BOB

A BOB armed with a Fuel Rod Gun on Tip of the Spear.

The BOB is a special type of enemy encountered in Halo: Reach. The BOBs usually take the form of yellow/gold-armored Sangheili Rangers. In the ONI: Sword Base level, BOBs take the form of a white-armored Elite with randomly generated armor, ranging from Minor to Field Marshall. These white-armored BOBs always dual-wield Plasma Rifles, regardless of rank. The yellow/gold-armored Ranger class BOBs, on the other hand, have been seen with Plasma Rifles, Plasma Repeaters, Concussion Rifles, Fuel Rod Guns, and even Energy Swords.

Description

Killing one of the BOB's will reward the player the "Seek and Destroy" medal.^[1] However, the medal can only be viewed on Bungie.net. In the post-game carnage report, the BOB is referred to as a "Elite light vehicle". On Bungie.net, their description is simply "Wipe them out."

The name "BOB" may be a reference to Bungie's Marathon video game series. In the series, all of the encountered human characters, besides the player, are known as "BOBs". "BOB" is an acronym for "Born on Board", a reference to the characters having lived their entire lives on-board the titular colony ship.

BOBs are considered easter eggs, and thus have no canonical explanation in the Halo story.

Appearances

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Winter Contingency: During chapter Rebels Don't Leave Plasma Burns, one would be encountered during the search for 3 Charlie. Another is encountered in the building closest to the mountain when you approach the structure that Jun claims to have seen heat signatures in.
ONI: Sword Base: When the player(s) return to Sword Base's courtyard, and in one of the hallways in the main atrium.
Nightfall: Upon entering the area where you will find the militia locked in a struggle with the Covenent, one is among the numerous Elites. You only get a small window of opportunity as soon as you enter the zone to dispatch him from a long distance before he runs off and despawns.
Tip of the Spear: One would be found near one of the AA Cannons, and two just after the Falcon crash in the Spire. One is found near the Bravo Generator (shown in the picture at the top of the page) while the other is found near the giant rock formation behind the Generator.
Long Night of Solace: One would be among the Covenant troops assaulting the Sabre Launch facility in the opening chapter. A second one would found in the Control Room of the Covenant Corvette Ardent Prayer in the closing chapter.
New Alexandria: One BOB in a Banshee will spawn near the Nomolos Tower.
The Package: One would be found on the slope as the player(s) draw closer to the gate of Sword Base, one would found on the left of the slope. Another BOB is deployed from a Phantom when Noble Team is defending the Lab.
The Pillar of Autumn: One would be found near ninth Data Pad in a narrow hallway after passing through the ship yard. Two are found in the Boneyard area. One runs under the ship while the other is found hiding by the area where the Scorpion spawns in Invasion.
Lone Wolf: If the player(s) survive for a sufficient amount of time, one wielding specifically an Energy Sword would lead Sangheili Generals in a effort to defeat Noble Six.

Trivia

Each BOB has a set time limit before it vanishes. For some BOBs, this time frame begins as soon as it is alerted to the player's presence. For others, the countdown begins once the player enters a certain area, thus it is possible for the player to miss the BOB entirely if it is not spotted.
On page 384 of the Halo: Reach Official Strategy Guide, there is a list of enemy point values. In this list, there is an enemy called a "Daily Challenge Elite", which has the same point value of a BOB (200 on Normal difficulty).
BOB's energy shields have the same strength of an Elite General.
There is a Daily Challenge called "Whats up Bob?" awarded for killing a Golden Ranger Class Elite.