Deutoros-pattern Scarab

Scarab "We've all run the simulations. They're tough, but they ain't invincible!"

- Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson, referencing the Scarab in the Metropolis open cutscene

The Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform (abbreviated Type-47 UHAP), more commonly known as the Scarab, is a Covenant ground based heavy assault walker.

Introduction
The Scarab is basically a towering Covenant walker, upheld on four large mechanical legs. This differs from all the other Covenant's ground-based vehicles, such as the Wraith, Ghost, or Spectre which are all propelled by gravity boosters. The Scarab uses plasma as its main weapon against their enemies.

It makes use of four large, mechanical legs for mobility, instead of a Boosted Gravity Propulsion Drive utilized by most other Covenant vehicles. This is an advantage that allows it to climb over obstacles that may have impeded other Covenant vehicles.

It is the largest known Covenant ground-based vehicle, as well as the most resistant to damage. Its innards, though, are extremely vulnerable and easily destroyed, making it very vulnerable to boarding actions, as demonstrated in the Battle of New Mombasa and the Second Battle of Earth.

The Scarab holds squads of Grunts and Jackals, as well as a few Brutes or Elites to protect it from it being boarded, if anything manages to even get close enough. They have been used in many battles against enemies, such as on Reach before it was glassed and on Earth where the Spartans encountered a few in different locations.

Features
Scarabs are quite notable for their intimidating, scorpion-like appearance and enormous size. Each of a Scarab's legs is at least 90 feet tall. These legs are surprisingly swift and accurate for their size, and are even able to find holds in narrow places, such as a canyon on Installation 05 or the streets of Mombasa. These legs can also be used for weapons, as anything that gets in its way will be impaled by a monstrous pointed leg. Situated on top of these legs is a large, flat platform, with further pieces of machinery protruding up from this platform.

Because of the Scarab's size and weight, they are not able to climb tall walls and buildings (Though they can crawl over or smash smaller walls with ease), and are not skilled at making sharp turns, as evident in Mombasa. As seen in Turf, particularly small and twisting city streets can overwhelm and crash Scarabs.

To defend itself from aerial attacks, the Scarab sports secondary turrets; two in Halo 2 that shoot large red plasma bolts and one larger turret in Halo 3 that shoots large "blue" bolts. The Scarab also has three mounted plasma cannons, one on the left right and back, that can be ripped off like the human machine gun turret.

The Scarab's most deadly weapon, however, is a large, forward-firing main cannon that projects a massive green beam of plasma. This beam can rip apart armored vehicles such as the Scorpion Tank or Pelican upon glancing impact, and is even able to destroy a heavily fortified, Forerunner-crafted Control Room door. The beam's drawbacks are its inability to move across an area quickly and the very long period of time that it requires to warm up and cool back down.

It should also be noted that when the Scarab is firing its cannon, some type of liquid drips from the gun platform (possibly coolant or excess plasma). In Halo 3 this cannon has been downgraded, as the player can withstand a direct shot and survive enough time to escape from the blast. If the cannon is shot with an explosive weapon, it will quit its firing stage immediately in order to ascertain the amount of damage it has sustained. This method of stopping the Scarab from firing seems to work any number of times.

This cannon is also somewhat reminiscent of a larger version of the Gravity Cannon on the Prophets' thrones or the Assault Cannons wielded by Hunters.

In Halo 2, the Scarab seems to be captained by Ultra Elites, and is piloted by Major Domo Elites. While the Scarab in Mombasa had two pilots operating it, the one on The Great Journey, was operated by three Marines, Sgt.Maj. Johnson, Gy.Sgt. Stacker, and S.Sgt. Banks.

Inside the Scarab there is also a small group of Ultra Grunts to guard the pilots. On the outer deck of the Scarab can be found any number of Minor or Major Elites, Minor or Major Grunts, and Minor, Major, or Sniper Jackals. However, the Halo 3 Scarab does not appear to have any crew at all. The troops on board the Scarab appear to be just defending it, rather than commanding it. One theory suggests that the Scarab is controlled by Lekgolo worms. This is supported by the following evidence:
 * The core appears to be surrounded by pulsating cables that look similar to Lekgolo worms.
 * When you shoot the core, it bleeds orange blood resembling that of the Lekgolo.
 * If you board a Scarab and kill all of its crew, it will keep moving.
 * On the level The Storm, when assigned to eliminate the Scarab the words "Kill the Scarab Tank" are used (rather than "Destroy the Scarab Tank"), possibly hinting that the Scarab is in fact living. However, on The Covenant a Marine says that you need to kill a wraith, and wraiths are most certainly not living, so this probably means nothing. You are frequently instructed to "kill" vehicles throughout the Halo series, so the fact that you must "kill" a Scarab should not be taken too seriously.
 * The vulnerable part of the Scarab appears on your motion tracker.
 * The Scarab's Gun resembles the Hunters Assault Cannon as they both need to charge and they both fire a kind of electric looking green ray.
 * It has been theorized that its function is as an excavator, though there is no accurate information to prove this. These theories are based on similarly shaped machines seen during the Battle of Reach. It has been speculated that it either uses its legs to excavate by digging or that it uses its main gun to carve its way through soil, rock or concrete, as the Covenant have used their plasma and energy weapons in a similar fashion before. The reason for using Lekgolo worms instead of the Elite pilots (as seen is Halo 2) could be interpreted as the Covenant's reaction to Sergeant Johnson capturing a Scarab during the final part of the game, thereby preventing such an event from ever reoccurring. This hypothesis may not be true, as the Covenant have displayed a tendency not to adapt their security measures.(i.e., Spartans and Marines have infiltrated Covenant warships several times, but after each time, little or no new security measures seem to be employed.) Although it is likely that the weapons are still controlled by Brutes or Elites and it is captained by Brutes or Elites.

Battle of Harvest
"Well, this is new, and scary..."

—Spirit of Fire AI, Serina upon seeing the Scarab

During the demo of Halo Wars, a Scarab is lucidly seen in combat. The Spirit of Fire's AI said, when she saw the Scarab: "Well this is new. And scary", suggesting that this was the first UNSC sighting of a Scarab. Though it caused widespread destruction to the UNSC forces, the Scarab was eventually taken down using MAC guns. This variant appeared to be armed only with its beam weapon (which it used on the UNSC forces to great effect), with no counter-boarding weapons or secondary weapons. This Scarab resembled the Halo 2 variant, with the only differences being that the main platform is completely covered in a bluish Covenant armor, and the lack of anti-air turrets. This may have been the earliest version of the Scarab, explaining its armored deck and why the variant lacks turrets.

Battle of Reach
During the Battle of Reach, Spartan-104 describes seeing several large "insect like" excavating machines digging up CASTLE Base. If these were indeed Scarabs, which was not specified, they appear to be much weaker models, since Fred is able to destroy them using Plasma Mortars from a Wraith tank.

First Battle of Earth
When the Covenant first traveled to Earth, led by the Prophet of Regret, they had no idea that it could be populated by humans, never mind it being their homeworld, leading to the Scarabs being used as highly effective siege weapon. One of the deployed Scarabs was encountered and destroyed by Spartan John-117 during the Battle of New Mombasa. A second Scarab was attacked by the UNSC Marine Corps in a section of Old Mombasa known as Turf, and was wrecked in the process.

However, the deployment of Scarabs was not limited to the African theater of operations. Frederic-104 encountered a third Scarab during his mission in Havana, Cuba. William-043 destroyed it by crashing a fuel truck into it and igniting the combustibles.

Scarabs were also present in the Halo Graphic Novel in the story Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa though this could have been one of the two operating in New Mombasa.

Second Battle of Earth
During the battle to reach the Ark excavation site, the Master Chief and a Group of Marines were attacked by a Scarab. It took the combined efforts of Mongoose ATVs and Missile pods to destroy it.

Battle of Onyx
Kurt also witnessed one arrive on Onyx during the Covenant Loyalist invasion. Elites were witnessed fighting for the Covenant on Onyx, suggesting that these events take place before the Uprising. This one operated as a first strike vehicle.

Battle of Installation 05
Another Scarab was stationed by the Covenant Loyalists on Installation 05 near the Control Room. Though guarded by a large group of Brutes, this Scarab was eventually retaken by the Arbiter. It was commandeered by Avery Johnson and used to break into the Control Room of Delta Halo, allowing the Arbiter and dozens of Councilors, Zealots, and Special Operations Elites to break into the Control Room and kill Tartarus.

Battle of the Ark
A Scarab attacked UNSC forces advancing on the Ark's Cartographer. With the assistance of Master Chief and three M808B Scorpion MBTs, the Scarab was brought down, and the offensive pressed on.

Two more Scarabs were deployed from orbit by Covenant Loyalists to hold off the UNSC/Covenant Separatist offensive on the Citadel, where the Prophet of Truth was located. Despite their superior defenses and numbers, the Scarabs and Loyalist forces were destroyed, thanks to the efforts of John-117 and UNSC "Hornet" pilots and ground troops.

Halo Wars
Scarabs will also appear in Halo Wars as the Covenant's super ground weapon/unit, being capable of annihilating whole legions of UNSC forces with its main plasma cannon, described in the E3 2007 demo as an "anti-everything gun". Their one weakness is the UNSC super weapon, the orbital MAC strike. During the developer walkthrough/demo, the characters in-game react as if they'd never seen a Scarab before, therefore possibly marking the Scarab's debut against the UNSC in the Halo timeline, though this is not yet certain.

Variation
The Scarab has undergone a few transformations over its canon life.

Halo 2


"We've all run the simulations. They're tough, but they ain't invincible."

- Avery J. Johnson to several marines in Halo 2

This is when the Scarab was first seen, rather than described, and appeared as a large, four legged, silver armored behemoth with an estimated height of 90 feet. It featured a deck on top which was guarded by numerous Elites, Jackals and Grunts along with a walkway going over the entrance to its control room. There were two spine mounted plasma cannons to provide anti-air defense. Its shell was invulnerable to damage from 90mm shells, missiles, .50 cal rounds and ANVIL HE missiles (the armor could be similar to the ship plating the Covenant use on their starships) It proved vulnerable to boarding actions and destruction from inside.

Halo Graphic Novel
In here it has a very different appearance with a roughly crucifix shaped body, the across sections bearing dual cannons, neither end having a visible plasma cannon, its legs are a distinctly different shape (straight, with an 'L'-shaped joint to the body). It should be noted, however, that the story in which it appears, Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, uses a very large amount of artistic license. The story is canonical, but the visuals of the story are clearly not. It could also be likely that since it looks fragile, it could be the mining version seen in First Strike.

Halo 3

 * Its body has a different shape, being more bulbous at the end, similar to the Wraiths of Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * It seems to have a greater width than in Halo 2, but not as tall.
 * It wields a smaller plasma beam that seems weaker (On Legendary the player is able to withstand sustained fire for a short amount of time (approx 0.8s), as opposed to the instant death of the Halo 2 Scarab gun).
 * The two anti-air turrets are gone, having been replaced by a single, large turret at the rear.
 * The flaps on the plasma beam are gone and replaced by two destructible stationary plates.
 * It now appears to have no crew controlling it and it is currently thought to be controlled by Lekgolo worms. This is conjecture, of course, but has a certain amount of evidence behind it.
 * It features a set of powerful belly-jets that allow it to survive a drop from low orbit with little or no ill effects.
 * The Main gun is also different, it is like a hose in Halo 3, instead of just a straight beam appearance in Halo 2.
 * The Scarab appears to have high impact legs due to all the jumps it makes.
 * It appears to be more maneuverable than in Halo 2.

A likely conjecture is that this version of the Scarab is intended to be a weapon. Its color is changed to a shade of purple, like other Covenant war-ready vehicles and it is better-defended, having superior weapons. It has been speculated that Scarabs of Halo 2 were not weapons, but rather mining tools that were deployed as emergency combat relief by Regret upon finding humans on Earth. This is supported by the fact that Regret was looking for the device that opened the Portal to the Ark.

Differences aside, it still has many similarities to the old Scarab. There are three levels (or decks). The lowest is accessible when the Scarab has been temporarily disabled. This level features a Grunt-mounted Plasma Turret, and usually one to four brutes, depending on the difficulty level. There's a ramp that leads to the second level, where there are a varying number of enemies, depending on the level and difficulty. Usually, you can expect to find a few Brutes and Grunts. On this level, there are two more Plasma Turrets, aimed to either side of the Scarab. If you turn 180° immediately upon ascending the ramp to this level, you can go up the purple slope to the third tier. This is just an open, unprotected platform below the large turret. Past the turrets on the second level (round the corner) is the power core that must be destroyed to take down the Scarab.

Bungie has also stated in the September issue of EGM, that the Scarab uses an unscripted game AI (not to be confused with story A.I.s like Cortana) to create a more dynamic battle with it as it will roam across the battlefield of its own accord and attack targets in its path. This way it will no longer require a relatively easy boarding action every time but a tactical approach.

Halo Wars
It seems to be a combination of the Halo 2 and Halo 3 Scarab designs, featuring an encased, Covenant purple chassis with a single spine mounted plasma cannon. The flaps on its plasma cannon, while bearing a similarity to those of the Halo 3 Scarab and also resembling a beak of a bird, operate like the flaps of the famous Halo 2 Scarab gun. They first conceal the weapon then it folds out into 8 separate pieces and shoots a sustained stream of plasma fire. The cannon was described in the demo as "An anti-everything cannon".

Halo 3

 * All four of the Scarab's legs are destructible to the point that the Scarab temporarily buckles under the weight of the platform. The armor on these legs can also be blown off.
 * The flaps covering the Scarab's main gun can be destroyed. This does not, however, disable the weapon.
 * The crest on and around the turret can be completely blown off. This has been reported to temporarily disable the turret.
 * Two side door panels near the bottom rear can be torn off to allow a singular entry.
 * The huge barrier protecting the Core can be ripped away from the back of the Scarab by shooting the red glowing circle at the top of the barrier. Doing so will result in the Core being completely exposed, making it easier to destroy.
 * All three Plasma Cannons.
 * The Core.

Note: If you destroy the Core, all parts of the Scarab will be destroyed at once, except for the crest of the Scarab Gun.

There is also a glitch on the Scarab when it explodes. When you destroy just one leg, and the Scarab explodes, go to another leg. Start shooting it. The pieces from the leg will start to fly off, as if it were still attached to the Scarab. Another Glitch is on The Ark when the Scarab comes by but doesn't attack, you can get on it and blow it up. When it is supposed to come back, the front half of the broken Scarab will get up and walk around, but will not attack.

Halo 2

 * The forward Plasma Turret
 * The rear Plasma Turret
 * The plating on the main gun Note:This takes an incredible amount of damage and is only possible using the tank glitch.
 * The underside grate

Primary

 * (1) Front-Mounted Cannon
 * Ammo: Super-Heated Plasma, presumably unguided.
 * Rate of Fire: 4 second stream; 30 to 40 per second
 * Movement of cannon: Through careful examination, one can see that the inside gun part seems to move forward from a cradle as the flaps open up.
 * Notes: The projectile emitted from the Scarab's main gun emits a neon-green/bluish glow, indicating extremely high temperature. As the gun fires, white, hot liquid pours from the barrel onto the ground. The gun's force is enough to destroy any vehicle smaller than the Scarab in a matter of a seconds.
 * Approx. Range: The effective range on a Scarab's main cannon is not exceptionally good, about .4 miles as seen during the Citadel and Cartographer battles, where its attack can easily be evaded if at a distance.

Secondary

 * Mounted Anti-Aircraft Turrets (Two in Halo 2, One in Halo 3)
 * Ammo: Super-Heated Plasma, (similar to Shielded Plasma Cannon)
 * Rate of Fire: 400-600 rounds/minute
 * Notes: Presumed computer controlled, but a close look indicates that it may be manually controlled. It does wildly spin arround when the core is destroyed as if the automatic controls crashed. Can be shot off with little firepower. NOTE: In Halo 3 the AA cannon cannot be shot off and is invincible. The AA gun(s) are unsurprisingly extremely effective against aircraft.
 * Approx. Range: These weapons have a much better range than the primary cannon on the Scarab. They're extremely effective against airborne vehicles, but can also be used against ground-based vehicles, such as Warthogs or Scorpions. They are effective up to about 1.5 miles, which is a rough but evidence-based conclusion drawn from ships and vehicles with similar weaponry.

[[Image:Easy Shield.png|30px]]Easy
To defeat the Scarab's crew on easy difficulty, fire at its crew on the top of the Scarab when they appear with either a Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle or Battle Rifle. When you reach the end of the bridge it is recommended you collect a Shotgun, the second weapon is up to you but a Rocket Launcher is recommended. Throw a couple grenades at the surviving Grunts, Jackals and Elites to kill some of them and weaken the others' shields. Jump onto the Scarab and eliminate surviving Covenant with one of your weapons. When the top deck is clear proceed down to the interior. If you have a Rocket Launcher make sure it is loaded and fire two shots to kill the Ultra. You may eliminate the rest of the interior crew however you want.

[[Image:Normal.jpg|30px]]Normal
To defeat the Scarab's crew on normal difficulty fire at its crew on the top of the Scarab when they appear with either a Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle or Battle Rifle. When you reach the end of the bridge it is recommended you collect a Shotgun, the second weapon is up to you but our user usually has his second weapon be a Rocket Launcher. Throw four grenades at the surviving Grunts, Jackals, and Elites to kill some of them and weaken the others' shields. Jump onto the Scarab and eliminate surviving Covenant with one of your weapons. When the top deck is clear proceed down to the interior. If you have a Rocket Launcher make sure it is loaded and fire two or three shots to kill the Ultra. You may eliminate the rest of the interior crew however you want.

[[Image:Heroic.jpg|30px]]Heroic
To defeat the Scarab's crew on heroic difficulty fire at it's crew on the top of the Scarab when they appear with either a Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle or Battle Rifle. When you reach the end of the bridge it is recommended you collect a Shotgun, the second weapon is up to you but our user usually has his second weapon be a Rocket Launcher. Throw all your grenades at the surviving Grunts, Jackals and Elites to kill some of them and weaken the others' shields. Jump onto the Scarab and eliminate surviving Covenant with one of your weapons. When the top deck is clear proceed down to the interior. If you have a Rocket Launcher make sure it is loaded and fire three or four shots to kill the Ultra. You may eliminate the rest of the interior crew however you want.

[[Image:Legendary.jpg|40px]]Legendary
It's up to you how you want to end this: the quick way, or the slow but reassuring way. The quick way is to jump down onto the Scarab immediately, rush into the control room, blast all the Covenant in there, and hope you don’t get run down from behind. The slow but reassuring way is to wait for the Scarab to get to the end of the waterway and fill up on rockets while waiting for it. At the end of the waterway, you can take out all the Covenant that come out, then jump down, go in, and finish off whatever Covenant are still inside. Either way, you win. Keep in mind, once you get inside, to kill the Ultra Elite first, toss grenades when needed, and be sure not to blow yourself up with the launcher.

Halo 3 Strategies
For all of the following strategies, the player must destroy the core located at the back of the Scarab. It is protected by a large wall of armor as well as an energy shield.

Hybrid Internal/Long-Range Destruction
You may be lucky enough to come upon a Scarab while in the vicinity of a Missile Pod. If this is the case begin firing at the scarab with the missile pod still attached to its stand, enabling infinite ammunition. If you get even luckier the scarab may show its back to you or you may get a shot at the power core as the scarab moves lateral to your position. In this case you may be able to shatter the power core from a distance. This is rather difficult to do and requires a large element of luck. More often the missile pod can be used to take down the legs of the scarab. The scarab remains grounded for up to thirty seconds, in which time the attacker can cover a large expanse of ground and board it, then proceed with the Internal Destruction method.

Note: On the fourth level of Campaign, the Scarab can be easily and quickly destroyed by abandoning your mongoose and going for a mounted Missile Pod located along the wall. As the Scarab comes over the wall, it is invulnerable for a brief period until it stops out over the lake bed. But by aiming at the general area of the armour guarding the Core and firing repeatedly, the Scarab can be destroyed in as little as 4 missile shots in Easy difficulty. This still requires a good deal of luck to pull off, as the Scarab will often turn away too quickly for all of the missiles to hit properly. This can still be done on higher difficulties, even Legendary, although this is harder as the casing takes more shots to knock off (at least 6 on Legendary) and so requires the Scarab to stay nearly stationary, in the correct position, for several seconds

Internal Destruction
A few of the methods below require you to board the Scarab and destroy it from the inside. Here's how:
 * There is a walkway on both sides of the Scarab so if your lucky you can jump on them when it is down.
 * There are several ways to board the Scarab, some of which are rather harrowing. One way, and the most common way, is to blow the legs and manually jump or grav-lift to the walkway. Another way is the "Terrain Method". On The Storm, if you proceed to the back of the 'arena', you will find several Marines and several missile pods. Disregard all of these and head in either direction along the hallway until you reach a turnoff. Move along this path, and you should find an elevator which will take you to a catwalk far above the battle. From here, jump down onto the Scarab. On the level The Ark, when fighting the Scarab, move to the large building located in the center of the area. There you should find a grav-lift and a Chopper. You will need both of these. Get to the top of the building, and deploy the grav-lift on the edge. Reverse until you form a line with  the grav-lift and the Scarab. Once the Scarab is close enough, boost over the grav-lift toward it, and try to land on the main platform(note: It is recommended you leap out of your Chopper if it is going to overshoot the Scarab.).
 * You can, if you wish, avoid having to go to the back of the Scarab. On each side of the Scarab, there is a purple panel that can be blown open. They are located towards the rear of the Scarab, just around from the main entrance. Destroy one of these side doors, jump in and kill whatever is waiting for you. The reason you go in the side is the Plasma Turret located at the main entrance. This way, it doesn't fire at you as you approach.
 * The most common approach is to go to board the Scarab at its back ramp while it is down. Go up the ramp in the back of the Scarab. Turn 180°, and kill the enemies down one or both sides of the Scarab in whatever way you see fit.
 * If the Scarab is disabled, you can jump up onto the ramp located next to the Scarabs main weapon. From there you go straight and turn near the rear of the Scarab and you will see the core.

After you have successfully boarded the Scarab, you must follow these steps to finish it off.


 * 1) At the very back of the Scarab (above the main entrance), there is the Core. It looks like a bright blue disk, similar to a Jackal Shield.
 * 2) This disk is an energy shield. Shoot at it until it disappears.
 * 3) Next there is a protective metal cover, shoot this off as well. Under this cover is a sort of X shape with a blue light in the middle. Shoot or hit this until the light turns red. Alternatively, it may be faster to shoot the orange strands of flesh that cross out of the power core.
 * 4) Turn and jump off the back of the Scarab, and get as far away as possible, because if you're too close, the explosion can kill you. It is advisable, if you can, to use a Bubble Shield, if unable to escape the explosion range, though this can still remove the Master Chief's or Arbiter's shield, much as a Power Drainer can. Do look out for falling parts of the exploded Scarab. They can hit you through the bubble shield and kill you
 * 5) Watch the pretty blue explosion caused by your handy work.

Airborne
There are a few ways a Scarab can be engaged from the air. The only thing to remember, really, is that the AA-gun on the back is just that; an Anti-Aircraft gun. Give it a chance and that thing will tear a Hornet or Banshee apart in seconds. So stay close to the back and you will find a little sort of blue bolt like that of a Wraith (in Halo 2). Shoot it and the back piece falls off, leaving the core exposed. Shoot it, get some distance between you and the Scarab, and watch the fireworks. But this can be hard to achieve seeing as the Scarab wants to face you to not only protect the power core, but to shoot you with its main gun, if you are in a Hornet it would be advisable to lock on to one of the back legs and keep circling around the Scarab and continually fire. The Scarab will eventually buckle and you can quickly target the back-plating and the power core before the AA gun comes back online. You can also land a Hornet or Banshee on the the 2nd deck, though it is extremely hard if the Scarab is moving a lot. If you are piloting a Banshee, it is advised to strafe at the legs or at the panel protecting the core. Just remember, the Banshee's Fuel Rod Cannon's ordinance drops over a period of time. Take advantage of this, and try to aim for either point you're looking to destroy. If bombed enough, the Scarab will be temporarily disabled, giving you some time to finish up and watch the fireworks.

Aerial Drop
This is especially effective when fighting more than one Scarab in Co-op. Have one player fly a Hornet, with the other player rides in one of the side-seats. The first (piloting) player lands on top of the Scarab. The second (non-piloting) player, gets off the Hornet, and proceeds to destroy the Scarab internally. The first player, meanwhile, flies to the other Scarab and either gets off on top of the Scarab and follows the second player's example, or engages the Scarab in any way they see fit. This can be done in a Banshee, but obviously only by one player.

In single player, if the player rides in the side seat with a marine in the pilot's seat, the marine will let the player board the Scarab. When the Core has been destroyed, the marine will return to pick up the player; usually remaining stationary above, or even touching, the Scarab's top-most deck. (Note: Sometimes the Marine may not come back, so be ready at all times to jump off the Scarab without your hornet.) Also, you can do this yourself by jumping off and letting the Hornet fall below. This may take multiple tries because the Scarab has the tendency to step on everything.

Aerial Drop for Legendary (co-op)
This tactic is really only useful in legendary mode when fighting more than one Scarab. Have one player fly the Hornet, with the other player riding in one of the side seats. The first (piloting) player hovers over the top of the Scarab for around 2 seconds whilst the other player jumps out and aims to land on the Scarab. As soon as the second player has left the Hornet the first player should either be flying into the mountains to the left or to the right under cover from the Scarab. This means that if the second player should die, he will spawn again next to the Hornet ready to take off and repeat the drop off run again.

Direct Assault
Keep circle-strafing around the Scarab, and shoot at the large blue disc located below the AA gun on the rear of the Scarab. This disc will turn red, then disappear. Keep shooting at where it was, until a large chunk of armor falls off the back of the Scarab. This barrier protects the Core. Once the barrier comes away, it may be advantageous to shoot at the legs until the Scarab goes down so that you can get an easier shot at the Core. Alternatively, keep circle-strafing and try and hit the Core, it doesn't take much to destroy it.

Indirect Assault
Use your aircraft's weapons to take down a leg, using your superior three-dimensional maneuverability to avoid destruction. Land on the ground, get out of your aircraft and proceed to take the Scarab out from the inside. This method is a bit redundant, unless you're playing meta-campaign, and want the points from all the individual kills inside, which you otherwise wouldn't get.

Bridge Jump
Go to an elevator, go across the bridge, and wait for the Scarab to get right in front of you. If you have a Rocket Launcher fire a couple of rockets at the Grunts onboard, then at the Plasma Cannon. Use a Battle Rifle to take out the Brute. Then, jump down and you'll land on top of it. Beware the front cannons and rockets being fired from marines. Of course, this can only be done on the level The Storm.

Land
Land combat depends hugely on what vehicle you use.

Scorpion
You have two choices. You can either engage from an extremely long range, or an extremely short range. The Scorpion is too slow to challenge the main gun from a middle distance. Regardless, a scorpion tank if you can get in close and finally get under the scarab is one of the best vehicles for the job. Its huge firepower takes down a scarab leg in as few as 3 shots. The scarab falls slowly enough and gives enough warning, via its alarm to get out of the way. Back up and watch out for its big guns which are still active while the scarab is grounded. Back up just enough to get a crack at the power core and two quick shots later you have blasted the shield off the core and destroyed it. Roll backwards further for a nice neon-blue explosion.

If you are playing Co-op, it's usually best to keep the Scorpion at long range, whilst the other player uses a fast, maneuverable vehicle, such as a Ghost or Mongoose to draw Scarab away. When your partner has forced the Scarab to present its back to you, fire at the barrier protecting the Core. Once that has been destroyed, fire at the Core.

Mongoose
There are a few ways the Mongoose can be used. The easiest way is to put a Marine on the back with a Rocket Launcher (don't use your Co-op partner, as they run out of ammo), and drive around under the Scarab until it goes down. Then dismount the Mongoose, and hop in the back of the Scarab. Proceed to destroy it from the inside, or fire directly on the Core, since the angle will be easy enough to get. Only do this if you have your own Rocket Launcher or Fuel Rod Cannon, since the Scarab will more than likely have recovered before you can do enough damage with any other weapon. Also, you may use the elevators and take a Mongoose up in the elevator. Then when the Scarab is close enough, drive onto the Scarab. A fun way of destroying the Scarab on The Storm is driving the Mongoose onto it. You will need to drive the Mongoose onto the elevator to and take it to the top. Wait for the Scarab to get close so you can drive onto the back. Drive down the ramp and park it by the control screen. Then kill remaining enemies and destroy the Scarabs core. Then hurry to the Mongoose and drive out of the Scarab before it explodes. This may take time to do due to difficulty of doing that. Note, the Mongoose will get thrown due to the Scarabs explosion.

Alternatively, the large earthen hills on the level The Covenant make excellent ramps for jumping a Mongoose directly onto the Scarab. Drive your vehicle as far to the rear of the ramp as possible, touching the canyon wall, and wait for the Scarab to turn to face you (be aware that the other scarab can still attack you, so be ready to move if necessary). Once your target scarab is in position, drive as quickly as possible and try to land on the main deck. Fight the enemies, or just run directly to the Core. It is rarely worthwhile to try to recover your vehicle, and it can sometimes survive the Scarab's explosion anyway.

Warthog
The Gauss Warthog is reasonably effective at bringing a Scarab to its knees. Similar tactics apply as with the Mongoose, except you have more firepower. This is a nice vehicle to use on Co-op, as your partner can gun or drive, and you can still have a rocket-armed Marine passenger. Also, while in the level The Storm, if you get a Troop Transport Warthog you can fill it with Marines equipped with rocket launchers. It can be more effective than a mongoose with someone using a rocket launcher, but because it is slower, be careful not to get destroyed by the scarab's legs.

The M41 variant of the Warthog is not as effective, but can still get the job done. Also, see above for an alternative strategy, but replace "Mongoose" with "Warthog".

Wraith
Don't attempt this unless you are VERY proficient with the Plasma Mortar. The Wraith's turning speed is too slow to make a short-range attack feasible, so it has to be engaged from long range. However you can use a wraith at close range against a scarab as long as you stay underneath it and fire as fast as you can at one of the legs, then follow up by boarding it or firing at the core. This is considerably more difficult than using a mongoose with a rocket launcher armed marine riding on the back, or even just going on foot  with a rocket launcher, so a long range strategy is much more advisable. Either aim for the legs, and try and get close enough to finish the job yourself, or, in Co-op, have your partner draw the Scarab's attention from you, and fire directly at the barrier and subsequently the Core. Remember to lead your target, as the mortars travel quite slowly.

Another way to utilize the wraith is to hijack one from a pesky brute and give it to a marine, letting them bomb the Scarab from long range with its plasma mortar.

AA Wraith
If you are skilled enough to use the AA Wraith glitch (see How to Pilot an AA Wraith) to successfully use the vehicle in combat, it can prove quite potent against a Scarab. This tactic can only be used in the level The Storm. Once you have reached the part in the level where you are on a Mongoose with a Marine with a rocket launcher on their back, you will find two AA Wraiths. Destroy one of the them and dismount your Mongoose. (Note: make sure that the Ghosts and Choppers have also been destroyed. Otherwise they will make it very hard to get to the AA Wraith.) Use the glitch and you have a nice anti-Scarab weapon. If you are playing on co-op, you can have two anti-air wraiths as long as you don't destroy either wraith. Mop up the rest of the Covenant and wait for the Scarab. Remember that if you get out of the AA Wraith, it will explode. Take cover near the platforms with the rocket pods on them so you have a place to hide from the Scarab's withering beam. You can "button-mash" with the AA Wraith and let loose hell against the Scarab with the six Fuel Rod Cannons. Just fire on its legs till it goes down and then go around to the back and either board it or blow up the core cover and the core with the AA Wraith. Also remember that the same basic rules as using a normal Wraith against a Scarab apply here as well.

Ghost
With the Ghost, you may shoot accurately, and slowly destroy the armor on one of the Scarab's legs, therefore causing it to 'kneel down' and making it possible to board. You can try this at least on The Ark and on The Storm levels. Remember to be wary about the Scarab impaling you with one of its pointy legs, and with no one to distract the Scarab, it can be very dangerous even to approach it on higher difficulties. This strategy is only for fun, as it is considerably slower and more dangerous than any other.

Chopper
When using a Chopper, taking out a Scarab can differ in difficulty depending on the level. If its on The Ark or The Covenant it's ability to boost into and destroy other vehicles in a great help. If you want to you could use the same tactic as the Scorpion, but the more fun way is to guide the Scarab over to a ledge/ramp where you can then boost off of and onto the Scarab's deck. You then can proceed to boost along the side, killing any infantry there and position yourself to either boost again into the core, or just shoot it. This is easiest achieved on The Ark, where the Scarab will usual remain around the general area of the main building in the center. This tactic is possible on The Storm, but is more difficult as first you would have to get a Chopper before it is destroyed by the marines, and getting it up the elevator is quite difficult, as it may not fit. The last danger really is when you finally get up onto the crane, where theres the risk of one of the marines on the missile pods may hit it, or sometimes you.

On Foot
Get as many explosives as you can. Rockets, Fuel Rod Cannons, Grenades (Plasma, Spike and Incendiary), Missile Pods and Brute Shots are the ONLY viable weapons. Use cover to get as close to the Scarab as possible. Ideally, you want to be underneath it. Pick a leg, and fire on the joint. Use everything you've got. Don't change to a different leg, and don't fire anywhere other than the joint. If you manage to get the Scarab down, proceed to destroy it from the inside. You can also use a Power Drain to destroy a Scarab. Take down the shielding and then fire two BR bursts into the middle of the core and then throw down a Power Drain. This for some reason will not get you the 'We're in for some chop' achievement.

On "The Storm" you can also board the Scarab by riding the two crane's lifts and jumping onto the scarab as it passes by, but be warned if you miss you might fall to your death. It is also possible to land a Mongoose or a Warthog in this manner but is very difficult due to the scarab moving as you land, or your rocket marine(s) blowing you off course. This Marine also, if you manage to land on the Scarab, will fire his rockets, killing himself and you if you are nearby. It is suggested to give your Marine another weapon or make him get off the Mongoose entirely.

There is also a Sniper Rifle on the crane closest to the door that you leave the lake bed through (the right-hand crane when looking from the cliff inwards). This is useful for picking off enemies on the Scarab before you jump on.

Dumpster
This is only possible through the use of the so-called "Flying Dumpster" on The Storm. If both co-op players get inside the dumpster while it is on its side, you may make it fly by repeatedly pressing the Jump Button. Note: It is nearly impossible to control the dumpster and, therefore, nearly impossible to attack the Scarab. If you do land on the Scarab, proceed to slaughter its defenders and destroy the core. If you need help on flying a dumpster, there are many tutorials and other useful videos on Youtube. It is still unknown if this glitch was intended by Bungie.

General tips

 * On each leg, just below the joint, there is a small blue square. This is what you want to aim for, the weakest point of the leg, and firing at it will cause the Scarab to go down much faster.
 * The core is extremely vulnerable. If you see a shot from the ground, and are confident you can make it, go for it.
 * Plasma grenades don't stick to Scarabs, on the legs or elsewhere. They can be used to take out a leg, but only by making it balance atop the joint.
 * If you want to board and destroy it from the inside on Legendary, fire a few shots from your Scorpion into the open back deck, this will make short work of the Brutes inside.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Marines (only Johnson is observed doing so)
 * Brutes (only in Halo 3)
 * Hunters (theorized pilots of Scarabs in Halo 3)
 * Spartans (due to the fact that they know how to destroy it. Also in the Halo CE trailer, Chief is supposed to know how to pilot any vehicle.)
 * Grunts

Trivia

 * The Scarab is one of the only Covenant "vehicles" that is not named after supernatural beings (like a Ghost, Banshee, or Wraith), with the exception of Brute-made vehicles.
 * In the Halo 2 Level Metropolis, if you wait until the Scarab has become trapped before jumping onto the Scarab, jump onto the leg of the Scarab (the top of the leg) you can see through the Scarab into the inside section and you can fire through, killing everybody inside.
 * In Halo 3, you can actually hide from a scarab by simply hiding behind a rock, while making sure that you aren't exposed at all. This can be easily done on one of the two scarabs on The Covenant, where there are rocks everywhere for you to hide behind.
 * In Halo 3, when you shoot the Scarab's core after you take out all of the shielding, you can see what appears to be Hunter's blood coming out of it. There is also an audible 'squishy' sound when you stand next to the 'worms' in the conduits. Another hint that Halo 3 Scarabs are controlled by Lekgolo worms is that, on the level The Covenant, after the two Scarabs land they stand up and seemingly shake themselves. It would serve no purpose for them to do this if controlled by a pilot, but might make sense if they are controlled by the worms and were shaking off the impact. However, because the Halo 2 Scarab had to be controlled to move and the Halo 3 one didn't, the Halo 2 ones are normal machines and the Lekgolo worms might only control the Halo 3 Scarabs. Some players believe that the Scarab is actually Lekgolo technology, and the Halo 2 version was just a mining machine.
 * A Scarab is an Egyptian beetle that was worshiped as a manifestation of Khepri, an Egyptian god who drove the sun across the sky.
 * In Halo 3 if you jump onto a leg of a Scarab, and the leg raises up and if you jump at the same time it will cause you to fly through the air for a considerable distance.
 * The Scarab Gun is a weapon that players can pick up in Halo 2; it looks like a plasma rifle and can be found on the level Metropolis as seen in a video. It fires the same projectile as the Scarab's main gun, and it never overheats and can fire continuous rapid fire.
 * In Halo 3 if you're on a Scarab and it blows up you die but a Brute on the Scarab or in a vehicle may survive the blast.
 * In Halo 2, it is possible to look inside of a Scarab. On the level Metropolis, when the Scarab stops at the end of a level, hop on the Scarab and kill all but ONE enemy. Then, go to the main gun and hop down in the gun. Keep on one of the latches and walk towards the Scarab. You will be able to look inside the Scarab. You will also be able to detach your torso from your legs and see them walk forwards. You can try and jump on one of the Scarabs legs and get back on the Scarab, but due to it moving back and forth, it might be difficult. When looking inside a Scarab, you can shoot a Sniper Rifle or Particle Beam Rifle into it and you will see either the bullet or the beam bounce and ricochet around wildly; whether this will work depends on where you shoot inside.
 * It is possible that Scarabs are the Sharquoi mentioned in Conversations from the Universe.
 * It is also notable that when a Scarab's leg is disabled, it emits a loud beep, much like that of a reversing truck (except of a lower pitch). This effect is perhaps a nod to the same death sequence (and sound) of the Juggernaut flying tanks in a previous Bungie game Marathon.
 * The Scarab, once the core has been compromised, takes seven seconds to explode (going with the usual seven "nods" Bungie puts into the games).
 * The Halo 3 Scarab was recreated in Halo Actionclix and as of the game's release is the largest figure ever made by Wizkids, the game's creator. A battle-damaged version was released at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con for $250, which included the Scarab, two outdoor maps, an indoor map (representing the scarab's interior), four character cards, and rules for both the Scarab and the game itself. A normal one was also released at select retailers in November 2007.
 * In the level "The Ark" there is a way you can kill the Scarab before you fight it which ,results in fighting a dead Scarab. It doesn't attack you and you can not kill it so it is impossible to advance.
 * The Scarab is the only manufactured Covenant vehicle that is not named after some sort of spirit, although in Egyptian legend the bite of a Scarab beetle resulted in death.
 * In a Halo 3 Video Documentary (ViDoc) about the new Scarab, the art directors stated that the Scarab in Halo 2 had a horrible design; Shi Kai Wang quoted "It looked like a basket with a handle and could go shopping with it."
 * On both sides of the Halo 3 Scarabs, there are blast doors that can be blown off, and it is possible to enter the Scarab via this entrance.
 * If you find that you may not be able to get away from a Scarab in time before it explodes, you can throw a Bubble Shield down. The shield will fully protect you from the explosion, regardless of how close you are to the Scarab,even you are inside of it.  It should be noted that doing so on the Scarab will not work, and that any large pieces from the Scarab can still pass through the shield and potentially kill you.
 * In Halo 3, on the level, "The Covenant", two Scarabs are deployed by the Covenant Loyalist's fleet overhead, to defend the Citadel. However, on the previous level, "The Ark", Rtas 'Vadum claimed that "Truth's fleet lies in ruins". It could be possible that these were launched by a remaining ship as a last push to win the battle.
 * A Scarab's explosion is extremely visible, as Rtas 'Vadum remarks how he saw the explosion of a Scarab "from orbit."
 * In the Halo 3 level The Covenant, it is possible to make the Scarab glitch underground. To do this, you must kill either of the Scarabs very quickly. If it has not yet completed it's landing animation when the killing blow hits it, the glitch will happen. This can be done with a Hornet: either drop on the deck and destroy the core ASAP, or use the Hornet to blow its back off and shoot the core. The first method will send you flying out of map, usually killing you.
 * When Sgt Johnson takes control of his Scarab, he finds a way to deploy an energy shield that protected the controllers from a boarding party. Apparently the Covenant at New Mombasa either didn't have it, didn't want to use it, or didn't consider the possibility of being boarded, although there is no reason they shouldn't activate it.
 * Taking out one of the Scarab's joints, forces it to buckle and use all of its power into standing up again, which deactivates it's main gun.
 * The Scarabs legs can be used as weapons by crushing vehicles below. Also, if you try to board the Scarab via vehicle using the Mongoose for example, and if the timing is right, when it lifts its leg up, it can crush you in the air.
 * The Scarab's legs are apparently shock absorbent due to the fact that it makes large jumps.
 * In Halo 2, during the scarab fight, at the point the Scarab gets stuck, when you shoot a sniper rifle or beam rifle round at the walls of the tiny hallway wich leads to downstairs, the rounds wil ricochet all arround the hallway. if you are lucky enough, you can preform multiple headshots and eliminate a group of Covenant. One player managed to kill 4 grunts and 3 elites in 1 shot.
 * Once destroyed,the entire rear section that surrounds the core is vaporized.
 * In the Halo Custom Edition, you could drive a Scarab.
 * In the Halo 2 Level Metropolis beginning cutscene, if you have the Sputnik Skull on, it causes the truck it steps on to fly up.
 * In Halo 2 on Metropolis near the end of the level when the marines open fire moments before it's trapped it is possible to push the marines on the Scarab.
 * In Halo 2, it is impossible to kill a Scarab. (even in` Metropolis, the Scarab is only downed in the cutscene, not in actual gameplay).
 * Hornet missiles do no damage to a Scarab on higher difficulties.
 * Hornet missiles do no damage to a Scarab on higher difficulties.

Gallery
 Image:scarabbiggyprob.jpg|A Scarab near Voi. Image:Scarab explodes.jpg|A scarab explodes on The Covenant. Image:1211491926 1660189468 81be5fa728 o.jpg|A destroyed Scarab. 