How to Use Vehicles in Halo 3

Whether you're playing in campaign mode or against other people on multiplayer, vehicular combat is a huge part of Halo 3. Especially in objective based matches and matches on the larger maps, competence behind the wheel is key to victory. This means playing to the strengths of each vehicle and staying away from it's weaknesses.

Things You'll Need

• An XBOX 360
• A copy of Halo 3
• A lead foot

Instructions

UNSC

1. Use the Warthog for almost any task you can run into in Halo 3, as long as you've got at least two people on board. When driving, use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer. Its speed and firepower makes it a great attack and interference vehicle. It can carry three players, making it a great transport. In a pinch a player can even jump on the gun in a stationary hog near his base and play some decent defense. A moving target is much harder to hit than a stationary target; when driving the warthog, your job is to keep it moving at all times, or until you get to your destination. If your gunner has a target zeroed in, drive in a circle around it instead of stopping. Don't be afraid to ram the unsuspecting enemy.

2. 

   Use the Mongoose to transport you and one of your teammates to another area of the map. Use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer. It has no offensive capability, and you're fairly exposed riding it. Follow other vehicles when attacking a base.

3. Use the Hornet whenever you can find it. Use the left thumb-stick to ascend and descend (forward is up and back is down) and the right to turn and aim. Use the left trigger for a powerful machine gun and the right to fire a pair of missiles. Slower then the banshee, but with greater firepower, this a great vehicle killer and even better than the banshee at personnel suppression. Protect the hornet when you control it, it's a powerful weapon. It's often better to stay out of range of enemy personnel and their guns to save health and only hunt down enemy vehicles. Doing this can keep an enemy team from using vehicles for an entire match, giving your team a huge advantage.

4. Use the Scorpion as a long range mobile arms platform. Use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer. Use the right thumb-stick to aim the cannon. Pull the right trigger to fire the cannon. The most powerful gun in the game is offset by extremely low maneuverability and speed, and one enemy grenade on the hood can take you out. Hit enemy targets from a distance with the extremely accurate gun.

5. Use the Elephant on the "sandtrap" multiplayer map, the only place the elephant appears. Use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer. Use the right trigger to blow the horn. The Elephant comes equipped with two heavy machine gun turrets, but is so slow the match will likely be over before you get to the fight, and the driver is vulnerable to attack while driving. In capture the flag matches, it's often a good idea to steal the enemy team's elephant (and therefore their flag spawn point) and drive it back to your base. This means that the enemy flag will spawn within feet of your team's spawn points, nearly guaranteeing victory.

Covenant

1. Use the ghost to suppress enemy personnel. Use the left thumb-stick to move backward and forward and to move latterly, and the right thumb-stick to steer and aim the plasma cannons. The left trigger will initiate a burst of speed, and the right will fire twin plasma cannons. Be cautious when engaging other vehicles with the ghost, as only the Mongoose is an easy kill. All other vehicles have more powerful ordinance. Brute Choppers can be successfully engaged if you keep your distance and aren't afraid to take some damage. The Ghost is best used against enemy personnel. The plasma cannons can make short work of an enemy, the pilot position is naturally protected from incoming fire from the front, and the wide nose is ideal for ramming.

2. 

   Use the wraith at medium range or higher if you don't have a gunner on the on board plasma cannon. Use the left thumb-stick to move backwards and forwards and move latterly, and the right thumb-stick to aim. Use the right trigger to fire the main gun, which will loose a powerful mortar round in a forward arc. The Wraith is best used to try to keep the enemy team in their base. Park outside at long range and fire away. You'll get kills, destroy vehicles and make it tough for the enemy team to get out into the map. Slow rounds are only effective against enemy vehicles at close range. If you see an enemy approaching on foot and don't have a gunner, focus all your attention on him.

3. Use the Prowler in the same situations and for the same goals as you would use the Warthog. Use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer, and the right thumb-stick to direct the camera. Little more than a transport without a gunner, a Prowler is great for attacking and interference roles with one.

4. 

   Use the Brute Chopper to attack enemy vehicles and personnel. Use the left thumb-stick to move forward, backward and steer, and the right thumb-stick to aim the forward cannons. Use the left trigger to initiate a short turbo boost, and the right to fire the forward cannons. The Brute Chopper is slower than most vehicles, but makes up for it with a strong ordinance. Best used by attacking with the gun as you close to finish with a ram from the front wheel. Hit the turbo boost right before colliding with an enemy vehicle and it's lights out.

5. 

   Use the Banshee whenever you can get one. Like the Hornet, this is an extremely powerful vehicle. use the left thumb-stick to move forward and backward in the air, and the right thumb-stick to turn and pitch. Use the left trigger to fire a round from the onboard fuel rod cannon, and the right trigger to fire the plasma cannon. Use the Banshee to hit personnel out in the open and to take out enemy vehicles. Be careful when flying close to the ground, as enemies can knock you out of the cockpit and steal the vehicle.

Tips & Warnings

• Drive the warthog at about three-quarters speed. This will still outrun most enemy fire, and it will keep you from making mistakes and tipping the vehicle.

• If you're in a ghost, warthog, or mongoose, stay away from brute choppers.

• In a capture the flag match on sandtrap, DO NOT drive your team's elephant over to the other team's base.

• You can't fire at all or steer very well when using the turbo boost on the Ghost.

• The Brute Chopper is difficult to steer unless it's moving forward.