Brute Captain

The Jiralhanae Captain sports more defenses than the standard Jiralhanae 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 Jiralhanae Captain.

Halo 2 and Halo 3
The safest option is to use the beam rifle from long range, although it takes several headshots to penetrate the thick helmet and skull of the Jiralhanae Captain, although the player may choose to resort to the magnum, Covenant carbine, or battle rifle, those three weapons are effective against Jiralhanae Captains. At close range the energy sword and the shotgun are recommended. A preferable tactic when approaching any Jiralhanae 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 Jiralhanae Captain (on any difficulty) with efficiency (strictly Halo 3).

During the Great Schism, some Jiralhanae Captains even used human-made shotguns at times.

They are the only Jiralhanae that when killed can cause Unggoy to go kamikaze.

Captain vs. Bodyguard
In Halo 3, Jiralhanae Captains and the common Jiralhanae Bodyguard look similar, (especially in dim lighting), but there are slight differences in their armor color. The Jiralhanae Captains have a violet tinge to the armor, but the Bodyguards have a more indigo color. Furthermore, Jiralhanae Captains power armor is more durable than that of Bodyguards. It can be difficult to tell in the heat of combat and due to the fact that the armor shape is identical for both.

Halo Infinite
In Halo Infinite, Banished Captains will fire their Ravagers in an arc, allowing them to hit the player from far away and even when behind cover. Captains with Hydras or rocket launchers will fire straight at the player. Hydra-equipped captains will utilize the lock-on feature at higher difficulties. Captains have a jetpack that allows them maneuver around the battlefield and gain an elevated position over the player. Shooting the jetpack will destroy it. The Captain's helmet can absorb multiple shots before falling off, although it is still faster than relying on body shots.

Jiralhanae Captains within the Banished have been known to utilize Veporokk Workshop Ravagers, M41 SPNKRs, and MLRS-2 Hydras.