Mongoose

"Heavy-duty all-terrain UNSC quad bike"

- Halo 5: Guardians Forge description

The Mongoose, Scout Mongoose or 'Goose is a light human ground vehicle first introduced in Halo 3. It is a small vehicle with no form of armament whatsoever, which can carry one driver and one passenger, and is best used for transporting players around the map or level quickly, rather than as a vehicle for combat.

Universe and lore
"[The M274] is pretty nimble for its size; add to that the fact that it can do ninety plus kilo papa hotel over uneven terrain and you’ve got the ultimate commando hot rod."

- Remark of UNSC service member from E2-BAG/1/7.

The Mongoose is an ATV produced by AMG Transport Dynamics since 2483 and is a popular Civilian vehicle and United Nations Space Command vehicle. One of the prominent vehicles to be labelled the Mongoose is the M274 line, which featured a 1000cc hydrogen-injected internal combustion engine (ICE). Circa 2558, the M290 Mongoose began to see much more prominent use. The vehicles that have been given this name have been used prominently in a number of skirmishes and battles in the Human-Covenant War and the Post-Covenant War conflicts including the Battle of Metisette, Battle at Szurdok Ridge and Skirmish on Conrad's Point.

The following is a list of all vehicles known by the "Mongoose" moniker in Halo lore that have appeared in the games:

Overview
The Mongoose is an archetypal All-terrain vehicle; it's small, fast and used to traverse all types of terrain. Since its introduction in Halo 3, it has gone through several visual and audio design changes though it has functionally remained nearly the same each time.

Unlock and acquisition requirements
In most Halo games, the Mongoose can simply be found either on certain Multiplayer maps or in certain Campaign missions and doesn't need to be unlocked.

Halo 3: ODST
The Mongoose is only drivable in the campaign of Halo 3: ODST in the level Mombasa Streets but only if the player acquires audio logs. These audio logs will begin unlocking one of the supply caches. Several of them contain the Mongoose which can be used throughout the entirety of the play space. Alternatively, if one is playing the Halo: The Master Chief Collection version of Halo 3: ODST, the Rally Point/Checkpoint "Open City" will have all of these caches open to begin with.

Halo 5: Guardians
In Halo 5: Guardians, the Mongoose can be found on some Arena multiplayer maps and in certain campaign levels.

However, it can be acquired through the Requisition (REQ) system for the gamemode Warzone. To begin receiving the Mongoose regularly in REQ packs, one must unlock the certification. Something that can be acquired randomly from any type of pack.

Variants
There are a few variants of Mongoose. This includes some general variants as well as variants from the REQ system in Halo 5: Guardians.

Halo 5: Guardians REQ variants
There are a total of 5 REQ variants of the Mongoose in Halo 5: Guardians.

Counterparts
No direct analogous counterparts exist to the Mongoose. However several vehicles, come close to it in size or roughly the role they play in gameplay.

For the Covenant, the Ghost is a close size counterpart to the Mongoose. Although the Ghost is a single seat vehicle, with mounted weaponry and a boosting function.

The UNSC also has other vehicles that do the same role or of similar size. The Jackrabbit of Halo Wars 2 performs and is of similar size to the Mongoose. With the weapon upgrade, the Jackrabbit can also perform similarly to a Mongoose with a passenger in the first-person shooter games.

The Scout Warthog is the closest to the Mongoose in terms of gameplay. It is weaponless, with only one seat for a passenger. Though it is considerably larger than the Mongoose.

The Troop Transport Warthog while also unarmed, provides much more transportation capabilities than the Mongoose as it has three more seats in the rear compartment.

First-person shooters
"The Mongoose is great for quick getaways and exceptional jumps."

- Halo 4: Official Game Guide

The Mongoose is small and agile and it can be used to get places fast and move one or two people. The Mongoose also has a horn. Depending on the game and gametype, the Mongoose like other vehicles can be hijacked as well. The passenger of the Mongoose can fire most types of weapons from their position, save for detached turrets or dual-wielded weapons. NPC allies can ride in the passenger seat in some instances when it appears. They perform in a similar to player passengers.

Campaign
In Halo 3, the Mongoose is often driven by AI Marines, with a passenger that has a Rocket launcher. This behavior can be seen on The Storm, The Ark and The Covenant. The Mongoose can be used by the player itself in these levels as well. Where the first Warthog is parked in the level Halo, just to the left of it is a usable Mongoose. Using this does not change the levels final cutscene.

In Halo 3: ODST, the Mongoose can be used in Mombasa Streets after opening the right supply caches. The supply caches are denoted with the Superintendent icon. The cache in Sector 5, where the Rookie's drop pod lands, contains two Mongooses.

In Halo: Reach, the Mongoose is usable on the level The Package. It is also usable on The Pillar of Autumn; if Emile-A239 is left to drive the Mongoose on the level, he will receive a boost in force over the gap of a broken bridge to make it. It is seen, but not used in the level Tip of the Spear.

The Mongoose is available on the level Infinity in Halo 4. The Mongoose also appears in several missions of Spartan Ops including Episode 5 - Mission 5: Spartan Thorne and Episode 10 - Mission 3: Seize the Power.

In Halo 5: Guardians, it is available in the campaign levels Glassed and Evacuation. NPC teammates can be ordered onto the Mongoose when they appear. An unusable Mongoose appears in the level Meridian Station. The Halo Kart easter egg on Evacuation makes has players race the level on Mongooses.

In the arcade game Halo: Fireteam Raven, the Mongoose can be seen on Rubble but it cannot be operated by the players at any point.



Multiplayer
The Mongoose in Halo 3 acts as an objective ferry primarily but can also be used to quickly reach out and control other areas. Initially, Mongoose spawned on Valhalla in both Capture the Flag and Slayer modes as well as on High Ground in 1-Flag CTF. In the map Avalanche, the Mongoose has a unique and unchangeable winter themed skin. Uniquely, the Mongoose spawns on the Elephant in the map Sandtrap. It is also fast enough to outrun the landmines seen on the level.

In Halo: Reach, the Mongoose is featured on a number of maps in the Big Team Battle mode, including Forge variants like Hemorrhage. It is one of the primary vehicles used in the Race gametype. The Mongoose is also usable on the Firefight map Installation 04.

It is prominently featured in Halo 4 and is again mostly a flag capture focused vehicle. Mongoose however is one of the vehicles that can be spawned on vehicle pads in Dominion. The Mongoose is also affected by the Wheelman tactical package.

The Mongoose returns only in the multiplayer of Halo 2: Anniversary. It functions similarly to previous versions and can be used on Bloodline and Stonetown.

In Halo 5: Guardians, the Mongoose is a part of the Requistion system. A number of Mongoose spawn in front of each homebase on Raid on Apex 7 both in Warzone and Warzone Firefight.

The Mongoose was to appear in Halo Online prior to its cancellation. It was to be the same design as the the Halo: Reach and Halo 4 version and to appear on the map Reactor. It was also to appear on Diamondback and return to the ported Halo 3 maps that originally had them.

Forge


The Mongoose can be spawned through Forge. In the Halo 3 Forge, the Halo: Reach Forge, the Halo 4 Forge, and the Halo 2: Anniversary Forge; the ability to spawn the Mongoose is dependent on the map being Forged. In the Halo 5: Guardians' Forge however, the Mongoose and any of its variants can be spawned on any map.

In Halo 3's forge, there is a glitch allowing players to bypass some map boundaries.

In Halo: Reach's forge, the Mongoose can have its color changed through in-game settings. No other forge allows their Mongoose to change. As well, two of the infantry focused maps, Boardwalk and Powerhouse can have Mongoose spawned on them.

In Halo 5: Guardians' forge, a new version of the Mongoose can be spawned called the "Invisible Mongoose". As it's name states, it is invisible but functions similarly to a normal Mongoose. It is designed specifically to be welded with other forge objects.

Advantages

 * Smaller frame makes it harder to hit.
 * This smaller frame allows one to traverse through smaller areas and under some types of vehicles.
 * Quite fast.

Disadvantages

 * Weaponless.
 * Smaller frame means the driver and passenger are very exposed to small arms fire.

Changes from Halo 3/Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach

 * The visual and audio design has been completely changed. The Mongoose no longer features a windshield of any kind on top of other major changes to its front bumper.
 * The color of the Mongoose can change.
 * The Mongoose handles better over rough terrain than its incarnation from Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.
 * The chassis is slightly larger.
 * It is now possible to hijack a Mongoose.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

 * Minor visual changes including the changing of decals to era appropriate designs, color was made a brighter yellow-green, and the addition of stripes above the front wheel well.
 * The audio of the Mongoose, specifically it's engine sounds have been changed a lot more.
 * The ability to change the Mongooses' color has been removed.
 * Handling has been further improved.

Changes from Halo 4 to Halo 2: Anniversary

 * Minor visual changes including the changing of decals to different Human-Covenant war era designs and making the color less yellow and more green.
 * Some audio changes in it's engine sounds.

Changes from Halo 2: Anniversary to Halo 5: Guardians

 * The design has changed completely, with most differences found in the rear bumper area.
 * The Mongoose was made slightly longer.
 * The sitting position of the passenger has been changed though this doesn't remove the passenger's ability to fire forward.

Medals
The Mongoose also shares a number of other medals with other vehicles, such as the Splatter medal and Wheelman medal.

Production notes
The Mongoose was originally intended to be put into Halo 2, but was eventually one of many vehicles cut from the game. The Mongoose,internally referred to as the "ATV", was planned to be featured on a few maps such as Headlong. Early plans for the map Colossus called for the ATV on the map, however it was removed once the map was redesigned. Concept art provided on Bungie.net for the map Burial Mounds featured an early Mongoose design, as well suggesting the map itself would feature and be designed for the Mongoose.

During the development of Halo Wars, the Mongoose was prototyped to be included in the game as a unit.

For Halo 2: Anniversary, concept art for the map Stonetown featured the Mongoose, specifically the Halo 3 design, though the final game went with Halo: Reach and Halo 4's design.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo 4
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo Online
 * Halo: Fireteam Raven