Editing Ruwaa-pattern Shadow

{{Ratings}}
{{Era|H2|GOO|HGN|UP}}
{{Ship
|name=Shadow
|image=[[Image:Shadow01.jpg|300px]]
|manufacturer=[[Covenant]] 
|line=
|model=
|class=Armored Personnel Transport
|length= 13.8 meters (45.3 feet)
|width=2.1 meters (6.9 feet)
|height=3.3 meters (11 feet)
|mass=8 tons (16,000 pounds)
|max accel=
|max speed space=
|max speed air=
|engine= 
|slipspace drive=
|slipspace speed=
|poweroutput=
|power=
|shield gen=
|hull=
|sensor=
|target=
|navigation=
|avionics=
|countermeasures=
|armament=[[Shade|Plasma Turret]] (1)
|complement=
|crew= *(1) Driver
*(1) Gunner
|skeleton=
|passengers=*1 [[Ghost]] ''or''
*8 infantrymen
**Grunts 
**Jackals 
**Elites
**Brutes(never seen but have the coding for it)
|capacity=
|consumables=
|othersystems=
|firstuse=
|role=Ground Transport for vehicles and infantry. 
|counterpart= 
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
}}

The '''Shadow''' is a [[Covenant]] heavy ground transport vehicle. It is exclusive to ''[[Halo 2]]'', and players are unable to drive it.

== Introduction==
The Shadow is a dedicated troop transport vehicle, similar to an [[M12 Warthog Armored Personnel Carrier|Armored Personnel Carrier]]. As such, it is not an offensive vehicle, and is often slow and cumbersome. However, it possesses a powerful defensive plasma turret, which is used solely for defense, rather than offense. It is placed at its top; the vehicle itself can be easily outmaneuvered by smaller vehicles such as the [[Warthog]] or [[Ghost (Vehicle)|Ghost]].  Its heavy armor is its best defense against attack and is the reason for its slow speed, as the weight weighs it down.

The vehicle itself is almost always manned by an [[Elite]] driver and an Elite gunner. Shadows thus far encountered have been observed transporting one unmanned Ghost and therefore had a crew complement of only two. Infantry transport versions are typically able to carry approximately eight passengers, though the exact number varies depending on their species. Although the transport bay is exposed, it is unknown if these passengers could lend their own firepower to the Shadow's defense.

== Operation ==
[[Image:Shadow.jpg|thumb|left|A close-up of a Shadow.]]
Shadows are the [[Covenant]]'s main method of moving large numbers of troops around ground based battlefields. They have one driver, a gunner, and up to eight occupants, depending on the species of the passengers. One might compare it to a "Bus".

The Shadow also doubles as a small vehicle transporter and is outfitted to carry [[Ghosts]]. However, their main purpose is to deploy infantry; mainly [[Elites]], [[Brutes]], [[Grunts]], and [[Jackals]]; straight into the fight. For point defense, they are equipped with a heavy Plasma Cannon<ref>''[[Halo 2]]'' Instruction Manual</ref> which appears to be of the same design as the [[Shade]] turret in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', but fires [[plasma]] bolts identical to those of the [[Shielded Plasma Cannon]] in ''[[Halo 2]]'', but are faster.

Unlike the Shielded Plasma Cannon, this mounted plasma version seems to need a period of time to 'cycle up' to maximum firing rate (similar to the [[M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]] on the [[Warthog]]). This maximum fire rate is superior to that of both the portable [[Plasma Cannon]] and the [[Shielded Plasma Cannon]] turret. It can lay down a torrent of plasma fire that is deadly to infantry and vehicles alike.

Through modding, the Shadow also has a boost much like the Ghost and [[Spectre]]. The Shadow's boost gives it a hard time stopping after deployed for a few seconds. Akin to the Ghost and especially the Spectre, it also can pop "wheelies" through the A button.

== Shadow in Combat ==
[[Image:Shadow02.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Shadow on an underground Mombasa highway.]]
The Shadow is a bulky, heavy armored vehicle and as such is able to take an immense amount of punishment before succumbing to damage. The Shadow may endure multiple internal explosions that rock its entire chassis or lift it from the floor while under intense fire. However, it will continue moving in spite of this. 

Therefore it is advisable to focus all attentions on the driver of the Shadow. Often the gunner must be dealt with first but due to the exposed nature of its position this will pose little problem (the Shadow's gunner will fire at a slow rate, though if you hop in the gunner seat, the rate of fire is increased dramatically if you continue to fire over a period of time). The turret has the capable and comparable power of a [[Phantom]]'s guns, but can shoot faster and at a greater rate and distance.

Once incapacitated, the Shadow will drop its load on the ground. Like all [[Covenant]] vehicles, the Shadow, once taken down, will experience a secondary detonation. This is by far the largest of all such critical damage reactions of any Covenant vehicle (excluding the [[Scarab]]), resulting in an immense explosion that has the ability to catapult the vehicle into the air, sometimes even culminating in a roll-over.

However, if you simply cannot take out the gunner, all you have to do is charge up to the very back and just fire while pushing against it. This way, you're inflicting loads of damage while avoiding the deadly turret, which can't hit you at this angle.
[[Category:Vehicles]]
[[Category:Covenant Vehicles]]

== In-Game Limitations ==
[[Image:Passengershadow.JPG|170px|right|thumb|Passengers in Shadow]]
[[Image:117inshadow.JPG|170px|right|thumb|Master Chief shown using his unused Shadow animation]]
Unlike almost all other land-based vehicles in ''[[Halo 2]]'', the Shadow is not a pilot-able (except the turret) vehicle for the player. This makes it only good as a placed turret, albeit a very powerful one. The Shadow is exclusive to the level [[Outskirts]], where [[John-117]] must destroy a convoy of them. The turret shoots similar to the [[Shade|Covenant Shade plasma turret]], but with one difference: it "spins up" to an extremely high rate of fire when used continuously, similar to the human turrets.

The Shadows in ''Halo 2'' are always seen transporting [[Ghost (Vehicle)|Ghosts]], never infantry, but the seat bearing Shadows can be unlocked via a modded [[Xbox]]. It was discovered to be a drivable vehicle in the ''Halo 3 Beta'' code, although Shadows are never encountered in ''[[Halo 3]]''.

== Character Compatibility ==
*[[Sangheili|Elites]]
*[[Unggoy|Grunts]] have animation, but it is not used in actual gameplay. However, they can be seen in the Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo.
*[[Kig-yar|Jackals]] have animation, but not used in actual gameplay.
*[[Spartans]] have the animation, but the game disables entry into seat without modding the map file. It is able to be boarded in ''[[Halo 2 Vista]]'' Multiplayer Mode.

==Trivia==
*The Shadow was actually going to be in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' as a [[Covenant]] version of the [[Warthog]], but was cut when [[Bungie]] decided it would be a first-person shooter.{{Verify source}}
*The Shadow is only seen in the ''Halo 2'' level [[Outskirts]] transporting Ghosts in the New Mombasa tunnel.
*In ''[[Halo: Uprising]]'', the Shadows were used to take civilian prisoners to the stadium in [[Cleveland]].
*It also made an appearance in the ''Second Sunrise Over Mombasa'' story from the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''.
*In the level [[Outskirts (Level)|Outskirts]], there are a total of [[7]] Shadows.
*The Shadow is only drivable through mods.
*It was believed that, by landing on the back of a moving Shadow and meleeing the gunner out of his seat, that you could man the turret while the Shadow was in transit with the driver still alive. However, this was found to be false since the option to man the turret only appears if the Shadow's driver is killed.
==Sources==
<references/>

==Related Pages==
*[[Elephant]] - [[UNSC]] Equivalent

{{Covenant Vehicles}}
[[Category:The Covenant]]
[[Category:Vehicles]]
[[Category:Covenant Vehicles]]