Enforcer Sentinel

Enforcers are large robotic automatons designed by the Forerunners to prevent and suppress massive Flood outbreaks, such as the one that occurred on Delta Halo around 290 years prior to 2552. They were only released in the event of severe containment breaches.

Design details
Enforcers are large Sentinel-like machines equipped with energy shields and an array of powerful weapons. They serve as part of a Halo Installation's defense against mass Flood outbreaks, and have been seen guarding key locations such as the entrances to the Sentinel Wall and the Library on Installation 05. Enforcers are produced by hovering Sentinel production facilities.

Enforcers have three energy shields; the larger two are split in half (for their guns to fire through), and the small upper shield protects the 'eye' of the Enforcer. The shields only protect the front side of the machine. Enforcers are armed with pulse beams and missiles. They are also equipped with large claw-like arms which are able to pick up and rip apart most vehicles, which could result in casualties if done at a high hight.

Weapons
The Enforcers have more devastating weaponry than the lesser Sentinels. Its first weapons are 2 cannons, whose projectiles are similar to the Covenant Needler or Spiker, but is more powerful than either of them and has projectiles that appear red instead of those of the Covenant-made Needler, whose rounds are pink. These "crystalline guns" were planned by Bungie to be another Sentinel weapon to be usable by the player. For reasons known only to Bungie, this weapon was not in the game, but the Enforcer's weapon is most likely the same gun.

The second weapon is a missile launcher. The missiles it launches look similar to a flare when fired due to their yellow/gold bright appearance. These missiles land on or near vehicles at a distance and cause devastating damage.

The third weapon is similar to a Sentinel Beam but on a larger scale, it has a larger blast, increased range, and cause more damage.

The fourth weapon consists of four metal claws like that are folded under the enforcer. These Weapons make up for its missile launchers limited effectiveness against vehicles at close to medium range. When a vehicle gets close to an enforcer it will temporarily cease attacking, descend directly above the vehicle and unfold its claws revealing a gravity lift powerful enough to lift wraiths. It then lifts the vehicle up to its claws and begins to crush it.

Appearance
They were only observed on Installation 05 fighting the local Flood infestation on the levels Sacred Icon and Quarantine Zone. They were not seen in Halo: Combat Evolved or Halo 3, most likely because the situations involving the Flood on Installation 04 weren't as serious as that on Installation 05, and Installation 00 was not expected to encounter an outbreak to begin with.

Combat
The Enforcer's energy shields can absorb more damage than a normal Sentinel shield. The shields, which only guard the front area of the machine, are immune to ballistic weapons, such as the Battle Rifle, shotgun, and SMG. However, they are weak against plasma weapons, and have many similarities to a Kig-yar's shields as they are blue in color and turn red when half depleted. Like a Sangheili or Spartan-II, its shield can be taken out with one charged Plasma Pistol shot.

The Enforcer is very strong, capable of withstanding even two Scorpion Tank shells or two to three Wraith shots. When it appears to be lifting the player's vehicle off the ground, the driver should exit the vehicle immediately to avoid being crushed and eventually killed.

One disadvantage of the Enforcer is that they cannot detect enemies hidden in the shadows, which can be used to a player's advantage, so that if a player moves stealthily enough from one area to another, the Enforcer will continue to fire into the last known area the enemy was located in. After they have lost track of their target, they will quickly lose interest and turn their back on the enemy, giving the player an opportunity to attack from behind. Once the Enforcer has taken enough damage, its shields will drop and it will explode. After exploding, large pieces of the former Enforcer will come crashing to the ground. These pieces can hurt or even kill the player if they land on them, making it best to stay away from the Enforcer when it is destroyed.

The Enforcer's pulse beams, which appear similar to the Covenant Needlers' projectiles, are usually not a threat to players as they are very easy to dodge. The Enforcer's Pulse Beams shares similarities to the Spiker in Halo 3 and are believed to have once been a usable weapon. It uses these red projectiles to fight infantry at a close to medium range. Its mortar projectiles are extremely dangerous and can quickly kill you or keep you pinned down. It will use its missiles against any vehicle it encounters; from a Ghost to a Phantom, and will occasionally use it against infantry, should they appear in large groups. The Enforcer uses its mortar projectiles as medium to long range weapons. The Sentinel Enforcers also use both their Pulse Beams and missiles against the player when on foot. They tend to fire their weapons in an order, going from their Pulse Beams to their missiles if unsuccessful with the primary weapon, then back to the the Pulse Beams. It will continue this until the player is killed or the Enforcer has been destroyed.

If you can shoot off its pulse beam arms, and the small pair of missile launchers on its back (the top), it will start to fire an invisible Sentinel Beam. Although invisible, the beam causes visible damage to walls. The sparks emitted from the weapon show that the beam is a blue Sentinel Beam, similar to the beam a Sentinel Major uses. Thereby, you can wield it (it is somewhat hard to do this, so it is not advisable, but, you can try it, making sure not to kill the Enforcer in the process.)

Tactics
If you are facing the Enforcer in the level Sacred Icon (close quarters, cover), or are in a vehicle with heavy firepower but limited maneuverability (Quarantine Zone). For close combat in the level Sacred Icon, simply leap below it so that it can't position/fire on you. From there, you should shoot off the "legs" on each corner, making it easier to destroy. Finally, simply bombard it with plasma grenades; it should die after two or three on Heroic. For vehicular combat (preferably the Scorpion), you can easily blast the shielding in front of it off (one shot per half). Then, you can destroy it with one more blast. For Wraiths, repeat, but take into consideration gravity. Spectres just require patience and non-stop shooting to work. In the event you don't have a vehicle, do not stay still. You will be gunned down if you do. Do not drive directly under it to avoid being crushed.

It is possible to "surf" these Enforcers, similar to surfing a Sentinel, by jumping on top of it. Note that this is very hard to do. Also, while you are on top of an Enforcer it will not be able to attack the enemies, as it will identify you as the enemy, and focus on you, making the Enforcer useless.

Trivia

 * The Enforcer's front shields form a visible and viable Marathon style logo.
 * The Enforcer looks very similar to the machines seen building in the comic titled Halo 3: The Cradle of Life.
 * Enforcers only appear in Halo 2 in the levels Sacred Icon and Quarantine Zone.
 * Enforcers are not seen on Installation 04 over the course of Halo: Combat Evolved. They may have been present but not deployed because the Flood there were still in the Feral Stage, unlike the Flood on Installation 05 who had managed to construct a Gravemind and therefore reach the Coordinated Stage, the stage when the Flood starts to become truly dangerous. Additionally, it is possible that Enforcers were deployed, but none were present in the areas visited in-game.
 * When Enforcers pick up vehicles using its two grappling arms, it will automatically destroy it.

Related pages

 * Sentinel
 * Sentinel Major
 * Constructor
 * Sentinel Production Facility
 * Needler Sentinel
 * Pulse Beams