Hellbringers

''"Flamethrowers" redirects here. For the weapons, see either M7057/Defoliant Projector or NA4 Flamethrower.''

"You have to be a bit insane to be a Hellbringer...and a bit cynical."

- Anonymous UNSC Marine

The "Hellbringers", referred to in Halo Wars as "UNSC Flamethrowers", are specialized Marines, equipped with the NA4 Flamethrower.

History
The Hellbringers are an anti-infantry unit equipped with NA4 Flamethrowers, carrying a potent chemical mix in a tank that is spewed through a gun onto the target. A variety of mixtures have been created for work in various atmospheric and gravitational conditions, but they all work similarly in that they set almost everything on fire.

Hellbringers aren't particularly common in the UNSC's arsenal, as they are usually only called in to deal with the most firmly entrenched enemies, like the Flood, which means that they also take many casualties themselves. They also have poor performance against vehicles, especially tanks, but they are very good against basic infantry. Similar to the M7057/Defoliant Projector's role in Halo 3, the Hellbringers are very effective against the Flood, but require assistance from vehicles to prevent infection, since the incoming Flood forces will probably be large in number.

They appear as trainable units in Halo Wars, operating in teams of two. They are best suited for an anti-infantry role and they have up to three upgrades:Flash Bang which Unlocks the Hellbringers' special ability to stun enemy infantry with Flashbang Grenades launched from M301 40mm Grenade Launchers for a short time. Costs 200 resources. Napalm Adherent which allows the flame to stick onto targets and continue to burn after initial attack, causing continuous damage. Costs 400 resources. Oxide Tank which provides the Hellbringers a higher temperature blue flame to increase damage to all organic targets. Costs 700 resources.

Combat
Easy and cheap to train, Hellbringers are probably the best UNSC anti-infantry unit, not only against standard units, but also Covenant Leader unique units, like Honor Guard Elites and Brutes. Their upgrades allow them to deal even more damage. However, they act poorly against armored vehicles, and are completely useless against air units. They need to get close to targets to engage them, thus can be easily dispatched by long range units like Beam Rifle equipped Jackals. Researching Adrenaline from the Field armory can increase the Hellbringer's usefulness by letting them run faster and get in closer.

Strategies
A good strategy is to make Hellbringers "en masse" and then transport them during a battle, as needed, via Pelicans. This helps cut their casualties when traveling, as they cannot defend themselves from long range. As a defensive strategy, many players lock the base and train a large unit of Hellbringers. If the enemy attacks with vehicles or aerial units, the Hellbringers cannot be harmed until released from the base. A good offensive strategy is to train the Hellbringers, as well as some RPG upgraded Marines or ODST's to protect them at range. Do not send Hellbringers unassisted in battle against the Flood. They become infected more quickly than Marines and, when infected, become Infected Flamethrowers. These Flood units can be exceedingly dangerous to infantry, and can take down Spartans in seconds, just like how Rebel Snipers can take down units quickly.

During a Skirmish battle, if an enemy Covenant team who's leader is the Arbiter or Brute Chieftain, and you decide to suicide rush their leader, it is a good idea to recruit a large amount of Hellbringers in large groups. They can quickly take down the Arbiter or Chieftain with little to no damage to your base and minimal casualties to your forces.

Trivia

 * Hellbringers are never referred to by that name in-game, instead simply being called "Flamethrowers".
 * The helmet Hellbringers wear bears a slight resemblance to the Spartan EVA helmet, while their chest plate and pauldrons bear a slight resemblance to the Mark VI chest and shoulders.
 * They are very similar to the Black Hand infantry from Command and Conquer 3, as both units are heavily armored soldiers equipped with flamethrowers. During combat, Hellbringers will occasionally yell, "Need a light?", a line also spoken by the Terran Firebat, a similar flamethrower-wielding marine infantry unit from Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft.
 * Despite every UNSC unit in Halo Wars being slightly stronger than its equivalent Covenant unit, Jackals have an advantage over their UNSC counterparts because a flamethrower squad needs to be very close to the enemy, while Jackals possess much greater range.
 * Although some modern flamethrowers have effective ranges of up to 100 meters, the Hellbringers' NA4 flamethrowers have notably underwhelming range. Similarly to the M7057 in Halo 3, this probably an element of gameplay balance.