Zurdo-pattern Wraith

Wraith The Type-25 Wraith, or more commonly known as just the Wraith, is a Covenant ground assault vehicle.

Introduction
The Wraith mobile artillery is the Covenant's main assault vehicle for ground engagements. It fires large bolts of super heated plasma encased in a magnetic field into the air. These bolts then rain down on enemy troops from above with tremendous force. Because the Wraith fires in an arc, rather than line-of-sight, this vehicle's attacks are very dangerous. The indirect fire is capable of catching many off guard with tragic consequences. The mortar can bypass most defenses that its enemies can muster. It is equipped with anti-gravity plates underneath its mainframe similar to those of the Ghost but on a much larger scale, allowing it to hover over any anti-vehicular mines that have been placed in its path as a deterrent. The pilot is completely encased within the armoured hull of the tank and thus protected from all small-arms fire. The vehicle can only be incapacitated by heavy weapons, artillery or internal explosions.

The Wraith's engines can be pushed to provide an excellent boost in speed, but at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power. Mimicking the Ghost once again, however as a result of the Wraith's much greater weight the increase in speed is marginal.

The Wraith is the main heavy vehicle of the Covenant army and can be seen as a counterpart to the UNSC M808B Scorpion Main Battle Tanks. However, the two tanks are considerably different. The Wraith weighs approximately twenty tons, and can move much faster. But is less powerful weapons wise not as tough armour. [needs verification]

Its main weapon, a short barreled Plasma Mortar, can be tilted vertically but remains in fixed position horizontally, meaning that the whole vehicle has to turn to aim the weapon. The mortar can be withdrawn inside the chassis whilst not in use.

The Wraith moves in the same fashion the Ghost, hovering above ground. Its armor is unevenly divided similar to modern tanks; the bulky front skirt can take more punishment than the flanks or rear, making frontal assaults both fruitless and a waste of ammunition.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo 1, the Wraith is a very tough adversary, and can take as many as 3 direct rocket hits, even on normal difficulty, before being destroyed. This version of the Wraith has no anti-personnel weapons. The first time a Wraith is seen on the game is in the Grav-Bay of the Truth and Reconciliation. Some are also seen in the storage and shuttle bays of the ship. The only two levels they are used in combat are Assault on the Control Room and Two Betrayals. Also of note is that the player cannot pilot the Wraith. Another note is that the mortar is not as detailed in Halo 1, looking more like a tube.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the Wraith has two weapons: the standard plasma mortar and two anti-personnel plasma auto-cannons. The main plasma mortar launcher fires a ball of intensely hot blue plasma approximately one meter in diameter into the air. Unlike the blasts from the Scorpion Tank, the plasma shot is affected by gravity, meaning that the shots 'arc' allowing for indirect fire and giving the Wraith a second designation as a mobile gun platform. This can be and is often used to hit enemies behind cover.

The secondary plasma defense weapons are almost identical to the portable Plasma Cannons used as squad support weapons by the Covenant. The turrets will attack any enemy which comes within range, though they are not very accurate. They appear to be automated as they have no visible space for a gunner since the Wraith is a single pilot vehicle. They can take down energy shields relatively easily. This makes boarding a Wraith slightly more difficult. Oddly, the auto-cannons cannot be used by the player. Only Computer A.I. players, such as Brutes, Elites, or even marines, can take advantage of them. This makes them entirely useless when a player is controlling the Wraith.

The Wraith also has a booster engine, capable of tripling the tank's speed for about one second. Once it is used, it takes about five seconds to recharge. Though this can be used to travel more quickly, it is commonly used to run over enemies who are getting too close. It can also flip small vehicles, such as Ghosts or Warthogs. A bug in Halo 2 makes it possible to boost a Scorpion Tank up in the sky.

Halo 3
The Wraith reappears in Halo 3, and is slightly more powerful.

The appearance of the newer Wraith is also slightly different, featuring what appear to be rudimentary headlights. It is now a 2-user vehicle with the driver being inside the cockpit, while the gunner is exposed and has a 270 degree view around him. The turret is used for antipersonnel defense, providing a possible defense against hijackers. The mortar blasts from the Wraith travel slightly faster now, and can fire at a lower trajectory. The turret fires energy blasts resembling the shots of the Plasma Rifle instead of a beam the Spectre fires, but the sound effect that was used for the Spectre turret is now used here. A new single propulsion jet similar to the one the Spectre uses has been added on the back, in addition to the regular ones, and its speed boost seems to have increased accordingly. The tank has a subtle greenish shine to it and has a sort of latticework of material embedded in it that glimmers when light hits it. An extremely vulnerable spot has been added, the aforementioned propulsion jet. This addition to the Wraith now makes it possible to destroy a Wraith with three melee attacks. This jet is partially open, but the cover for it can be knocked off and, if the jet is hit by a single melee attack, causes an extreme chain reaction that causes the Wraith to explode violently, with both propulsion "fins" exploding and the turret exploding with such force that it is warped outwards along the line that the plasma emitter rests in when not in use. In addition, when a player gets close enough to a Wraith they can jump on it and plant a grenade, thus destroying it.

Type 52 AAA
The Type-52 Anti Aircraft Artillery is different from the Type-25 because, instead of a plasma mortar, it uses larger versions of the Fuel Rod Cannon, two racks with three mounted on each, six in total. It fires 6 fuel rods in rapid succession. The color of its body is more brownish blueish than the standard Wraith.

Click here to watch.

It is possible to steal an AAA Wraith if you jump onto, but to not hijack, and melee the front a few times. Then, a Brute's head will be exposed. Melee one more time to knock off his helmet, and then crouch. Hold RB where it does not say to board, and then shoot his head to kill him. When you kill him, you get in the Wraith! Note: If you get out, it will automatically destroy itself.

Deployment
The Wraith can be ferried to and from the battlefield and deployed in a combat ready state by either Spirit or Phantom dropships. This allows for devastating firepower to be delivered to the field rapidly, a common bane of UNSC soldiers.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans (Not in Halo 1)
 * Brutes (Halo 2 and Halo 3)
 * Flood Combat Forms (Human, Halo 2 Only)
 * Flood Combat Forms (Elite, Halo 2 Only)

Trivia

 * If you notice, all Human flight vehicles are named after flying animals/insects, such as Pelican, Hornet, Albatross, etc. Human ground vehicles are named from land animals, e.g. Warthog, Mongoose, Scorpion, etc. Mostly all Covenant vehicles are named after spiritual beings, e.g. Ghost, Banshee, Phantom, Spirit, etc.

Related Links

 * Scorpion Tank - UNSC equivalent of the Wraith
 * Type-52 Anti Aircraft Artillery - An anti-air variant of the Wraith