Shua'ee-pattern Locust

"Destroy those Locusts wherever you find them. They're building killers!"

- Sergeant John Forge

The Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform, more commonly known as the Locust, is a quadrupedal Covenant vehicle used for mining and combat purposes.

Appearance
The Locust is a smaller, tank-sized counterpart to the Scarab, which is also a repurposed mining platform. It does not share the Scarab's spiked 'feet', though it is capable of using its legs to climb over obstacles in a similar manner to its larger cousin. Unlike the Scarab, the Locust is seemingly piloted by a Sangheili or Jiralhanae pilot rather than by a Lekgolo colony. The Locust possesses one rotating turret, which is very similar in appearance to a Banshee's cockpit. The turret houses a single plasma cannon that fires a linear pink beam; this beam is effective against both ground and air targets and can outrange most equivalent weapons. The Locust has a regenerating shield that is capable of protecting the vehicle from a limited amount of weapons fire.

Operational history
Locusts were used by Covenant forces on Arcadia and Shield World 0459 in long-range artillery roles against UNSC forces. In the post-war era, remnants of the former Covenant empire still used the Locust, though their roles have somewhat changed: while some are employed by fierce Jiralhanae raiding parties looking to pillage colony worlds, Sangheili kaidons and warlords used them to fortify keeps and protect fragile alliances.

Gameplay
The Locust has the longest effective range among the Covenant ground units in Halo Wars. The Locust is specifically designed to take down static targets, and is only able to open fire when stationary. The Locust can be upgraded with the 'Overdrive' ability as well as with the 'Shield Amplifier' ability. The former upgrade allows the Locust to divert energy from its shield generator to its main cannon, increasing its attack power; the latter upgrade allows the unit's shield to regenerate faster.

Known as a 'building killer', the Locust is largely used to attack an enemy's defenses from a safe distance. This is a useful alternative to a direct confrontation, which would result in casualties for the attacker. A small group of Locusts can be used to assist a force of smaller warriors, like Kig-yar, making it far easier for the group to destroy enemy buildings. Larger groups of Locusts can be used in surprise attacks against enemy bases and in such cases, the Locusts can often level the targeted base in thirty seconds. However, the inherent vulnerability of the unit makes this a gamble.

The Locust is fairly weak against non-structure targets. Though it is able to do significant damage to units, the Locust's defences are weak and falls quickly to concentrated fire. However, its beam can lure enemy units towards awaiting forces, allowing them to be quickly cut down.

Although less common, the Locust can be used quite effectively to destroy small groups of air units such as a formation of vultures. This is provided the the player has a sufficient number of Locusts and that they attack from long range to reduce the amount of casualties that will inevitably be taken.

Upgrades

 * 1) Overdrive is a special attack that drains the Locust's shields to boost damage.
 * 2) Shield Amplifier increases the Locust's shield-regeneration rate. It is useful when used with Overdrive, and its effects also stacks with the 'Shield of the Forerunners' upgrade from the Temple, allowing for an even quicker regeneration rate.

Resources Required: 300

Minimum Tech Level Required: 2

Population Count: 3

Trivia

 * Like the Scarab, the Locust is named after an insect. Locusts are members of the grasshopper family that are infamously known for rapidly stripping fields of crops. The walker's similar "building killer" status may be the reason for the vehicle's name.
 * When playing as the UNSC, Serina may say "watch the skies, they've got Locusts". This, along with the Locust being first encountered in-game in a mission where all of the other attacking enemy units were air units, and the real locust being able to fly, may mean that originally the Locust might have been an air unit, though this is unknown.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars