Phalanx

Phalanx are a type of Cabal military rank. They are similar to Legionnaires and carry big tactical shields, acting as a mobile defensive front, holding their ground or pushing forward at will. The shields they wield can withstand most conventional firearms. It is recommended that Guardians flank them, throw a grenade behind them, or shoot their exposed arm. A phalanx is otherwise exactly like a Legionnaire, except they don't jump-jet. Besides blocking attacks, Phalanx shields are dangerous in melee combat. A single hit can send Guardians flying, which will cause damage if they crash into a solid object. This is strong enough to kill Guardians on higher difficulties.

Gameplay
On their own, Phalanxes aren't particularly threatening, but that doesn't excuse them from being incredibly difficult to kill. The shield they carry covers a big portion of their body, which is only made worse by the fact that the shield is fully immune to most weapons. Occasionally, a Phalanx will plant down their shield to fire their Slug Rifle in rapid succession with a good degree of accuracy. Otherwise, it will slowly corner a Guardian until it gets into melee range, which is where a Phalanx is arguably at its most deadly, considering the fact that they have two different melee attacks. The first attack is a shield swing that is hard to dodge and does a decent amount of damage when it hits. The other melee attack is far more devastating: if within range, a Phalanx will lunge shield-first into its target; this will either outright kill the player (which happens in most cases), or deal heavy damage and send them flying into a wall, causing them to die of impact with a hard surface (which happens if the player has a high armor build). For this reason, it is recommended to dispose of a Phalanx before they get too close, preferably with a grenade or by shooting their visible body parts to stagger them and finish them off.

Armament

 * Slug Rifle and Cabal Shield (common)

Known Phalanx

 * Val Bo`ourc
 * Val Ma`aurg
 * Val Zu`uarc

Trivia

 * A phalanx is a type of Greek shield formation.
 * They bear resemblance to the Hunters of the Halo shields, as per their shared use of shields.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny