How to Stop Air Spam - Halo Wars 2

This guide covers how to counter mass air strategies (Banshee spam, Vulture spam) in Halo Wars 2. Despite community complaints, air is beatable with proper preparation.

Leaders to Watch For

Banished (Mass Banshees)

Decimus:

• Boundless Fury + Boundless Siphon = go-to mass Banshee strategy
• Banshees heal during combat

Colony:

• Combat Repair heals everything passively
• Banshees constantly regenerate

Atriox:

• Bulwark/Unbreakable makes air units invulnerable temporarily
• Can save Banshees from being wiped

UNSC (Mass Vultures)

Forge and Isabel:

• Combat Salvage = destroyed Vultures respawn
• First wave dies, second wave arrives immediately
• Must prepare for multiple waves

Maps to Watch

Teleporter Maps (Ashes, Highway)

• Teleporters are often near bases
• Air can teleport and arrive instantly
• Counter: Place mines on teleporters for vision, keep units nearby

Turtling Maps (Sentry, Badlands)

• Choke points for ground units
• Ground armies get destroyed by siege
• Games naturally transition to air as they progress

Anti-Air Options

UNSC: Combat Tech Marines (Highly Recommended)

Often forgotten but excellent:

• Cheap (150 supplies only)
• Rocket launchers are effective against air
• Can triple/quadruple pump from multiple bases
• With Advanced Logistics: train in 5-6 seconds
• Also heal bases and vehicles

Dedicated Anti-Air Vehicles

Wolverines (UNSC) / Reavers (Banished):

• Dedicated anti-air
• Expensive - don't over-invest
• Mix into army composition (don't go 30 Wolverines)
• No ground attack - useless for offensive pushes
• Balance with other units

Banished Infantry

YapYap: Heavy Grunts:

• EMP ability stops Vulture attacks
• Regular Grunts also decent against air

Base Positioning (Team Games)

Put Banished bases in front:

• UNSC gets targeted first (no shield generators)
• Banished have shield generators + cloaking generators
• Forces opponents to either:
  • Fly past Banished base (taking damage)
  • Attack shielded/cloaked Banished base

If opponent has no detect: Cloaking generator makes air attack useless.

Turret Strategy

Fortified Base Upgrades

• Increases base health AND turret damage
• Essential when facing air

Anti-Air Turrets

• Build all 4 turret slots
• Upgrade all to anti-air (300 power each = 1200 total)
• Cheap investment that softens air attacks significantly

Don't Build

• Watchtowers (not beneficial on most maps)
• Expensive siege turrets early

Defensive Preparation

Keep Reserve Units

When attacking:

• Leave a few Marines or Wolverines at base
• Keep defensive powers ready:
  • Atriox: Bulwark (invulnerable bases)
  • Pavium: Pavium's Stand
  • UNSC: Restoration Drones

Save Offensive Powers

• Beam, MAC Blast, Eradication
• Drop on clustered Banshees/Vultures when they attack

The Timing Advantage

Mass Air Takes Time

• Banshees: Require Tech 2
• Vultures: Require Tech 3
• Minimum 10-15 minutes before significant air army exists

Mass Air is Expensive

• Banshees are not cheap
• Going mass air = investing everything into one strategy
• Opponents won't have ground army

Opportunity Windows

While opponent builds up air:

• They have no other army
• You have multiple opportunities to attack
• Their base is vulnerable
• Scout to confirm their strategy, then punish

Scouting

Build Jackrabbit or Chopper early:

• Cheap and fast
• Scout opponent at Tech 2 transition
• Look for multiple Apexes/Air Pads
• Early warning = time to prepare

Don't be surprised by 40 Banshees - scout and know it's coming.

Key Takeaways

1. Combat Tech Marines are cheap and effective (don't forget them!)
2. Wolverines/Reavers are good but expensive - don't over-invest
3. All 4 turrets to anti-air with fortified base upgrades
4. Banished bases in front (team games) - shields + cloak
5. Keep defensive units and powers ready at base
6. Scout early - don't be surprised
7. Mass air takes 10-15+ minutes to build - attack before then
8. Mass air is expensive - opponents have no ground army
9. Exploit timing windows - their base is vulnerable while building
10. Air is beatable - it's not OP, just requires preparation