To play Halo Wars, you must know what your adversary is doing and what you can do to counter what the enemy is going to do.

• If your enemy is building a lot of infantry, build anti-infantry to counter their infantry horde.
  
• If the enemy has a tank horde coming towards your base, build anti-vehicle units and air units to limit their damage.
  
• If air units are gonna give you troubles, build anti-air to stop them.
  
• If an Uber Unit or two are coming to beat you to death, focus on what type it is and focus fire on it until it either retreats or is destroyed.

Another thing you need to do to play effectively is to manage your economy. You should know how many supply buildings you need at the moment and how much defense you'll need so that you don't get taken out by an early rush.

Map knowledge is also important because knowing where the resources are and where the map structures are (Forerunner Supply Pad, Forerunner Reactor, Sniper towers, Energy Walls) and seizing them before your enemy has a chance to take them will give you an upper hand above the enemy.

Even though some main units aren't specifically anti-whatever, they can still do some damage to a different class of units.

"Infantry actually have an advantage (a small one, but one nonetheless) over air units, unless of course you're building things like Hunters or Flamers, which can't target air units.

Both Covies and UNSC get upgrades designed to fight air units better (Needler and RPG respectively) and their lower cost/lower recruit time/increased model numbers mean that Air will lose in an evenly matched fight.

However, Air units have far superior movement, meaning that if you run up on infantry, just ignore them and take another objective. Logistically, Air units are superior, but they'll lose on even footing if they slug it out." - The Bored Chairman, 2022.

The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is playable in skirmish and the campaign. But just because you're forced to play as the UNSC in the campaign doesn't mean they're bad, quite the contrary!

The typical UNSC unit is stronger than the typical Covenant unit but the UNSC can have fewer units in total and require more tech to get started; think of them like a something made in America or Germany or any country with quality standards. As I was saying, Scorpions and Hornets need at least a tech level of 2 while the Covenant can start building Wraiths and Banshees at a tech level of 1 (they effectively start at that tech level by just building their temple). But as proven in Halo Wars mythbusters, UNSC vehicles beat Covenant vehicles.

The UNSC are different from the Covenant because they have leader abilities that can be deployed anywhere on the map...

• Pelican (200 Resources) - Transports Units to another location.
  
• Heal & Repair (300 Resources) - Heals friendly units and repairs buildings, gets less effective the more units that have to be healed.
  
• Disruption Bomb (450 Resources) - Prevents other leaders from using their leader abilities and stops Covenant heroes from using their hero abilities.
  
• MAC Blast (600 Resources) - Fires a high damage projectile at a location; can be upgraded for more shots. (Captain Cutter Exclusive)
  
• Carpet Bomb (600 Resources) - Launches a volley of bombs in a straight line to devastate enemy armor and infantry; can be upgraded for a longer line and more damage. (Sergeant Forge Exclusive)
  
• Cryo Bomb (600 Resources) - Freezes enemies for a short time and instantly kills air units; can be upgraded for a longer freeze duration and more instantly killed air units. (Professor Anders Exclusive)

The UNSC have some particularly special units that can pack quite a punch.

• Spartan (300 Resources) - 3 Spartans max, can hijack enemy vehicles and control your vehicles to improve their strength.
  
• Vulture (900 Resources) - Very slow air uber unit but wields an ability which an do an immense amount of damage in a short time, but one is no match for a Scarab.
  
• Elephant (400 Resources) - Need a barracks on the go? Here's your answer. (Captain Cutter Exclusive)
  
• Cyclops (125 Resources) - Big robot hate enemy buildings! Big robot destroy enemy buildings! (Sergeant Forge Exclusive)
  
• Gremlin (200 Resources) - Spy sapping my tanks! (Professor Anders Exclusive)
  
• ODST (100 Resources) - Imagine the (Insert IRL Special Forces here) but they can be deployed anywhere as far as you can see. (Captain Cutter Exclusive)
  
• Grizzly (500 Resources) - Who said we can't have a bigger tank? (Sergeant Forge Exclusive)
  
• Hawk (250 Resources) - Missiles are overrated, lasers are the future! (Professor Anders Exclusive)

As the UNSC, you'll typically have to play more casually than the average Covenant player. But that's not to say that the UNSC can't do an early game rush; putting 3 Spartans in 3 Scorpions is pretty deadly rush in the early game considering how strong Spartaned Scorpions are. As the UNSC, I recommend starting with a reactor and two supply pads (in that order so you can upgrade the supply pads to heavy supply pads), from there you can focus on your economy by building two more supply pads or you build a barracks if you're feeling aggressive.

Captain James Gregory Cutter is the first UNSC leader of the bunch and can build some quality bases early on and can create Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) with barracks or elephants. And if a Scarab comes his way, he can send it to hell with 4 consecutive MAC Blasts Well, he can get rid of half of its health with 4 MAC blasts but it's close enough!

ODST's are the cheapest UNSC super unit that the UNSC can create.
ODST Costs

• Production Cost: 100 Resources
  
• Population Size: 1 Population
  
• ODST Upgrade: 1800 Resources
  
• ODST Upgrade + Upgrade prerequisites (New Blood, RPG, Medic): 3100 Resources
  
• ODST Upgrade + Upgrade prerequisites + Building costs (Reactors, Barracks): 4750-5200 Resources

Along with how cheap ODST's are, Captain Cutter gains the ability to hot drop 10 Consecutive ODST's wherever he has line of sight. You can probably imagine the things you could do with an insta-army.

Need reinforcements when you're attacking an enemy base? ODST inbound!
Is the enemy attacking your base and your main army is somewhere else? Hell jumpers inbound!
Need to flank the enemy but can't walk past them? ODST inbound!

But what if you need ODST's (or Flamethrowers or Spartans) in an active war zone and the ODST drop ability is on cool down? Here's where Elephants come in handy.
Elephants are mobile mini bases that can make infantry where you need it most! Just keep in mind that you can't upgrade infantry with an Elephant, you're gonna need a proper barracks for upgrades. Elephants can be upgraded to be faster and more resilient, much like an actual base.

If you plan on mass producing infantry as Cutter, remember to make some Scorpions, Hornets, or Vultures to supplement your ODST's because your ODST Horde will be completely ♥♥♥♥♥♥ if your enemy knows how to build Anti-Infantry.

Sergeant John Forge is the second leader of the UNSC and is quite easy to pick up. Forge has Cyclopes, Grizzlies, Carpet Bombs, and insta-heavy supply pads. With those heavy supply pads, Forge can build his economy quicker and delay the need for the first reactor or alternatively you could rush two reactors and make Scorpions as soon as possible and beat your enemy to death quickly with 3 Spartans in 3 Scorpions. If you plan on going late, Forge's Grizzlies are still a very powerful asset to have!

Grizzlies are more on the costly side but they are very potent once you make them!
Grizzly Cost

• Production Cost: 500 Resources
  
• Grizzly Upgrade: 1800 Resources
  
• Grizzly Upgrade + Prerequisite upgrades (Canister Shell, Power Turret): 3100 Resources
  
• Grizzly Upgrade + Prerequisite upgrades + Buildings (Reactors, Vehicle Depot): 5750-6400 Resources

As mentioned earlier, Forge's heavy supply pads allow him to build an economy faster than any other UNSC leader. The extra resources from Forge's heavy supply pads allow him to get a marine horde or 3 Spartaned Tanks really quickly; complied with his Carpet Bomb ability that excels at severely damaging enemy infantry and armor, Sergeant Forge is the deadliest rusher that the UNSC has to offer.

But what if your precious Grizzlies get damaged and your heal and repair ability is on cool down? Here's where the Cyclopes come in handy. At their base level without upgrades, they can only destroy buildings but as soon as you get the repair kit upgrade, they can repair your vehicles and buildings free of charge!

The only major downside about Forge is that you don't get to personally deploy Forge in the campaign neither do you get to hear the famous line "Forge is down." I know, he's literally unplayable.

Professor Ellen Anders is the last leader in the UNSC and is the most overpowered of the bunch. She has Gremlins, Hawks, Cryo Bombs, and Cheap Research! These give her the strongest late game and most reliable method to destroy Scarabs. Her cheap and fast research allows her to gain access to advanced units before anyone else has the chance to acquire such units. In addition her Hawks make Anders the Queen of the Air as long as the enemy doesn't build any anti-air to stop you.

Because of Anders' unique ability to research upgrades in half the time and cost. Researching Hawks don't take that long at all!
Hawk Cost

• Production Cost: 250 Resources
  
• Hawk Upgrade: 1350 Resources
  
• Hawk Upgrade + Prerequisite upgrades (Wingmen, Chaff Pod, Anders' Discount): 2000 Resources
  
• Hawk Upgrade + Prerequisite upgrades + Buildings (Reactors, Air pad): 4650-5250 Resources

The Hawks are incredibly effective at shredding enemy bases, armor, and air units; because of Ander's Research Fire Sale, getting Hawks are almost as cheap as researching ODST's!

But what if you need something that isn't quite a Cobra to take care of enemy vehicles? Your answer is the Gremlin. It's effective against ground vehicles and can EMP enemy vehicles to make them sitting ducks. Plus, they can be upgraded fire stronger lasers and EMP more enemy vehicles.

But all of these other attributes pale in comparison to the Cryo Bomb. The Cryo Bomb completely halts enemy armies in their paths allowing you to unleash hell without resistance for a small period of time. And if someone was foolish enough to challenge your air supremacy, your Cryo Bomb and send those enemy air units to their icy demise. And the most important thing about the Cryo Bomb is that it is the freezes Scarabs in place and prevents them from doing anything so you can beat it to death before it becomes a problem.

The Covenant is only playable in Skirmishes. It is a sad day knowing that you can't play as the Covenant and hear that the Arbiter is down. But you're not allowed to play as the Covenant in the campaign for good reason (It's not because it'll break the lore, it's something else.)

Covenant Units are effectively Chinese units, as in they're ♥♥♥♥ but you can get a lot of them and with one tech level at that. Speaking of tech levels, you don't get reactors but your tech is managed by your ages in your temple. You pay 1k resources to doubt that you'll finish the game with tier 1 tech, and then you reclaim the ability to make Scarabs with 2k resources. The ability to make Banshees and Wraiths early allow the Covenant to rush way faster than the UNSC.

But the most important thing about the Covenant which makes them masters at rushing. That is their hero. The Covenant Hero is a very powerful unit that can use a pretty powerful ability, become ridiculously strong, teleport to any of your bases on the map, and have units teleport to it at a moment's notice. Keep in mind that resources get used up during a leader ability so keep that in mind so you don't accidentally drain your bank balance.

Covenant Heroes and their Abilities

• Arbiter - A massive Elite with two energy swords that can rage to inflict more damage and attack air units.
  
• Brute Chieftain - A massive Brute with a gravity hammer that can summon a ball of lightning that gets stronger for each unit it consumes.
  
• Prophet of Regret - One of the main three Covenant Hierarchs that can summon a massive laser that can destroy everything.

And the special units are nothing to sleep on either. Each of the leaders special units adds a distinct early game advantage which makes rushing a hell of a lot easier!

Covenant Special Units

• Suicide Grunts - Grunts that can sacrifice themselves to inflict a massive amount of damage on anything that doesn't fly. (Arbiter Exclusive)
  
• Brutes - An excellent all-rounder infantry unit that can hold its own against enemy infantry and vehicles. (Brute Chieftain Exclusive)
  
• Brute Chopper - A recon unit which excels at ramming. (Brute Chieftain Exclusive)
  
• Elite Honor Guard - A mini Arbiter with one energy sword that cleaves through enemy infantry. (Prophet of Regret Exclusive)

In almost every scenario you play as the Covenant, the first thing you want to build is your temple so you can get a tech level and your hero as soon as possible. Then you should build two warehouses to kick start your economy. Then you have the freedom to rush your enemy with jackals and hunters, wraiths, banshees, or your special unit to blow up the enemy as soon as possible. And even if you fail your early game rush, you still have a VERY dirty trick up your sleeve; that trick is the Scarab. The Scarab is a massive war machine that can obliterate anything it sees. But just because it's insanely expensive, doesn't mean it doesn't need help. Help your Scarab out by getting at least ten engineers to tell the Scarab how much of a good boy he is!

The Arbiter is the first leader the Covenant have to offer and he is the only Covenant leader that can buff his troops.

引用自 Valefisk, 2018：

"If you don't know what [The Arbiter] does, just imagine a 12-foot tall Silverback Gorilla high on cocaine with dual lightsabers, and uh yeah that's him alright."

But the way I see him is that he's the Elite equivalent of Morbius because of his ability. The Arbiter's rage ability or as I like to call it "Wortin' time" is the ability that give you direct control over him and you can move him faster and hit harder and allow him to hit air units! The Arbiter can be upgraded to reflect damage, cloak, gain health back during Wortin' time, and buff your friendly units to hit harder during Wortin' time.

But if you really want to match the Japanese spirit, Wortius can create suicide grunts to run into enemy tanks and buildings and blow them up with surprising efficiency! Keep in mind that their suicide ability is what makes them special because without that ability they're worthless. Also if you want to roleplay as a Japanese Alien Morbius, remember to yell Banzai (ばんざい) when you're it's Wortin' time or your suicide grunts are in suicide mode.

The Brute Chieftain is a very powerful Covenant leader that can hold its own from the start of the game to the end of the game. He has a gravity hammer which can be upgraded to stun enemy units, drag units to him, and create AOE damage when he smacks his hammer down. And Craig's special ability is where he summons the spirit of Harambe himself to create a vortex that gets stronger the more units fall to the force of Harambe's Vortex of revenge.

Craig decided that all of the Elites smell so he replaced them all with Brutes! There's a brute leading the grunt squads, there are brute choppers instead of those smelly ghosts, and there's stand alone Brutes! The Brute choppers exchanged the ability to get shields later and to fire from the beginning for the ability to ram like a boss! But the Brutes is what make the Brute Chieftain so special; these Brutes are equipped with Brute Shots that are reasonably effective against infantry, vehicles and buildings! Since the brutes are technically infantry, you have them occupy sniper towers, forerunner supply pads, and forerunner reactors! If you're doing an early-game rush without Brutes, you're honestly playing the Brute Chieftain incorrectly.

The Prophet of Regret is the most powerful hero that the covenant have to offer. The Prophet of Regret has shields, Dual Blasters which can turn into Fuel Rod Cannons, and can fly (with the final upgrade)! But these don't matter compared to the Prophet's Cleansing Beam which will annihilate everything! And its upgrades make it more damaging and more wide-reaching!

What would a Prophet be without loyal Honor Guards to protect him? The Elite Honor Guards are highly trained Elites with Energy Swords that cleave through rows of enemy infantry. They're also somewhat effective against vehicles and buildings as long as they don't out run the Honor Guards (Buildings can't run but you know what I'm referring to.) Keep in mind that Honor Guards are completely defenseless against air units on the account they have energy swords.

No. I make no promises that they'll work against real people who aren't stupid. But feel free to try them out and come back to tell me how much of an idiot I am!

Yes. Most of my games were against the AI so I know what I'm saying when you need to beat the AI to death. But be careful on Legendary, I'm convinced that the Legendary AI can build buildings faster than you can.

Overall, this guide is here to give you a basic understanding of all of the leaders in Halo Wars and what kind of things they can get up to. It's not here to say that this strategy is the only strategy that you must do and all other tactics are invalid. You'll find your own strategy that works well for you and all of the things here will seem primitive in comparison to your strategy. After all, this guide is a basic understanding, not a complex guide to get you ready for E-Sports.

Most importantly, if you disagree with me, please tell me what I did wrong so that I can improve this guide so that newer players aren't mislead in the wrong direction.

So I would like to thank you for reading this guide and I wish you a fantastic day.