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66 miles per hour (106 km/h)[2] |
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The Ruwaa-pattern Light Transport[3] (UNSC Type classification: Type-29 Troop/Vehicle Transport, T-29 T/VT),[1] or more commonly the Shadow, is a Covenant ground transport vehicle.
Overview
Design details
The Shadow is a Covenant light troop transport vehicle analogous to human armored personnel carriers such as the M650 Mastodon. The vehicle is broadly arch-shaped, with the driver cabin located at the vehicle's front and protected by heavy frontal armor, with a turret located on the top. The centre of the arch boasts powerful gravitic fields capable of hosting a single Ghost, equipment or a small bench seating eight passengers. Unlike the front, the sides of the vehicle have virtually no armor, and are completely exposed to enemy fire.[5][3][6][7]
Armament
The Shadow is equipped with a Type-29 Shade turret, mounted on the aft of the vehicle. Aside from this, any passengers riding on the vehicle are able to contribute their own firepower to the vehicle's defense.[5][3]
Usage
Due to the vehicle's minimal armor coverage, the Shadow is typically deployed by the Covenant as rear-echelon light equipment and personnel transport. This makes the Shadow a vital component in Covenant occupation efforts, and the vehicle's extremely fast top speed in open terrain allows it to serve as a rapid deployment vehicle for such tasks. During extended travel, the crew may take turns defending the Shadow from atop the arch, or from their seated positions below.[3]
Operational history
T-29 Shadows were used by the Covenant during the Battle of Earth in 2552 as a troop and prisoner transport.[8][9] They continued service in the post-war era, with the Banished making extensive use of them during the conflict on Reach in 2559.[10]
Production notes
The Shadow's design dates back to the original 2000-era builds of Halo: Combat Evolved, when the game was still intended to be a third-person shooter. At this time, the vehicle was simply known as c ground transport, and had a noticeably blockier appearance. The vehicle was ultimately one of many vehicles cut from Combat Evolved, later making its in-game debut in Halo 2's Outskirts level.[11]
Interestingly, during the original Combat Evolved era, another vehicle was intended for inclusion under the name of the Shadow. This vehicle was also similarly-cut, and ultimately also revived in Halo 2 - ultimately renamed as the Spectre.[12]
Trivia
- In the level Outskirts, a total of 7 Shadows can be found.
- Halo 2's files show the Shadow as being hijackable and drivable, but this is not possible to do in the base game. Using mods, these mechanics can be accessed. Additionally, there are two versions of the Shadow, one which transports Ghosts (seen in-game) and another which transports infantry.
Gallery
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See our gameplay information related to Ruwaa-pattern Shadow on its gameplay page. |
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
The Halo: Combat Evolved-era Shadow alongside the Covenant tank.
Halo 2 concept art.
Halo 2 concept art.
Halo 2 concept art.
The Shadow in the Halo 2 E3 demo.
The Shadow in Halo 2.
The Shadow in Halo 2.
Side view of the Shadow in Halo 2.
A Shadow on an underground Mombasa highway.
The Shadow troop carrier.
Shadows in Old Cleveland in Halo: Uprising.
Concept art of the Shadow for Halo 2: Anniversary.
Concept art of the Shadow for Halo 2: Anniversary.
The troop transport variant with updated Halo 2: Anniversary graphics.
List of appearances
Sources
- ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 172
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Halo Waypoint, Shadow (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 276
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 246
- ^ a b Halo 2, Shadow in-game model
- ^ Halo 2 manual, page 19
- ^ Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition manual, page 17
- ^ Halo 2, campaign level Outskirts
- ^ Halo: Uprising
- ^ Halo: Shadows of Reach, chapter 4
- ^ Twitter, Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator): "Yes, at that time it was just called "c ground transport"" (Retrieved on Jul 9, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Bungie.net, The Origin of Halo (Retrieved on Jan 18, 2021) [archive]
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