Wuzum-pattern Spectre

Spectre

The Spectre is a Covenant ground assault/transportation vehicle.

Overview
The Spectre is an armored transport vehicle used by the Covenant military. The Spectre, like many other Covenant vehicles, has the ability to rapidly increase its speed with the aid of propulsion drive, but at the cost of maneuverability. It offers two seating positions for additional passengers and thus allows them to add to the vehicle's firepower with their own weaponry. However, these seats are completely exposed and as such the passengers are very vulnerable to small arms fire and splash damage from nearby explosions. A protective metal hull shields the driver’s seat to some extent; the hull leaves the driver's upper body exposed to small arms and explosive fire.

The Spectre features a rear-mounted plasma turret as its primary armament which is capable of 360 degree firing arc and rapidly depleting an enemy's energy shield and suppress their advancement due to its high rate of fire. It provides a stable, mobile gun platform for heavy anti-infantry fire and a method of delivering troops into the heart of a battle.

Advantages
The Spectre has a stable firing platform thanks to its flat and heavy design and evenly-placed propulsion drive. Its plasma turret is very accurate and has a high rate of fire, delivering a reasonable amount of damage to its target; it is ideal for taking down Banshees, and can be used with success against infantry. It is capable of carrying a gunner and two passengers in addition to the driver.

Disadvantages
One of many disadvantages of the Spectre is the high vulnerability of its passengers to attacks. While the driver's seat is protected by the vehicle's hull, the passengers are an open target to small arms fire and splash damage from nearby explosions. The gunner must also lead his targets when firing at medium to long range, as there is a noticable travel time for the plasma projectiles.

Tactics
The Spectre features a rear-mounted, rapid-firing plasma cannon which provides 360 degrees of fire. The weapon is quite powerful and can cut through enemy infantry with ease. The turret performs poorly against armored vehicles such as the M808B Main Battle Tank, as the plasma cannon's bolts will be reflected by the tank's armor.

Campaign

 * Its rapid-firing linear plasma cannon makes it very useful against Banshees because it is more accurate and fast instead of the normal, slow plasma bolts. On Legendary, a Spectre can be very irritating to a Banshee as it is not easy to hit.
 * The Spectre, whilst disadvantaged in speed compared to other vehicles, has its advantages in combat. The Warthog can hold three people, where as the Spectre can hold four. This is a minor advantage, but can be useful as it provides extra fire support, giving the Spectre defense on all sides-especially if the occupants are armed with weapons like Rocket Launchers or Fuel Rod Guns (giving the Spectre a better chance against vehicles).

Multiplayer

 * The Spectre is the likely choice for getting to the top of multiplayer maps such as Coagulation and Burial Mounds, thanks to its indefinite boosting ability.
 * Similar to the Ghost, the Spectre is an ideal vehicle for splattering enemies
 * One excellent tactical strategy is to use the Spectres and other vehicles as a combination like the Warthog and Ghost, for more firepower and protection which is quite effective against groups and a small number of enemy infantry and vehicles.
 * Spectres hold one extra player as opposed to the Warthog, a usual favorite for teams. While the Spectre is less commonly used, the extra seat provides advantages for objective based games, such as Capture the Flag.
 * The Spectre is also suitable for rapid movement across a map. While players may obtain and stay in a Warthog, the Spectre can be used to carry a small team across distances to be closer to combat.

Trivia

 * The Spectre first appeared in the pre-release version of Halo, though it was removed from Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * If the player presses and holds A while driving, the air brake will engage. The front end will rise, enabling the player to climb some walls.
 * A glitch occurs when two players in the passenger seats have Sentinel Beams. If one player fires their Sentinel Beam, then the other player's Sentinel Beam will appear to fire as well, though this will not drain the second player's battery, and it will not increase the damage. If the second player fires their beam, the only effect on the target will be from them.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2