Skirmisher/Gameplay
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Skirmishers are a Covenant unit known for its high speed and agility.
General overview[edit]
Skirmishers play an intermediate role between the cannon fodder Grunts and the powerful Elites and Brutes. They most often play a harassing role in combat, supporting heavier units with fast attacks from multiple directions. Skirmishers are dangerous both in long range and short range combat. They tend to be very accurate shots and more often than not, they shoot while running at full speed. Their most distinguishing feature is their speed; they can outrun any other Covenant species, and even Spartans. Grenades and slow projectiles need to be timed very carefully, as Skirmishers will often Evade out of the way as soon as one is thrown in their general direction. They also make great use of their jumping abilities, which are comparable to even Jetpack users. They can leap up into buildings to escape enemy fire or to assault their occupants, and position themselves on high ground or behind foes to attack them from uncovered angles.
Skirmishers use all the weapons commonly used by their Jackal brethren. In Halo: Reach, this includes the Plasma pistol, which they can overcharge, Needler, Needle rifle and Focus Rifle, with the higher ranks using the latter weapons more often than the former. In Halo Infinite, they always wield the Needler or Mangler in the Campaign, while they can also be seen with the Bandit and Shock rifle in Firefight.
Skirmishers do have their weaknesses. They are not issued with grenades and cannot board, making them relatively helpless against vehicles. They can only rely on their agility to avoid being splattered. Due to having no explosive attacks, Skirmishers are also relatively helpless if faced with multiple foes. A Skirmisher's light armor also makes it very easy to stun with automatic weapon fire or melee attacks. Hand-to-hand combat is particularly dangerous to Skirmishers, even having no melee ability in Reach, making them just as vulnerable to being beaten down as their lesser Jackal cousins.
Rank-Specific tactics[edit]
The Murmillo Skirmishers in Halo: Reach and all Banished Skirmishers in Halo Infinite use elbow-mounted point-defense gauntlets for additional protection. Murmillones will move their arms over their heads if they are fired upon to protect their weak spot, switching arms if one shield is deactivated. Banished Skirmishers keep their arms close to their center of mass to catch most shots, holding all weapons in both hands.
The Commando and Champion ranks in Halo: Reach will use Hologram equipment to misdirect their foes, lying in wait while their hologram catches the players attention.
Skirmishers in Halo Infinite can also be dealt with through Shock damage, which stops them in their tracks for several seconds and leaves them vulnerable to further strikes.
Changes[edit]
Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo: Infinite[edit]
- Skirmishers are now a rank of regular Kig-Yar, and are Ruuthians as the rest of the Jackals in the game.
- All Skirmishers have elbow-mounted point-defense gauntlets.
- Skirmishers always wield their weapons in two hands.
- Skirmishers have gained a melee attack.
- Skirmishers no longer use Holograms, as the ability is not present in the game.
