M808B Scorpion

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"This here is 66 tons of straight-up, HE-spewin', dee-vine intervention!"

— Avery J. Johnson

The M808B Main Battle Tank, commonly known as the Scorpion, is a United Nations Space Command-employed heavy ground combat vehicle. The Scorpion is used for large scale operations requiring heavy firepower or used as an anti-vehicular platform.

Overview

Scorpion blueprint.

The M808 Scorpion is an armored attack vehicle that has been in service for more than thirty years, and serves as the UNSC's main anti-vehicle platform. The M808B is considered "light" by standard definitions but has served as the UNSC's main battle tank well before the Human-Covenant War. Its four-track nacelles design with each track mounted on an independent, computer-controlled suspension system, allows the Scorpion to traverse, climb over, or maneuver around large debris or other battlefield obstacles, and prevents the vehicle from being easily disabled. The central chassis is simple in design containing the main armament at the stern of the hull, and the crew compartment forward of it; and the machine gun at the bow on certain variants. The chassis is covered with heavy titanium-ceramic armor plating, making it incredibly resilient to small-arms fire; however, it's still possible for infantry-portable anti-armor weapons to inflict catastrophic damage. The M808B only requires a crew of one, with complete weapons control allocated to the driver, provided the driver is equipped with a neural interface. Otherwise, it requires one driver and one gunner on a coaxial mounted machine gun. As time has progressed, the Scorpion has been modified into more then a half-dozen different versions, however, despite the modifications the Scorpion's psychological aspect and versatility remain unchanged.

The Scorpion is equipped with two weapon systems. The 90mm High Velocity Cannon - the M808B's main weapon - fires 90mm Tungsten Armor Piercing Ballistic Capped Rounds at a high velocity, with a three-to-four-second delay between each round. The secondary weapon system is the M247T 7.62mm AP-T Medium Machine Gun, used for engaging infantry. The 90mm cannon, although the standard weapon on the M808, could be considered "light", compared to the 105mm cannon that can be mounted for greater offensive power. Along with its weapons system the Scorpion is equipped with anti-mine detecting software and electronics to help increase safety while in use.

Advantages

The M808B battle tank has proven itself to be the workhorse of UNSC armored attack vehicles. Its 90mm cannon can deliver a devastating blow to anything it targets - infantry or armor. Its thick titanium-ceramic armor can withstand a direct hit from a Covenant Fuel Rod Cannon and continue on with enough armor to keep fighting. Its one man crew severely limits human casualties; along with its main offensive capabilities, four Marines can sit on the tread pods of the tank, providing support while using the tank as a transport until they reach their destination. The Scorpion's efficient engine allows it to travel up to 466 miles or 750km before needing to be refueled. Along with its offensive capabilities as an anti-vehicle platform, the M808 also fulfills the role of anti-infantry; its machine gun can effectively take down heavy armored and shielded targets at medium range.

Disadvantages

The M808 battle tank's 90mm cannon must be reloaded after every shot and takes between three to four seconds, the time it takes for the cannon to reload may give the enemy enough time to react against the tank. Its deep dead-zone, or the area within which fire from the tank's guns cannot hit targets, puts the vehicle at risk from enemy anti-tank infantry. Although the Scorpion can carry up to four passengers, any Marines sitting on the tread covers of the Scorpion are vulnerable to small-arms fire, and any explosions near the tank can kill all personnel riding on the treads. The Scorpion's slow speed also puts it at a disadvantage, as other more nimble vehicles like the Ghost can out-maneuver the tank and get within its dead-zone.

Changes

The M808B Scorpion Tank makes its first appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved, in the campaign level "Assault on the Control Room"; it is also available in the multiplayer levels "Blood Gulch" and "Sidewinder". The tank is a dull gray, it moves at a decent speed, and it has a lightly protected canopy in multiplayer, although this is not so in Campaign. Because of this, it is easy for a sniper to kill the driver of the tank, effectively disabling it. Players also have the option of riding on the tank's tread covers in multiplayer.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

• The color of the tank has now changed from brownish gray to olive green, and the textures have also been updated.

• Players now cannot ride on the tank's tread covers, called 'hotseats'. Standing on them is much easier with the revamped physics engine.

• The reticule for the tank has also changed and is a lot smaller, for increased accuracy.

• The tank now moves a lot slower, further limiting its movement and its evasive capabilities.

• The tank's canopy has been replaced with a solid metal cover like in Halo: Combat Evolved's Campaign, preventing the driver from being sniped while it is intact.

• The main cannon reloads twice as fast, requiring only a two second delay. The dots during the reload time are now removed. It is also more accurate.

• The machine gun is now much more accurate. Previously, the machine gun fired in a very wide area.

• Driving and aiming controls are now completely divorced allowing for greater maneuverability when firing. Previously the aiming and steering controls were linked, meaning the player had to aim more or less in the same direction they were steering.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3 / Halo 3: ODST

• Though the tank has once again received a graphical overhaul, its color remains unchanged.

• The tank's speed has been increased while moving forward but is still slow while reversing.

• The machine gun has now been moved to the front of the cockpit area, and requires another player or AI to operate the gun.

• The splash damage of the main cannon has been reduced slightly.

• The explosion is slightly different than the previous two games due to advances in graphics.
• In Halo 3: ODST it is now possible once more to ride on the Tank's tread covers.

Halo Wars

From left to right: the Scorpion from the least to the most upgraded variant in Halo Wars.

Main article: Grizzly

The Scorpion is the UNSC's main land vehicle, a highly reliable and strong unit. It is available inside the Vehicle Depot at a cost of 500 resources per unit and at a minimum tech level of 2. When Sergeant Forge is the selected leader, the Scorpion can be upgraded to the Grizzly. It has two upgrades which greatly increase its effectiveness:

• "Canister Shell": Gives a Special attack ability with blast radius, devastating to infantry units. 400 resources and tech level 3 required.
• "Power Turret": doubles the Scorpion's turret speed, making it more reactive in combat. 900 resources and tech level 4 required.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

• The tank has received a visual upgrade, giving it a grittier, more military look, including a greener paint scheme.

• The cockpit now has a translucent canopy, which reveals the driver.

• The tank has considerably less armor than its earlier counterparts, making it somewhat more balanced with the Wraith.

• The main gun seems to reload slightly slower.

• The tank visually recoils when firing the main gun. Shell casings are released out the back of the turret when it is fired.

• The tank moves faster: splattering with the tank is once again possible.

• The main gun is more powerful, with a larger blast radius; it has the ability to destroy a Wraith in one shot.

• The secondary turret now overheats after continuous fire, much like the Wraith's turret.

Known Scorpion Tanks and Variants

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• M808B2 Sun Devil: A modification with four 40mm Autocannons.
• M808B3 Tarantula: A variant with twin Scimitar 4x178mm rocket pods.
• 12-9F5: Painted brown, this version has a wider-set track and an enhanced undercarriage, and is designed for urban warfare.
• 957-A3: Painted gray, the 957-A3 has enhanced electronics for a more accurate cannon shot.
• UE8-14: Painted olive-green, this variant has thinner armor, is lighter, and is designed for medium-armor warfare.
• TB-SB-1: Painted black, the TB-SB-1 has thicker armor than the standard Scorpion and a sturdier chassis.
• HJ3-213: With thicker treads than the standard version, this variant has a sturdier chassis as it is built for rougher terrain.

Tactics

Campaign

• When you first acquire the tank on "Assault on the Control Room", and clear out the Wraith tanks, the best way to take out the Banshee is to turn the tank around, look right up to the structure where it takes off from, and backup until you receive the checkpoint. Once the Banshee takes off, start moving forward and do not open fire until the Banshee has fired its Fuel Rod Cannon; after the round hits the ground, take aim and take it down.

• Later on, after you move into the valley with the second set of Hunters... As soon as you get to the bottom of the slope, quickly turn around and head back up the ice ramp to take out the Covenant dropship attempting to flank you from behind. Be sure to watch out for your Marines, as they will also follow you up the slope.

• In Halo 2, ditch the tank completely on "Delta Halo" when you proceed into the structures. Just use the Warthog, as your mistakes will be limited - especially when you must take on the Ghosts in the later part of the level.

Multiplayer

• A popular tactic in Multiplayer is to use a sniper and/or scout in conjunction with the tank to spot out targets that the tank can't see. Then, the tank bombards said targets, acting as a sort of "mobile artillery".

• Although you cannot ride on the tread covers like you could in Halo: Combat Evolved, a player who has taken the enemy's flag can still ride the tank by jumping on the tread cover and staying put; they will not fall off the tank like they would in Halo: Combat Evolved and can ride all the way back to the base with extra firepower supporting you.

• Another popular tactic is to use a tank tactic used by modern day tank crews known as "Hull Down". While in Hull Down, the tank is perched behind a hill or an embankment like the many hills on "Sandtrap" and "Valhalla" while the hull is behind the hill and the turret is above the incline allowing it to shoot at targets while not exposing its hull.

• Firing a Rocket Launcher or a Fuel Rod Gun at the Scorpion generally inflicts damage on or kills the driver and gunner. In addition, the Spartan Laser is very effective against a tank. It kills the tank's driver in a single shot if the shot is properly placed, specifically in the driver's canopy, but the slow charging time and the faint red targeting laser may reveal the wielder of the Spartan Laser to the lethal fire of the tank's main gun if the driver isn't killed.

• In Halo: Combat Evolved, even small pieces of cover, such as the spires on the top of "Blood Gulch"'s bases, can stop players taking damage. Taking cover behind these spires while the cannon fires and firing while it reloads is effective, just watch out for the machine gun, which at close range, is quite lethal.

• In Halo: Combat Evolved where the driver is exposed, it is possible to eliminate the driver with a single shot from the Sniper Rifle. But a player must be very sure that they can do a hit and kill on the driver. Otherwise if a player misses and is in the open, it will result in death. This tactic is suicidal.

• Another tank or anti-tank vehicle is usually the most efficient method of stopping a Scorpion. The Wraith's high accuracy and speed make it ideal for this task. The Gauss Warthog is also quite effective, as long as the driver takes care to avoid the main gun. The Hornet's missiles can easily destroy the tank, but its slow speed and lack of maneuverability make such an undertaking risky, if not suicidal.

• Using a Power Drain or a Plasma Pistol Overcharge will temporarily disable the movement of the tank and will greatly weaken its driver. While the tank's weaponry will still be functional, it will be unable to move and can be easily boarded.

• Although risky, it is possible to take out a tank using two Plasma Grenades in Halo: Combat Evolved, as they are significantly stronger than in Halo 2/Halo 3. This tactic is especially useful if you have unlimited grenades.

• The best way to hijack a tank and use it is to grab Active Camouflage and wait for the tank to pass by or approach you. If you are clever, you will be able to board it quickly without the enemy having enough time to move out of the way. This is a sound tactic on "Avalanche".

• On "Sandtrap", a good tactic to hijack a Scorpion is to wait for the tank to go into the middle depression and board it from above.

• If you need to take out a Scorpion, drive a Gauss Warthog behind it and get into it's dead zone. Hit the radiator and in a few shots you can take it out. A Brute Chopper can be used too. Mongooses with a player wielding a Rocket Launcher can also use this tactic, but it is suicidal if the Mongoose is not moving fast enough and the player cannot score a direct hit on the radiator.

Trivia

• Strangely, every Halo game manual describes the tank as the M808B. This is odd since the Halo 3 Scorpion is clearly a variant from the original tank. It is possible that this is because the Halo 3 tank is a variant of the same model.
• In every Halo game the Scorpion's serial number is the birthdate of Marcus R. Lehto, Bungie's senior art director.
• In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the Scorpion is specifically cited in the manuals for each respective game as firing 90mm HE shells. Halo: The Flood claims that there are variants that fire 105mm shells.
• Underneath the turret of the Scorpion, there is a Jack-O-Lantern drawn in blood. This can be found by destroying the turret, then standing on the upside-down turret.
• The Scorpion tank resembles an actual Scorpion with the front body being the pincers, the rear body being the legs and the cannon being the tail and its stinger. However, this may refer to the FV101 Scorpion Light Tank used by the British Army in 1973. Ironically, the real-life British Scorpion tank is a light tank, compared to the Halo Scorpion heavy tank. However, later variants of the real-life Scorpion also featured a 90mm main weapon.
• In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Scorpion tank's cannon was a solid object, but in Halo 2 and Halo 3, the player will go through if they try to walk on the barrel - and the character's legs will separate from their body.
• The Legendary Map Pack features the map "Avalanche", a remake of the classic "Sidewinder". For the remake, the M808B is adorned in full snow camouflage, along with all other UNSC vehicles. "Avalanche" is the first Halo 3 multiplayer map to have a Scorpion placed in it by default.
• It is possible to perform the Turretless Vehicle Glitch on a Scorpion. It is not possible, however, to then attach another weapon and still be able to drive; for some reason, the Scorpion automatically applies the parking brake.
• In Halo 3, there is a Scorpion picture on the left tread cover, however, when damaged enough, it disappears.
• In Halo 3, if you melee off the machine gun turret, it will still fire with the bullets appearing to be coming out of where the turret barrel would have been.
• In Halo 2, when getting into the driver seat, before the chief is actually in the seat you will be able to move the tank and turret.
• In the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta the Scorpion had the word "MARINES" marked on its armor. This is odd considering that the UNSC Army is the main faction of the game.

Gallery

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  The Scorpion in Halo 3.

• Reach Tank.jpg

  The Scorpion as it appears in Halo: Reach.

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  The Scorpion accompanied by a group of SPARTANs.

• Scorpionturret.jpg

  A view of the Scorpion's turret and emblem.

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  Scorpion being delivered to New Mombasa.

• Snow Scorpion.jpg

  The snow camo Scorpion.

Related Pages

• Rhino - The UNSC's Self-Propelled Artillery Vehicle or Heavy Tank.
• Wraith - The Covenant equivalent of the Scorpion MBT.