Emp'seam-pattern Antlion

Template:Weapon Infobox The mega turret is a giant ground stationary weapon built by the Covenant. It is essentially a long-range, heavy plasma mortar.

Specifications

The mega turret is a massive Covenant plasma turret that was in service during and after the Human-Covenant War. It is capable of dishing out considerable damage against hostile forces. It fires three bolts of superheated plasma in quick succession, doing considerably high damage to nearby enemy units.

Its appearance, design and function is similar to that of the Type-48 Weevil Artillery Platform.

Operation history

During the Battle of Arcadia, the Covenant deployed a mega turret near one of Pirth City's spaceports.^[1] Another mega turret was deployed in the outskirts of Pirth City, but was destroyed by the UNSC forces from the UNSC Spirit of Fire.^[2] During the Battle inside the Etran Harborage, the Covenant forces abandoned one of their mega turrets near the exit that led to the surface of the shield world.^[3]

Several mega turrets were deployed by Merg Vol's Covenant during the Battle of Draetheus V in order to secure a series of bridges at the Epsilon Expanse.^[4] At least five mega turrets were deployed during contemporaneous operations on Draetheus V's artificial moon, X50.^[5]

During the Second Ark Conflict the Banished deployed mega turrets as a straightforward anti-siege weapon at war camps which had the necessary infrastructure and permanence to support their use.^[6]

Gameplay

Halo Wars

In Halo Wars the mega turret is a strong and resilient stationary unit. The only instances that they can be controlled are on the campaign level Escape and Skirmish level Tundra. A burst from the turret is strong enough to wipe out a squad of Marines. To destroy one, it is recommended to use units that has a high speed, because they can reach the turret before it fires at them. Another tactic is to attack from its back, since it takes time for it to turn around and fire. One can also exploit its long recharge time, by sending a cannon fodder unit as a distraction for the turret to eliminate, and then attack the turret with full force while it recharges. In the level Escape, the mega turret is located next to the initial Covenant citadel, and can be used to destroy the base. Thanks to its long range of attack, one can also use it to destroy the Scarabs encountered in the level. An additional advantage is that it can fire on targets obscured by "the fog of war", requiring no nearby allies around its target unlike most leader abilities.

In order to use the mega turret the player must station an infantry squad inside the structure and pay resources in order to fire it at a location. The player must wait until the turret recharges before they can fire it again.

A hidden mega turret is in the level Repairs, but outside of the map since its blasts are being to used to represent those of the Covenant destroyer. The only way to see it is through the Repairs glitch.

Halo Wars 2

Info: Base Defense, Long range plasma mortar, Auto targets enemies
Tier: 1
Cost: Population 0, Supplies 150, Power 150 (Costs 150+ more supplies and power per extra turret)

Mega Turret Upgrade: Lingering Death

Info: Shell continues to cause damage after impact
Tier: 2
Cost: Supplies 0, Power 300

Mega Turret Upgrade: Compound Detonators

Info: An unstable core is added to the shells increasing the damage on impact
Tier: 3
Cost: Supplies 0, Power 500

In Halo Wars 2 the mega turret is a base slot structure exclusive to Pavium once the player has used a leader power to unlock it. Unlike its Halo Wars counterpart the mega turret in Halo Wars 2 is automated similar to the Banished Spike turrets. Pavium himself is able to highlight targets with his target locator though. Also like the Spike turrets the upgrades apply only to the individual turret that was selected except that can be upgraded from War Council such as increased health. With long range and heavy damage mega turrets are excellent for fighting infantry, vehicles, and even other structures, but they cannot attack aircraft. The only flaw is that due to the size of the turret, it cannot be constructed on Turret slot, and players have to sacrifice one of their building sockets to construct a Mega Turret.

Mega Turret is a popular choice for those who pick Pavium at Terminus Firefight to strengthen defenses and able to cover a wide range that has more range than UNSC's Siege Turret.