Sangheili Zealot

A Zealot is a rank specifically for the Sangheili, with few known exceptions. The Councilors are above the Zealots, but these are more skilled in combat and take a political role. However, Zealot is also a very generic term for an Elite with official command responsibilities. Zealots hold the command offices of Supreme Commander, Fleet Master, Ship Master and Field Master.

While some Zealots are strictly relegated to non-combat Fleet or Field Command posts, they sometimes operate on the front lines and are greatly experienced and skillful at combat, having killed "countless" enemies of the Covenant before attaining their post.

Combat
Zealots are significantly challenging to fight than other Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots are known to wield Energy Swords and Plasma Rifles. They are radically tougher than regular Elites as they shoot faster and tend to actually pursue, hunt and kill their target, rather than shoot at the closest one. They also have shields that are twice as strong as those of a Major Elite. They are much faster than lower Elites and can jump rather far. They are also far harder to hit and they duck behind obstacles to avoid fire. When found with Energy Swords they are highly dangerous and should be dealt with quickly. They are very powerful, smart and are a dangerous force to be reckoned with.

The best way to deal with a Zealot is at a longer range, as they almost always wield swords. Also, due to their strong shields, it is advisable to use heavy weapons, such as the sniper rifle and rocket launcher, if they are available. The M6D pistol is only moderately effective, taking 16 headshots to kill a fully-shielded Zealot on Normal difficulty. If you are forced into close-quarters combat with a Zealot, you should use a shotgun. If a Shotgun is not present, dodge the attack by jumping over him or moving very quickly to the left or right before he hits you. If you are quick enough, turn around swiftly and melee him while he is looking away, melee attacks to the back will always result in an instant kill.

However, the player must exercise extreme caution and have very good timing, as it takes several blasts to kill a Zealot, and they can run faster than you can backpedal. The plasma pistol is also effective, as it can completely disable their shields with a single overcharged shot. Like any other Elite, a Zealot will be briefly stunned after the overcharged shot disables their shields. The player should use this opportunity to quickly switch to another weapon, preferably one capable of making headshots (e.g. the M6D), and finish off the Zealot. Finally, another tactic is to stick the Zealot with a plasma grenade while it is charging, but make sure you have cover or he will explode near you, killing you both if your too close.

In Halo 2, they do not use Overshields and their shields are just a little bit stronger than 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, so the player should keep their distance. 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. If, as the Arbiter, you give them another weapon, they will not fire it; instead, they will use it as a makeshift melee weapon. Another fact that should be known is that Zealots will never, under any circumstances, ride in or drive a vehicle (If you try 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 following you, once you keep going.

In Halo: Combat Evolved Zealots had a "flaw" that made killing one slightly easier. It would do some form of roaring animation (similar to the Elite berserking 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.

Zealot Titles
Because "Zealot" is the highest military grade for a Sangheili with the exception of the Arbiter, though there appears to be a variety of rank titles for Zealots, and some Zealots are subservient to others. Some of the known titles include:


 * Supreme Commander: These are the highest known titles for a Zealot Sangheili. Supreme Commanders are in charge of entire fleets of starships, as well as all ground forces within those fleets. The only known Supreme Commander was the Arbiter, being in charge of the Fleet of Particular Justice. It is not yet clear why Supreme Commanders are Zealots, as the Arbiter was shown at alternating times with ornate purple armor or the armor of a Zealot. This may be nothing more than a ceremonial position aboard their flagship or an artistic touch to show how high of a rank Supreme Commander really is. You can compare a Supreme Commander with a real life 'admiral of the fleet'.


 * Fleet Master and also, possibly another name for De Facto Commander: This rank normally acts as the normal Ship Master and controls only one ship, but when a Fleet needs to do an special objective, the Fleet Master acts as the commander for the ships participating in that objective (normally called Task Force). Voro Nar 'Mantakree was a Fleet Master/De Facto Commander and was in charge of leading a task force to Onyx to pursue the Bloodied Spirit. You could compare this rank with a real life 'vice admiral' or 'admiral'.


 * Ship Master: This rank is equivalent to the UNSC Navy's Captain rank. Ship Masters command Starships within the Covenant, but they still fall under the command of their Fleet's Supreme Commander and De Facto commander/fleet master. An example of this is Orna 'Fulsamee, who was the ship master of an unknown destroyer. Many believe that Orna Fulsamee commandeered a CCS-class Battlecruiser, though he actually commands a destroyer. It mentioned it at the opening pages of Halo: The Flood. The title of Ship Master is not exclusive only to the Zealot rank. This is supported by the fact that before the Battle of Voi, the Covenant's Special Operations Commander, Rtas 'Vadum was promoted to the Shipmaster of the Assault Carrier, Shadow of Intent. He seemed to still be an Ultra Sangheili. This is the best compared with a real life 'commander', 'captain' or even a 'rear admiral'.


 * Field Master: This rank is equivalent to the UNSC Army and Marine Corps numerous General ranks. Field Masters command entire armies, legion strength or greater. Unlike Human Generals, Field Masters take a much more active role in combat, as in charging into the battle with their troops rather than giving orders from a HQ miles away from the ongoing conflict. They are in charge of all warriors of any race within that army, as well as all armor, air support and material utilized by that army. An example of this is Noga 'Putumee, who led the Covenant forces against Human forces during the Battle of Installation 04.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealot Elites appear with about the same frequency on all settings, although their strength on each difficulty increases significantly in a direct proportion with the difficulty level. They are difficult to kill on Normal mode and even more so on Legendary. In the stage Truth and Reconciliation on Legendary difficulty, Zealots will replace the usual Stealth Elites encountered in the ship's Gravity Lift bay.

On Legendary, they always have highly enhanced energy shields (three times more powerful than standard MJOLNIR armour shields) and most also wield Energy Swords (however, on at least three occasions in the level Two Betrayals and once in Assault on the Control Room, Zealots are seen with Plasma Rifles also). Zealots are also almost always accompanied by a vanguard group of lesser ranking Elites. The ranks of these Elites vary depending on the difficulty, with Minor Elites making up the vanguard on Normal mode and Major Elites and Stealth Elites making up the vanguard on Heroic and Legendary. However, one Zealot in Two Betrayals led a squad of about six Jackals, and two other Elites.

Appearances:
 * Truth and Reconciliation - On Legendary, 4-6 Zealots will spawn in the grav lift bay, leading the groups of attacking Covenant, on easy and other difficulties, there will be one at the control center or bridge.
 * The Silent Cartographer - Behind the locked door that you are supposed to open.
 * Assault on the Control Room - The first Zealot is on the first bridge, the second is in a room commanding two other Elites and the third is near the Control Room
 * Two Betrayals - Zealots are scattered all throughout the level, about 7-10 of them in all.

Halo 2


Zealots are always seen with groups of subordinate Elites, as in Halo: Combat Evolved. They have strong energy shielding, roughly equivalent to that of Elite Majors, and will continually charge their enemies until killed. It appears their stronger shields were traded to the Ultra and Councilor Elites. They also exclusively wield Energy Swords, unless given a different weapon by an allied player. Furthermore, Zealots are usually in unusual positions (see below).

The following is a list of Zealot appearances in Halo 2.


 * The Heretic -The Arbiter is the Zealot in this appearance. He is convicted of heresy and is being sentenced to be stripped of his Zealot rank.
 * Cairo Station (Legendary only) - In Hangar B-01 (the second Hangar Bay), a Zealot armed with an Energy Sword along with 2 Ultra Elites lead the fifth Covenant wave out of the boarding craft to fight the player-controlled Master Chief.
 * Outskirts (Legendary only) - At a point in the level where a Covenant Phantom dropship approaches and drops off troops, it will drop one Covenant Zealot off, along with the rest of the units. The Zealot will then normally charge toward and attack the player and any remaining Marines. Another example is a section of the same level near the Hotel Zanzibar, after Sniper Alley. There is always a Zealot in the half collapsed building, which will jump down and attack if the player walks down the streets near it.
 * Metropolis (Legendary only) - As one gets to the service tunnel at the end of the Highway tunnel, a sword-wielding Zealot will emerge from there.
 * Gravemind (All difficulties) - Though technically not a Zealot, the Honor Guard Councilor has the same power and skills as one (this is a result of a miscode, it was supposed to spawn as a Zealot).
 * Uprising - The Arbiter always gains one Zealot ally in the early part of the level Uprising, regardless of difficulty.
 * The Great Journey - In the final battle with Tartarus, an infinite amount of Zealots with Energy Swords will be generated to aid you, either before or during the fight. Their usefulness is limited however, as Tartarus's shield protects him from Energy Swords and melee attacks. Since these are a Zealot's primary methods of attack, the Elites simply deal no damage and are left open to a close range attack from the Fist of Rukt.

Halo 3
Zealots do not appear in Halo 3. This might be attributed to loss of life in the Separatist Covenant, for Rtas 'Vadum was the highest ranked Elite seen and he was only an Ultra. It could also be that the events of Halo 3 only include a small Elite battlegroup and that (despite the importance) a Zealot could not be bothered to come, or they simply did not appear.

Supreme Commanders

 * The Arbiter - former Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice

Fleet Masters

 * Voro Nar 'Mantakree - De facto Fleet Master of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity

Ship Masters

 * Orna 'Fulsamee - Ship Master of the Truth and Reconciliation
 * Tano 'Inanraree - Ship Master of the Incorruptible
 * Qunu - Ship Master of the Far Sight Lost

Field Masters

 * Noga 'Putumee - Field Master in the Fleet of Particular Justice

Other Known Zealots

 * Zhar - A Kig-yar security captain on the ship Minor Transgression, shown in Halo: Contact Harvest

Physical Appearance
Zealots wear distinct gold armor with a Forerunner glyph on the back, often with tan lining and their shields are (in Halo: CE) much more powerful than those of their subordinates. Their gold armor gives them away in some situations. (if you encounter a Zealot accompanied by Grunts, killing the Zealot will mean that the Grunts will abandon the fight.)

Trivia

 * The Zealots featured thus far have not had a black secondary color like lower ranking Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, they are solid gold. In Halo 2, they have a brown/tan secondary color. It is unknown if this armor is given to all Zealots or if there are variants which have black as the secondary color. Given the frequency of the featuring of Zealots seen by players, all Zealots are likely issued this color scheme.


 * The Combat Harness of a Zealot in Halo 3 is most likely gold with no secondary colors, seeing as other Elites in-game (Minors, Majors and Ultras) do not have secondary colors as well, even if there is color variation in Harness color. However this is only an assumption and should not be taken as canon.


 * In Halo 2 the color of a Zealot's armor appears to be a bright, metallic gold when you shine your flashlight on it.


 * Two definitions of Zealots are "An excessively zealous person; fanatic." and "A fervent and even militant proponent of something". Technically, this most likely refers to the Elite's over-zealousness when they were with the Covenant and how strongly they believed of the Great Journey. Fervent can either mean extremely passionately, or white-hot/glowing. This could be a reference to how Energy Swords are composed of Plasma. This could also refer to the Zealots of Israel, who were over zealous in their faith.


 * Zealots will only use Energy Swords and only occasionally Plasma Rifles as their weapons because they fight with honor. Even if you give them powerful weapons like the Fuel Rod Cannon, they will dislike it.


 * In the popular Halo machinima, Red vs Blue, there is a group of Red and Blue Spartans native to Battle Creek that are referred to as Zealots.