You will encounter several different varieties of Covenant in each Firefight match. Each one has its strengths, weaknesses, and usefulness. Some levels have vehicles that appear, here's a detailed breakdown of the different ships:
The Phantom dropship is the Covenant equivalent of a Pelican and transports big groups of infantry. It can also deploy Hunters, Ghosts and Wraiths. The Phantom has a main plasma turret in front, and two smaller turrets manned by Grunts or Brutes on either side. The recommendation is to take cover when Phantoms are in bound. Their turrets are devastating, and can destroy vehicles as well as destructible cover. Though they can be killed in Campaign, they are indestructible in Firefight, so there's no point in wasting ammo on them. The Grunts or Brutes in the turrets can be killed, and the main turret can be taken out with a Spartan laser. The ship itself can not be destroyed, and no other troops inside the body of the Phantom can be hurt until they leave the ship. The only time it makes sense to try and take out the turret is during the Bonus Round on Lost Platoon where the Grunts are deployed underneath it and it doesn't leave. In this case, you have to take out the turret to be able to get at the Grunts. The only other time it makes sense to not immediately take cover is on Alpha Site if the Phantom is deploying troops on the landing pad. In that instance, you can attack the landing infantry from the cover of a fairly small doorway without taking fire from the turret. Phantoms are not worth any points even if you do manage to find a way to kill it.
The Wraith is the main Covenant battle tank. It has an anti-air variant, but that does not appear in Firefight. The regular Wraith lobs huge balls of plasma across long distances and can cover the entire battlefield. On a level like Security Zone, the Wraiths will zero in on anybody camping a stationary turret and kill them almost instantly. Though they do not have to be killed to pass a wave, it is recommended that you try and take them out because of the massive damage they inflict and the general chaos caused by plasma bombs. One Spartan laser shot will usually kill them, as well as a two human rockets. The Fuel Rod cannon is not incredibly effective. Without large weapons, Wraiths can also be boarded and killed with a single grenade. They do come with a Brute in the turret however, so it can be tricky for a single player to get close enough to a Wraith to board it. Two players can play diversion and attack more effectively. Using an overcharged plasma pistol is a very effective way of immobilizing the Wraith so that an ODST on foot can catch it. It can be boarded from either the front or the back. The Wraiths in Halo 3 ODST can not be commandeered for your own use.
The Covenant Ghost is a light attack vehicle with two plasma cannons in front and a turbo boost mode that is very effective at splattering enemies and escaping from trouble. In Halo 3 ODST, it is piloted by Grunts or Brutes. When Ghosts appear, you are not generally required to kill them to pass the wave. They can be commandeered for use and are good for splattering otherwise difficult to kill enemies. They can be killed with any heavy weapon quickly, can be flipped using a Brute Shot, can be stuck with grenades, but are pretty resilient against light arms like the pistol, SMG, plasma guns, etc. The driver is fairly exposed however, and can be taken out with light arms. Like all vehicles, an overcharged plasma pistol shot will immobilize it. In vehicle to vehicle combat, the Ghost will lose out in head-on collisions with any other vehicle that appears in Halo 3 ODST.
The Brute Chopper is a heavier armored attack vehicle that appears on Lost Platoon. It is virtually indestructible from the front due to its massive armor, but is pretty well exposed in the back. It has very poor maneuverability, but it's two front cannons can take out anything on thet map. Its massive front wheel will also mow down anything it splatters. It can not ram a Wraith successfully on its own, but it will drive right through a Warthog, Ghost, turret or any infantry. The best way to take out Brute Choppers is in a Warthog by getting behind it. The Warthog is much more maneuverable so you can zoom past a Chopper and do a handbrake turn to spin around well before the Chopper can react. Brute Choppers can be commandeered and can be very effective.
The last enemy vehicle that appears in Firefight is the Covenant Banshee. It appears on Alpha Site and is little more than a nuisance. It can not be commandeered, can not be boarded, and is not a required kill to finish each wave. It is piloted by a Brute, has two plasma cannons as well as a fuel rod cannon that it can use to launch plasma bombs. It is very difficult, though not impossible, to kill with light arms fire. It is too maneuverable to kill with most heavy weapons. It can be killed with the Spartan laser, but the laser does not appear on Alpha Site. The best way to take out Banshees is with a **mounted** missile pod. Though it only takes two missiles to kill a Banshee, they are very evasive in Firefight, so it may take 10-15 missiles to actually hit it. A detached missile pod only holds 8 and then doesn't respawn until the next round. When the Banshee is flying over the chasm, it can be killed by disabling it with an overcharged plasma pistol shot and letting it fall into the abyss.
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