Zurdo-pattern Wraith

Wraith

The Wraith (pronounced 'rāth') is a Covenant ground vehicle.

Introduction
The Wraith mortar tank is the Covenant's main assault vehicle for ground engagements. It fires very large bolts of plasma encased in a magnetic field up into the air. These bolts then rain down on enemy troops with tremendous force. Because the Wraith fires in an arc, rather than line-of-sight, this vehicle's attacks are very dangerous. The mortar can bypass most defenses that its enemies have established. It is equipped with anti-gravity plates underneath its mainframe allowing it to hover over any anti-vehicle mines that have been placed in its way. The pilot is protected from all small-arms fire and the vehicle can only be incapacitated by heavy weapons or artillery.

The Wraith's engines can be pushed to provide an excellent boost in speed, but at the cost of manueverability and weapon power.

The Wraith is the main heavy vehicle of the Covenant army and is the counterpart to the M808B Scorpion Main Battle Tanks used by the UNSC. However, the two tanks are considerably different. The Wraith weighs approximately twenty tons, and, while packing less firepower, can move much faster.

The Wraith, unlike the Scorpion, does not have a gun turret. Its main weapon, a short barelled plasma mortar, can be tilted vertically but remains in fixed position horizontally, meaning that the whole vehicle has to turn to aim the weapon. The mortar can be withdrawn inside the chassis.

The Wraith moves in the same fashion the Ghost, hovering above ground. Its armor is unevenly divided similar to real-life tanks; the bulky front skirt can take more punishment than the flanks.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo 1, the Wraith is a very tough adversary, and can take as many as 3 direct rocket hits, even on normal difficulty, before being destroyed. This version of the Wraith has no anti-personnel weapons. The first time a Wraith is seen on the game is in the Grav-Bay of the Truth and Reconciliation. Some are also seen in the storage and shuttle bays of the ship. The only two levels they are used in combat are Assault on the Control Room and Two Betrayals. Also of note is that the player cannot pilot the Wraith.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the Wraith has two weapons: a plasma mortar and two anti-personnel plasma auto-cannons. The main plasma mortar launcher fires a ball of blue plasma approximately one meter in diameter into the air. Unlike the blasts from the Scorpion Tank, the mortar is affected by gravity, meaning that the shots 'arc'. This can be used to hit enemies behind cover.

The secondary plasma cannons are almost identical to the common plasma rifles carried by foot soldiers. The turrets will attack any enemy which comes within range, though they are not very accurate. However, they can take down energy sheilds relatively easily. This makes boarding a Wraith slightly more difficult. Oddly, the auto-cannons cannot be used by the player. Only Computer A.I. players, such as Brutes, Elites, or even marines, can take advantage of them. This makes them enitrely useless when a player is controlling the Wraith.

The Wraith also has a booster engine, capable of tripling the tank's speed for about one second. Once it is used, it takes about 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. It can also flip small vehicles, such as Ghosts or Warthogs. A bug in Halo 2 makes it possible to boost a Scorpion Tank up in the sky.

The player is able to pilot the Wraith in Halo 2.

Halo 3
The Wraith has been confirmed to reappear in Halo 3, and is hinted at being more powerful in the recent ESPN trailer, Starry Night. The presence of turrets for in-close defence has not been confirmed for either the campaign or multiplayer. The appearance of the newer Wraith is also slightly different, featuring what appear to be rudimentary headlights.

Deployment
The Wraith is carried and deployed into battle by either a Spirit or Phantom dropship.

Character Compatability

 * Elites
 * Spartans (Halo 2 Only)
 * Brutes (Halo 2 Only)
 * Flood Combat Forms (Halo 2 Only)
 * Marines (Halo 2 Only)

Related Links

 * Scorpion Tank