Sangheili (Halo)

The Covenant Elite (also known as Sangheili, the Covenant name for the race) is a fictional race in the video games Halo and Halo 2. One of the oldest and most faithful races of the Covenant Armada, the Covenant Elite is an alien ground troop that usually wields Plasma Rifles, Carbines, Beam Rifles, Fuel Rod Cannons, Needlers, or Energy Swords.

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A Covenant Elite wields a plasma sword in Zanzibar.

Elites are the generals of the Covenant military, the longtime guards of the Prophets and the first of the races to join the Prophets in the Covenant. They stand 8' tall, although they hunch over slightly in combat, which makes them appear closer to human size. They are physically strong and capable of coordinating their units with brilliant battle tactics. They also wear armor, with the color indicating rank, and use a shielding system similar to that of the Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor. Without their shields, an Elite is about as durable as an average human marine.

Elite ranks

Their color-coded ranks, from order of highest to lowest, are:

• Councillors: Councillors are the political leaders of the Elites, and share power with the Prophets on the Covenant's High Council. Their ceremonial armor is quite distinct, a light blue color with a tall crested helmet. They are primarily encountered in the last level of the Halo 2 game, as allies of the Arbiter. However, they make previous appearances in cinematics and as corpses.

• Honor Guard: The personal bodyguards of the Prophet Hierarchs, the Honor Guard wear distinct, ceremonial red armor, with glowing orange edges. Honor Guard commanders wear the same glowing armor but with white background. They usually operate in teams of two, with one Honor Guard wielding an energy sword and another dual-wielding plasma rifles. However, in cinematics they are seen weilding double-pointed spears. They are thought to be selected at birth and to devote their lives to protecting the hierarchs.

• Gold - Zealot Commander/Supreme Commander: The Generals and Admirals of the Covenant army; commanders of battalions, ships, and fleets. Gold Elites are the some of the toughest and most skilled Elites. In combat, they are always constantly moving and seeking cover, making it difficult to maintain continuous fire on them. They also run faster than other Elites and the Master Chief, and fire in longer, more accurate bursts. Gold Elites are also equipped with overshields, allowing them to withstand considerably more damage than other Elites. Most Gold Elites fight with Plasma Energy Swords. Unlike other Elites, Gold Elites do not seem to throw any grenades, nor will they ever board a friendly vehicle. In Halo 2, the overshields on Gold Elites are gone, leaving them with only somewhat stronger than standard energy shields and their great combat skills to protect themselves in combat. However, they seem to have a somewhat higher constitution than the rest of the Elites. The current Arbiter in Halo 2 once held this rank before his defeat at Installation 04.

• White - Ultra: These are the Covenant's "colonels," only below the golden Zealots in rank. Several white Elite corpses were seen in Halo presumably killed in combat with the Flood, but they do not appear in battle until Halo 2. They command operations, unlike the Zealots who command entire fleets. Ultras commanded the anti-Heresy mission, the retrieval of the Icon, and the Scarab in the level "Metropolis". Like the Gold Elites, the Ultras are extremely skilled warriors. They also possess extra-strong energy shields that can withstand several times as much damage as those possessed by regular Elites. They often fight with heavy or dual-wielded weapons. Many also carry Plasma Energy Swords as their secondary weapon; when enemies get too close, Ultras let out a war cry, drop their currently wielded weapon and pull the sword out for close combat. They are incredibly effective fighters, able to continue in sustained heavy combat long after most elite warriors' shields would have been depleted. They are particularly effective in close quarters combat, where their stronger energy shields and Plasma Energy Sword allow them take down large numbers of enemies rapidly and easily survive. These elites are unmatched in combat.

• Black/Dark Blue - Special Ops: Covenant Special Forces that are extremely skilled fighters, sent in by the Covenant to accomplish the most dangerous and difficult of missions. Like Golds and Ultras, Black Elites are constantly on the move and never stand still or expose themselves to enemy fire. They also have superior accuracy, fire in longer bursts, and have slightly stronger shielding than regular Elites. Most notably, Black Elites are extremely skilled and accurate grenade throwers. In Halo, they are the Covenant's elite shock troops, the equivalent to the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or Helljumpers. They were assigned to eliminate all Flood on a damaged Covenant cruiser and repair it for immediate departure. They were present when the Master Chief boarded that damaged cruiser to find what was left of Captain Jacob Keyes. They were also present on the Pillar of Autumn just before the first Halo was destroyed by its reactors going critical. In Halo 2, the Arbiter's squad of Special Ops Elites is equipped with Active Camouflage, and use it when needed. In Halo 2, most Special Ops elites have a dark blue armor, showing subtly that they are no ordinary elites without drawing lots of attention a Gold, Ultra, or Red Elite would from enemies in combat. The Arbiter led a squad of dark blue Special Ops elites to crush the Guilty Spark Heresy, and they assist him in retreiving the icon.

• Silver/Brown - Stealth: These Elites are equipped with Active camouflage, making them nearly invisible to the naked eye. The camouflage fluctuates slightly when these Elites fire their weapons or are shot, but they will not become fully visible until they are killed. The drawback of the Active Camouflage is that it disables the Elite's energy shields, making Stealth Elites vulnerable to damage. In Halo 2, however, Stealth Elites are now equipped with energy shields and wear dark brown armor. They are equal in rank to the SpecOps elites, and often brandish energy swords they activate after sneaking up on an enemy. The energy swords, however, cannot be Active Camouflaged, and are easily seen.

• Bronze - Heretic: These Elites have rebelled against the Covenant and have chosen exile on the Forerunner Gas Mine suspended in Threshold's atmosphere. Their armor is totally different from the Covenant variety. The back armor is adorned with ridges and some sort of gas storage. They lack helmets altogether and instead choose to affix globes over their eyes for protection and place breathing apparatuses between their mandibles. Their shielding technology is slightly different as well as it glows purple whenever it deflects damage. They are very comparable in strength and intelligence to the Elite Majors of the Covenant.

• Red - Major: This veteran Elite soldier is the physical equal of a SPARTAN supersoldier. They are overall more agile, more accurate, and more aggressive than Blue Elites, and seldom make tactical errors in combat. A single Red Elite can hold his own against an entire squad of marines. In Halo 2, they can often be seen dual-wielding or carrying heavy weapons.

• Blue - Ranger: Some Elite Minors are issued jetpacks and flight suits to protect them from the vacuum of space. Other than their ability to traverse a third dimension via flight, they share most other qualities with the Elite Minors. Their helmets completely encase their heads.

• Blue - Minor: The most common and least experienced Elite. Blues are still skilled warriors superior to any human marine, but they are somewhat weaker than Red Elites or SPARTANs. Their energy shields are not quite as powerful, and they often make tactical errors such as standing in one place while firing, or rushing forward into enemy fire. They also fire in shorter bursts, and have somewhat less accuracy. Along with Red Elites, they often lead squads of Grunts into battle.

The Arbiter

The rank of Arbiter, in the video game Halo 2, is bestowed upon a Covenant Elite (Sangheili) by the High Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret during a time of need. The Arbiter acts as a sort of field general, going on missions for the Prophets and during incidents such as the Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion, and most recently, the threat of Heresy, he has emerged to lead the Covenant to victory. Many, especially Grunts, see the Arbiter as their Savior, and their peers consider him the "Will of the Prophets" or, in his military role, the "Blade of the Prophets". Every Arbiter was "created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis", and has been martyred in the undertaking of his momentous tasks. The corpses (or perhaps only memorials of some sort) are housed in identical caskets stacked upon each other in the great Mausoleum of the Arbiters; in the center of this room a floating pod contains the sacred armor of the Arbiter, highly decorative and fully functional despite its apparent age. The role of Arbiter is also seen as a punishement for the Elites who have done wrong in the eyes of the Prophets. They are usually sent into the missions that are the most dangerous and, to the inexperienced, would bring certain death.

Elite Culture

The Elites have a strong warrior culture like that of the ancient Japanese; they fight for the glory of combat and to uphold the Covenant Oath. Elite names with the suffix "-ee" are used to denote warriorhood.

Elites are typically promoted on the number of enemies they have killed and casualties inflicted on the opposing force, meaning that a single gold Elite may have slaughtered thousands before attaining that rank. The energy sword, an ancestral weapon, is continues to be a favourite weapon to Elite warriors.

Being respectful but authoritative commanders, Elites rarely fail to elicit a strong bond of loyalty with their troops: it was noted that Elite Arbiters suppressed the Grunt Rebellion and tamed the Hunters, and these two races remain faithful to the Elites when they are cast out of the Covenant. However, the grunts are probably faithful to them still because they have such a great fear of them.

Elite Player

In Halo 2, the Covenant Elite is now a player-controllable character in multiplayer. For understandable reasons, the active camouflage has been disabled. Because of the odd anatomy of elites, at certain angles headshots are difficult or impossible. However, the elite is a larger figure overall, and presents a more vulnerable target.

It is a common myth that the elite player model has weaker shields and moves faster than its human counterpart.