Halo Wars: The Official Guide / Ready for War / Blog 01/06
Part 01: Tactical Training with Sergeant John Forge
Meet Sergeant Forge, and Spartan Red Team. You'll get to know them, and just how incredibly bad-ass they are, as the guide and game progresses.
A trio of Grizzly tanks completely obliterates a Brute unit on the way to a decisive UNSC Ambush victory.
UNSC Warthogs execute a tactical Rush, catching the Covenant completely off-guard in a Skirmish map known as Blood Gulch.
It has taken three months, hundreds of Skirmish and Multiplayer games, two destroyed Xbox 360 debug units, and a steady hand coupled with almost telepathic abilities to complete the Campaign on Legendary, but I’ve finally finished the fight, and the 208-page guide to Halo Wars. Work began last Fall with a trip to Ensemble Studios in Dallas, where I had the good fortune to receive copious notes, tips, tricks, and advice from some exceptional RTS experts, who were extremely keen for this guide to be as comprehensive as possible. I feel we’ve succeeded, in no small part because of their continuous help and support.
Over the next six Blog posts, I’ll be encapsulating what it took to piece together this guide, with an overview on the various chapters. To begin with, I worked closely with Ensemble to craft a Training section that removed “instruction manual” advice in favor of more advanced information, including technical data that only Ensemble was in possession of. By now you’ll probably be aware that Halo Wars is based on the RTS tenet of RPS (or Rock Paper Scissors), with different unit types generally having advantages over others (in this case, ground vehicles defeat infantry, that can take down air units, which can crack open ground vehicles… etc). Fortunately, Halo Wars is much deeper than that, as (for example) it introduces specific “counter” units, adept in tackling a specific foe. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of these troops (which the guide reveals in meticulous detail), and you have complete battlefield dominance.
The Training section also revealed advice on Veterancy (yes, troops can survive confrontations time and time again, and becoming grizzled bad-asses grants you more than just a fearsome reputation; there are other interesting enhancements, too). The same goes for Upgrades. Although the forthcoming Blog 02 on Factions lets you know more about Upgrades, there’s plenty of general information to impart, too. We even go into detail about some hidden items that are likely to appeal to those already familiar with the franchise….
One of the key elements to gaining in proficiency at Halo Wars is knowing how to construct a Fortress (UNSC) or Citadel (Covenant) both quickly and effectively. With different Leaders requiring different Base progressions, a step-by-step route showing which Base buildings to construct, and when, provides immediate clarity. The Training also digs deeper into the key tactical methods of play, beginning with a Glossary to bring those unfamiliar with the term “Turtling” up to speed. Then, we reveal exactly how to attempt a Rush, Boom, Tech, Turtle, Ambush, Hit-and-Run, or Scout strategy, and how to pinpoint whether one is happening to you. There’s advice on Hot-Dropping troops into the battlefield, prioritizing your Queues, Ambushes, Sling-Shooting tactics, and more.
The Training section comes to an end with a thorough inspection of how to effectively play against an A.I. opponent, what Leader Powers are, what the key differences are (and there are many) between an Easy and Legendary foe, and to round off the Training chapter in its entirely, we present a few general Tips. Okay, about 170 of them. And this is 17 pages into the strategy guide….
Come back next time, when I offer an overview of the Factions chapter, showcase some key UNSC units, and figure out just what exactly can stop a Spartan….
Head to the Prima Halo Wars Feature Page, for Ready for War video Overviews, guide purchasing options, and the chance to win a Bungie-signed Halo 3 artbook.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this strategy guide!
It sounds so compelling to be doing what you have done.
i think i might get this
it sounds awsome from here
just to know what to do here and there would be a good strategic advantage
plus these guys have finished the game on legendary and it hasnt even come out yet!!!!
can’t wait
This looks pretty cool but I don’t really like strategy guides. It defeates the whole purpose of buying the game if you know exactly what to do!
now what i do is get control of 2 bases have one with full on money making and the other have 1 barack and the rest money making buildings and make as many marines as you can make sure you fully upgrade them so that if any of them die you can just send in more odst’s and make sure to give them that one perk so they run faster it wont matter is they try to take done one of ur bases because u can destroy theres with your rockets in about 10-15 secs no joke and if your felling mean which i always do upgrade ur mac cannon to the fullest u will be untopably just hope to god the enemy doesent rush u at the start with to much because your spartans cant take that much on
Not to rain on your parade but I think that if you were rushed then you wouldn’t be able to construct 2 bases. A good rusher can build a force quickly and have enough resources coming in to maintain an overwhelming presence early on. If you focus your resources to building a second base then you won’t have the resources to counter a rush. But I do think that it is a good idea to have an additional base cranking out resources but only if you are playing a slower player. It doesn’t make a quick rush but it makes a stronger one if you have the time. Personally, I like to rush with Banshees. You sacrifice a little time waiting on a technology upgrade but I think that it is worth it. Banshees will mow over enemy infantry and take down a base quickly. If you want you can visit my site to see more strategies. I’m hoping to get videos up soon.
I bought it and love the guide. Thanks!
But I really hate the UGLY “Prima Games eGuide” reader provided with it. It is cutting down regular Adobe PDF Reader functionality (i.e. Toc and References and Tabs becoming unclickable…) while looking really cheap.
I see the reasons for not providing a regular PDF but it should happen in a professional fashion.
very nice game. thanks for sharing.