Vehicles carry a lot of the weight in Halo: Campaign Evolved. They move you across the ring, open up new angles on a fight, and turn tough Covenant positions into something you can push through. The remake expands the classic sandbox with more machines you can actually control, a first-time drivable Wraith, and the ability to steal enemy rides in the middle of combat.
Quick answer: You can pilot six vehicles, which are the Warthog, Scorpion, Ghost, Wraith, Banshee, and Seraph, plus operate the fixed Shade turret. The Wraith is drivable for the first time in this campaign, and hijacking now lets you board and take over Covenant vehicles mid-fight. Everything else, such as the Pelican, Longsword, Spirit, and the capital ships, stays story-only.
Usable vehicles you can drive and fly
Six vehicles are fully controllable across the campaign, split between the UNSC and the Covenant. Each one fills a clear job, from fast transport to long-range bombardment to space combat. The Warthog is the only four-seater, so a full co-op squad can ride together.
| Vehicle | Faction | Seats | Main role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warthog | UNSC | 4 | Transport and mobile turret support |
| Scorpion | UNSC | 2 (+ passengers) | Heavy armor and anti-vehicle fire |
| Ghost | Covenant | 1 | Fast scouting and light attacks |
| Wraith | Covenant | 2 | Long-range plasma bombardment |
| Banshee | Covenant | 1 | Aerial strikes and recon |
| Seraph | Covenant | 1 | Space combat in Operation: Meteorite |
The Shade also counts as usable, though it is a fixed turret rather than a ride. It gives the operator sustained fire and partial frontal cover, which makes it useful for holding a chokepoint, but the gunner stays exposed to return fire from the sides.
UNSC ground vehicles
The Warthog is the workhorse of the human arsenal and the vehicle you will drive most. It seats four here, with one player on the wheel, one on the rear machine gun, and room for passengers. The turret needs a dedicated gunner to fire, but you can freely swap between the wheel and the gun. Its speed and handling let it cross rough, uneven ground without bogging down, and it holds up well against infantry and lightly armored targets.
The Scorpion is the heavy hitter. It is a two-seat battle tank where the driver controls both movement and the main cannon at once, while a Marine can jump on the secondary machine gun for extra fire. It can also carry additional passengers. That firepower comes with a trade-off. The tank is slow and can get stuck on rough terrain, so it works best holding and controlling open areas rather than chasing targets down.
Covenant ground vehicles
The Ghost is a single-seat hover bike that swaps armor for speed. It is quick, easy to steer, and can strafe to dodge incoming fire, which makes it ideal for scouting ahead and hitting enemies with fast strikes before pulling back. It also has a short speed boost and twin plasma cannons for sustained fire.
The Wraith is the standout change to the sandbox. Like the Ghost it hovers, but it works as a two-seat, heavily armored tank with a plasma mortar that can wipe out clustered enemies in a single arcing shot. The Wraith has appeared throughout the series, yet this is the first time you can actually drive and hijack it in the original campaign. It is also noticeably faster than the Scorpion, so you get heavy firepower without the sluggish handling.
Covenant flyers and the space fighter
The Banshee is a single-seat aircraft armed with automatic plasma cannons and a fuel rod bomb, giving you a way to strike groups of enemies from above. It can hover, strafe, and boost, and it takes some practice to control at first. Its durability is low, so treat it as a strike craft rather than something that can soak up damage.
The Seraph only appears in the space sections of Operation: Meteorite, the three new prequel missions. It is an agile strikecraft with energy shields that absorb incoming damage, plasma cannons that fire continuously, and plasma torpedoes that can lock on when you hold the reticle on a target. It is the fastest vehicle in the game, but its shields can be stripped quickly by strong hits like enemy torpedoes and cannon fire.
Hijacking enemy vehicles
In the original release, enemy vehicles were only something to shoot at or dodge. The remake changes that. You can now board a nearby Covenant vehicle mid-fight, pull the driver out, and turn that ride against the side that was just using it. That single change reshapes several encounters, since a Wraith you once had to destroy on foot can instead become the tool that clears the position.
Tip: A charged Plasma Pistol shot will EMP a vehicle and stop it, which makes boarding far easier. Elites can hijack your vehicle right back, so do not get comfortable once you are in the driver’s seat. With up to four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen on console, you can also hand a captured Wraith to a teammate while the rest of the squad pushes ahead.
Unusable and story-only vehicles
Plenty of other craft show up across the campaign, but they exist as transports, capital ships, or set pieces you cannot control. They still shape the story and several key moments, from your escape pod crashing onto the ring to the assault on the Truth and Reconciliation.
| Vehicle | Faction | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican (D77) | UNSC | Dropship |
| Longsword | UNSC | Aerospace fighter |
| Pillar of Autumn | UNSC | Halcyon-class light cruiser |
| Bumblebee | UNSC | Escape pod |
| Spirit | Covenant | Dropship |
| Leech | Covenant | Boarding craft |
| Ket-pattern cruiser | Covenant | Starship |
| Truth and Reconciliation | Covenant | Assault carrier |
Knowing which vehicles you can take control of, and when hijacking is worth the risk, is what makes the wider open sections of the campaign move quickly. Save the Scorpion and Wraith for holding open ground, lean on the Ghost and Banshee for speed, and remember that almost any Covenant ride on the field can become yours.
