R'awuw-pattern Scarab
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| R'awuw-pattern Pathcarver | |
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1 supervisor[1] |
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30 passengers[1] |
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The R'awuw-pattern Pathcarver[1] (UNSC Type classification: Type-29 Ultra-Heavy Site Excavator, T-29 UHSE)[2][4] colloquially known as the Super Scarab, is a Covenant quadrupedal mining platform.[3]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
The R'awuw-pattern Scarab is a heavy quadruped in the Scarab family of heavy excavators used by the Covenant. Prior to the empire's collapse, it was used to reveal deeply buried Forerunner facilities and artifacts. The Scarab has limited combat utility, as the vehicle can not self-deploy and must be assembled on-site due to its delicate components and sheer size.[2]
The scarcity of the R'awuw-pattern Scarab and the reverential language used in Covenant records indicate that the vehicle may have been an ancient design used only to reveal particularly momentous reliquaries. Nonetheless, the R'awuw-pattern Scarab is fitted with the most powerful ultra-heavy focus cannon of all known members of the Scarab "family".[2][1] The focus cannon measures around 2.4 meters (8 ft) in length.[5]
Operational history[edit]
The R'awuw-pattern Scarab was first designed in the years following the introduction of the Lekgolo into the Covenant in 784 BCE. For most of the empire's history, it was primarily used for excavating notable Forerunner reliquaries - usually at the end of the patience of the San'Shyuum stewards tasked with overseeing the sites.[1]
Human-Covenant War[edit]
- Main article: Battle for Arcadia
During the Battle for Arcadia in 2531, a Pathcarver was used by the Covenant to guard their Forerunner excavation site on Arcadia. Stationed at the entrance to the main complex, the Covenant attempted to use technology from the Forerunner relic to upgrade the Scarab on-site.[6]
Despite being stationary, the Scarab caused significant difficulty to the United Nations Space Command ground forces attempting to breach the Covenant defenses; the humans were forced to approach the site head-on, enabling the Scarab to fire on them with its main focus cannon. Powered by a series of generators scattered about the area, the Scarab's head swept the area in a consistent scanning motion, firing on any UNSC forces caught in its line of fire and not hesitating to destroy lesser Forerunner ruins the humans used as cover, including a cluster of structures sheltering the UNSC's local firebase. However, the humans were able to take advantage of the Scarab's systematic scan pattern, destroying the power nodes which in turn slowed down the rate at which the Scarab was able to turn its head. After taking down the power nodes, the UNSC forces attacked and destroyed the Scarab.[3]
After the Scarab's destruction, Sergeant John Forge and Professor Ellen Anders entered the ruins to catalogue them. During this time, Forge jokingly picked up a piece of the destroyed Scarab and attempted to pose for a picture with it. Anders rebuked him, however, and refused to indulge Forge's humor.[7]
After the initial battle on Arcadia, the wreckage of the Scarab lay untouched for the next thirty years, thanks to the remoteness of the surroundings - and the nearby Forerunner ruins making the Covenant unwilling to glass the site as they did the rest of the planet. The site was later rediscovered by Adam Andrews during his search for information on the Spirit of Fire deployment in the region, having recovered the site's location from scouting teams sent to Fort Deen. In 2560, the Scarab's construction site was used by Andrews as the location for an illicit trade with Nor Fel, trading the Scarab's abandoned focus cannon for illegal rumbledrugs. After Andrews left the Scarab remains, the Kig-Yar scavenger party was assassinated by Team Omega.[5]
Production notes[edit]
Early blockouts for the Scarab (shown below) used the model for the cut Scarab model featured in several early screenshots and trailers for Halo Wars. The early Scarab model visually resembled Halo 2's Protos-pattern Scarab, albeit with a bulkier and more armoured chassis. While the cut Scarab was used as a placeholder for the R'awauw during development, it was replaced in the final game with the now-canon model. Accordingly, the unfinished Super Scarab featured in the final game bears a heavy resemblance to the original cut design - indicating that a fully-constructed Super Scarab may in fact be the originally-cut Halo Wars Scarab.
Gallery[edit]
A concept paintover for early iterations of the Scarab level. The blockout screenshots on the right use the cut Scarab model as a placeholder for the Super Scarab.
Concept art and renders of the R'awuw model in Halo Wars.
The destroyed wreckage of the Scarab.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo Wars (First appearance)
- Halo: Hippocratica
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - If They Want Lore, We'll Give 'Em Lore (Retrieved on Feb 21, 2024) [archive]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo Waypoint, Scarab (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b c d Halo Wars, campaign level Scarab
- ^ Halo Waypoint Forums, Canon Fodder 7-2-15: Scarab Tactics: Page 1 (Retrieved on Feb 9, 2020) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo: Hippocratica
- ^ YouTube - Halo, Halo 101: The Battle of Arcadia (Retrieved on Sep 10, 2023)
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Anders' Signal
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