The Warthog

[Carts]

The Reach Warthog

 

 

 

Halo's most iconic symbol makes its triumphant return defending Reach against the endless onslaught of Elite forces and I'm here to help you get the most from it. She's not the same workhorse we enjoyed in Halo 3 but she still gets the job done if you know how to treat her. Below you'll find some basics to keep in mind when driving the Warthog in Halo Reach.

 

Hog Basics

 

Hog Vehicle Health

 

With the new game you'll notice right away that the Warthog has its own 'vehicle health'. This is CLOSELY tied to the driver's health/shields. One thing you'll find is that the Warthog transfers 90%-95% damage taken directly to the driver. No longer can you use a passenger to absorb some of the punishment. Any bullet landing on the warthog's body will transfer to the driver only. Shots taken to the engine or the tires do the most damage so be sure to drive accordingly.

 

The hog will go through 'stages' of damage.

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  Stage 1: Small to fair amount of smoke from the hood.
  

• 
  Stage 2: Body panels start to come off, usually exposing the engine. Be warned, shots taken to this newly exposed area of the hog will be magnified, a well placed sniper round directly to the engine will cut your joy ride short.
  

• 
  Stage 3: A flaming engine. This is a warning to you and your passengers that it's time to walk. When the hog is on fire, you're a ticking time bomb and more importantly a HUGE target. Only a few DMR rounds landed on any part of the hog will send you into a fireball of death.
  

The In-and-Out Tactic

 

One thing I've noticed that does help with the hog's health and longevity is for the driver to get out of the vehicle (where appropriate) when his shields break. Let me explain a bit more. I found that the hog damage 'stages' typically occur when the driver's shields are broken. This means that the hog will take MORE damage with a driver at no shields. If you run away or take cover to let your shields recharge, the hog will last longer. This is called the 'in and out' tactic.

 

If you're in the middle of a heated gunfight and you as the driver go no-shields, the hog will take damage much more dramatically. It could even skip a step. It could go from smoking to exploding because the driver is about to die. Before this happens, try to get OUT of the hog, leaving your gunner in a parked hog (also called a 'Huskie'). The damage taken to the hog will NOT be transferred to the gunner thus allowing him to stay in the fight much longer. Bubble shields could prove useful at this stage. Try deploying it near the engine to block any 'kill shots' to the vulnerable part of the vehicle. You should still be VERY cautious at this point because the hog could still explode, killing you inside of the bubble. Don't be afraid to assist your gunner with any and all means necessary. This could be from assisting in shooting the enemy to running away from the action, drawing fire away from the Huskie.

 

E-Brake and Foot Brake

 

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  E-Brake: Locks the rear wheels, causing the Hog to power slide (left trigger)
  

• 
  Foot Brake: Locks all wheels, bringing the hog to a stop (right bumper on default, A button on Recon)
  

If you're a lifelong hogger like me you'll remember how useful the e-brake was in Halo 3. Power-sliding was ever so useful and FUN! This hasn't changed in Reach but must be used more sparingly. In the past you could literally do nothing but e-brake and power-slide over every inch of the map, never using the main foot brake. With Reach the main brake has been revamped and is essential to a successful hog run. The new physics in Reach makes the warthog on big rubber 'high bounce' ball. Hit a rock wrong, or land a sweet jump the wrong way and your hog goes into an uncontrollable flipping frenzy.

 

A great way to prevent this is speed control and proper breaking. You can no longer 'drive it like you stole it' as we all did in H3. This time around you'll need to take the 'grandma going to church' approach; slow and steady, keeping all 4 wheels on the ground as much as possible. Sure sweet jumps are still encouraged; just use your main foot brake on the landing. If you start to lose control after a random bump/rock, use the foot brake to bring all wheels back to the ground quickly. If you're in a place of danger when this occurs change directions quickly to avoid grenades coming your way.

 

The Turret

 

Turret Range

 

In the past it was always best to keep up speed and zip around maps as quick as possible, this is no longer effective. The power of the warthog has always been with its .50 cal turret mounted in the rear. With Reach there's been some decrease in power to this gun but this doesn't mean our 'baby' is useless. Now you'll need to be ever so cautious and a bit sneaky with your killing. In-and-out works best. You'll need to work your magic MUCH closer to the action then before. The closer the more effective. Your comfort zone is about to change dramatically. Stopping used to be a HUGE no-no in H3, now it's almost a requirement to finish a kill. Small to medium donuts should do the trick but your still a big target for grenades so be careful. Be sure to use the terrain of the map to your advantage, a simple rock or the smallest of hills make for perfect cover.

 

Turret Overheat

 

Another change to the .50 cal is how it overheats. No longer can a gunner be the 'fire-fighter' of the past. Short bursts work best ONLY when a target is in site AND at a shoot-able distance as this will help your driver know when contact has been made. It's best to keep long range fire-fights to other vehicles as the weaker turret will only alert foot soldiers to your approach. Sneak up on ground pounders and rain death from close quarters to get the most of the hog.

 

Fighting Other Vehicles

 

I'm going to run down a brief overview of what to do when encountering other vehicles while running a Warthog. Please keep in mind that these tactics are best used when you are alone and do NOT have other support available to you. In any situation your team has other vehicles active on the map you should always try to bring the fight back to them. Be sure to announce you and whatever is chancing you as 'incoming'. Whether it's your teams' Wraith, a Revenant, or even another Hog, always try to bring the fight back to them for added assistance.

 

 

 

Vehicle fighting tips:

 

Wraith: Wraith fights are typically successful when the Wraith is NOT aware of your presence/position. Try to maneuver behind cover often. Stay behind rocks or hills until it's time to strike. Attack the Wraith from behind or on its side. The dark areas of a Wraith without armour should be what you aim for when possible with the circular thrust engine exposed in the back being the best choice. You're either going to charge straight up to the back of the Wraith and spin with it so it can never face you, or you're going to have to use the 'in and out' tactic mentioned before. A skilled Wraith pilot will be able to lead shots and put them far ahead of you so be unpredictable in your escape. Straight line getaways aren't always the best option. Be mindful that it's far easier for your gunner to shoot up then it is down, same for the Wraith. Using the subtle arch of a hill to your advantage will be well rewarded. Just always remember that you're a true 'underdog' in this battle, one shot landed from the Wraith cannon and you'll be on respawn.

 

Revenant: The Revenant is a new Covenant vehicle in Reach. It has the mobility and agility of a ghost with a much stronger cannon, similar to the Wraith's. It proves to be a great counter to the Warthog. Do NOT let this vehicle get close to you. With its high powered cannon able to flip the hog out of control with a single hit (or even a near hit) and its ability to boost speed you'll have a hard time running away once fully engaged. Keep your distance and make it chase you. The Revenant can't boost speed and shoot its cannon at the same time. Keep this in mind when driving against this beast. Straight lines while it boosts to catch up to you with a lot of hard turns when it slows down to fire works best. With heavy armour all down the long front, it's best to shoot the driver himself when possible.

 

Ghost: To me the Ghost is nothing more than a nuisance. Its bullets are much better suited to breaking the shields of a Spartan then they are taking down an enemy vehicle. Fighting this enemy should prove little problem, just don't go chasing it into enemy territory as you'll find they are most times pulling you into a trap. Be careful though, a Ghost coupled with any other teammate (vehicle or ground support) can end a hogs' run pretty quick. Whenever the fight has a Ghost coupled with another form of incoming fire, always focus the .50 cal fire on the incoming fire, leaving the driver to maneuver away/around the ghost. Leave him to last when possible as he isn't doing much to bring you down.

 

Falcon: An enemy falcon should always be taken seriously. Be aware of how many gunners he is flying with and what side they are on. The .50cal turret is labelled as 'anti air' and is well suited to fighting things in the sky. Try to stay close to good cover and force the Flacon to come close. Stay under it as much as possible, forcing the Flacon pilot to fly away long enough to find you again. Caution, the hog's turret can't look straight up so small donuts are best instead of sitting still. Once your gunner is landing shots on but you are out of view from any gunner on the Falcon, try to stay in this blind spot as long as possible. Once engaged and taking fire, run away. Your gunner will still be shooting and the bullets will be landing on the back half of the hog. Remember; protect the engine as much as possible.

 

Banshee: With the transition from Halo 3 to Reach you'll find the one vehicle who's received the biggest changes is the Banshee. It now can track onto targets with its main cannon. It's no longer a safe bet to fight under a Banshee. Before you could easily drive directly under a swooping banshee to avoid its cannon blast, now however the cannon fire can shoot almost completely straight down making directly under the 'shee the last place you want to be. Again, it's best to be sneaky when approaching an enemy Banshee. Be sure to land shots as much as possible, the most critical being when he is flipping/boosting. The increased stress to the Banshees' engine during this time will magnify damage taken. Always remember that the main cannon fire is tracking, straight lines won't work here. You'll need to use the terrain and make sharp turns when appropriate.

 

Warthog: Who doesn't love a little 'hog on hog' action? The losing hog, that's who. There are a few tricks you should know if you want to come out on the winning end of this battle. Be sneaky. If you can get the jump on the other hog and land first shots you'll stand a better chance at winning. Remember that the all the hog damage is directed to the driver and that the engine is the weakest point on the hog. Instinct tells you to shoot the gunner first, and this still holds true however most shots will land on the vehicle itself and therefore your focus should be to kill the hog as a whole. Use cover often. Force the hog to continue the chase if he wants to finish the job. Always retreat back to your side of the map so that teammates can assist by DMR-ing the enemy hog. Bumping the enemy hog is still effective but should be avoided as it will cause significant damage to your hog as well. Practice tactical bumping instead. You can overturn or severely alter the course of an enemy hog simply by bumping a corner panel (either front or back) with a reasonable amount of force. Stay close once the hog flips so you can finish the kill more swiftly.

 

 

Change Your Hogging Mentality

 

The Warthog is even more of a tactical vehicle now then it was ever was in H3. Before an effective hog consisted of spawn locking an enemy outside while your teammates took the objective. It's not so simple these days. You need to think before you drive. Are you on defence or offense? Is it time to be aggressive or is it time to be cautious? Each situation calls for specific driving, be sure you think about what's needed of you at the time. Never bite off more than you can chew. Don't charge into enemy territory alone. It only takes 2 or 3 enemies with coordinated DMR fire to stop your joyride short. You're no longer the unstoppable force you used to be on Standoff. Think of the hog as a rogue assassin, never the center of a fight but always in the back stabbing away wildly. Cover should never be that far away. Always have an escape route.

 

Written by OcR LouieBlack

[Siddy]

Bloody love this car/truck thing, back in halo 3 me and my friend just use to drive on the large maps haha

[DoctorB77]

You should add the tip about the three shot on the ghost with the magnum.

[a live dinosaur]

Nice summary on the Halo: Reach Warthog. Honestly, I had no idea that when you press A (Recon), the vehicle can come to a complete stop.

[italus]

really nice summary read the whole thing and learned a few things.

Thanks

[Guest hotdog8818]

Nice information to new halo people.

[Eqwinoxe]

Nice info!!! Some of this i didnt know or i forgot lol but thanks for the great info keep it coming :unworthy:

[solacekia]

i read the whole thing, they are great tactics to know and im sure they will be very effective.

[Anarchy]

The wart hog is the only vehicle i can drive good in other than the falcon... yay warthog

[Smokin Shadowz]

The Puma!