Combat harness (disambiguation)

Elite Combat Armor is the standard armor worn into battle by Covenant Elites. It is comparable with the MJOLNIR armour worn by the SPARTANS. It is specially made to their physiology. Since their split from the Covenant, Elites have continued to wear this armor. Although the armor comes in many colors, denoting different ranks and specialties (see Elite Ranks) all have two attributes in common: their general design is identical, and all are equipped with varying strengths of Elite Personal Energy Shield.

Features
The Elite Combat Armor contains an inbuilt energy shield which tightly wraps around the armor's contours, absorbing many different kinds of energy to protect the user. However, the armor itself is quite light, so as to allow maximum mobility, and so affords little protection. While energy shields generally increase in strength according to rank, this is not always the case; Ultra Elites, for example, have superior shielding to Zealots. However, Zealot armor is far heavier than that of an Ultra, giving them excellent protection in the event of their shields being dropped.

Although most Elites have inferior shielding to that of a Spartan-IIs, Minor Domo and Major Domo seem to have a comparable if not equal shielding, ultras and above all likely have superior shielding. While Elite combat armor lacks a flash light that MJOLNIR armor has, many have a cloaking device that render's the user invisible to compensate.

Ranks
The following Elite ranks were known to make use of Combat Armor:

Imperial Admiral: Imperial Admirals appear to have their own version of Elite, which was described as "silver armor covered with the gold Forerunner glyphs of sacred mystery." Such silver-and-gold Elite armor has yet to be seen or mentioned elsewhere, and may be superior in quality to the gold armor of a Zealot. It should be noted, however, that there is no real evidence to state that this is, in fact, Combat Armor.

Zealot/Field Master/Ship Master/Fleet Master: The Generals and Admirals of the Covenant military; commanders of battalions, ships, and fleets. Zealots wear gold armor with tan borders, which is extremely resilient, able to protect them beyond any other Elite's capabilities. However, their shields are unremarkable, not much stronger than those of a Spec Ops Elite. The armor of the Zealot is the most powerful of the Elites.

Special Operations Commander: Special Operations Commanders command a troupe of regular Spec Ops troops. Although their shields are similar in strength to those of a Zealot, their armor seems to offer only midrange protection. The armor they wear is pure platinium-white and with dark grey armor borders.

Ultra Elite: High-ranking field officers, the Ultras wear armor equipped with overshields that offer extreme protection. However, their armor is not particularly effective, especially at repelling ballistic weapons. They wear white armor with gray borders.

Special Operations Elite: Special Operations Elites are extremely skilled fighters, sent in by the Covenant to accomplish the most dangerous and difficult of missions. Very skillful fighters, the SpecOps Elites' armor complements them perfectly. Their dark purple-black armor is equipped with upgraded shields and active camouflage, as well as offering slightly better protection that a normal Elite's. Special Ops Majors are only distinguishable from Spec Ops Minors by that they have a dark violet-black armor with slightly darker grey borders.

Stealth: The Stealth Elites are the Covenant's assassins, using Active Camo technology, as the Special Operations Elites do. In Halo:Combat Evolved, they do not have energy shields, but are nearly invisible to the naked eye. In Halo 2, they have energy shields, but are still not as strong as normal. You can only see their armor color when they have died. In Halo: Combat Evolved, their armor had a sky blue color, far lighter than Minor armor. In Halo 2, Stealth Minors wear a grey/silver color, while Stealth Majors have brown/bronze armor. Oddly enough, their armor offers more protection than any other version of Combat Armor except the golden Zealot armor.

Major Domo: This veteran Elite warrior is the physical equal of the UNSC's SPARTAN-II. With slightly upgraded shields and armor, their red armor is also equal to MJOLNIR armor. Individually they can take on a squad of marines. There are even spotted differences in their red armors. But unlike minor or major classifications the colors dosent matter rank wise. The two types of red colors lends towards red-orange and clean red. Minor Domo: These blue-armored Elites are the least dangerous Elites in the Covenant, and their armor reflects that fact. Offering less armor and shielding than that of a Major, it is no match for a Spartan, but can individually take on many marines before falling, it is the least powerful of the elites. There are even spotted differences in their blue armors. But unlike minor or major classifications the colors dosent matter rank wise. The two types of blue colors lends towards dark blue and clean blue.

Trivia

 * The Combat Armor is the default armor for Elites in multiplayer. In multiplayer games, the color can be chosen by the player, but does not affect their shielding or health. Their shields are always equal to that of a Major-Domo.
 * In Halo 3, Combat Armor is slightly different from before in that it seems darker and smoother.