| | Ghost Riding
Unless you’ve been living in a deep, dark hole for the past six months, you not only know about Halo® 2, but you’ve been playing this gripping intergalactic saga during every spare waking moment (and probably in your sleep, too). But, you may not have discovered all its secrets yet, so here’s a rundown on one of the most consistently useful vehicles in the game: the Ghost.
This ain’t no joyride.
Basic Training
The Ghost is the Covenant’s standard light-reconnaissance and rapid-ground-attack vehicle. Normally piloted by Elites, it’s extremely quick and highly maneuverable, and its' found everywhere that the Covenant extends its insidious reach. Powered by a Boosted Gravity Propulsion Drive, which allows it to speed easily above the ground, even over difficult or broken terrain, it's capable of sustained bursts of increased speed. The Ghost is the ideal transport for the solo soldier who needs to cover a lot of battlefield in a hurry.
Armed with twin Plasma Cannons, it’s capable of rapidly delivering dual bolts of super-heated plasma at enemy targets—even while moving. It’s great for making repeated attack runs at stationary or slower-moving targets. It's also fast enough to evade enemy fire when you need a quick escape.
Board the Ghost as you would any other vehicle: approach and then press and hold the X button to hop on. Once on board, use the left and right thumbsticks to operate the vehicle and press the right trigger to fire the plasma cannons (both cannons fire simultaneously).
Remember, the Ghost doesn’t actually fly, but hovers a few feet above the ground, following the contour of the terrain as it moves. That means you need to be aware of the possibility of tipping over when speeding over dips, hills, or protrusions. You’ll automatically eject when the Ghost tips over, requiring you to flip the vehicle back over (press the X button) before you can remount. Trying to leap a chasm or driving off the edge of a cliff is a one-way ticket to a respawn.
Press and hold the left trigger to kick in the extra speed, which lasts indefinitely, but be warned: You cannot fire the cannons while in speed burst mode. If you’re trying to escape from a losing confrontation, you’ll have to choose between fighting and fleeing. 
Advantage: Ghost.
Easy Rider
Named perhaps for its elusiveness as it weaves its way between narrow spaces and around the smoking hulks of shattered tanks, the Ghost’s single-most-valuable asset is its high degree of maneuverability. The left thumbstick controls your forward motion and steering, while the right thumbstick allows you to roll the Ghost around its own center axis, in much the same way that an aircraft is capable of rolling around a point in space, while maintaining forward momentum.
This dual control system allows it to maneuver easily in cramped spaces, making it serviceable in narrow subterranean environments where larger vehicles (like the Warthog, Scorpion, or Wraith) may experience difficulty.
It's important to note, however, that you’re virtually unprotected while piloting the Ghost. The Ghost does provide some degree of armor when the attacker is coming from the front, but since it's structurally fragile, the Ghost can be destroyed by a single direct hit from a Rocket, Gauss Cannon, or Plasma Grenade or by a few well-placed shots from medium distance.
It’s particularly vulnerable to the Rocket Launcher (which has target-locking capabilities) and to other vehicles’ mounted weapons systems. Because the Ghost has a nasty habit of exploding a few seconds after it takes too much damage, it's best to abandon a critically damaged Ghost and put a few yards between yourself and the wreckage … unless you want to go the same way …
A single Ghost is no match for a fully complemented Warthog in a head-on confrontation (though, the smaller vehicle’s superior maneuverability and greater velocity when activating the speed burst should carry you out of harm’s way, if you react quickly).
Also, like all vehicles, the Ghost is vulnerable to jacking. Go for a Ghost joyride in multiplayer and eventually an opponent will try to stiff-arm you and steal your ride. There’s not a lot you can do on a Ghost to counter hijackers except denying them the opportunity. Keep your speed up and your eyes open!
Leader of the Pack
Treat the Ghost as an overpowered personal rocket with a perilously low center of gravity, and you’ll soon discover its most effective uses. On an open battlefield, strafe horizontally while firing the cannons at your targets, keeping a respectable distance between them and your Ghost. Be ready to put on a burst of speed to avoid incoming fire and to escape pursuit vehicles.
You can also use the speed burst feature to ram an opponent. Just line him up with your front end, pull and hold the left trigger and he’s street pizza! Elites may only suffer the loss of their shields from ramming attacks, requiring you to pull a U-turn and either mow them down again or blast them with your cannons to drop them permanently.
In Multiplayer mode, the Ghost is the ultimate wolf pack weapon. A swarm of Ghosts can be maddeningly tough to bring down without tracking weapons. By Jason Carl |
