Zurdo-pattern Wraith

Wraith The Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage, commonly called a Wraith, is the Covenant's main heavy assault vehicle for ground engagements. The Wraith can be rapidly deployed in a combat-ready state by Spirit or Phantom dropships, and as such is a difficulty of UNSC soldiers. The Type-52 Anti Aircraft Artillery is a variant of the Wraith.

Weapons and Armor
The Wraith's primary weapon, a short-barreled Plasma Mortar, is fixed horizontally but can be skewed vertically in mid-fire. To discharge the mortar, the entire vehicle must turn to face its target. The mortar can be retracted into the hull while not in use, a design advantage considering the vehicle's awkward firing requirements. The mortar fires large bolts of superheated, magnetically contained guided plasma into a "arc" shape in the air, raining down on enemy troops with tremendous force. A direct hit can penetrate nearly any armor, and even an indirect hit is often deadly. This makes shots less speedy and precise, but more capable of catching enemies off guard. The target must be at least eight meters away for the Wraith to use the weapon outside of the "dead zone", an area in which it would cause damage to itself as well as the target

The secondary weapon of the Wraith is an automatic plasma cannon(only seen in Halo 3) which possesses an extremely high rate of fire and is powerful enough to penetrate the armor of light vehicles. However, although devastating to (and designed to deter) infantry and would-be boarders and barriers, the plasma cannon is ineffective against heavy armor.

Wraiths possess heavy armor and are difficult to destroy. The heavily armored hull and chassis make the Wraith almost immune to small-arms fire, and the vehicle can only be incapacitated by heavy weapons, artillery or internal explosions. The pilot is well protected within the hull, and even the weaponry are armored. Typical of assault vehicles, the front armor is capable of taking much heavier punishment than the flanks or rear. However, even the underbelly of the vehicle is heavily armored to protect the anti-gravity plates underneath the chassis.

Gameplay
In battle, the Wraith is analogous to UNSC Scorpion Tanks, which are slower, but possess more precise weapons capable of firing along line-of-sight. In Halo: Combat Evolved Wraiths can only be piloted by Elites. In Halo 2, Spartans, Marines, Elites, Brutes, and Flood Combat Forms may operate the vehicle. In Halo 3, Spartans, Marines, Elites, and Brutes still pilot Wraiths. The vehicle is slow and easily boarded, and without Ghosts as defending escorts, a boarding party has a good chance of success. However, having a passenger manning the plasma turret exponentially decreases the chances of a successful boarding, as the turret's wide field of view and high rate of fire make it ideal for destroying infantry.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Wraith tank is a tough adversary and cannot be driven by the player. The Wraith first appears in the Grav-Bay of the Truth and Reconciliation. Some are also seen in the storage and shuttle bays of the ship. The vehicles appear in combat in Assault on the Control Room and Two Betrayals. This version of the Wraith has no anti-personnel weapons, and the graphics are less detailed than in future games, with the mortar looking like a tube. The Wraith can survive up to two to three direct rocket hits before being destroyed. While formidable, it is not without weaknesses. Wraiths can be flipped, knocking the Elite driver out of the vehicle and rendering it useless.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the Wraith has two weapons: the standard plasma mortar and two automated Plasma Cannons. Although they are not very accurate, they can easily take down energy shielding. The turrets auto-target any enemy within range, making boarding a Wraith more difficult. However, the player cannot utilize these turrets themselves, meaning that the Wraith is somewhat ineffective in the player's hands. The Halo 2 Wraith also includes a booster engine, capable of tripling the tank's speed for about one second and requires 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. This booster can flip small vehicles, such as Ghosts or Warthogs. This version of Wraith is more difficult to defeat by melee unlike the version in Halo 3.

Halo 3
A more powerful version of the Wraith appears in Halo 3. New features include headlights, faster and more direct line of fire, and an improved rear propulsion jet. However, the propulsion jet represents an extremely vulnerable spot in the armor, making it possible for the first time to destroy a Wraith with melee attacks. A strong hit to the jet after removing its cover causes a violent chain reaction of explosions. The new turret fires energy blasts resembling the shots of the Plasma Rifle instead of a beam like the Spectre. The tank has a subtle greenish shine to it and an embedded latticework that glimmers in the light. The most dramatic design change added a exposed topside gunnery position with a 270° view, allowing for better defense against enemy soldiers and boarders. Boarding is made more difficult in that now boarders have both a pilot and gunner to kill before gaining control of the vehicle. The Wraith now has the ability to attack two targets independent of one another, (such as focusing the mortar on destroying a nearby Warthog, while the gunner takes out a player onfoot attempting to hijack the vehicle from the sides.) The turret is powerful enough to destroy a Ghost before one can successfully destroy the Wraith, (unless it gets right behind it and shoots at the jet.)

Trivia

 * When in Halo 3 Forge, if you enter a Wraith normally, wait a few seconds, then exit by entering Monitor Mode, the Main Turret will not retract into the vehicle. This can sometimes give your enemies the false sense there's someone in the Wraith. If you flip the tank, you can give the same effect.
 * Make sure when playing multiplayer you have a turret man to support you. Even though you are doing most of the damage as the driver the secondary gunner (turret) will make it much harder for enemies to board and quickly dispose of your vehicle.
 * Marines call it a "Wraith" because, as mentioned in Halo: The Flood, "You would get one look at it before you turned into one". Meaning that a Marine would probably see a Wraith before getting killed by the plasma mortars (turning into 'wraiths' or 'ghosts').
 * Since many people attempt to board the wraith, drivers usually boost to splatter them. Many disregard this, as the speed change looks insignificant.
 * The mortars of the wraith in Halo 3 go significantly further then its previous counter parts.
 * If you board the Halo 3 Wraith from behind you can melee or plant a grenade on the rear propulsion jet. This works especially well in co-op because the other player can distract it while you board and the turret can't reach you back there.
 * If a Halo 3 Wraith driver holds down the 'A' button while driving, the Wraith's front 'Wings' will enclose and pull the front of the Wraith upwards to form a wheelie. This makes a great way to splatter another vehicle or player.
 * The best way to destroy a Wraith is to attack the Exhaust Port in the back. It takes only three melee hits to the back to destroy one.
 * The Plasma Mortar has changed from the Halo: Combat Evolved depiction. The Plasma Mortar was a lot taller than the one in Halo 2, also its shots were slightly smaller.
 * In multiplayer it is suggested to have the Wraith against a wall when possible, to prevent the weak spot from being hit.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, wraiths are seen, but are not drivable due to not being able to hijack vehicles.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, it is possible to snipe the driver out of it, but you still cannot drive it.

Related Links

 * Scorpion Tank - UNSC equivalent of the Wraith
 * Type-52 Anti Aircraft Artillery - An anti-air variant of the Wraith
 * Unknown Wraith - A new form of wraith that has no known purpose yet