Firebase

This article is about the base starter unit in Halo Wars. For military bases in general, see military base.

Screenshot of a Firebase.

The UNSC Firebase is a prefabricated base of operations used by the UNSC Marine Corps in combat zones or locations that are otherwise hostile.

Overview

A UNSC Firebase near Installation 00's Cartographer.

The UNSC developed modular firebases due to lessons learned in the early days of the Human-Covenant War, in which large UNSC military installations proved vulnerable to orbital bombardment. The Firebase combines the needs of a tactical communications, a command center and expansion into both a barracks and a production facility capable of assembling combat vehicles. The Firebase unit itself is a variant of the old colony starter units constructed out of polycrete and powered by a small hydrogen reactor. Because gaining a foothold quickly was key to fighting insurrections throughout the colonies, ships can directly deploy the entire assembly unit of a Firebase via large dropships such as the D20 Heron or D81 Condor, making it immediately useful. This ability proved invaluable in the ongoing war with the Covenant and was often considered a key advantage of the UNSC on the ground.

Expansions

• UNSC Reactor
• UNSC Airpad
• UNSC Vehicle Depot / UNSC Garage
• UNSC Field Armory/ UNSC Armory
• UNSC Barracks
• UNSC Supply Pad
• UNSC Generator
• M5 Talos base turret
• Siege Turret
• Watchtower

Variants

The UNSC have fielded several variants of Firebase.

"Pod" Firebase

A D20 Heron deploying a "Pod" firebase.

"Pod" firebases are deployed from orbit via the use of D20 Heron transport craft. These firebase variants are themselves variants of old colony starter units constructed out of polycrete, and can form vast labyrinthine underground complexes. "Pod" firebases are capable of producing unarmed Warthogs, along with the special unit for the selected leader. Firebases were used to great effect in the Human-Covenant War, including the Harvest campaign—in which one served as the core of Alpha Base—the Battle for Arcadia and the Battle of Trove. Although starting out frail, the structural strength of the command center is increased with the addition of each new Firebase addition, making it a good idea to erect multiple Firebase additions as soon as possible.

Beneath the Firebase there is a large underground garage in which resources and vehicle parts dropped down from orbiting warships may be stored. Also, all Firebase additions such as Reactors or Supply Pads emerge up from this subterranean area, pre-built and fully constructed. Firebases also have self-destruct sequences and Lockdown Protocols, the latter of which can be used to deliberately trap one's own newly-trained forces inside the compound.

Expeditionary Firebase

Expeditionary firebases are another type of lightweight firebase module that can be delivered directly to the battlefield by D81 Condor dropships, and were used notably in the Second Ark Conflict. The modules then unpack and can assemble basic structures and UNSC weapons systems, protected by up to four turret emplacements. Upgrading the firebase to a combat station allows basic infantry to be deployed while the command center and headquarters expansions make additional units available. Each upgrade also opens additional build locations for support structures.

The expeditionary firebases fielded by UNSC Spirit of Fire trade a portion of the original Heron-transported "pod" system's operational flexibility for substantial mass and resource savings. Unlike the older pod firebases, additional pre-manufactured base structures must be transported to the firebase rather than assembled on-site, but this method saves irreplaceable strategic resources aboard the Spirit of Fire. The older pod bases remain in reserve, with the Heron dropships used exclusively for mass deployment of cargo and troops in secured rear areas.

Minibase

A minibase sporting a Vehicle Depot on Arcadia in 2531.

Like firebases, there are two known variants of UNSC minibase employed—one resembling the "pod" firebase design, the other resembling the 2559-era firebase. The latter minibases are deployed from Condors to opportunistic locations in the operations zone. Each minibase is built using stripped-down modules assembled and packed aboard the Spirit of Fire before being loaded on the dropship for deployment. Minibases that survive a battle become unmanned sensor and communication relays in the ever-growing system of control nodes being extended across the Ark by Isabel and Captain Cutter. Minibases also serve as the core basis for UNSC Strongholds.

Stronghold

Based on rapid-deploy fortifications in the War Games training simulations set up by Isabel, these bases are vitally important objectives that define the win conditions of the Strongholds training mode. Each Stronghold has infantry, air, and vehicle support structures already attached. Each captured Stronghold increased population capacity. The concept of Strongholds began in War Games, but Isabel continues to run optimization routines on the design templates she uploaded to the Spirit of Fire's databanks. Isabel has gleaned many novel upgrades from the logs kept by the ship's previous AI, Serina, of the many prior engagements of the Spirit of Fire.

Gameplay

A standard Firebase, with only three plots.

Halo Wars

"You can request to have a small base dropped in from orbit. Eventually, you can expand that into a full base."

— In-game description

In Halo Wars, a default Firebase costs 500 resources to drop in from orbit, and only provides three construction slots and no turret foundations. It has two upgrades, Station and Fortress.

• The Station is an upgraded version of the Firebase, retaining the command center, but adding two more building sites (for a total of five) and four turret foundations. Captain Cutter's leader bonus allows new firebases to be deployed with the Station upgrade without additional costs.
• The Fortress upgrade allows two other building sites, totaling to seven building sites and the same four turret sites from the station. It also features a self-destruct sequence allowing it to destroy itself for other allies to make a base in its spot and damage any enemy units nearby. The Fortress also allows for a lock sequence that will not allow any newly trained units to leave the base when done training/being produced.

Each building slot and turret slot can accommodate one additional structure.

Name	Type	Cost			Description
		Population	Tech	Resources
Turret	Base Defense	N/A	0	250	Turrets are good at defending bases against all enemy targets.
Supply Pad	Produces Resources	N/A	0	100	The UNSC Supply Pad produces the resources needed to train units, building buildings, and buy technology upgrades. Bases that have great economic production might have 6 Supply Pads.
Heavy Supply Pad (Sergeant Forge)	Produces Resources	N/A	0	225	The UNSC Heavy Supply Pad produces extra resources (compared to the default Supply Pad) needed to train units, building buildings, and buy technology upgrades. Bases that have great economic production might have 6 Supply Pads.
Reactor	Increases Tech Level	N/A	0	250 (each subsequent Reactor costs an additional 250 than the previous)	UNSC Reactors provide the energy needed to access advanced buildings, units and technology upgrades. High-tech bases may have as many as 4 or 5 Reactors.
Field Armory	Special Upgrades	N/A	1	150	The UNSC Field Armory is a combination machine shop and high-tech laboratory. Many advanced technology upgrades can be found here.
Barracks	Trains Infantry	N/A	0	150	The Barracks trains the bulk of the UNSC infantry units. Infantry technology upgrades can also be found here.
Vehicle Depot	Trains Vehicles	N/A	2	150	The UNSC Vehicle Depot constructs the ground vehicles for the UNSC army. Vehicle technology upgrades can also be found here.
Air Pad	Trains Aircraft	N/A	2	150	The Air Pad creates the various UNSC air units. Air units technology upgrades can also be found here.

Among other things, the Firebase themselves can produce units and corresponding improvements for them.

Name	Type	Cost			Description
		Population	Tech	Resources
Station	Upgrade	N/A	0	400	Upgrades base to a Station, which adds two more building sites. Each buildings adds to the strength of the central structure.
Fortress	Upgrade	N/A	0	400	Upgrades base to a Fortress, which adds two more building sites. Each buildings adds to the strength of the central structure.
Warthog	Scout	1	0	150	Warthogs are the UNSC's fast scout units. They start with an active Ram Ability, but can be upgraded to various guns for extra attack power.
Gunner	Upgrade	N/A	1	250 (125 for Professor Anders)	Adds Machine Gun attack to the Warthogs, giving them combat capability.
Grenadier	Upgrade	N/A	2	500 (250 for Professor Anders)	Adds a Marine armed with a Grenade Launcher to improve attack strength.
Gauss Cannon	Upgrade	N/A	3	800 (400 for Professor Anders)	Upgrades Warthog machine gun to a gauss cannon. Improves damage and defense.
Elephant (Captain Cutter)	Mobile Mini-Base	2	0	400	The UNSC Elephant is a unique only available to Captain Cutter. It can move around the battlefield and use the active Deploy ability. Infantry can be trained out of a deployed Elephant.
Twin Engine (Captain Cutter)	Upgrade	N/A	1	250	Elephant speed is greatly improved by the addition of a second engine.
Defense Turrets (Captain Cutter)	Upgrade	N/A	2	500	Adds a light auto-cannon to all Elephants. This is only operable when the Elephant is deployed.
Ceramic Armor (Captain Cutter)	Upgrade	N/A	3	800	An additional set of composite alloy plates boost the Elephant's damage mediation.
Cyclops (Sergeant Forge)	Building Killer	1	1	125	The UNSC Cyclops is a unique special infantry unit. Experimental exo-skeleton suits provide incredible strength, making the Cyclops ideal for destroying buildings or other large things.
Repair Kit (Sergeant Forge)	Upgrade	N/A	2	400	Equips each Cyclops with tools to heal mechanized units and buildings.
High Torque Joints (Sergeant Forge)	Upgrade	N/A	3	900	Massively improved mobility systems increases movement speed of each Cyclops.
Gremlin (Professor Anders)	Combat Support	1	2	200	The Gremlin is a lightly armored vehicle that fires an EMP gun. It is good against enemy ground vehicles but less effective against infantry.
Focusing Lens (Professor Anders)	Upgrade	N/A	3	200	Better components dramatically improve laser attack damage and range for all Gremlins.
Chain Amplifier (Professor Anders)	Upgrade	N/A	4	450	EMP Ability can chain to hit multiple targets.

Tactics

Many players use firebases when laying siege to enemy bases, by constructing Barracks, Vehicle Depots and Air Pads, and other similar structures, allowing for the rapid deployment of forces to the front lines. Firebases' self-destruct sequences are commonly used by players to prevent enemies from earning points for the base's destruction, and to allow other allies to replace the base and damage any nearby enemy units. It cost 500 resources and only Forge and Anders can build these. Make sure the area is clear because it can be shot down as it is dropped from orbit.

Halo Wars 2

"Produces vehicles and infantry, Can be upgraded to Combat Station"

— In-game description.

In Halo Wars 2 Firebases operate much as they did in the first game. The default starting Firebase costs 500 and 200 to construct, though the supply cost is reduced by 50 for each level of the Fortify upgrade researched in the Armory (up to a maximum of 3 levels, or 150). The main structure is delivered to the battlefield via Condor dropship as opposed to Herons seen in Halo Wars. The smaller buildings are deployed via Pelican as opposed to being built automatically underneath sockets surrounding the base. The size of the firebase itself is reduced considerably due to the initial firebase being delivered by a single Condor while the base structures surrounding it, including minibases, are mainly delivered by Pelicans.

As with Halo Wars, a Firebase can be Locked Down to prevent trained units from leaving the building until the player chooses.

• The Combat Station upgrade will support 2 extra building slots, 4 turret emplacements and unlocks HQ Tech 1 for infantry and vehicular units. It costs 400 energy and takes 50 seconds to complete.
• The Command Center upgrade will add another 2 building slots and unlocks HQ Tech 2 for more infantry and vehicular units. It costs 1,000 energy and takes 50 seconds to complete.
• The Headquarters upgrade will only unlock HQ Tech 3 for the remainder of the infantry and vehicular units, also enable to research level 3 upgrades. It costs 1,500 energy and takes 50 seconds to complete.

Minibases are scattered around the map and cost less than standard firebases. 1-slot minibases cost 200 resources while the 2-slot minibase costs around 300 resources. The 3-slot minibase is available in select campaign levels such as "Under the Dark" and "Fighting Retreat".

A major change from the first game is that firebases are now used to train a much larger number of units than before. In particular, Marines and the new Jackrabbit scout vehicle are now built at the firebase for all commanders, while the Warthog has instead moved to be built at the Garage. Likewise, a select number of special units may be constructed at the firebase HQ, contingent on having unlocked them in the leader power menu first.

Name	Type	Cost				Description
		Population	Tech	Supplies	Power
Combat Station	Upgrade	N/A	0	0	400	Produces vehicles and infantry, Unlocks HQ Tech 1
Command Center	Upgrade	N/A	1	0	1000	Produces vehicles and infantry, Unlocks HQ Tech 2
Headquarters	Upgrade	N/A	2	0	1500	Produces vehicles and infantry, Unlocks HQ Tech 3
Marines	Core Infantry	3	0	150	0	Flexible ground troops, Quick capture unit
Grenade Throw	New Ability (Marines)	N/A	1	0	400	Can throw Grenades at targets, Grenades are effective against scout vehicles, Grenades cannot target air
Combat Tech	Unit Upgrade (Marines)	N/A	2	0	600	Adds an Engineer to the Squad, Can repair vehicles, air units and buildings, Equipped with Rocket Launcher
Jackrabbit	Scout Vehicle	3	0	220	15	Can de-capture, Very fast moving, Light armor
Support Drone	Unit Upgrade (Jackrabbit)	N/A	1	0	450	Adds Scout Drone, Drone heals Jackrabbit, Drone attacks enemies, Increases line of sight, Detects cloaked units
Protector Sentinel (Anders)	Core Aircraft	4	0	200	15	Beam deals sustained damage, Fast moving, Good all-round aircraft
Drone Escort (Anders)	Unit Upgrade (Protector Sentinel)	N/A	2	0	450	Protector is joined by two Aggressors, Increased health and damage, Adds targeted Lockdown Bolt that stuns and damages enemy units
Mastodon (Commander Jerome)	Mobile Garrison	3	1	250	75	Can transport infantry, Infantry can fire from within, Equipped with a light machine gun
Infantry Capacity (Commander Jerome)	Unit Upgrade (Mastodon)	N/A	3	0	700	Increases infantry capacity from 3 to 4
Frostraven (Serina)	Support Unit	4	1	200	80	Freezes enemies, Deals very little damage, Can fire a Seismic Missile to shatter frozen enemies
Heavy Cryo Projector (Serina)	Weapon Upgrade (Frostraven)	N/A	2	0	400	Increases chill rate, increases damage

Changes from Halo Wars to Halo Wars 2

• Firebase is no deployed longer using the D20 Heron; it was replaced by a pre-fabricated building and delivered via Condor.
• Instead of two upgrades being required to access full capabilities, three upgrades are required.
• Some research now cannot be performed until the Firebase has been upgraded to the HQ Tech level requirements.
• Unique units now can only be produced from a Firebase, except the leader-specific units that replace certain units.
  • Any units unlocked through Leader Power will be exclusively made from the Firebase.
• Leader Units production moved to Field Armory.
• Pelicans would either drop container materials or disembark marines five seconds after requisition.
  • Disembarking marines is when the player requisites infantry, and container materials is when the player requisite vehicles.
• Tech level moved from Reactor/Generator to Firebase through HQ Tech level.
• Time until the plot available after base destruction decreased from 40 to 30 seconds.
• Base total destruction (8 structures including Firebase and 4 turrets) reduced from 20 to 15 seconds.
• Base structure construction now requires delivery via Pelican rather than directly from Firebase.
• Warthog moved from Firebase to Garage.
• Can now only research Marines, Jackrabbits, and unique units obtained through Leader Power.
• Firebase armor is reduced considerably when under construction.
  • Additionally, if the player picks Serina as an opponent and uses the chill effect, the base construction would be delayed by at least 50% of the normal construction time. Frozen incomplete firebase would pause the construction time (Which also applies to all structures).

Gallery

Halo Wars

• 

  Concept art of the command centre from Halo Wars.

• 

  An early version of the command centre, early in the development of Halo Wars.

• 

  The early version of the command centre in-game

• 

  Walls and turrets for an early version of the command centre.

• 

  Hi-poly render of the early command centre.

• 

  An early render of the firebase.

• 

  Another early render, showing fortifications.

• 

  Early development concept art.

• 

  Firebase concept art.

• 

  Near-final concept art for the Firebase.

• 

  The firebase as seen in the E3 2007 build of the game.

• 

  Hi-poly render.

• 

  Hi-poly render.

• 

  Hi-poly, wireframe render.

• 

  A render of one section of the firebase.

• 

  A firebase render.

• 

  A render of a firebase.

• 

  High-poly render of a Firebase building socket.

• 

  Low-poly render of a Firebase building socket.

• 

  A UNSC Firebase.

• 

  A UNSC minibase with no buildings.

• 

  Pre-release image showcasing a Firebase on Harvest.

• 

  A D20 Heron deploying a Firebase.

• 

  In-game screenshot of a prefabricated UNSC Firebase.

• 

  A destroyed Firebase in the grounds of Harvest's Alpha Base.

• 

  A summary of units and upgrades.

Halo Wars 2

• 

  Concept art for a Firebase in Halo Wars 2.

• 

  Concept art for a Firebase in Halo Wars 2.

• 

  A UNSC 1-slot Minibase in Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

• 

  A UNSC 2-slot Minibase in Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

• 

  A UNSC Firebase in Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

• 

  A UNSC Combat Station in Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

• 

  A UNSC Command Center in Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

List of appearances

• Halo Wars (First appearance)
• Halo Wars 2
• Halo: Hippocratica
• Halo: Anvil Accord (Mentioned only)