Sangheili Ultra

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Ultra Elite is the highest Covenant Sangheili regular rank.

Role
The standard Sangheili Ultras command specific operations and are the Covenant's equivalent to field officers (possibly along with Elite Majors). They are directly subordinate to Zealots, who command fleets and armies.

They are used on high-priority missions, such as defending the Scarab that was deployed in New Mombasa and during the battle in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter.

Special Operations Commander
Thus far, Rtas 'Vadum is the only known officer holding this title. As the name implies, a Spec Ops Commander commands a troupe of Special Operations Elites. It is generally thought that only one Sangheili can hold this position at a time (similar to the human rank of Sergeant Major); thus, the Spec Ops Commander would be in command of the entire Special Operations Forces of the Covenant, a very lofty position that most likely surpasses that of many Zealots (i.e. Ship Masters, though probably not Fleet Masters or any Sangheili of even higher rank). This explains the unique armor of a Spec Ops Commander - a combination of a Combat Harness and Assault Harness, colored white with silver trimmings - clearly placing the Commander above normal Ultras but below the higher-ranking Zealots, who wear golden armor.

Combat
Like their Zealot superiors, the Ultras are extremely skilled warriors. They possess extra-strong energy shields that can withstand several times as much damage as those possessed by regular Elites, and they can survive noticeably more physical damage as well (having roughly three times as much health as a standard Elite), although they are still vulnerable to headshots while unshielded. An Ultra Elite's shield is twice as strong as that of a Major Domo, and three times as strong as that of a Minor Domo (making it equivalent to an Overshield, or the shields possessed by Zealots with Energy Swords in Halo: Combat Evolved). On the Heroic difficulty, their shield will only be depleted after a full 60-round magazine of SMG fire, almost two dozen Covenant Carbine shots, or more than 18 Plasma Rifle bolts. Additionally, their energy shields recharge much more quickly than lower ranking Elites' and even those of the Master Chief.

They often fight with heavy or dual-wielded weapons. Most also carry Energy Swords as their secondary weapon; when enemies get too close or deplete their shield, the Ultra lets out a war cry, drop their currently wielded weapon, and pull the sword out for close combat. A good tactic for fighting Ultra's would be to get close to one, and allow it to pull out an energy sword. When the Ultra takes a swing, side step, and assasinate him, resulting in an instant kill. This is the quickest and most effecient way of dispatching sword wielding elites, or and elite in close quarters combat (one could simply chain beat down, as one melee stuns them, but it takes more time), and is especially good against Ultra's, since the player would not have to deal with its very strong energy shields. The Ultras are able to continue in sustained heavy combat long after most Elite warriors' shields would have been depleted. Ultras, along with Councilors and Zealots, are the only Elites capable of surviving a full Shotgun blast or a Plasma Grenade stick during gameplay.

Appearances
Several Ultra Elite corpses were seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, presumably killed in combat with the Flood, but do not appear in battle until Halo 2, first encountered by the Master Chief while sabotaging a Scarab. However, even in Halo 2, they are infrequent in number. They do not make any live appearances in Halo 3 nor in Halo 3: ODST, but several corpses can be encountered, notably on the Halo 3 level Floodgate and the Halo 3: ODST mission Mombasa Streets. In Halo: Reach, Ultras are encountered in the game's fourth mission, Long Night of Solace. Three are seen dropping from Orbital Insertion Pods, with one Minor and one Officer, in the early parts of the level.

Trivia

 * Rtas 'Vadum is the only Ultra featured that does not have black/steel as his secondary armor color. This may hint that secondary colors play an important role in an Elite's armor, much like modern day function badges play on military uniforms. Black may hint at infantry or ground combat positions while white, as in Rtas' case, may hint at Special Operations. Alternatively, it may imply that Rtas is of a slightly higher rank (as with the relation with Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel) or position (as with the relation with a Sergeant Major and a Command Sergeant Major) than a normal Ultra. It also may just serve as a means to differentiate him from normal Ultras, similar to the way red armor differentiates Elite Majors from the blue-armored Elite Minors.
 * Since Major Domos are called Half-Commanders, it is possible that Ultras are simply called Commanders. It is possible, and perhaps implied, that Elite Ultras are also given the title of Ship Master. While an Ultra would probably not be the Ship Master of a capital ship such as a gargantuan Assault Carrier, an Ultra may be given command of a lighter starship, such as a Stealth Ship, a Covenant Frigate, or a CCS-class battlecruiser. Further evidence of this might be when the character Rtas 'Vadumee in Halo 2, The Great Journey, remarks, "I'm going to take the cruiser back.", referring to a CCS-class Battlecruiser in the distance. If he intended to take and then hold the ship from the Covenant Separatists, then one could argue that he most likely already had the authority of rank to command such a ship. However, this is only speculation, as 'Vadum may have intended to hand control of the ship over to a higher ranking Sangheili once he'd secured it. Still, given the importance of Ultras in ground operations, the possibility of them being Ship Masters should not be taken lightly.
 * Given what is played out in both Halo: CE and Halo 2, an Ultra seems to perform the same duties and be just as important as a senior field officer. If this is true, the Ultras are the Covenant's version of UNSC Lieutenant Colonels/Colonels and Commanders/Captains.
 * In Halo: Reach multiplayer, the Ultra Combat Harness will be available after a player reaches the rank of Warrant Officer.
 * In Halo: Reach, Ultras seem to have what appears to be an upside-down Marathon symbol on the front on their helmet.