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Leaders are characters in the real-time strategy (RTS) games Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 who can be played as in Multiplayer, Skirmish and Blitz. Leaders offer a varied experience in Halo Wars' multiplayer aspects, bringing leader specific powers and units into the fray. In Halo Wars, the Covenant each leader has its own hero unit, while the UNSC leaders each get unique Spirit of Fire abilities such as Anders' Cryo Bomb. A player's choice of leader typically impacts on their playstyle. For instance, Cutter is more measured while Forge's playstyle is quite aggressive.[1]
Also, all bases receive free upgrades; newly built bases are Stations, not Firebases, and the initial home base which would usually be a Station is a Fortress.
In addition, all upgrades are 50% cheaper and require 25% less research time, apart from Cryo Bomb and Hawks which are 25% cheaper and require 25% less research time.
Hero units are strong units that have a large amount of health and usually a powerful weapon. They appear in both campaign and multiplayer, but are limited to one per player in the latter. In multiplayer, most leaders have their own unique hero unit, which can be purchased at an Armory (UNSC) in Halo Wars 2, Temple (Covenant) or War Council (Banished). The exception is the UNSC leaders in Halo Wars, who get unique leader powers and 3 SPARTAN-II supersoldiers from the Barracks.
In campaign, hero units can be revived if they are "killed", once their health has regenerated to half its maximum value. Their health will automatically regenerate if they are "killed". To revive a hero unit, move other units to their vicinity. However, in Skirmish or multiplayer if a hero unit dies, they will have to be purchased again if the player wants to continue using them.
In the campaign, Anders is available as a unit, primarily useful due to her Active Ability to repair vehicles, though in emergencies she is able to protect herself with an M6D pistol.
In campaign mode, Forge is available as a unit, initially riding in a Gauss Warthog, and continuing on foot armed with an M90 shotgun if his ride is destroyed.
Regret can bring down a Cleansing Beam from his ship in orbit to cause massive damage to enemy structures and units. He personally enters the battlefield on on his hover chair, which could be upgraded to have sentinel protectors and to truly fly.
The Arbiter has the advantage of his devastatingly powerful Rage attack. His upgrades increase his damage, reflect incoming damage back to his attackers, and even give him a permanent Active camouflage field.
Each leader gets unique unit types that have different purposes and related strategies to each other and the more general units. In Halo Wars 2, some units must be unlocked through Leader Points.
In Halo Wars, the UNSC leaders each get to upgrade one unit to become another. The Chieftain has a few unit changes to suit the fact that he leads Brutes. The Ghost is replaced by the Chopper and the Grunt Squads are lead by Brutes instead of Elites.
Each leader gets unique abilities. In Halo Wars, only the UNSC gets these special abilite. In Halo Wars 2, every leader gets multiple leader abilities that are unlocked by "Leader Points".
List of Leader Abilities
Halo Wars
UNSC
Cutter
Once Marines are replaced by ODSTs, he gains the Hero Ability to hot-drop ODSTs from HEV's anywhere on the map for the cost of training one squad. His personal weapon is the Spirit of Fire's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, fired directly into the surface of the planet.
Her ability calls in a Shortsword bomber to drop a Cryo Bomb on her enemies, which does no damage but literally freezes units solid, preventing them from taking any action.
