Jiralhanae Chieftain

Were you looking for the rank War Chieftain or Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, the rulers of the Jiralhanae?

"The Pack will feast on you!"

- Brute Chieftain to the Master Chief

The Brute Chieftain, also known as the Alpha Jiralhanae, is a Covenant Chieftain rank for the Jiralhanae race. It is the highest in the Jiralhanae hierarchy in social aspects and military rank.

Overview
In Halo 2, there were no known Brute Chieftains. There was only the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus, who was killed by Thel 'Vadamee and his Sangheili allies on Installation 05. He used a powerful and unique Gravity Hammer, called the "Fist of Rukt", in this battle. The only known Chieftain before Tartarus was his uncle, Maccabeus, who was also the previous wielder of Fist of Rukt.

In Halo 3, they command a "pack" of lesser Brutes and enforce the pack-like mentality. In the Halo 3 video documentary "Et Tu, Brute?", there were multiple Brute Chieftains seen, although not as high as Tartarus or Maccabeus, who were believed to be the highest of the Jiralhanae. They wear very elaborate gold or red Power Armor (which is stronger than usual and impervious to Plasma Grenades or Spike Grenades and Needler needles), breast-plates, and an even more intricate headdress. The Brute Chieftain may hold a rank similar to the Elite Zealot. In Halo Wars, Chieftains appear in crimson red attire.

Weapons
These Brute Chieftains are clad in ornate red and black armor. Whilst it cannot take as much damage as the bronze,gold colored armor worn by War Chieftains, it allows greater speed and mobility. Their Power Armor cannot be stuck by Plasma Grenades, Spike Grenades, or Needler projectiles. However, their armor can be stuck by Incendiary Grenades.

On Easy and Normal difficulties it is possible to stick their feet, hands and weapon with spike or plasma grenades. Their primary armament is the Gravity Hammer. Brute Chieftains are the only enemy, aside from the occasional Flood, who uses the weapon. On all level modes they carry and almost always use the Invincibility power-up. It is also possible for them to carry a Regenerator, Flare, or Power Drain. On their left arm, the armor is thicker to deliver bone-crushing melee attacks. Weapon Chieftains will be closely guarded by two or more Brutes, only leaving the security of the pack when they feel it is tactically sound or simply when they thirst for blood. Then, they will run at the Master Chief (or Arbiter if co-op). If they run for you, turn and run as fast as you can. More often than not, unless you've managed to kill them within the first few seconds, they will activate their Invincibility if they are carrying one and you will not be able to kill them until it wears off. Chieftains can close distances quickly, and will not hesitate to smack anything out of their path. In the novel Contact Harvest, Tartarus likely wore this or a similar armor before he killed Maccabeus and obtained the same armor as War Chieftains wear.

Counter-Chieftain tactics

 * Brute Chieftains, as fitting their "commander role", have incredible physical strength and agility, more so than their lesser brethren. Avoid going into melee combat with a Weapon Chieftain and even when facing off against a War Chieftain, take care not to get hit. However, if you do get yourself in the situation, do not try to melee him; if you are foolish enough to try and melee him, he will quickly deliver a deadly, final blow. Run away as quickly as possible once you see him trying to get close enough to melee you. Shoot him enough times with one of your guns (be it pistol or rocket launcher), until his "shielding" or power armor breaks, and try to save grenades up until this fight to "stick" him with one.
 * Do not charge at a hammer-wielding Chieftain. They can kill the player in one hit.
 * A hammer-wielding Chieftain will often utilize the invincibility power-up while charging at you if you're firing and backpedaling at the same time. However, if the player is able to kill the Chieftain before he activates it, the player can use the Invincibility to great gain.
 * Even when Chieftains utilize the Invincibility power-up, an assassination will still kill them.
 * Another good tactic to deal with Chieftains is to shoot its helmet/headdress off and shoot it multiple times in its head.
 * A good way to kill a Chieftain is to use Cloaking and assassinate them. This way you are unharmed, but you can also pick up their Invincibility, since they did not have time to activate it. However, you should be careful not to alert any of the surrounding Brutes. If they know that you are there, and even if they cannot see you, the Chieftain can sometimes sense where you are even if you are cloaked and will turn around in your direction, although he does not attack. This will make it harder to get behind him and if you touch him, he will hit you and you will temporarily lose your cloaking, allowing them to see and shoot you.
 * Although you cannot stick him, you can stick the Chieftain's Weapon, for instance the Gravity Hammer. It's quite difficult, but it will kill him immediately. This does not work on Legendary.
 * When facing a charging hammer Chieftain, jump up as they try to hit you with their hammer and the blow from the hammer will push you away from the Brute, giving you more time to damage him, and ultimately kill him. Make sure you're not on an edge or the blast from the hammer could knock you over the edge, killing you.
 * Incendiary Grenades are a good way to kill a Chieftain, although on Legendary this is not a guaranteed one hit kill, as he can easily activate his Invincibility and negate the effects of your grenade.
 * After they have struck, if you melee them in the stomach they will stagger back. Keep meleeing them and they won't have time to hit. However you must get your timing right as if it is not exactly after they've hit they will hit again. Also make sure all the other Brutes in the pack are dead or distracted.
 * A Shotgun or a Rocket Launcher are other ways to deal with Chieftains; however, be careful as they might activate their Invincibility and charge.

Trivia

 * During the early development of Halo 3, the Brute Chieftain was seen wielding an Energy Sword. This was probably taken out due to the fact that Brutes prefer Gravity Hammers over Energy Swords, and because of the Energy Sword being an Elite-exclusive weapon.
 * Chieftains are arguably stronger than Hunters due to their special armor, Gravity Hammers, and extreme durability. They do, however, have two weakness that the Hunters do not have: the first would be a melee hit at the back would be an instant kill; the second would be the vulnerability once their headpiece is removed as they are susceptible to head shots.
 * If a Chieftain is transformed into a Flood Combat Form, its armor will become that of a Brute Minor. This can be easily observed in the latter half of The Covenant, where Flood join you and attack the Covenant.
 * In "Halo 3: The Strategy Guide", there is a mistake in that there is a War Chieftain wielding a Gravity Hammer. There are also images of a Weapons Chieftain wielding a Plasma Cannon and a Fuel Rod Gun.
 * In the Halo 3 level Sierra 117, a Chieftain is seen hanging onto the side of a Phantom, in the clearing with a crashed pelican down the cliff. Oddly, this Chieftain can be stuck with Plasma Grenades, but shows no reaction to it, and is immune to the blast.
 * Chieftains are feared by Marines, Elites, and even the Arbiter, as they occasionally give you verbal warnings when you engage in battle.