Jiralhanae Captain

The Brute Captain is a Covenant Brute (Jiralhanae) rank.

Introduction
Brute Captains are the approximate counterparts of the Sangheili Ultra rank, often leading groups of lesser Brutes, Grunts, and Kig-yar in field combat. However, their shielding is much weaker than that of a Ultra Elite, and slightly stronger than that of a Elite Minor. Their physical resistance compensates for this weakness.

Brute Captains are seasoned veteran Brutes, and are more heavily armored and heavily armed than the standard Brute warrior. They wear purple-blue armor with a silvery hue. In Halo 3, they also appear to play some sort of ceremonial rank. Brute Captains are theoretically equivalent to a UNSC Land Captain as they appear to lead a company of Brutes like UNSC Ground Captains do.

Appearances of Brute Captains in the Halo 3 campaign vary based on the difficulty played, but some appear in certain levels regardless.

Combat
Brute captains are more tactical and significantly tougher than their lesser brethren, and they will hold their ground more often than not. The armor they wear is much stronger than the standard Brute warrior and are far more effective killing machines. Their combat effectiveness, is due to more experience in the field and the use of heavy weapons.

Armor
They wear the standard Brute warrior partial body armor in Halo 2, but are shown with a small red flag extending from their back or shoulder. In Halo 3, they can be seen with full-body Power Armor with large, similarly-colored headdresses showing their rank instead of the flags.

The right shoulder-pad worn by Captains in Halo 3 is identical to the shoulder pads of regular Brute Majors and Ultras. The right shoulder, however, is more intricate, somewhat resembling that worn by Tartarus in Halo 2. Captains also wear plating on their forearms, and have heavier thigh armor than regular Brutes.
 * Violet (Captain Regular)
 * Gold (Captain Major)
 * Cyan (Captain Ultra)

Armament
In Halo 2, the standard and iconic armament of the Brute Captain is the Brute Shot and it is almost exclusively wielded by Captains. However, they will uncommonly wield Brute Plasma Rifles (in Halo 2 only) Covenant Carbines, or Shotguns at times. In Halo 3, their range of weaponry differs, and in addition to the Brute Shot, they wield both the Spiker and the Plasma Rifle.

Counters
The Brute Captain, sports more defenses than the standard Brute and is therefore more difficult to engage, especially on higher difficulty settings. Their primary tactics are to bombard an enemy at range with the high-caliber explosive projectiles from the Brute Shot and they also sport a ferocious melee attack at close range, making the options available to the player limited when encountering a Brute Captain.

The safest option is to use the Particle Beam Rifle from long range, although it takes several headshots to penetrate the thick helmet and skull of the Brute Captain, although the player may choose to resort to the M6C Magnum, Covenant Carbine, or BR55HB SR Battle Rifle, those three weapons are effective against Brute Captains. At close range the Energy Sword and the Shotgun are recommended. A preferable tactic when approaching any Brute Captain with a shotgun is to put a quick burst into their chest and quickly follow up with a beat-down to the face. This tactic can kill a Brute Captain (on any difficulty) with efficiency (strictly Halo 3). They are the only brutes that when killed can trigger a kamakazie grunt.

Brute Captain vs. Brute Bodyguard
The Brute Captains and the common Brute Bodyguard look similar, (especially in dim lighting), but there are slight differences in their Power Armor color. The Brute Captain Regulars have a violet tinge to the armor, but the bodyguards have a more indigo color. It can be difficult to tell in the heat of combat and due to the fact that the armor shape is identical for both.