Sangheili Major

"Station and Salvation both command a heavy price."

- Sangheili Major's mantra

Major, also known as Obedientiary, is a Sangheili military rank. Those who hold this rank are directly superior to their Minor counterparts. Within the rank exists the Officer subclass. The Sangheili term for the Majors translates approximately as "lesser chosen" or "charged with glory".

Background
If a Sangheili Minor proves himself in battle by killing opponents in legitimate combat, in accordance with honorable achievements earned on the battlefield, he is promoted. Sangheili do not think of promotion in the terms humans associate it with; Sangheili Minors who prove their worth to their commanders ascend to a command role. Organized under the host of Obedientaries, Sangheili Majors represent the upper echelon of the Covenant's infantry and are known primarily for their ruthlessness. Majors are some of the most skilled and experienced warriors in the field and typically command lances of fewer than a dozen soldiers, including Sangheili Minors. They also commonly pilot for ground and air vehicles such as the Type-26 Wraith tank and the Type-26 Banshee attack aircraft, respectively. Though Majors are part of standard infantry, it is not uncommon for them to be in the presence of a shipmaster or fleetmaster, due to their critical nature of their role at the front lines. Some Majors also hold second-in-command positions aboard Covenant ships.

Officers are a subset of the Major rank. Sangheili Officers wear more ornamental armor than other Majors, though their combat role bears no apparent distinction from the rest of their grade. Like regular Majors, Officers report to their onsite Ultra or, in the absence of an Ultra, directly to their General or Shipmaster. Most Officers have a selection of units under their command, including Sangheili Minors, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar.

The Major rank and equivalent titles still see use in the wake of the Human-Covenant War. The Swords of Sanghelios led by Thel 'Vadam still use the traditional Major rank and armor, as did the now-defunct faction led by Merg Vol. Jul 'Mdama's Covenant instead fields Commanders, who wear a modified version of the Officer harness and helmet. During at least one engagement, Jul 'Mdama's Covenant have utilized the rank.

Major
Typically, the armor of a Major is a standard Sangheili combat harness that is nearly identical to that of a Sangheili Minor, save for its red coloration, which is comparable to the red armor of Unggoy Majors. As with other Sangheili ranks a variety of helmet and armor styles may be utilized, though all are colored a shade of red, typically scarlet or maroon. The suit is augmented with a stronger energy shielding system than that used by Minors. The armor may feature white accents on the chest, the collar, the extremities, and the helmet.

Officer
A byproduct of the Major role, Officers wear more ornamental armor, which functions with no substantial differences to Major Sangheili equipped with the standard combat harness. The officer harness features much more pronounced shoulder pauldrons and a more elaborate helmet with a backward-swept spike in the center. The design is more standardized than that of ordinary Majors, varying only in color. One color scheme is blood red with a golden tinge and brass-colored highlights; another is matte burgundy with white accents on the arms and legs, the collar, and the helmet.

Covert Major (Warzone)
In Warzone simulations, Spartan-IVs train against this type of enemy. In this simulation Covert Majors operate in very small special units. They usually lead two Sangheili Officers equipped with Type-55 storm rifles. All team members are equipped with active camouflage, and the Covert Major specifically wields an energy sword.

Gameplay
Sangheili Majors are commonly seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo: Reach (as Officers) on the Heroic and Legendary difficulties. On Easy and Normal, their presence is relatively infrequent. They commonly lead lances of Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Sangheili Minors.

Equipped with approximately 50% stronger energy shields than their lower-ranked counterparts, Majors are competent and forceful warriors capable of overpowering their opponents, namely UNSC Marines and ODSTs although not necessarily. They are less likely to perform tactical errors when compared with the inferior Sangheili Minors; Majors seek more cover and fire their weapons with a greater accuracy and faster rate of fire, and are also more maneuverable. However, they still make some tactical mistakes, as they tend not to seek cover in many occasions, even with their shields down.

Like the Minors, Majors usually wield Type-25 plasma rifles, occasionally dual wielding them. In some scenarios, Majors wield Type-51 carbines and Type-33 Needlers.

There is no discernible difference between the Major and Officer: both would appear to have the same gameplay properties (i.e. energy shield strength, damage).

Halo: Reach

 * Unlock: Redeemed from an Xbox 360 download code complemented in the Halo: Reach Limited Edition
 * Description: "Station and Salvation both command a heavy price."

Trivia

 * As seen in an early trailer for Halo: Combat Evolved, Sangheili Majors were capable of wielding point defense gauntlets during the game's development.
 * The Sangheili Officer combat harness is available as a Sangheili armor permutation in multiplayer as a reward for buying the Halo: Reach Limited or Legendary editions.
 * It was previously assumed that the full title was "Major Domo Sangheili", first mentioned in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, which makes a reference to a "Major Domo Sangheili". On the following pages Sangheili of the military rank are simply called Majors. In the real world, "majordomo" is a term for the head of a family staff in an aristocracy. In light of this, it is possible that Sangheili who hold the title of Major Domo are in a similar position in the Sangheili aristocracy. Alternatively, it is possible that Major Domo is an alternate title for Officer, or another subclass within the Major rank.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Adjunct
 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol
 * Halo Wars: Genesis
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * The Package


 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Halo: Spartan Strike
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Ground Command