CB Games Halo 3 Primer: UNSC Vehicles

It just wouldn’t be Halo if the Warthog were missing. Same goes for the Banshee, Ghost, and all other iconic vehicles seen in the first two games. Here you’ll find all the intel you need on the returning favorites, as well as details on the newer modes of transport. Want to know exactly what you’ll be tooling around in when you set up a racing variant (it can be done!)? Read on to find out if you’ll finally be piloting a Pelican.

UNSC Vehicles

Mongoose – Like a forgetful spouse, Bungie has finally delivered on past promises. Originally intended to appear in Halo 2, the ATV has finally arrived. This light vehicle can carry two soldiers, with one riding “Brokeback” behind the driver. It’s quick, maneuverable, and has no weapons of its own. Not to mention the ease with which it can be tossed around. Best used for quick impregnation of enemy territory.

Warthog – The Hog is back, and it’s just as amazing as ever. If we have to describe the experience of driving this vehicle, well you don’t belong here. But because we like to welcome new people into the Halo fold, here’s a quick glimpse: The Hog comes in a few forms. One has a turret like gun on the back, another has a Gauss cannon, and there’s rumored to be a four seater running around the battlefield as well. The Hog is difficult to control, using both analog sticks to get around is in no way intuitive. But once you learn to maneuver, you’ll be making flag runs that cause your teammates to do a dance of plasma shooting joy.

Scorpion – Slow, big, and powerful. The Scorpion has two weapons systems, a main turret style gun and a cannon. Both can wreak havoc on the field of battle. While slow, it is fairly resistant to attack. Like the other vehicles, a Scorpion can be jacked if you’re persistent. Just remember, if you’re on the back you can only throw in grenades…meleeing the back of a huge tank will just make you look silly.

Elephant – This monstrosity is actually a moving base. It is only seen on the multiplayer map Sand Trap. As you can tell it looks like a Jawa crawler from Star Wars, and just so you know this is the only vehicle that cannot be picked up when in Monitor mode in The Forge.

Hornet – You wanted a Pelican, but Bungie is giving you something better. You see, the Pelican would be too overpowered, but the Hornet is just right. The Hornet is the UNSC’s answer to the Banshee, only you can carry your bestest friends along with you for an all out air assault.

Pelican – The UNSC’s infantry and equipment drop ship has been in the fight for a long time. Heavily armored, armed, and still unable to be flown by players; the Pelican is a beast of a machine. It’s primarily used to deploy marines on the battlefield, and to provide support fire in dire situations.

Longsword Interceptor – This is the UNSC’s space dogfighter. It has a rotary cannon as its main weapon, and has several secondary weapons available. Its main use is to protect the human fleet, and provide cover for a Pelican making a run for a planetary engagement. Master Chief and Cortana escaped from the original Halo on one of these bad boys.

Halcyon Class Cruiser – Not many of these are left in the UNSC’s fleet, and the Pillar of Autumn was taken down at the end of the first game.