Editing Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER

{{Title|''Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER''}}{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Disambig header|the ''[[Halo Wars 2]]'' expansion|the in-universe operation|Operation: SPEARBREAKER}}
{{Infobox/Season
|prev=
|next=
|name=''Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER''
|image=[[File:HW2 OperationSpearbreaker Banner.png|250px]]
|type=
*[[Downloadable content]]{{Ref/Site|Id=SRSD|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/serina-rises-spearbreaker-drops|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Serina Rises & Spearbreaker Drops|D=26|M=07|Y=2017}}
*[[Campaign]] expansion{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}
|games=''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
|developer=
*[[Creative Assembly]]
*[[343 Industries]]
|publisher=[[Xbox Game Studios]]
|released=[[2017#July|July 25, 2017]]{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}
|engine=[[Phoenix engine]]
|platforms=
*[[Windows]] PC{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}
*[[Xbox]]{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}
|rating=[[Wikipedia:Entertainment Software Ratings Board|ESRB]]: Teen (T) for Mild Blood, Mild Language, Violence
}}
'''''Operation:  SPEARBREAKER''''' is a [[Downloadable content|downloadable expansion]] for ''[[Halo Wars 2]]''. The expansion was released on [[2017#July|July 16, 2017]] for [[Xbox One]] and Windows 10 platforms.{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}

The expansion is the first piece of [[campaign]] downloadable content in the ''[[Halo]]'' series, featuring two brand-new campaign missions following the [[ODST]] squad [[Sunray 1-1]] as they continue the [[Second Ark Conflict|war for the Ark]]. It was followed up with a second, [[Banished]]-focused, expansion; ''[[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|Awakening the Nightmare]]''.

==Plot==
===Characters and setting===
[[File:HW2-Odsts-2.jpg|thumb|Sunray 1-1 deploys into battle.]]
''Operation: SPEARBREAKER'' focuses around a UNSC [[Operation: SPEARBREAKER|operation of the same name]], set one month after the events of ''Halo Wars 2''. The expansion follows the actions of Sunray 1-1, a squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers assigned to lead an operation in an attempt to stop the [[Mgalekgolo|Hunter]] [[swarmlord]] known as "[[Colony]]" from activating a {{Class|Despair|fighter}} - a [[Forerunner]] ship that could be used to destroy the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}. Throughout the expansion, only two members of Sunray talk to the player; [[Vaughan|Major Vaughan]] and [[Quinn|Warrant Officer Quinn]].

===Plot synopsis===
{{Spoiler/begin}}
One month following the destruction of ''[[Enduring Conviction]]'' and the launch of [[Installation 09|the Halo]], the war for [[Installation 00|the Ark]] rages on. UNSC drones spot signs of Banished activity hidden by a [[Cloaking|cloak]] field, prompting Sunray 1-1 to investigate. The squad drops in via [[drop pod]], and meets up with friendly UNSC forces on-site. The group fight through several [[Aggressor Sentinel]]s, before meeting a new kind of foe; the [[Controller Sentinel]]. Like the [[Enforcer]], the Controller has several [[Energy shielding|energy shields]] protecting its front, requiring the squad to attack from multiple directions to hit the sentinel from behind and destroy it. The group eventually come across a hologram of a [[Jiralhanae Warlord]], who inadvertently informs the UNSC that his [[Huragok]] have established several cloaking towers around their work site, and orders the Banished to defend the sites from the Controller Sentinels until Colony's plan is complete.

The UNSC set up a [[Firebase]] and begin building an army. While fighting the Banished, Sunray come across an as-of-yet unknown unit, the [[Klavrig Workshop Skitterer|Skitterer]] and later, a [[Goliath]]. The UNSC eventually destroy the Controller Sentinels besieging the Banished, in time to see a [[Retriever Sentinel]] emerge. The Retriever is eventually destroyed, allowing the UNSC troops to move on to their next objective. With only fifteen minutes until the Forerunner ship is repaired and able to destroy ''Spirit of Fire'', Sunray begin taking the ship's [[charging column]]s offline via the use of [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark II (J) Colossus]] mechs. All towers are eventually taken offline and the ship is destroyed in an air strike before it can launch, ending the DLC.
{{Spoiler/end}}

==Gameplay==
[[File:HW2 Spearbreaker Loadscreen.jpg|thumb|Campaign menu art.]]
===Campaign===
''Operation: SPEARBREAKER'' includes two campaign missions.
#"[[Gatecrashers]]" - ''"Major [[Elijah Vaughan]] leads his [[Boomerang Company]] ODSTs to a Banished operation site."''
#"[[Not on My Watch]]" - ''"Major Vaughan and his ODST team battle to stop the Banished from launching a Forerunner [[Despair-class fighter|ship]]."''

===Multiplayer===
''Operation: SPEARBREAKER'' contains no multiplayer content save for campaign [[Co-op Campaign|cooperative play]]. However, the expansion released on the same day as the [[Serina/Gameplay|Serina leader DLC]], and as such the two were bundled together. The map for the campaign level Gatecrashers was later included in the multiplayer in a later update as the level [[Mirage]].

==Marketing==
{{Main|Halo Wars 2 Serina & Operation: Spearbreaker Launch Trailer}}

==Release==
''Operation: SPEARBREAKER'' was released for ''Halo Wars 2'' on [[Windows|Windows 10]] and [[Xbox]] platforms on July 25, 2017. It released on the same day as the [[Serina/Gameplay|Serina leader]] DLC for the regular multiplayer, and as such both were bundled together for $9.99. Both were available for purchase separately each at $5.99.{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}} The expansion is also included in purchases of the ''Halo Wars 2'' Season Pass{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}} and the game's ''[[Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition|Ultimate]]'' and ''[[Halo Wars 2: Complete Edition|Complete Editions]]''.

The expansion's release accompanied the beginning of [[Season 5 (Halo Wars 2)|Season 5]] of ''Halo Wars 2''{{'}}s multiplayer and an associated [[Season 5 (Halo Wars 2)#July 25 patch notes|title update]].{{Ref/Reuse|SRSD}}

==Achievements==
{{Halo Wars 2 Achievements|Spearbreaker|category=yes}}

==Gallery==
===Artwork and illustrations===
<gallery>
File:HW2_Spearbreaker_Loadscreen_Sketch.jpg|An early sketchout of the DLC's keyart.
File:HW2-Odsts-1.jpg|Gatecrashers mission artwork.
File:HW2 Not on My Watch.jpg|Not on My Watch mission artwork.
</gallery>
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:HW2 Spearbreaker PK Goliath.jpg|UNSC forces encounter a Goliath.
File:HW2 Spearbreaker PK Sentinels.jpg|A battle between Sentinels and UNSC units.
File:HW2 Spearbreaker PK Retriever.jpg|A Retriever Sentinels enters the battle.
File:HW2 Spearbreaker PK Battle.jpg|A battle between Sentinels and UNSC units.
File:HW2 Spearbreaker PK Colossus.jpg|A Colossus deployed near Sunray 1-1.
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

==External links==
*[https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/operation-spearbreaker/c3wrlx16n6z6 ''Xbox'', Operation: SPEARBREAKER]
*[https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/halo-wars-2-serina-spearbreaker-bundle/BWWT104412SX/0001 ''Xbox'', Halo Wars 2: Serina & Spearbreaker Bundle]

{{Map pack}}
[[Category:Halo Wars 2 DLC]]
[[Category:Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER| ]]