How to play as The Banished - Halo Wars 2

This guide is designed for new players learning to play as the Banished faction. There are eight Banished leaders: Atriox, Decimus, and Shipmaster (Base Game), Colony, Arbiter, and YapYap (Season Pass), plus Voridus and Pavium (Awakening the Nightmare DLC).

Basic Build Order

The Banished build is similar to UNSC but with key differences.

Early Game

On large maps like Vault:

• Option 1: Send starting Grunt to gather crates
• Option 2: Build a Chopper first (faster for distant power crates)

Standard Opening:

1. Harvester (first building)
2. Harvester (second building) - Consider this over generator second
3. Power Extractor (third building)
4. Power Extractor (fourth building) - Two upgraded extractors help reach Tech 2 with stable economy
5. Fifth slot: Raid Camp (Jump Pack Brutes/Suicide Grunts), War Council (hero), or Harvester

Key: Upgrade Harvesters and Power Extractors immediately when done. The investment is worth it.

Power Nodes

Take nodes as soon as possible:

• Provides line of sight
• Generates 1.5 power per second
• Stacks up significantly over time

Pros of Banished

Strong Tech 1 Units

Choppers:

• Fast and powerful
• Excellent ramming ability
• Great scout and anti-infantry unit

Suicide Grunts:

• Eliminate or stop rushes
• Can take out bunched infantry
• Effective for early base attacks

Jump Pack Brutes:

• Great anti-building unit
• Jet pack mobility for attacking

Defensive Buildings

Shield Generators:

• Shields stack (but not multiplicatively)
• Recommend no more than one per base due to increasing cost
• 1st: 600/200, 2nd: 700/300, 3rd: 800/400, etc.

Cloaking Generators:

• Cloaks entire base
• Forces opponents to have detect units
• Cost doesn't stack - always build one per base
• Can completely stop attacks from opponents without detect

Superior Leader Powers

Some of the best powers in the game:

• Mega Turret (Pavium)
• Combat Repair/Devastating Host (Colony)
• Combat Spoils (Voridus)
• Please Don't Shoot Me (YapYap)
• Boundless Siphon (Decimus)
• Lich Vanguard (Pavium)
• Glassing Beam
• Teleport (much better than UNSC Pelican Transport)

Building Killers

Dedicated building destruction units:

• Jump Pack Brutes
• Locusts

The Scarab

Much better ultimate unit than the Condor:

• Outperforms Condor against most units, especially infantry
• Y ability makes it invincible temporarily
• Excellent with support (Shrouds, Engineers, healing powers)
• Colony can attach 3 Skitterers to it

Cons of Banished

Expensive Anti-Air

• Reavers cost 220 power vs Wolverines at ~180 power
• Adds up when building 10-15 anti-air units

Higher Power Costs Overall

• Elite Rangers cost more than Flamethrowers
• Locusts cost significant power
• Most Banished units cost more power than UNSC equivalents

Steeper Learning Curve

Each Banished leader plays very differently:

• Pavium ≠ Shipmaster ≠ Arbiter
• Decimus ≠ Colony
• Can be overwhelming for new players

Recommendation: Master one leader before moving to others.

Tech 2 Units

Marauders (Recommended)

• No power cost
• Good all-around vehicle
• Effective against infantry, decent against vehicles and structures
• Save power for Reavers, Locusts, hero upgrades, or shield generators

Banshees

• No power cost
• Good air option

Engineers (Essential)

• Y ability provides 40% damage reduction bubble
• Always have some on hand
• Use Y ability whenever in combat

Tech 3 Units

Wraiths

• Excellent army composition unit
• Get vehicle upgrades

Hunters

• Great anti-infantry
• Upgrade both unit and infantry upgrades

Reavers

• Essential anti-air
• Mix with Wraiths and Engineers

Blisterbacks

• Can lock down inside shield radius for protection
• Acts as pseudo-siege turret
• Cloaked and shielded when inside base defenses
• Consumes 7 population each - don't overdo it

Advanced Tips

Shrouds

• Block incoming projectiles
• Y ability cloaks your units
• Unlike Nightingale cloak, you can still attack while cloaked
• Great advantage against bases without sensor towers

Blisterback Defense

Lock Blisterbacks inside shielded bases:

• Shield protects the Blisterback
• Opponents must break shield before damaging it
• Combined with cloaking generator = hidden artillery

Scarab Guidelines

• 2000/2000 cost - expensive
• Don't build until you have a solid army and upgrades
• Slow movement - not good for map traversal on large maps
• Excellent on smaller maps like Sentry
• People "make Scarabs when they run out of ideas"

Power Extractors on Mini Bases

Not recommended:

• Cost increases with each extractor
• Mini bases have low health and no protection
• Easy target to cripple your economy
• Only exception: Mini bases far in the back (Ashes, Sentry corners)

Army Composition Guidelines

Late Game Core:

• Wraiths (vehicle damage)
• Hunters (anti-infantry)
• Reavers (anti-air)
• Engineers (healing and damage reduction)
• Possibly Shrouds

Key Upgrades:

• Vehicle upgrades
• Infantry upgrades
• Unit-specific upgrades

Balance:

• Always have economy buildings (Harvesters) - don't overbuild production buildings
• Always maintain an army - upgrades are worthless without units
• Either be building units or have full pop ready

Summary

1. Upgrade Harvesters and Power Extractors immediately
2. Take power nodes early
3. Build Choppers and Suicide Grunts for Tech 1 aggression
4. Every base needs a Cloaking Generator
5. Shield Generators are excellent but cost increases
6. Marauders cost no power - great for saving power
7. Engineers are essential - use Y ability in combat
8. Lock Blisterbacks inside shields for defense
9. Don't put Power Extractors on mini bases
10. The Scarab is powerful but expensive - build with a supporting army