Flood tank form

The Flood Tank Form is a type of Flood form from Halo 3. It is a Pure Form, originally derived by mutating from the Stalker Form.

Description
The Tank Form is similar in appearance to the Drinol, and may have been inspired conceptually by the deleted Covenant race. There is also a notable similarity between the roles of the Tank Form and of the Covenant Hunter, and is often mistaken as an infected version of a Hunter, however that is impossible considering that Hunters are a colony of worms and the Tank Form is one single mass. It is speculated to be a revised form of the Flood Juggernaut. Tank Forms are slow in comparison to the other Combat Forms but they make up for it with relative resilience and their devastating melee attack, as they cannot pick up or use weapons with their arms that are shaped into hardened spikes (as opposed to whip-like tentacles exhibited by other Combat Forms). However slow, they can run on all fours for a short period, allowing a short burst of speed to overtake a target much like Brutes from Halo 2 and 3. On occasion Tank Forms eject Infection Forms from their 'mouth' as if regurgitating them (not explosively like the Flood Carrier Forms and can be seen on all difficulties, though rare) as a form of short ranged attack, or an attack to counteract bubble shields. Like all of the Pure Forms, The Tank forms cannot be dismembered, only disabled.

Counterattack


The best way to take a Tank Form down is by simply shooting it in its head or mouth before it can spit Infection Forms, though once hit it will often cover with one arm for protection. If you hit its mouth with a projectile weapon (ex. Battle Rifle) it will count the shot as a head shot. All Flood Combat Forms have this supposed "head mouth". If you want a beat down or like to use the Energy Sword just pull it out, hit the head, and get a one hit kill, or just throw a grenade that can stick to it and it will kill it instantly, or you can just simply melee it with a Brute Shot. A melee attack with a Brute Spiker also seems to be effective although it may require more than one strike.

They are extremely tough, they are the Flood's equivalent of a Hunter, and attacks that destroy normal Combat forms with one hit deal far less damage to a Tank Form. They are able to take multiple hits from the Gravity Hammer (only takes one hit if a player hits it directly between the two tentacles hanging from its face) and the Shotgun, though the Energy Sword seems to make shorter work of them, as will a melee attack in the mouth, usually killing them in one slice.

Since they are very slow and unable to rush the player, the Flamethrower, or Firebombs are a simple, ranged, one-hit option attack against the Tank Forms, though rare. Though beware, they can move on all fours, increasing their movement speed drastically. Brute Shots are also extremely effective against them because the melee attack with the Brute Shot is an instant kill against them on all difficulties except Legendary, which takes one shot with one melee. Plasma Grenades, are also very effective, but only if they are placed near the head area. A pair of Shotgun blasts to a Tank Form's head is sufficient to put it down on Normal difficulty.

There is a more unconventional method of jumping onto one's head and either meleeing them or using a powerful weapon, as they are unable to attack above them.

When you see a Tank form you must remember these hints:


 * Use a headshot capable weapon, like the Carbine or the Battle Rifle but not the Sniper Rifle, because they have only 4 shots per cartridge, and aim at the mouth.


 * Treat a Tank form like a Hunter with no ranged weaponry.


 * Melee them with a Brute Shot, for even on Legendary it only takes two melees.


 * Use known anti-flood weapons, like the Energy Sword, the Brute Shot, Flamethrower, and the Brute Gravity Hammer. However, avoid using the Shotgun frequently against Tank forms as they are resistant to these.


 * A single melee hit will kill you on legendary and heroic. It is always best to keep as much distance as possible between you and it.


 * Remember that this form will chase you. Do not allow them to get close to you.


 * Grenades such as the Spike Grenade, Fire Bomb Grenade, and Plasma Grenade are effective if stuck near the mouth, and it's a sure fire kill. Bear in mind that the Spike Grenades can also be effective if they land directly below Tank Form as the spikes could kill it.

Trivia

 * Although the Drinol was first meant to be a Covenant species, the concept may have provided the inspiration for the Tank Form.
 * The Energy Sword has enough power to kill a Tank Form with only one lunge if done correctly.
 * If a Tank form is meleed at the "mouth" at the right timing, it will instantly die. This includes the melee from a Skull, Plasma Rifle, Brute Shot or Energy Sword. Also, shooting it in the head does a lot of damage and it also tends to stun it momentarily.
 * The Flood Tank Form has the ability to spew out Flood Infection Forms from its "mouth", which might mean Infection forms are born from both the Tank form, the Carrier form, and Gravemind. They sometimes spew out Infection forms when weakened by weapons fire or are alone and have no backup.
 * Tank forms are the only Flood Pure Forms that are not able to cling onto walls.
 * There is a Tank form that can be seen inside a cryo-like tube in the Multiplayer map, Cold Storage.
 * They sometimes crawl around on all fours, similar to the Grunts in Halo: CE.
 * Due to its resemblance, the Tank Form is often confused to be infected Hunters. It can also be noted that they let out shrieks like a Hunter in pain.
 * They are very similar in appearance to the Flood Thrasher Form.
 * There are similarities between the Tank form and the Tank special infected of Left 4 Dead. It is entirely possible that Valve were inspired in the creation of the Tank by the Halo 3 counterpart.