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This topic has moved here: Subject: Citadel Fleet (Mass Effect) VS UNSC (Halo)
  • Subject: Citadel Fleet (Mass Effect) VS UNSC (Halo)
Subject: Citadel Fleet (Mass Effect) VS UNSC (Halo)

UNSC Frigates/Destroyers: Archer Missiles would make quick work of both Fighters and Frigates, the MAC Cannons would devastate Cruisers. Mass Effect Frigates have manueverability, sure, but those Archers track, and are capable of keeping up with them.

UNSC Cruisers: Same as Frigates, but also has the potential of taking on Dreadnaughts. It doesn't help ME's Side that they are larger than their dreadnaughts.

The Covenant would have a little bit harder time with Fighters and Frigates, but their shields make up for it. Unlike ME's shields, their shields are static; They do not use sensors to detect incoming attacks, they are there automatically, and can take both kinetic and thermal energy.

Both the UNSC and the Covenant have fewer limitations than the Mass Effect Ships. They have the potential of going anywhere. They are not limited by Relays, and they don't need to discharge their fuel at Gas Giants. To them, there are no barriers besides Darkspace. Also, UNSC Frigates, which are around the same size as ME Crusers, are capable of entering Atmosphere; Anything larger than a frigate in the ME universe cannot due so, and they are less than 200 meters.

Also, I find flying cars as an idiotic concept. Sure, it opens up more traveling space, but a drunk driver has the potential of creating a mini-9/11.

[Edited on 12.05.2010 2:01 PM PST]

  • 12.05.2010 1:58 PM PDT


Posted by: Plasma3150
UNSC Cruisers: Same as Frigates, but also has the potential of taking on Dreadnaughts. It doesn't help ME's Side that they are larger than their dreadnaughts.
Actually even frigates have the potential to take on Dreadnoughts, since their MACs are twice as powerful as the main guns of Dreadnoughts and they can fire nukes with megaton yields which are overkill on everything Citadel has to offer...

The Covenant would have a little bit harder time with Fighters and Frigates, but their shields make up for it.
Actually Covies would have it easier then UNSC, Covies would simply use their Pulse Lasers which ignore kinetic barriers and since ME frigates and fighters lack any kind of armor...
And Pulse Lasers travel with the speed of light...

[quote]Also, I find flying cars as an idiotic concept. Sure, it opens up more traveling space, but a drunk driver has the potential of creating a mini-9/11.

Just look at the car chase in the Liar of the Shadow Broker, it a giant chaos! Flying cars are one of the most ridiculous ideas of Sci-Fi. But still I saw ME fanboys claiming that ME is more realstic cuz it has flying cars, they have such a childish view of Sci-Fi...

[Edited on 12.05.2010 2:17 PM PST]

  • 12.05.2010 2:16 PM PDT


Posted by: Vercetti24
Just look at the car chase in the Liar of the Shadow Broker, it a giant chaos! Flying cars are one of the most ridiculous ideas of Sci-Fi. But still I saw ME fanboys claiming that ME is more realstic cuz it has flying cars, they have such a childish view of Sci-Fi...
I know, right? Yet, it is a standard for what people consider "Futuristic".

  • 12.05.2010 2:18 PM PDT


Posted by: Plasma3150

Posted by: Vercetti24
Just look at the car chase in the Liar of the Shadow Broker, it a giant chaos! Flying cars are one of the most ridiculous ideas of Sci-Fi. But still I saw ME fanboys claiming that ME is more realstic cuz it has flying cars, they have such a childish view of Sci-Fi...
I know, right? Yet, it is a standard for what people consider "Futuristic".

Some people think Sci-Fi can only be realstic is it has alot of aliens, most are humanoid of course, energy weapons and flying cars...

Seriously, ME fanboys still fail to see why UNSC still uses coventional weapons when I explain them that there was no need for anything better, UNSC was concentarting on expansion of their empire and why bother with some expansive lasers while bullets are enough?

  • 12.05.2010 2:30 PM PDT

I don't care. I really don't.


Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: Plasma3150

Posted by: Vercetti24
Just look at the car chase in the Liar of the Shadow Broker, it a giant chaos! Flying cars are one of the most ridiculous ideas of Sci-Fi. But still I saw ME fanboys claiming that ME is more realstic cuz it has flying cars, they have such a childish view of Sci-Fi...
I know, right? Yet, it is a standard for what people consider "Futuristic".

Some people think Sci-Fi can only be realstic is it has alot of aliens, most are humanoid of course, energy weapons and flying cars...

Seriously, ME fanboys still fail to see why UNSC still uses coventional weapons when I explain them that there was no need for anything better, UNSC was concentarting on expansion of their empire and why bother with some expansive lasers while bullets are enough?


Thank you!! I love ME and I still know Halo is more realistic than almost every other sci-fi with extrasolar plot elements.
And yeah, you're right about the laser/bullet thing.

cost of 1 Spartan Laser = cost of 129 Assault Rifles

And I also dislike how all the aliens in ME look and act like humans. :P Halo is even pushing it when it comes to realistic, non-human looking aliens.

  • 12.05.2010 2:47 PM PDT

RIP - The Rev: February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009
RIP - Mitch Lucker: October 20, 1984 - November 1, 2012
RIP - Dimebag Darrell: August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004
RIP - Ronny James Dio: July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

Posted by: opogjijijp
The guns on Mass Effect ships are weaker than there UNSC counterparts, but still probably strong enough to cripple/kill many of UNSC ships in a single shot. They can also fire faster. Mass Effect ships would have a range advantage, as the projectiles from there ships move a lot faster than MAC rounds. Mass Effect also has an advantage in FTL speed.

We know the the UNSC had 2000 ships near the star of the war with the Covenant, I don't how how that compares with mass effect.


Posted by: H3 Crimson
The MAC gun does damage in the Terratons,


Kilotons everywhere except the encyclopedia, including newer and higher canon sources. Halo 2 has MAC rounds moving at single digit/low double digit kilometers per second, Conversation from the Universe had them below 20 km/s, Halo Reach at single digit km/s, and TFOR at 30 km/s.


The MAC is fired from the cannon at one third the speed of light. If it can travel that fast with dead-accuracy, call much of you fleet's ships dead. Nothing can avoid light. And, though w'ere (UNSC) larger ship size-wise, we have that many more boarding ships, bombers and fighters. One Halcyon coul kill three Normandy's in just size. Fire-power? Yup, Normandy's dead in space.

  • 12.05.2010 3:10 PM PDT
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The MAC is fired from the cannon at one third the speed of light.

No, MACs fire a round that travels 30 km/s at most. Or .01% the speed of light. And that should be treated as high end, given that Halo 2 has MAC rounds traveling at just over 12 km/s, Halo Reach at under 5 km/s, and CFTU at 17 km/s.

[Edited on 12.05.2010 3:30 PM PST]

  • 12.05.2010 3:29 PM PDT


Posted by: Venator82

Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: Plasma3150

Posted by: Vercetti24
Just look at the car chase in the Liar of the Shadow Broker, it a giant chaos! Flying cars are one of the most ridiculous ideas of Sci-Fi. But still I saw ME fanboys claiming that ME is more realstic cuz it has flying cars, they have such a childish view of Sci-Fi...
I know, right? Yet, it is a standard for what people consider "Futuristic".

Some people think Sci-Fi can only be realstic is it has alot of aliens, most are humanoid of course, energy weapons and flying cars...

Seriously, ME fanboys still fail to see why UNSC still uses coventional weapons when I explain them that there was no need for anything better, UNSC was concentarting on expansion of their empire and why bother with some expansive lasers while bullets are enough?


Thank you!! I love ME and I still know Halo is more realistic than almost every other sci-fi with extrasolar plot elements.
And yeah, you're right about the laser/bullet thing.

cost of 1 Spartan Laser = cost of 129 Assault Rifles

And I also dislike how all the aliens in ME look and act like humans. :P Halo is even pushing it when it comes to realistic, non-human looking aliens.

I seriously cannot remember any other Sci-Fi that is more realstic then Halo...
Actually bullets were more effective since UNSC never faced shields before and we know that bullets are more effective on unshielded targets, so they only reason why they would switch to laser weaponry (which they could've developed if they concentrated on military tech) would be to please the immature Marines so they can yell "IMMA FIRIN MAH LAZOR!!!!!" the entire time xD
They are not many FPS games that have a in-universe explanation why the main character walks around with his weapon up the entire time...

It reminds me of that Rear Admiral from ME1 and his whining about the Normandy being an overpriced tin can and that they could buy eezo cores for 12.000 fighters, of course I told him to frak off.

While humans self do not act like humans, aliens have all traits a real human has, they are enough humans in Me that lack that...
The fact the Alliance allows the aliens to treat them like trash is already enough...

There's one thing that I still don't understand about ME, where's the governemt funded human military?

  • 12.05.2010 3:29 PM PDT


Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Good job explaining why the UNSC makes the worste tech ever, when they make technology that surpasses Mass Effect's universe in almost every imaginable facet save for shields (which they had anyway so that doesn't matter)

But when UNSC menages to reverse engineer Covenant ship reactors this will be gone too, since the only thing UNSC lacks to install shields on their ships is something with eniuygh power for them and Halo's shields are superior to ME since they stop everything you trhow at them, not just fast moving kinetic energy...

Can you not see you are a blind fanboy much like the Covenant and how they were blind theologists? The irony in your post is laughable. You literally proved how wrong you are by stating things that were blatantly wrong and yet defending them as fact.
I love this part, and I doubt h will see that since it requires understanding of the Haloverse...

The ME universe would get ripped to absolute indescribable shreds by Halo's. If the Covenant Seperatists decided to show up, a single Supercarrier could wreck everything ME tries to throw at it. The only imaginable thing that could bring down the Supercarrier's shields would be a nuclear bomb ranging in the megatons, and that's just for the shields.
I actually think you will need gigaton yields to bring its shields down, hell I wouldn't be suprised if it survived a SMAC shot.


You realize this, that ME can't win, so you went on to try and take stabs at how unrealistc Halo is and yet you have the God-Element that can make magic happen and you try to tell us about realism?
This is something that always makes me lol, just look around the internets, ME fanboys are the one that will always compare everything to RL and claim how realstic their universe is...
Flipyap has something ton say about that.

I once saw an RPG Elitsts/ME fanboy comparing ME and Halo games and saying that Halo sucks because you shoot stuff all the time...
Wow, what a big frakking suprise, YOU SHOOT STUFF IN A FPS!

It's also funny how RPG Elitsts always deny the fact that ME2 plays like GoW is space with space magic...

ME had potential to be a really good universe, but Bioware had to put magic in it to appeal to their fanbase, but they still overdid the eezo crap. Everything runs on eezo: guns, ships, flying cars (one of the most ridiculous Sci-Fi ideas btw), biotics etc. Even the godamn Reapers run on eezo (well its logical since its their tech)...
Did you knew ME has so many cliches that on TV tropes the ME trope pages had to be split in two since the site couldn't handle it? Just look at it, its ridiculous!

While I love the ME games, the universe self does not really interest me, since its just another Space Opera...

Funfact: Guess who is writing the next ME novel...
THE GREAT WILLIAM C. DIETZ!!!!!!


wait the Protheans sacrificed their lives to foil the Reapers plans?

That is -blam!- ing straight out of Halo! I don't care if Halo's Forerunner killing themselves for the greater good isn't original itself, but who do you think brought that concept back up into popularity?

  • 12.05.2010 3:35 PM PDT


Posted by: opogjijijp
The MAC is fired from the cannon at one third the speed of light.

No, MACs fire a round that travels 30 km/s at most. Or .01% the speed of light. And that should be treated as high end, given that Halo 2 has MAC rounds traveling at just over 12 km/s, Halo Reach at under 5 km/s, and CFTU at 17 km/s.

Different MAC cannons, I would assume their speed is different since bigger ships can generate more power (just a speculation, not using it as an argument), but correct me if I'm wrong didn't the new TFoR state they move at 30km/s? And the Reach in-atmosphere MAC was well, in-atmosphere and I'm pretty sure it wasn't fired at full charge since then there would be no spire left...

I think the previous poster meant the Super MACs which do fire a 3000 ton ferric-tungsten slug at 4% speed of light every five seconds, I wonder if UNSC ever tried to put a SMAC on a Supercarrier...

  • 12.05.2010 3:39 PM PDT


Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: opogjijijp
The MAC is fired from the cannon at one third the speed of light.

No, MACs fire a round that travels 30 km/s at most. Or .01% the speed of light. And that should be treated as high end, given that Halo 2 has MAC rounds traveling at just over 12 km/s, Halo Reach at under 5 km/s, and CFTU at 17 km/s.

Different MAC cannons, I would assume their speed is different since bigger ships can generate more power (just a speculation, not using it as an argument), but correct me if I'm wrong didn't the new TFoR state they move at 30km/s? And the Reach in-atmosphere MAC was well, in-atmosphere and I'm pretty sure it wasn't fired at full charge since then there would be no spire left...

I think the previous poster meant the Super MACs which do fire a 3000 ton ferric-tungsten slug at 4% speed of light every five seconds, I wonder if UNSC ever tried to put a SMAC on a Supercarrier...


sounds simple really, just put an engine on the SMAC, deck it out in armor, and you've hot a mobile SMAC!

  • 12.05.2010 3:41 PM PDT


Posted by: Vercetti24
we know that bullets are more effective on unshielded targets...
Actually, Plasma Weaponry would do more damage then bullets.

They sacrifice penetration for more collateral damage.

Not to mention that a lowly Plasma Pistol should melt through a Scorpions armor if either shot enough times or overcharged.

[Edited on 12.05.2010 3:48 PM PST]

  • 12.05.2010 3:47 PM PDT


Posted by: ROBERTO jh

Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Good job explaining why the UNSC makes the worste tech ever, when they make technology that surpasses Mass Effect's universe in almost every imaginable facet save for shields (which they had anyway so that doesn't matter)

But when UNSC menages to reverse engineer Covenant ship reactors this will be gone too, since the only thing UNSC lacks to install shields on their ships is something with eniuygh power for them and Halo's shields are superior to ME since they stop everything you trhow at them, not just fast moving kinetic energy...

Can you not see you are a blind fanboy much like the Covenant and how they were blind theologists? The irony in your post is laughable. You literally proved how wrong you are by stating things that were blatantly wrong and yet defending them as fact.
I love this part, and I doubt h will see that since it requires understanding of the Haloverse...

The ME universe would get ripped to absolute indescribable shreds by Halo's. If the Covenant Seperatists decided to show up, a single Supercarrier could wreck everything ME tries to throw at it. The only imaginable thing that could bring down the Supercarrier's shields would be a nuclear bomb ranging in the megatons, and that's just for the shields.
I actually think you will need gigaton yields to bring its shields down, hell I wouldn't be suprised if it survived a SMAC shot.


You realize this, that ME can't win, so you went on to try and take stabs at how unrealistc Halo is and yet you have the God-Element that can make magic happen and you try to tell us about realism?
This is something that always makes me lol, just look around the internets, ME fanboys are the one that will always compare everything to RL and claim how realstic their universe is...
Flipyap has something ton say about that.

I once saw an RPG Elitsts/ME fanboy comparing ME and Halo games and saying that Halo sucks because you shoot stuff all the time...
Wow, what a big frakking suprise, YOU SHOOT STUFF IN A FPS!

It's also funny how RPG Elitsts always deny the fact that ME2 plays like GoW is space with space magic...

ME had potential to be a really good universe, but Bioware had to put magic in it to appeal to their fanbase, but they still overdid the eezo crap. Everything runs on eezo: guns, ships, flying cars (one of the most ridiculous Sci-Fi ideas btw), biotics etc. Even the godamn Reapers run on eezo (well its logical since its their tech)...
Did you knew ME has so many cliches that on TV tropes the ME trope pages had to be split in two since the site couldn't handle it? Just look at it, its ridiculous!

While I love the ME games, the universe self does not really interest me, since its just another Space Opera...

Funfact: Guess who is writing the next ME novel...
THE GREAT WILLIAM C. DIETZ!!!!!!


wait the Protheans sacrificed their lives to foil the Reapers plans?

That is -blam!- ing straight out of Halo! I don't care if Halo's Forerunner killing themselves for the greater good isn't original itself, but who do you think brought that concept back up into popularity?


A group of Protheans survived the great pwnage of the Reapers by being stasis for a couple hunderd years till the Reapers were done (took 'em a while) on a top secret research site on Ilos. They used their secret project which was a mini Mass Relay to return to the Citadel and reprogrammed the keepers so the normal REaper plan wouldn't work.
Watch this for the full story about that

  • 12.05.2010 3:49 PM PDT


Posted by: Plasma3150

Posted by: Vercetti24
we know that bullets are more effective on unshielded targets...
Actually, Plasma Weaponry would do more damage then bullets.

They sacrifice penetration for more collateral damage.

Not to mention that a lowly Plasma Pistol should melt through a Scorpions armor if either shot enough times or overcharged.

What I actually meant is that bullets kill faster, should've said it better.

  • 12.05.2010 3:53 PM PDT


Posted by: ROBERTO jh
sounds simple really, just put an engine on the SMAC, deck it out in armor, and you've hot a mobile SMAC!

Well that is also the design of the UNSC frigate...
But a SMAC requires much more power and has huge reciol which is countered by the thrusters on the opposite side of the SMAC.
A Supercarrier should be able to carry one since its engines should easily counter the recoil and you should be able to fit more fusion reactors to power the SMAC, but still it would probably have a slower RoF.

  • 12.05.2010 3:58 PM PDT

I don't care. I really don't.


Posted by: Vercetti24

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
sounds simple really, just put an engine on the SMAC, deck it out in armor, and you've hot a mobile SMAC!

Well that is also the design of the UNSC frigate...
But a SMAC requires much more power and has huge reciol which is countered by the thrusters on the opposite side of the SMAC.
A Supercarrier should be able to carry one since its engines should easily counter the recoil and you should be able to fit more fusion reactors to power the SMAC, but still it would probably have a slower RoF.


Actually it would be easier since normally an SMAC has nothing to keep it from recoiling tremendously besides the stations mass and some small clusters of jets, whereas if you stick proper fusion powered engines and give it forward momentum, there would be less recoil and so a higher RoF while keeping the accuracy.

Which means the Citadel fleet just pissed their pants.

[Edited on 12.05.2010 4:23 PM PST]

  • 12.05.2010 4:23 PM PDT


Posted by: Venator82

Actually it would be easier since normally an SMAC has nothing to keep it from recoiling tremendously besides the stations mass and some small clusters of jets, whereas if you stick proper fusion powered engines and give it forward momentum, there would be less recoil and so a higher RoF while keeping the accuracy.

Which means the Citadel fleet just pissed their pants.


Its not really about the reciol, but about power. Orbital Defense Generators are not tiny things, however Reach had 7 of them to power 20 SMACs, so if you would be able to fit in one in Supercarrier then it should have a higher RoF, but you can also use a smaller one made onl for one so you can store more ammo or couple extra Longswords...

They already pissed in their pants when they saw a smart AI...


  • 12.05.2010 4:39 PM PDT

Bunch of Turian fighters with Thantax cannons? pfft bye-bye covenant. Besides Mass Effect has Shepard. Shepard > Master cheif, cause he can get any chick in the galaxy.

  • 12.05.2010 4:54 PM PDT

I don't care. I really don't.


Posted by: oXI Alarei IXo
Bunch of Turian fighters with Thantax cannons? pfft bye-bye covenant. Besides Mass Effect has Shepard. Shepard > Master cheif, cause he can get any chick in the galaxy.


First, it's a Thanax cannon, which is actually not that powerful (still kiloton range) and Master Cheif hasn't tried. Plus, how's womanizing skills going to help in a war?

Shepard: You're a nice looking lady. Wanna go out?
Elite: Die heretic!!!
*Shepard gets sliced in half*

  • 12.05.2010 5:20 PM PDT

RIP - The Rev: February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009
RIP - Mitch Lucker: October 20, 1984 - November 1, 2012
RIP - Dimebag Darrell: August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004
RIP - Ronny James Dio: July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

Posted by: Venator82

Posted by: oXI Alarei IXo
Bunch of Turian fighters with Thantax cannons? pfft bye-bye covenant. Besides Mass Effect has Shepard. Shepard > Master cheif, cause he can get any chick in the galaxy.


First, it's a Thanax cannon, which is actually not that powerful (still kiloton range) and Master Cheif hasn't tried. Plus, how's womanizing skills going to help in a war?

Shepard: You're a nice looking lady. Wanna go out?
Elite: Die heretic!!!
*Shepard gets sliced in half*


Plus the Covenants weapon range is more than that of the other fleet. Shielding is also a major help, seeing as the Covvies ships don't die easily (MAC) and they are faster than the others. Their technology is also a help.

  • 12.05.2010 7:14 PM PDT


Posted by: oXI Alarei IXo
Bunch of Turian fighters with Thantax cannons? pfft bye-bye covenant. Besides Mass Effect has Shepard. Shepard > Master cheif, cause he can get any chick in the galaxy.

Funny how RPG Elitsts on BSN always call the Halo fanbase a bunch of 5 year old retards, which side if this discussion had the largest amount of delusional fanboys again?

Alteast get the name right, its THANIX. A Thanix cannon is slow and frakking weak since it only rivals a cruiser's power and their guns are much weaker then those 38 kilotons. Cruisers are much smaller then Dreadnoughts, which means they have smaller main guns and that measn weaker guns.

Funny how Shepard is not even a member of the Citadel forces anymore and Renegade Shepard would support UNSC since they are more like him.
In the eyes of ME fanboys everything can be used as an argument in favor of their universe. Once I saw Me fanboys saying that Shepard is much better then MC since he died and came back to life... Since when was dying a good thing? It kinda means you have failed...
I wonder if this guy even realzies that MC could've had any woman he wanted, he just isn't interested, since the sex drive is supressed in Spartans so unlike Shepard they wouldn't want to hump everything that moves...

Oh and Shepard can't get any women he wants, Samara will always reject you, no matter what you do...

  • 12.06.2010 6:11 AM PDT

Posted by: Swiftkillswitch3
Plus the Covenants weapon range is more than that of the other fleet. Shielding is also a major help, seeing as the Covvies ships don't die easily (MAC) and they are faster than the others. Their technology is also a help.

Covenant Energy Projectors, which will decimate everything in ME with one hit, it so great that kinetic barriers don't work against energy weapons and ME ships are all lightly armored and Pulse Lasers, light ship-to-ship weapons that are mainly used as pont defense guns, both travel with light speed.
The effective range of the energy projector is 100.000km and bigger Covie ships have more then one...

Covenant ship armor can already resist MAC hits and ME is not capable of firing with that amount of power...

The faith of ME ships, Reapers included

  • 12.06.2010 6:21 AM PDT

Join the best group of all time Last Refuge!

Posted by: KidWitPotential
ya know, im proud to be an inverted player, its like we're a rare breed or something


Do NOT send me Recruitment Letters, doing so will get you blocked faster than you can say "Huh?"

Mass Effect. i mean come on they kicked a Reapers ass they could demolish the UNSC. ME has better tech and more experince with it. The only thing that might make UNSC stand a chance is the fact that they have unshackled smart A.I.

Edit: -blam!- take it back this thread is bad for my health.

[Edited on 12.06.2010 7:35 AM PST]

  • 12.06.2010 7:31 AM PDT

"Undoubtedly this is the heretic's doing!"

Good lord I've never seen such a nerd debate over two game's universes. That's not to say I haven't been enjoying it as it's all quite interesting.

I love both ME and Halo but I believe I see why Halo may come out on top. As a matter of fact, reading these responses and such makes me want to go back and play ME1 to start a new character there, finish it, then transfer them to ME2 with moar pro Humanity values. :D

  • 12.06.2010 8:12 AM PDT

wow wow wow... make this fair guys... unsc after the war with the covy have finished and they are all buddie like with the elites (the brute war has ended)

then its unsc and elites hands down...

otherwise it unsc by a tinny amount

  • 12.06.2010 10:10 AM PDT