Sangheili Zealot

''Zealot redirects here. For the Halo: Reach multiplayer map, see Zealot (level).''

"The true devotee honors our name with actions, not words."

- Sangheili Zealot's mantra

Zealot is a category of high-ranking Sangheili warriors in the Covenant. Less of a rank than a philosophy, Zealots are among the most devout followers of the Covenant religion.

Background
"The Path is strict, Jora—it brooks no deviation, no remorse. We are zealots. We serve the Way. These are our orders. We do not question them."

- Thel 'Vadamee to Jora 'Konaree

Zealots are greatly experienced and unparalleled in combat skill. Equipped with advanced armor systems and equipment, they are also among the most resilient and powerful Sangheili infantry. It has been said that although most Sangheili males are trained to kill as soon as they can hold a weapon, future Zealots seem to be born with an innate desire to kill.

Unlike the majority of the Covenant's conventional military forces which fall under the authority of the Ministry of Resolution, Zealots are a separate group that reports to the Ministry of Fervent Intercession, which deploys Zealot squads during all significant engagements to locate, analyze and amass intel regarding reliquary sites, as well as to recover Forerunner artifacts. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, though it usually involves apostolic intervention by force, or in humanity's case, the eradication of a species the Covenant view as heretical. Zealots can also serve in other roles, occasionally assuming positions of command within the Covenant military. For example, as a Zealot, Thel 'Vadam served as a Shipmaster and later a Fleet Master. By 2535, he also led a small team of Zealot warriors on several missions.

The rank of Sangheili Field Marshal falls under the Zealot class. Like regular Zealots, Field Marshals are outside the chain of command of the regular Covenant military, and their orders supersede all others on the battlefield. Zealot strike teams are usually led by a Field Marshal.

Physical appearance
Though Zealot special operations teams wear maroon armor, most Zealots who serve with regular Covenant military forces appear to wear gold armor, distinguished from a General's armor by being less elaborate in design.

In Halo: Combat Evolved Zealots wear solid gold armor, a pointed helmet and shoulder pauldrons (signifying rank), blue lights running on their armor,and a Forerunner glyph on their back. Their shields are much more powerful than those of their subordinates, and wield either an Energy Sword or Plasma Rifle (They fire much faster than other Elites and with greater accuracy). In Halo 2 Zealots wear the standard armor of all Elites, with orange lights running on their armor, but this time wear gold and tan armor. Zealots do not appear in Halo 3. In Halo: Reach, the Zealot wears a more ornamental helmet, with blue lights running on their helmets and shoulder pauldrons and also a little bit on their body and thighs. Zealots have a maroon color, similar to the Field Marshal.

Known Zealots

 * Thel 'Vadam - Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice; later became the Arbiter.
 * Luro 'Taralumee - Supreme Commander of the Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence
 * Jora 'Konaree - A Zealot warrior who fought in Thel 'Vadamee's Zealot team.
 * Saal - A Zealot in Thel 'Vadamee's team.
 * Veer - One of the Zealots in 'Vadamee's team.
 * Zhar - One of the Zealots in 'Vadamee's team.
 * Thon 'Talamee - Shipmaster of the Clarity of Faith.
 * Re'gish Wamik - A Field Master during the Harvest Campaign.

Gameplay
Zealots are significantly more challenging to fight than other Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots are known to wield Energy Swords and Plasma Rifles. They are much tougher than regular Elites as they shoot faster and tend to actually pursue to hunt and kill their target, rather than just shoot at the closest one. They also have extremely strong shields that are twice as strong as those of a Major Elite, (In Halo: Combat Evolved, they can survive a rocket on Easy). They are much faster than lower ranking Elites and can jump farther as well. They are much harder to hit and they constantly duck behind obstacles to avoid fire. Zealots wielding an Energy Sword are extremely dangerous in close quarters and should be dealt with quickly and preferably while they are still reasonably far away, due to their extensive experience with melee combat. They are a powerful, smart, and very dangerous foe to be reckoned with, especially on higher difficulties.

The best way to deal with a Zealot is to either use a Plasma Grenade or to attack it from long range, as they are deadly in hand-to-hand combat because of their Energy Sword (and in Halo: Combat Evolved can kill the player with one hit from an Energy Sword in anything higher than Easy difficulty). In Halo 2, it is possible to side step and assassinate a Zealot, or any sword wielding Elite. Due to their strong shields, it is advisable to use heavy weaponry, such as the Sniper Rifle or Rocket Launcher, if they are available. The M6D pistol is only moderately effective, taking 16 head shots to kill a fully shielded Zealot on Normal difficulty. The Needler is both common and extremely effective, due to the fact that 7 rounds will kill most enemies and the weapon's large magazine.

In Halo 2, they do not use Overshields and their shields are as strong as those of a Major Elite and Special Operations Elite, but they are a lot smarter and tougher. They are still very deadly in close-quarters, however in Halo 2, their sword animation has been changed to being "more realistic" in the sense that in Halo: Combat Evolved, a sword swing had a huge area of effect, and it was impossible to dodge a swing. In Halo 2, it is possible to sidestep, and assassinate a Zealot, or any other elite with a sword. When the Zealot is swinging, quickly step to the side and behind him, than melee him, which results in an assassination, and an instant kill. This is the quickest and most effective way of dispatching Zealots, or other sword wielding Elites. It is also more risky however. Their armor without Energy Shields are much thicker (although it makes it slower) than that of Major and Minor and can sustain more damage. In addition to the tactics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, dual M6C Magnums can be very effective at close ranges so long as you stay outside of their sword's reach. Dual Needlers are also effective. Also, Zealot AI is noticeably different in Halo 2; Zealots are always found wielding Energy Swords, ceremonial weapons befitting their high rank.

Another fact that should be known is that Zealots will never, under any circumstances, ride in or drive a vehicle for religious purposes; they do not believe it is honorable to kill their enemies with vehicles instead of hand to hand combat. If a player tries to give them a chance to get in one, such as in Uprising, their animation will glitch and they will start to walk toward the vehicle and turn around, they will then keep doing this. They will continue to follow the player, however.

In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots had a "flaw" that made killing one much easier. It would do some form of "roaring" animation (similar to the Elite berserkers in Halo 2), or pointing out the player and yell. This animation makes the Zealot's body more open and gives the player a precious few seconds to snipe, fire a rocket at, or damage the shields of the Zealot. This Elite is the only Elite that will only spawn when scripted to, unlike Minors to Ultras, whose chances depend purely on difficulty.

Trivia

 * The Zealots featured thus far have not had a black or steel secondary color like lower-ranking Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, they are solid gold. In Halo 2, they have a tan secondary color.
 * Zealots will never ride or drive in a vehicle, nor will they board an enemy vehicle if one is near them.
 * The plasma rifle-wielding Zealots of Halo: Combat Evolved will not melee. This is due to the fact that they are programmed to berserk when they see you, and have no provisions to melee while in berserk mode.
 * On the Legendary difficulty in Halo: Combat Evolved, it takes two to three plasma grenades to kill a Zealot.
 * Thel 'Vadamee appeared before the Council in the golden armor of a Zealot, although he wore ceremonial armor while commanding his fleet.
 * Some Zealots in Halo 2 have glitches, including running back and forth, teleporting from one spot to the other, disappearing, and saying two things at once.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots (as with all Elites), will usually jump out of the way to avoid a grenade: when near a ledge, they will jump over and will fall to their deaths. However, on Legendary, the Zealots will sometimes charge through the blast and try to kill the player.
 * Zealots have only the shields of a Sangheili Major in Halo 2, but what they lack in shields they make up for in skill. Their armor is stronger than normal, but they can still be killed by a single headshot.
 * Zealots' gauntlets are blue in Halo: Combat Evolved, (the same color Spec Ops have), but in Halo 2, they wear the usual orange gauntlets of all other Elites.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots can deflect plasma grenades with their energy sword.
 * In Halo: Reach, there is a loadout called Zealot, which gives the player a needle rifle, a plasma pistol and two plasma grenades. There is also another loadout available only in the third phase of Invasion called "Royal Zealot." This loadout is an improved version of the standard Zealot loadout. It provides a needle rifle, a needler, and three plasma grenades, although once the player uses the third grenade, they will only be able to hold two.
 * The real-time strategy game StarCraft features a Protoss unit known as the zealot; these warriors also wear golden armor and wield powerful energy blades.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Zealot armor is available as an Armor Permutation once the player has reached the rank of Captain.
 * There are a total of 7 Zealots that appear to fight Noble Team: 2 in Winter Contingency towards the end (not counting the Field Marshal), 1 in Tip of the Spear who can be killed for an achievement, 3 in the end of The Pillar of Autumn (again not counting the Field Marshal), and 1 in the final cutscene in Lone Wolf during Noble Six's Last Stand.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Zealot encountered in the level Tip of the Spear is able to use Active Camouflage once he jumps down the gap in the floor while trying to escape. The Zealot is also able to switch from his Concussion Rifle to his Energy Sword once he is close enough to the enemy.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol