the AAT tank from the Star Wars Franchise.
The only way the player can pilot the Wraith in Halo: CE is if he/she "bump-possessed" an Elite.
A Wraith in Halo: Combat Evolved can be flipped over, dumping the Elite driver out and making the battle easier, although the Wraith is a hard vehicle to flip over.
In Halo 3, if a player is hijacked from the front, he can stay near a wall and shoot it because the impact will kill the hijacker.
Although they cannot be piloted in Halo: Combat Evolved, an overturned Wraith can be flipped upright like a normal vehicle.
If you boost the Wraith by tapping the L-trigger and then using the main gun by tapping the R-trigger the plasma mortar will go a farther distance than it would if you just used its main attack, also known as the "Boost Shot."
On the rear of the Halo 3 Wraith, there is a small, head-sized rotor object. This is the Wraith's death spot, three to four melees or shots to it WILL destroy the vehicle, no matter if the Wraith is still in pristine condition.

Sources

^ Halo:the Flood

Zurdo-pattern Wraith

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