Banished Faction Halo Wars 2 Guide — Build Orders & Scarabs

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 Yap Yap (Season Pass), plus Voridus and Pavium (Awakening the Nightmare DLC). See our Banished leader powers ranking for power-tier context.

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