Floor Blades

Floor Blades in use on The Last Bastion.

Floor Blades are a type of fortification employed by the Banished. They take the form of razor-sharp spikes embedded in the ground intended to injure and slow anything that tries to cross them.

In-game information

Halo Wars 2

Floor Blades were introduced in Halo Wars 2 in the Awakening the Nightmare expansion. They are available in the campaign mission Fighting Retreat and in Terminus Firefight on the map The Last Bastion and can be constructed in interchangeable slots with the Banished Shield Barrier and Unstable Barrels fortifications, or the UNSC Fence, Barricade, Electric Trap, or Lotus Minefield.

When constructed, Floor Blades slow and hurt any unit that tries to cross them, while also making any affected unit take more damage from weapons fire. This makes them well-suited to combo with effects such as Voridus' infusion gel (which additionally slows and damages units) or artillery fire from Blisterbacks and Kodiaks. They are particularly effective against infantry squads as each member of the squad takes individual damage, killing the squad faster.

Enemy AI will target and attack Floor Blades, which may grant those units veterancy, making them hit harder and more resistant to damage. This can be used to player advantage by allowing tougher units like Vultures and Scorpions to target them and not player-owned bases.

On the campaign level Fighting Retreat, Pavium may use assigned plots of land to build defensive barriers to hold off the Flood onslaught, with Floor Blades available for use alongside Shield Barriers.

Terminus Firefight

In Terminus Firefight the Floor Blades can be built by any Banished leader, these buildings can help team to force the enemy to take forced slow movements and a lot of damage.

• Cost: 200 (default)
• Cooldown: 10 seconds
• Passives:
  • Atriox - 70% / 40.6% lower cost via Fortifications (70% = 140 | 40.6% = 81).
  • Colony - Slightly improved armor via Vehicle Symbiotes & Slow Health Regan via Combat Repair.
  • Arbiter - Temporary damage boost via Conduit of Rage.
  • Pavium - Slow health regen via Full Salvage.

Gallery

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  Concept art of various ideas of what the Floor Blades could be, including unused options for Blamite, plasma and incendiary variations.

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  Flood forms passing over Floor Blades.

List of appearances

• Halo Wars 2
  • Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare (First appearance)