Scarab (level)

Looking for the Covenant Scarab, the Covenant vehicle?

Scarab is the seventh level of the real-time strategy game, Halo Wars.

Overview
After several plasma-based Rhinos take down the Covenant shield dome in Dome of Light, UNSC forces are sent inside to find out what the Covenant were protecting. As a couple of Rhinos patrol the area, they are easily destroyed by the nearby immobile but functional "Super" Scarab, which moves its head in a constant scanning motion. As the UNSC forces are alerted of this threat, Captain Cutter orders all UNSC units inside the former dome to destroy the Scarab before the Covenant make it mobile.

As advised by the AI Serina, UNSC forces including Sergeant John Forge take out a series of power nodes linking to the Scarab. The destruction of each power node slows down the movement of the Scarab's head. The firebase that the UNSC have set up is directly in front of the Super Scarab, but is blocked by a wall-like barrier of Forerunner structures. Over the course of the level, the Scarab consistently attempts to break through the wall in order to destroy the base. If the player is successful, the UNSC forces are able to destroy the Scarab with tanks, Marines, and a MAC gun from the orbiting Spirit of Fire before it can destroy the UNSC base.

Transcript
{Walk in the Park}

''Scene opens at a Forerunner installation, with many Honor Guards lining a walkway. The Arbiter walks alongside the Prophet of Regret.''

THE APEX SITE


 * Regret: "Arbiter, you are unusually quiet. What troubles occupy your thoughts?"


 * Ripa 'Moramee: "Hierarch, I do not wish to be impudent, but you have charged me with the destruction of humanity-"


 * Regret: "A most noble cause, for one with such a troubled past."


 * Ripa 'Moramee: "And I am thankful for my task. But sire, you have me skulk in ancient ruins and search empty temples. How does this help me accomplish my goal?"


 * Regret: "The war with the humans will require a great deal many more machines than we can currently muster."

''The Arbiter draws his two Energy Swords. The Honor Guards react slightly.''


 * Ripa 'Moramee: "I will take what we have!"


 * Regret: "And leave us defenseless? No. The Ancients will provide for us. This world shall be the birthplace for an invasion fleet beyond imagining. Enough to crush the humans quickly...and with ease."


 * Ripa 'Moramee: "But this world lies dormant, it is just a shell."

Zoom in on Regret's face.


 * Regret: "Blasphemy!"

Regret turns back to the structure


 * Regret: "The key will be found with patience."

Regret tries to activate the structure, but the panel flashes with red light.


 * Regret: "But perhaps, there is a quicker way. The human female from the ice relic, she has some knowledge in this regard. The new planet the Relic has lead us to has also led her. Capture that human and bring her here!"


 * Ripa 'Moramee: "It will be done."

The Arbiter departs.

{Gameplay}

Fade back into Arcadia, inside the now ruined dome shield.


 * Captain Cutter: "You've advanced to where the force field stood, take a look around."

''Two Rhinos move past several ruins into the open, but one is destroyed by a green plasma beam. The other faces the attacker before it suffers the same fate.''


 * Forge: "What was that?"

The beam is revealed to come from an incomplete, yet active oversized Scarab


 * Serina: "The Scarab is incomplete, but its head is operational. Its field of fire prevents any chance of retreat or extraction. You'll have to destroy it."


 * Forge: "Build up our base and army, and go kill that Scarab."


 * Forge: "The Scarab's searchlight beam shows the direction its facing. The temple ruins in this area will provide some cover, but not forever."


 * Forge: "Damn it, spotted."

After destroying a power node:


 * Serina: "You've destroyed a power node, the Scarab's head is turning a little more slowly."

After destroying a Locust


 * Forge: "Destroy those Locusts where ever you find them, they're building killers."

After a second power node is destroyed:


 * Serina: "The Scarab's head is moving even slower now, keep it up."


 * Captain Cutter: "The Scarab's weapon system is relying on the power nodes in this area, destroy them to reduce the Scarab's combat effectiveness."

If a third node is destroyed:


 * Serina: "The head is tracking more slowly."


 * Forge: "They've launched a counter-attack on our base!"

When your forces near where the Scarab is positioned:


 * Forge: "It can't fire in two directions at once, maybe we can use that to our advantage."

When the Scarab's health is halfway:


 * Serina: "The Scarab is about half-dead or half-alive, take your pick."

When the Scarab's health is low:


 * Serina: "Almost there, the Scarab is nearly destroyed."


 * Forge: "If that thing burns through that barrier of ruins and destroys our Command Center, we're dead."

At some point during the battle, on Heroic or Legendary:


 * Forge: "The Engineers are repairing the Scarab! Take them out!"

After intense and heavy fighting, the Scarab is finally destroyed.


 * Serina: "No problem, I told you we'd make it."

{In-game Cutscene}

The Scarab explodes violently.


 * Captain Cutter: "The Scarab is destroyed. Victory is ours today."

Level ends.

Trivia

 * The Scarab is not a normal Scarab because of its appearance and functions. When you view its name in-game, instead of saying Scarab it says "Super Scarab." The sheer size of it, coupled with the immense amount of damage it can take, obviously sets it apart from the usual Covenant Scarab. Although it is incomplete, this "Super Scarab" bears a strong resemblance to the Halo 2 Scarab variant.
 * There is a glitch in the level, which effectively gives you infinite time, if done properly. There is a garrisonable sniper tower - if you have the "New Blood" upgrade, garrisoning Marines in there will make the Scarab constantly fire at the tower. Due to the floating nature of the sniper tower, the Marines take no damage and an invisible wall stops the shot from penetrating. If you send a unit in the way of the Scarab's fire, it will return to normal and the glitch becomes useless. There are also spots near the Scarab where a squad of Marines can stand firing at the Scarab, while the Scarab beam always misses them; it's possible that the Scarab will keep firing at that squad of Marines for a long time.
 * This is the first level to show a mistake. As soon as the level starts, the "Commentator" mentions "Firebase Ready" as if announcing the creation of a new base, but the base is actually a Fortress.
 * There is a glitch in this level, which causes your MAC Blast to be unable to recharge. You also gain an extra shot afterward.
 * Eventually, the Scarab will start firing on your base whether or not you did anything to alert it. This effectively gives the player a time limit.