Hunters

Summary
Hunters, or Lekgolo by their Covenant name, are more like living tanks than anything else. Hunters stand 12' tall, though in their combat state they contract to approximately eight feet. Hunters fight with two different types of Fuel Rod Guns integrated directly into their armor. They carry an enormous and nearly-impervious metal shield made of an unknown alloy, which they sometimes use as a melee weapon.

Culture
Hunters almost never associate (or indeed even communicate) with other Covenant client races, save for the Elites. They are dismissive, scornful, and arrogant to the "lesser" Covenant races, and are utterly contemptuous of their foes. Hunters were forced into the Covenant by the superior starship technology of the Elites - on the ground they were always victorious. Faced with extinction by orbital bombardment, they joined the Covenant.

Hunters have three names: personal name, bond name, and line name. The personal name is given at birth. The line name represents the genetic heritage, being the name of the most successful Hunter of his ancestors. If a Hunter reaches a certain level of status, his offspring will have his personal name as their line name. The bond name is taken between bonded pairs, a relationship about which little is known, but it appears to be something like a lifelong mate. Bonded Hunters consider themselves brothers and are fiercely protective of each other. Examples of Hunter names include Igido Nosa Hurru, and Ogada Nosa Fasu.

Hunters are nearly never seen alone, and are very dangerous as they work in pairs.

Physiology
The Hunter is not a singular organism. The Hunter is actually composed of hundreds of small, orange, worm-like organisms that fit together to create the shape of the Hunter body. Their armor actually serves to hold the shape together, and without it it would fall apart. The worm-like beings form a singular collective consciousness with each other and act as one.

Hunters have very long spines composed of these worms, and are covered in metal armor. These spines are very sharp. Hunters have been known to impale careless Marines upon these spines when surrounded.

Combat
The easiest way to kill a Hunter is by firing a rocket directly at it. The only other way to kill a Hunter is to attack the "soft spots" around it's midsection where it's armor does not fully protect the organisms. This spot is believed to be due to the fact that a Hunter, in combat stance, contracts and hunches over, so any armor around that portion of their body would cause severe discomfort and hinder movement. However, if a Hunter is caught off guard, these regions become exposed for brief moments. If a precise shot from a 12.7mm HE round or higher caliber weapon penetrates the Hunter's body, it instantly dies. However, the Energy Sword is absolutely useless in this respect, even if it looks as though it is targetted correctly.

In Halo 2, the weakspot in the back has been made smaller. The Hunters have learnt to perform backsmashes with their shield to hurt would-be backstabbers. They also move faster, making it harder to circle around one of them as could be done in Halo: Combat Evolved. As a result, Hunters are a lot more difficult to combat in Halo 2.

Related Links

 * Fuel Rod Cannon