Sangheili Ranger

The Elite Ranger is a Covenant Elite rank, a specialty class like Special Operations Elites. They are suited for zero-gravity battlefields.

The Ranger corps is a Special Forces branch that conducts its operations in unusually dangerous battlegrounds, particularly the vacuum of space. Usually deployed for Zero-Gravity environments, it is they who are ordered by their superiors to seek and destroy a certain target or targets. Experts in low gravity combat; they are capable of posing a threat to ships, as well as many other types of aircraft.

Rank
While not distinctively a rank, Elite Rangers fall somewhere between Elite Minors and Special Operations. These units do not command troops but can be seen working together with one telling the others what to do, so there may be sub-ranks within this class of Sangheili. They have the shielding of Minor Elites, but the rank does not apply, and of course the lack of more powerful shielding could be due to the Energy diverted to the mounted jet-pack.

Equipment
Rangers use something between the Flight Harness and the Assault Harness, an oddity considering that the use of the Assault Harness was banned by treaties between the Prophets and the Elites at the close of the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War, giving them an advantage in combat. Once banned by the Prophets for its effectiveness, the fact that it was equipped to several Ranger units may indicate a willingness by the Elites, to ignore the Prophets' decree (or it simply could have been allowed by the Prophets as an exception, as a zero-gravity specialty troop would need an airtight helmet). Now that the Elites have left the Covenant, the armor that makes Rangers so distinctive on the battlefield is to be introduced into wider service. The Assault Harness allows activity even in exo-atmospheric environments, allowing Rangers to operate even in space for insertion, demolitions tasks and protecting their wearers in areas where Flood infection is a threat.

Rangers also use an anti-gravity pack that allows flight, giving the user unparalleled mobility through the air and also allows the user to bypass traditional defenses. They also appear to use Plasma Cannons to defend positions in space, probably because they could easily carry heavy weapons in a zero gravity environment.

In Halo: Reach, they appear to have a bluish visor, in which their face can be seen. Additionally, their armor is colored silver, instead of the original blue.

Appearances

 * Battle of the Space Station - They were first seen trying to steal the Navigation data from a ship that didn't initiate Cole Protocol.
 * Fall of Reach- They were seen at the Battle of Reach trying to destroy the planet.
 * Operation: FIRST STRIKE - They were seen at the Unyielding Hierophant trying to destroy John-117 and his team.
 * Cairo Station - Ranger Elites are used by the Covenant in an attempt to prevent Master Chief from reaching the bomb on board the Station, usually in groups of three to five. One group is stationed near the docking clamps where the In Amber Clad was docked and another tried to suppress the Spartan underneath the stations "Super" MAC gun. One of which is manning a Plasma Cannon.
 * Regret - A pair of Rangers were used in atmospheric operations against the Spartan and his small unit of Marines as they attempted to assassinate the Prophet of Regret, using gondolas to get near the group before using their thrusters to take to the air in an attempt to leverage their maneuverability.
 * Gravemind - Ranger Elites throughout High Charity aided any Covenant Separatists allies they can find. They were found in places like the Hanging Garden A.

Combat
Ranger Elites are a type of Special Operations Commando Unit, though not necessarily connected to the traditional Spec Ops Elites, they're specialists in anti-gravity combat. Halo 2 Rangers will use their thrusters to a great effect in battle, using them to strafe while firing their weapons. They are most often seen in Halo 2 dual-wielding Plasma Rifles, firing in prolonged bursts rather than short bursts. Rangers sometimes also set up Portable Plasma Cannons to provide heavy support fire against human space-capable forces. Their energy shields are about the same strength as a Minor Elite's and although their tactics differ, they require the same amount of firepower to lower, rendering the wearer vulnerable. Rangers are susceptible to Plasma Pistols and Needlers, which use their tracking ability to great effect, lowering their shields or in the Needler's case, killing them outright. However, for long-range combat a Battle Rifle, Covenant Carbine, Beam Rifle or Sniper Rifle can allow the player to kill them from long ranges, preventing them from becoming a threat at close range.

Background
Ranger Elites were the first known confirmed type of Elite warrior encountered by the UNSC. They had been deployed to secure a human space station and gain access to its navigational data banks in order to determine the location of human colonies during the Fall of Reach. Their helmets at the time were apparently of a different design, allowing the Master Chief to see the Rangers' faces in the encounter. There were also Ranger Jackals present at the Fall of Reach as well.

Ranger Elites have been observed at The Fall of Reach, Operation: FIRST STRIKE, the Battle of Earth, the First Battle of High Charity, and on Delta Halo. The Rangers were also seen at the planet Reach when the Master Chief returned to the planet aboard the Ascendant Justice.

The Rangers are apparently an entirely volunteer unit, with its members joining either for personal glory or because of ancestral duties to the unit. They are used as an expeditionary unit in limited naval engagements, deciding which are to be boarded and which destroyed.

With the Elites' departure from the Covenant, the Rangers were replaced by the Jump Pack Brutes and Drones as the aerial ground units.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo Reach

 * They appear bulkier, with heavy armor around the chest and back. They also sport a new helmet, similar in appearance to Halo 3's EVA Helmet, but allowing you to see the elites face through the visor.
 * They are a playable class in multiplayer and matchmaking.
 * The armor they wear is greyish white, while in Halo 2 it was cyan.

Trivia

 * Many think that Halo 3's Flight Armor is actually a Halo 2 Sangheili Ranger suit. It has been confirmed, though, that they are not the same.
 * Assault Armor is loosely based on Ranger Armor.
 * The apparent familiarity of UNSC personnel with Elites (in other sources), as well as their appearance in Halo Wars media and gameplay, seems to supersede Fall of Reach's claim that they were first encountered at Reach Station Gamma in 2552.
 * If you look through the eye pieces, you can just see the Elite's eyes.
 * The Heretic Leader was wearing a modified Ranger suit when he was engaged and was killed by Thel Vadamee.
 * Ranger Elites are somewhat similar to the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as they are both more dangerous than standard infantry roles and are an entirely volunteer-based fighting force.
 * There were once Jackal Rangers that assisted Ranger Elites in their operations; they have not made an appearance in the game, most likely being replaced by Drones.
 * If you shoot a Ranger Elite in their Antigravity Pack while they're flying, they'll fall a bit on Heroic and Legendary, and fall to the ground or their deaths on Normal and Easy.
 * Elite Rangers have been replaced by the Jump Pack Brutes in Halo 3.
 * It seems that they wear a "glove" on their hands, because they're blue, not black or dark gray/brown.
 * Sometimes while firing, the Ranger's empty hand will bounce with the gun hand as if he was holding two guns. This is probably because they are often seen with two plasma rifles and the game might assume they are wielding a second, causing the animation.
 * Ranger Elites will make a reappearance in the Halo: Reach multiplayer as a loadout class.

Related Links

 * Ranger Jackals
 * Special Operations Elite
 * Jump Pack Brute