Halo Infinite: 5 Forgotten Covenant Vehicles That Need To Return
2. Shadow
Like the Spectre, the Shadow debuted in Halo 2, hauling munitions and cargo through the tunnel-highways of New Mombasa.
A dedicated ground transport, the Shadow is slow and not particularly maneuverable, but those factors are relatively unimportant considering its role as a transport. The Shadow in its standard configuration is capable of transporting Ghosts, allowing them to be safely transported over long distances without damaging their endurance, and it can be modified to carry squads of infantry into battle.
For defence, it possesses a surprisingly powerful turreted plasma cannon, boasting a high rate of fire and a superior range to most other Covenant plasma turrets. With its 360-degree field of fire, the turret is more than capable of defending the Shadow, and any troops that may be riding the Shadow have the option of firing out of the exposed troop bay to bolster its defence further.
No lore reason is given for the Shadow’s absence from Halo media set after Halo 2, although the Shadow is obliquely referenced in Halo Wars 2 as the basis for the heavily modified Methane Wagon vehicles fielded by Yapyap’s Grunt Rebellion. Given its role as a transport ill-suited for front-line combat, it’s likely that they were simply never deployed to the small skirmishes featured regularly in the later Halo games.