Awesome / Halo Wars 2

The Spirit of Fire

• After being told in no uncertain terms how utterly outmatched he is, captain James Cutter delivers a soft-spoken yet rock-hard Rousing Speech which mirrors the same spirit and stoic determination that has allowed humanity to survive throughout the franchise. The crew, though battered, weary, and undermanned, are chomping at the bit to take on a fresh wave of horrors by the end of it.
• What makes Cutter's conviction all the more poignant is that, unlike the other games, the protagonists are fighting of their own volition. Humanity isn't backed into a corner or in imminent danger of extinction, and if the crew had decided to cut and run absolutely no one would have blamed them. Yet they charge into battle anyway, not because they must, but because they should.
  • Somewhat undercut by the fact the Spirit of Fire has lost its slipspace drive so they really don't have a choice but to fight or die.
    • Less undercut by the conversation in a later mission where Atriox offers a chance for the Spirit of Fire to leave the ark, and the captain butts back with how he murdered all the people at the research outpost, and that’s why he’s not going to run away from the Banished. Even if they had a slipspace drive, the crews sense of justice and morality prevent them from just letting the Banished run free.
• The Spartans have a habit of jumping onto Covenant tanks and hijacking them. Eventually culminating in them hijacking a Scarab.
• The UNSC proceeds to mount a guerilla war against Atriox's military forces, making use of the Forerunner technology around them, and proceeds to do more damage to the Banished than the Covenant ever did.
  • Hunting down Atriox's second in command and proceeding to kill him in two enormous battles that result in his death.
  • Shutting down the Banished portal network across the Ark and harnessing it for themselves.
  • One scene is where they steal a Forerunner cannon to target Atriox's flagship and pound it for thirty minutes while holding off a massive force of Banished forces trying to shut it down.
  • Isabel, after being plugged in, manages to fire the Banished's flagship against the Ark, bringing down the Ark's defenses against it.
  • Not to be outdone by Isabel, Jerome shows why he is among the best of of Spartan-IIs. As soon he is on board the ship, Jerome proceeds to kill the Elites guarding the holotable using only his pistol and knife. After inserting Isabel into the holotable, Jerome proceeds to Hold the Line as the Banished breaks into the room. Jerome takes on the Brutes and manages to defeat all of them, all while in the dark and the ship being attacked by Sentinels. Once Isabel completes her task and the grav-lift destroyed, Jerome proceeds to do what John-117 love to do; jumping out of a ship from outer space and back to the surface.

The Banished

• Atriox gets a massive Establishing Character Moment where he manages to single-handedly manhandle three Spartan-IIs and throw them around like ragdolls. He proceeds to give them a Cruel Mercy where he lets them live and sends them fleeing.
• The intro cinematic for the second mission perfectly encapsulates the mentality, ideology, and spirit of the two warring factions within minutes of each other. The origins of the Banished and their leader Atriox are shown with stunning imagery and epic music, showcasing both their raw power and the sheer strength of their conviction.
• Decimus, despite his status as Dumb Muscle, manages to single handedly stand against a UNSC military twice. He went down but he went down swinging.
• The Banished get one of their own in the Awakening the Nightmare DLC, by accomplishing what the Covenant, the UNSC, and even the Master Chief couldn't manage throughout the franchise; beating the flood in a straightforward, conventional fight, culminating in the slaughter of a damn Gravemind.