Halo Wars 2 brings real-time strategy back to the Halo universe. It is primarily designed for consoles, but it also works on the PC. In fact, you can play the game on either Xbox One or Windows 10 for PC.
I’m sure there are plenty of Halo fans that either haven’t played Halo Wars or an RTS before, so I’m here to help you get started. Even if you have some familiarity with the genre, you will want to check out what makes Halo Wars 2 different.
This guide will go over getting started in Halo Wars 2, including:
- Game Basics — The basic mechanics of the game and how to play.
- Unit Types — Examples of the different units and what they do.
- Game Modes — All the game modes in Halo Wars 2, including the all-new Blitz game mode.
Halo Wars 2 Basics
In Halo Wars 2, you command an entire military of units. Each unit can be selected individually, or as a group, to move to or attack a location. Each of the units is of a specific type — and some are strong against and weak to certain other types of enemy units.
Battles are in real-time, too. This means that time will go by for every action you do and you will have to constantly make decisions in the heat of battle. The goal differs from game mode to game mode, but the basic idea it to wipe out enemy units.
Building and Leader Powers
As move your troops over the field, you can find resources and energy. These are used to make units and other things at your base.
The base can be used to bring in more infantry units, collect more resources and energy, and make buildings to build special vehicles and units. You can also upgrade units and buildings to make them more efficient.
As you succeed in battle, you will gain Leader Points. These are used to unlock special abilities, such as Healing Drones to recover unit and building health.
I highly suggest completing the three in-game tutorials because they will give you a hands-on approach to how the game works.
Halo Wars 2 Unit Types
Every unit has a type, and some types are weak to others. Some units also have abilities they can use in combat. Below are examples of some the types in Halo Wars 2.
Infantry — Ground Humanoid Units
- Core Infantry — Basic land units.
- Anti-Infantry — Strong against other infantry units.
- Anti-Vehicle — Strong against vehicles.
- Anti-Building — Strong against building structures.
Vehicles
- Scout Vehicle — A fast unit that’s good for discovering enemy and resource locations.
- Air — Strong against infantry
- Ground and Air Artillery — Ground can switch between siege and mobility modes. Siege is strong against structures.
- Air switches between heavy air and ground siege modes.
- Heavy Tank — Can take a lot of damage.
- Support — Does not attack, but provides support or healing.
Halo Wars 2 Game Modes
There are five types of game modes in Halo Wars 2: Campaign, Strongholds, Domination, Deathmatch and Blitz.
Campaign
This is the main story. Each mission has a different objective and lets you explore more than normal multiplayer modes.
Strongholds
This is a 3v3 mode that gives you unlimited resources and all upgrades. Everyone starts with one base, but you can capture other bases. The game is over when a player runs out of bases.
Domination
This is a mode where you team up with other players to capture control towers.
Deathmatch
A Solo or Team game mode where the last player or team standing wins.
Blitz
A unique game mode where you must capture at least two of the three areas to score points. You win when you reach 200 points and points stop if you fall below two areas captured.
You also get cards you can use to send units to the battlefield or activate powers. Energy is only gained by destroying energy nodes.
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That’s all we have for this Halo Wars 2 Beginner’s Guide. Let us know if you have any questions and stay tuned to GameSkinny for more guides on Halo Wars 2.
