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.

The Warthog is mostly used by UNSC Marines in a rapid attack movement. Light mechanized forces will advance ahead of the main armored Scorpion Tanks and foot soldiers.

Features
The Warthog is the futuristic "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 under steer 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 and the M831 TT). Interestingly, the Warthog LRV is water-resistant; it can easily drive underwater (although a bit slower). The Warthog is extremely quick and maneuverable, but is prone to rollovers during hard cornering.

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(Power Slide), 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 also able to dodge a ram much easier now. However, when 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 moving. 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.

The passenger is able to carry objectives such as the bomb in Assault, or the enemies' flag in Capture the Flag. It is suggested to fill the Warthog so there can still be a gunner on the ride back to the base. Also, VIPs can enter the passenger seat, but with the Spartan Laser, Gauss Warthog, and heat seeking missiles from the Hornet, this is not recommended unless in emergencies. However, being in a Gauss 'Hog can tip the scales in your favor.

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 Turret. He is responsible for defending the driver and passenger of the Hog from incoming enemy fire. 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 by default.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans
 * Marines
 * ODST troopers
 * Combat Forms (Halo 2)

M12 Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
The M12 Warthog LRV (Light Reconnaissance Vehicle) is the most common and versatile type of Warthog used by the UNSC, being common in every Halo game to date. While nominally designed for reconnaissance, its speed and firepower make it very effective in a cavalry role. The rear-mounted, three-barreled M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun is extremely effective against infantry and light vehicles, and is capable of picking apart armor should the need arise.

This Warthog also has a variant with the only difference that it is snow camouflaged instead of the standard green. This Warthog has only been seen in the Halo 3 multiplayer map Avalanche

Tactics
 * In Halo CE players will sometimes drive without a gunner, attempting to run people over. Players with moderate experience will back up as the Warthog charges. When the range is right, the player will toss a frag grenade into the Warthog's path. If done correctly, the Warthog will be flipped and the driver will have only three bars of health. The driver will be tossed from the vehicle, becoming a target with no protection. The player will then finish off the driver with a weapon of their choice. Note: The only downside to this tactic is if the grenade is thrown too late, the Warthog may be propelled forward, flying through the air and killing the player, but leaving the driver alive. When inside of the Warthog it is possible to die of enemy fire. A sniper can kill you when riding, it is a difficult shot, but it is possible.

M12A1 Warthog Light Anti Armor Vehicle
The M12A1 Warthog LAAV (Light Anti-Armor Vehicle) is a rare Warthog identified by black paint with yellow stripes and matching seats. This Warthog sports a rear-mounted 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret which allows it to take out heavily-armored 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 displayed in Halo PC and is replaced in Halo 2 and Halo 3 by the M12G1 Warthog LAAV.

M12G1 Warthog Light Anti Armor Vehicle
The M12G1 Warthog LAAV is a fairly new Warthog variant designed to replace the M12A1 model, removing the Rocket Turret in favor of a faster firing M68 Gauss Cannon. It basically serves the same purpose as its predecessor, being primarily an anti-vehicular model but with a faster rate of fire at the cost of decreased anti-vehicular effectiveness.

M831 Troop Transport Warthog
This Warthog scraps the back-mounted turret in favor of four side-facing seats, which give the vehicle 360 degree defense (provided there are Marines). This Warthog is ideal for transporting troops across the field. It first appeared in Halo 3. In Campaign, the driver and side seats can be used by players, but not the "Transport Carriage" - this is reserved for Marines in which three can ride. In Multiplayer, this variant is not available at all probably due to the fact that Spartans and Elites can't ride in the back. The reduction in effectiveness resulted in its removal.

Warthog APC
The Warthog Armored Personnel Carrier is a United Rebel Front ground vehicle. It is essentially an 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".

Flatbed Warthog
The Flatbed Warthog is used by Avery Johnson and the militia forces on Harvest during the book Halo: Contact Harvest. It is similar to the Troop Transport Warthog.

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 (e.g. 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. Sometimes when playing Xbox Live on the Halo 3 map Sandtrap, Warthogs appear without turrets, probably due to lag. On the Halo 3 map The Pit there are 2 Warthogs outside the fence, one of which resembles a civilian warthog due to the lack of armaments. On the Halo 2 multiplayer map Headlong, there is an advertisement for civilian warthogs.

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 provides cover fire until they can drive back.

Trivia

 * During Halo 2's development Bungie considered more specialized warthog variants including a 'Snow' and 'Jungle' Hog.
 * Ironically, despite the Warthog being over 3 tons, it is much faster than the Mongoose, despite it being lighter, and supposedly faster. Though this could be explained by the fact that a Mongoose is little more than an ATV, and a Warthog is a full fledged truck that could easily pick up more momentum.
 * 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.
 * The warthog has a top speed of 116 kph (72 mph)
 * Compared to other Warthogs in Halo CE and Halo 2 the Warthog in Halo 3 is very fast.
 * In Halo 2 and 3, 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.
 * WETA Workshop, 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" . If you look at the driver's side of the windscreen, there are stamps portraying the number and type of Covenant troops killed. It can be seen in the short films "The Halo Arms Race". It can also be seen here:.
 * In the popular machinima series Red vs. Blue, the Warthog is referred to as "the Jeep" and "the Puma". The name "Puma" arose after one of the characters (Grif) said "It doesn't look like a Warthog to me. It looks more like a Puma".
 * In Halo 3, the word "PUMA" can be seen on the tires of the Warthogs in multiplayer, alluding to the joke from Red vs. Blue.
 * In Halo 3, if you look at one of the electronic screens on the dashboard of the warthog it should say online with a blue ring.
 * Rather than having a set velocity, in Halo 3 the speed a Warthog travels at is related to the terrain it is on, the incline or decline, and whether it is moving on ground or through water and also who is driving, Master Chief, an Elite or a marine, as the Arbiter can easily be out run by Master Chief in the Warthog run in the level Halo in Halo 3.
 * The dashboard of the vehicle changes in appearance throughout the series. It always showed a redline meter, that glowed red when the Warthog accelerated, and glowed blue when the vehicle was driving.
 * Almost all of the features of the Warthog can be blown off its chassis, including the hubcaps, tusks, bumper and engine covers.
 * Sounding the horn while keeping the Warthog still gives you away on the motion sensor.
 * The Warthog was the first human item (besides the weapons) designed for Halo.
 * Digitalph33r has speculated on how a fan knows so much about the warthog in his machinima,"It's a wonderful LIVE".
 * The Snow Camoflaged Warthog in the Halo 3 multiplayer map, Avalanche is commonly called the Snow-Hog.
 * The Warthog makes a great Capture the flag vehicle to collect the Flag Carrier in the Passenger Seat with the Gunner protecting him and the driver putting the pedel to the metal!

Halo Wars Stats

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

Related Articles

 * Warthog Jump
 * "Spectre" - Covenant Separatist equivalent
 * Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle - Covenant Loyalist equivalent