Unggoy combat harness

The Unggoy combat harness is a type of body armor and environmental suit issued to the Covenant's Unggoy warriors. It provides basic protection from hostile fire and the elements and is also equipped with a breathing apparatus for the Unggoy.

Breathing apparatus
The gas is stored in extremely cold tanks inside the suit, and is provided to the user through a breathing mask that covers over half of the alien's head. The backpack attached to a Grunt's back contains a methane tank. Attached to every Grunt's wrist is a readout (measured in Covenant units) of the amount of methane left in the Grunt's pack. When the tank gets low, a resupply of methane must be found quickly or the Grunt will suffocate. The suit also displays the color of the Grunt's rank. The breathing mask of the Unggoy also makes speech difficult for them, as it muffles their words.

Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction has altered the Unggoy combat harness. Unggoy Storms have had the standard rebreather replaced with a nose-placed rebreather resembling the diving apparatuses used on Balaho.

Defense
In addition to its life support role, it is equipped with armor. This armor can withstand limited amounts of fire, especially from energy weapons. The M6D magnum is capable of easily cracking through the armor and is considered by some to be the standard weapon for such actions. The armor piercing rounds of the MA5 series are also potent weapons against the harness. As well as defending against projectiles and plasma, it prevents a limited amount of fall damage to its user, like its Sangheili counterpart. Despite this, most variants are vastly inferior to the other types of armor adorned and used by the Covenant, no doubt due to the costs required to produce the suits for the extremely large population of Unggoy soldiers. Some variants are also equipped with helmets, active camouflage, a methane-filled breathing apparatus, methane fueled thrusters, and even energy shielding.

Types
Note: Most of the labels in the following list are descriptive rather than official.

Point tank: This variant of harness is used by Unggoy of nearly all ranks and roles. Notable ranks and roles to use this harness are Unggoy Minor, Unggoy Major, Unggoy Ultra, Unggoy Heavy, and Special Operations Unggoy.

Trivia

 * In Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach the methane mask can be knocked off. However the Grunt will continue fighting despite its sudden lack of a methane source.
 * There appears to be no visible way for the methane to reach the Grunt's mouth, since the mask and the air tank are completely unconnected. It has been theorized that the methane is transported to the mask through slipspace, which has been hinted to be used in smaller Covenant devices such as in their weaponry.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: Cole Protocol
 * Halo Wars: Genesis
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * Prototype
 * Homecoming
 * Origins
 * The Package
 * The Duel
 * The Babysitter


 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Dirt
 * Headhunters
 * Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian
 * The Return
 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Covenant
 * Invasion
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Shadow of Intent
 * Halo: Ground Command
 * Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
 * Halo Wars 2