Sangheili General

"Victory is secured, not from the throne, but from the front lines."

- Sangheili General's mantra. General is a high Sangheili rank in the Covenant. Generals typically command large groups of infantry and vehicles during ground engagements.

Background
When the direct occupation of an enemy's territory is necessary, Sangheili Generals are one of the highest-ranking military personnel employed by the Covenant to carry out managing ground operations. Despite the Covenant's immense naval power and ability to destroy a whole planet without setting foot on its soil, they still choose to invade enemy worlds when they find reason enough to do so, such as the recovery of Forerunner artifacts. As the highest ranking personnel on the ground, generals command and personally lead soldiers into battle, and command anywhere from hundreds to thousands of soldiers. During some campaigns, multiple generals are required, each working on concert with each other to handle individual insurgencies and conflicts wherever they crop up. In addition to to serving on the ground, Generals also have naval roles, serving as shipmasters.

While they specialize in command, generals are not lightweights in combat and only achieve their rank after having survived many years of service on the frontlines. Because of this their armor is heavily augmented and their shield system is enhanced for heavy combat. Depending on the nature of a given military operation, Generals can report directly to a Zealot Field Marshal, or even a fleet's Supreme Commander.

The Covenant remnant equivalent, and successor, is the Sangheili Warrior rank.

Physical appearance
Sangheili Generals wear heavily augmented ornate golden armor with large curved helmets and somewhat bulky, angular chest and shoulder pieces. Ornamental glowing patterns run along the command helmet, shoulder pauldrons, and cuirasses. The armor provides both good protection and decent mobility.

Combat
New to Halo: Reach, Sangheili generals are the equivalent to the Brute War Chieftain. Like other high ranking members in the Covenant, Sangheili Generals tend to wield superior weaponry and tend to apply more advanced battle tactics in the field, they are also more likely to employ equipment such as armor lock. How the player approaches a General depends on the type of weapon the person is carrying. It is typically best to keep your distance from a general armed with melee weapons, as they are fast and their melee is typically deadly depleting shields in one hit on higher difficulties, or in the case of the energy sword is an instant kill. A general wielding a fuel rod gun or a plasma launcher will not fire the weapon at close range, meaning it will typically pay to use a weapon like the plasma pistol and a plasma grenade to take down a general. Heavy weapons like the fuel rod gun or the M41 rocket launcher require two direct hits in order to take down a general. If a General carries a weapon other than an energy sword, his melees will be slow enough for the player to get behind him and assassinate him. A general can survive a plasma grenade stick, and a direct hit from a Spartan laser shot. A General at full health and shields will also survive a slash from an Energy Sword on all difficulties.

Trivia

 * The Sangheili General's armor permutation is available if the player reaches the rank of Major in Halo: Reach.
 * Sangheili Generals can carry Type-52 plasma cannons, but when thrown in the air by a rocket or other explosives, they will put their arms at their sides and "glide" through the air. This is because they do not have the animation for jumping with the turret, an oversight by Bungie.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach