M12 Chaingun Warthog

Warthog

The Warthog is a generic term used to describe the M12 line of United Nations Space Command ground vehicles.

It is affectionately known as the 'Hog by UNSC soldiers due to the tusk-like hooks on the tow winch.

Background
The Warthog is the 26th-century "Jeep": all of its variants are equipped with a seemingly full-time 4x4 transmission and four-wheel steering to allow for tighter turning; however, higher speeds will result in the understeer that all AWD cars suffer, unless you drive while using the E-brake. The Warthog can carry 3 people; 1 driver, 1 gunner, and 1 passenger (with the exception of the Warthog APC, which can carry 11 passengers, as befitting with its classification and M831 TT Which can carry 4 passengers).

Features
There are a few differences between the Warthogs of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. While the Warthog in Halo: CE was notoriously hard to control, the revamped Warthog of Halo 2 was a dream come true. The handling was greatly improved, and allies as well as enemies can now drive, though how well they drive usually depends on the difficulty level. There was also the addition of the horn, which can be useful for getting the attention of teammates. Additionally, the Warthog now had a handbrake, which allows the driver to lock up the rear wheels and slide the back end out, making it easier to kill enemies that dive out of the way. The 'Hog's strongest point is on the front. The front end can take quite a beating from small-medium arms fire before blowing up, and the glass protects the occupants from weapons fire (except for rockets and other explosive ordnance).

Within Halo Wars the Warthog (a model used in 2531) has a sort of "flooring" ability not seen in other Halo games. This allows the player to ramp the Warthog over canyons and other such jumps, reaching speeds and distances not seen in the other Halo games. This makes the Warthog a more versatile attack vehicle.

Driver
The driver has no forms of attack except ramming enemies with the Warthog itself, which instantly kills an enemy on foot in Halo: Combat Evolved. In Halo 2, factors such as speed and direction do not allow every ram to be a guaranteed kill. Covenant enemies are able to dodge a ram much easier now; however, if driving in open spaces, before you attempt to ram or run over an enemy, try to slide the Warthog and hit the enemy with the side, that way, you have a better chance of killing them. A person carrying an objective item in multiplayer isn't allowed to get into the driver seat under default settings.

Passenger
The passenger's seat is perhaps the most difficult spot to use effectively, as it is extremely difficult to aim at nearby enemies while the Warthog is in motion. In Halo 2, targeting is altered by the fact that the camera now pulls out to third-person view. The main use the passenger seat serves for player characters is transporting the objective carrier in multiplayer skirmishes. If you try to melee while in the passenger seat you will hear the attack and hear it hitting the car if you aim for it, but there is no animation (for the Spartan skin in Multiplayer. It is visible if you are using the Elite skin or playing as the Arbiter). Marines, however, are a different story. Being computer-controlled, their aim is not affected by the jostling of off-road driving, and they are quite proficient at hitting enemies from the "shotgun" position. This can be used to a player's advantage if one gives a Marine in the passenger seat a powerful weapon, such as the rocket launcher or a sniper rifle. In Halo 3, the plasma pistol is a popular choice for the passenger's seat in vehicular combat due to its vehicle stopping ability.

Gunner
The gunner stands in the Warthog's turret and mans the heavy weapon mounted there, whether it be an M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, M68 Gauss Cannon, or Rocket Launcher. He is responsible for defending the driver and passenger of the Hog from incoming enemy vehicles. So as to not interrupt his line of fire, his heavy weapon is mounted on a 360-degree hydraulic-powered swivel-mount that is not affected by any erratic movement on the driver's part. A person carrying an objective item in multiplayer isn't allowed to use the Warthog's turret.

Countermeasures

 * Hit it with a rocket/Spartan Laser: This is the most obvious solution.
 * Snipe the driver: If he is far enough away, try to kill the driver. Afterwards you can get the gunner because the turret isn't accurate enough to hit you at long distances.
 * Board it: It won't kill anyone, but at least you're not dead. Best if there is only the driver on board, but if it has a gunner a valid tactic is to attempt to splatter your opponents with it - they'll be less likely to try and destroy the vehicle with one of their team mates on board. However you will need to avoid your allies to prevent the gunner targeting them.
 * Use another vehicle: The Scorpion works best but others will do.

M12 Warthog LRV
The M12 Warthog LRV (Light Reconnaissance Vehicle) is the most common type of Warthog used by the UNSC, being common in every Halo game to date. It uses a back-mounted M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun that is effective against both infantry and other vehicles, making this one of the most versatile Hogs around.

M12A1 Warthog LAAV
The M12A1 Warthog LAAV (Light Anti Armor Vehicle) is a rare warthog that sports a back-mounted 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret which allows it to take out hard targets, such as enemy tanks, with ease. The downside of this is that this Warthog's turret is slow to reload and not as effective at taking out infantry. Additionally, players have found that firing the three rockets in rapid succession greatly decreases accuracy, resulting in them falling short or going over the heads of the intended target.

This Warthog variant is only seen in Halo PC and is replaced in Halo 2 by the M12G1 Warthog.

Note: Even though in the picture of the "Rocket Warthog" it has green paint with yellow stripes, in the game, it shows black paint with yellow stripes and matching seats.

M12G1 Warthog LAAV
The M12G1 Warthog LAAV is a fairly new warthog variant designed to replace the M12A1 model, substituting the rocket turret in favor of a faster firing M68 Gauss Cannon. It basically serves the same purpose of its predecessor, being primarily an anti-vehicular model, but with a faster rate of fire that increases its effectiveness against infantry.

M12 Warthog APC
The Warthog Armored Personnel Carrier is a United Rebel Front ground vehicle. It is essentially a M12 Warthog modified by the URF to include a heavily-armored passenger section capable of carrying troops and supplies. It has appeared in some Halo: Custom Edition maps like "w4rtorn cove".

M831 TT Warthog
This Warthog scraps the back-mounted turret in favor of four side-facing seats. This Warthog is ideal for transporting troops across the field. It first appeared in Halo 3.

Civilian Warthog
Due to the success of the Warthog in battle situations, a civilian variant, called the "Hog", was mass-produced for public use. The adaptation of military vehicles for civilian use has been seen before i.e. Hummer brand SUVs being based off military Humvees. Obviously, not being intended for combat, the Hog uses standard vehicle walls, rather than armour plating, and is completely unarmed.

Unused Warthog Concepts
"Snow Hog" - This Warthog has been adapted for cold weather, sporting treads for movement in snow and an enclosed passenger compartment. It also lacks the tell-tale turret. It has been seen in Halo: Custom Edition maps like Sneak or Coldsnap and acted as a desert variant in Hopeless War beta 0.6.

"Jungle Hog" - This Warthog was made for easier movement in jungles, sporting a more powerful towing winch and a more powerful motor, as well as larger grooves in the tires for increased traction.

Multiplayer Use
The Warthog is an extremely important aspect in multiplayer games. Because it is a multi-person vehicle, it is mostly used in team matches. Although there are people that enjoy running other players over by themselves. It is possibly the most used vehicle in capture the flag matches, as you can load 3 people in, have the person in the side seat go in and grab the flag, while the gunner gives cover fire and then they drive back.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans
 * Marines
 * Flood Combat Forms (Halo 2 only)

Trivia

 * In the Halo 2 level Outskirts, it is possible to get an Invincible Warthog. The Hog will show damage but cannot be destroyed.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, plasma grenades bounce off the Warthog's windshield.
 * The replacement cost for one Warthog is cR 52000.00.
 * In Halo 2, if you hold down the R button (honk the horn) without stopping for a while, the horn will stop sounding and you will be unable to use it again for a while.
 * In Bungie's information release on the Warthog (March 26, 2007), a code can be seen in the VideoRama of the Warthog, reading X.XX.713>ghost.713/non-auth/activity ongoing.
 * In each Halo game, from the first to the last, it seems harder and harder to run people over while driving a warthog. In Halo: Combat Evolved, it was the easiest. In Halo 2, it got a little harder. In the Halo 3 Beta, it was nearly impossible to run people over (since the game is only beta, the difficulty might change in the future).
 * WETA Studios, in New Zealand, built a full-scale, operating, accurate Warthog. It has several numbers on it, some possibly pertaining to that specific model, or maybe even that specific Warthog, including, but not limited to, 5c8611, N/AAV-20, and others.
 * WETA's Warthog is accurate in every function, including a working chaingun, four-wheel steering, digital displays, air bags, and the ability to "crab crawl".


 * In Halo 3, they are noticeably slower.

Tactics

 * The easiest way to run over a Covenant in a Warthog is to observe which way they are about to jump and then suddenly change direction, causing the back wheels to spin and crush them.

Halo Wars Stats

 * Air damage: 5
 * Vehicle Damage: 1
 * Infantry Damage: 9
 * Structure Damage: 1
 * Defence: 7

Related Links

 * Warthog Jump
 * Spectre - Covenant Separatist equivalent of the Warthog
 * Prowler - Covenant Loyalist equivalent of the Warthog