Mandible guards

Mandible guards is the piece of armor found on an Elite's mandibles. They are used to protect the mandibles and possibly also used to balance them. They can be seen on a dead Elite and Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, And Halo 3. However not all Elites have them, the Arbiter in Halo 2 didn't have them but were added on to his armor in Halo 3. Bungie may have added this on his armor to make him look more like other Elites. Also Rtas 'Vadum doesn't have all four of them because he had two of his mandibles cut off, Ranger Elites also may not have them because their entire face is sealed off by their helmet. It is not know why they are used, as Elites already have energy shielding, and the likelihood of getting shot in the mouth is slim. It is probably mainly for looks. Other helmets also have these guards, but they are just built in. The commando helmet has 2 seperate pairs of guards fused to the helmet, and the Flight and Assualt helmet have one on each side.