Sangheili Zealot

''Zealot redirects here. For the Halo: Reach multiplayer map, see Zealot (level).''

"The true devotee honors our name with actions, not words."

- Sangheili Zealot's mantra

The Zealot is a Covenant rank associated primarily with the Sangheili. There are multiple classes of Zealot, as the rank encompasses several different command positions in addition to the standard Zealot rank. Zealots hold the command offices of Ship Master, Fleet Master, Field Master, Field Marshall and Supreme Commander. The only known rank above Zealot is Imperial Admiral.

While some Zealots are strictly deployed to non-combat fleet or field command posts, they often operate on the front lines and are greatly experienced and skillful at combat, having killed countless enemies of the Covenant before attaining their post.

Zealot titles
The Zealot classes include the highest military ranks a Sangheili can achieve with the exception of Arbiter, Councilor and Imperial Admiral. The Special Operations Commander of the Covenant is lower than higher Zealot ranks such as Supreme Commander, but probably higher than lesser ones such as Field Master. The ranks a Zealot can be all are a part of the Zealot Offices. Known examples include:


 * Fleet Master: This rank is the equivalent to the UNSC Navy's numerous Admiral ranks. A Fleet Master commands all of the ships in his particular fleet, in addition to his own vessel. In the case of a De Facto Fleet Master or Fleet Master/De Facto Commander a Sangheili is a normal Ship Master and controls only one ship, but when a Fleet needs to do a special objective, the Fleet Master/De Facto Commander acts as the commander for the ships participating in that objective (normally called Task Force). Voro Nar 'Mantakree was a Fleet Master/De Facto Commander and was in charge of leading a task force to Onyx to pursue the Bloodied Spirit.


 * Ship Master: This rank is equivalent to the UNSC Navy's Captain rank. Ship Masters command star ships within the Covenant but they still fall under the command of their Fleet's Supreme Commander and Fleet Master. An example of this is Orna 'Fulsamee, who was the ship master of an unknown destroyer. Many believe that Orna Fulsamee commanded a CCS-class Battlecruiser, though he actually commanded a destroyer. It mentioned it at the opening pages of Halo: The Flood. The title of Ship Master is not exclusive only to the Zealot rank. This is supported by the fact that before the Battle of Voi, the Covenant's Special Operations Commander, Rtas 'Vadum was promoted to the Ship Master of the Assault Carrier, Shadow of Intent. He seemed to still be an Ultra Sangheili.


 * Field Master: This rank is equivalent to the UNSC Army and Marine Corps numerous General ranks. Field Masters command entire armies, legion strength or greater. Unlike Human Generals, Field Masters take a much more active role in combat, as in charging into the battle with their troops rather than giving orders from an area away from the ongoing conflict. They are in charge of all warriors of any race within that army, as well as all armor, air support and material utilized by that army. An example of this is Noga 'Putumee, who led the Covenant forces against the Human-held Alpha Base during the Battle of Installation 04.

Combat
Zealots are significantly more challenging to fight than other Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots are known to wield Energy Swords and Plasma Rifles. They are much tougher than regular Elites as they shoot faster and tend to actually pursue to hunt and kill their target, rather than just shoot at the closest one. They also have extremely strong shields that are twice as strong as those of a Major Elite, (In Halo: Combat Evolved, they can survive a rocket on Easy). They are much faster than lower ranking Elites and can jump farther as well. They are much harder to hit and they constantly duck behind obstacles to avoid fire. Zealots wielding an Energy Sword are extremely dangerous in close quarters and should be dealt with quickly and preferably while they are still reasonably far away, due to their extensive experience with melee combat. They are a powerful, smart, and very dangerous foe to be reckoned with, especially on higher difficulties.

The best way to deal with a Zealot is to either use a Plasma Grenade or to attack it from long range, as they are deadly in hand-to-hand combat because of their Energy Sword (and in Halo: Combat Evolved can kill the player with one hit from an Energy Sword in anything higher than Easy difficulty). In Halo 2, it is possible to side step and assassinate a Zealot, or any sword wielding Elite. Due to their strong shields, it is advisable to use heavy weaponry, such as the Sniper Rifle or Rocket Launcher, if they are available. The M6D pistol is only moderately effective, taking 16 head shots to kill a fully shielded Zealot on Normal difficulty. The Needler is both common and extremely effective, due to the fact that 7 rounds will kill most enemies and the weapon's large magazine.

In Halo 2, they do not use Overshields and their shields are as strong as those of a Major Elite and Special Operations Elite, but they are a lot smarter and tougher. They are still very deadly in close-quarters, however in Halo 2, their sword animation has been changed to being "more realistic" in the sense that in Halo: Combat Evolved, a sword swing had a huge area of effect, and it was impossible to dodge a swing. In Halo 2, it is possible to side step, and assassinate a Zealot, or any other elite with a sword. When the Zealot is swinging, quickly step to the side and behind him, than melee him, which results in an assassination, and an instant kill. This is the quickest and most effective way of dispatching Zealots, or other sword wielding Elites. It is also more risky however. Their armor without Energy Shields are much thicker (although it makes it slower) than that of Major and Minor and can sustain more damage. In addition to the tactics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, dual M6C Magnums can be very effective at close ranges so long as you stay outside of their sword's reach. Dual Needlers are also effective. Also, Zealot AI is noticeably different in Halo 2; Zealots are always found wielding Energy Swords, ceremonial weapons befitting their high rank.

Another fact that should be known is that Zealots will never, under any circumstances, ride in or drive a vehicle for religious purposes; they do not believe it is honorable to kill their enemies with vehicles instead of hand to hand combat. If a player tries to give them a chance to get in one, such as in Uprising, their animation will glitch and they will start to walk toward the vehicle and turn around, they will then keep doing this. They will continue to follow the player, however.

In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots had a "flaw" that made killing one much easier. It would do some form of "roaring" animation (similar to the Elite berserkers in Halo 2), or pointing out the player and yell. This animation makes the Zealot's body more open and gives the player a precious few seconds to snipe, fire a rocket at, or damage the shields of the Zealot. This Elite is the only Elite that will only spawn when scripted to, unlike Minors to Ultras, whose chances depend purely on difficulty.

Supreme Commanders

 * Thel 'Vadamee - Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice; later becomes the Arbiter.

Fleet Masters

 * Voro Nar 'Mantakree - De facto Fleet Master of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity

Ship Masters

 * Orna 'Fulsamee - Ship Master of the Truth and Reconciliation
 * Tano 'Inanraree - Ship Master of the Incorruptible
 * Qunu - Ship Master of the Far Sight Lost
 * Thon 'Talamee - Ship Master of the Clarity of Faith.

Field Masters

 * Noga 'Putumee - Field Master in the Fleet of Particular Justice
 * Re'gish Wamik - A Field Master during the Harvest Campaign.

Physical appearance
In Halo: Combat Evolved Zealots wear solid gold armor, a pointed helmet and shoulder pauldrons (signifying rank), blue lights running on their armor,and a Forerunner glyph on their back. Their shields are much more powerful than those of their subordinates, and wield either an Energy Sword or Plasma Rifle (They fire much faster than other Elites and with greater accuracy). In Halo 2 Zealots wear the standard armor of all Elites, with orange lights running on their armor, but this time wear gold and tan armor. Zealots do not appear in Halo 3. In Halo: Reach, the Zealot wears a more ornamental helmet, with blue lights running on their helmets and shoulder pauldrons and also a little bit on their body and thighs. The only Zealot rank that is still gold in Halo: Reach is the Zealot General, regular Zealots have a maroon color, similar to the Field Marshall.

Trivia

 * The Zealots featured thus far have not had a black or steel secondary color like lower-ranking Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, they are solid gold. In Halo 2, they have a tan secondary color.
 * Zealots will never ride or drive in a vehicle, nor will they board an enemy vehicle if one is near them.
 * The plasma rifle-wielding Zealots of Halo: Combat Evolved will not melee. This is due to the fact that they are programmed to berserk when they see you, and have no provisions to melee while in berserk mode.
 * On the Legendary difficulty in Halo: Combat Evolved, it takes two to three plasma grenades to kill a Zealot.
 * Thel 'Vadamee appeared before the Council in the golden armor of a Zealot, although he wore ceremonial armor while commanding his fleet.
 * Some Zealots in Halo 2 have glitches, including running back and forth, teleporting from one spot to the other, disappearing, and saying two things at once.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots (as with all Elites), will usually jump out of the way to avoid a grenade: when near a ledge, they will jump over and will fall to their deaths. However, on Legendary, the Zealots will sometimes charge through the blast and try to kill the player.
 * Zealots have only the shields of a Sangheili Major in Halo 2, but what they lack in shields they make up for in skill. Their armor is stronger than normal, but they can still be killed by a single headshot.
 * Zealots' gauntlets are blue in Halo: Combat Evolved, (the same color Spec Ops have), but in Halo 2, they wear the usual orange gauntlets of all other Elites.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots can deflect plasma grenades with their energy sword.
 * In Halo: Reach, there is a loadout called Zealot, which gives the player a needle rifle, a plasma pistol and two plasma grenades. There is also another loadout available only in the third phase of Invasion called "Royal Zealot." This loadout is an improved version of the standard Zealot loadout. It provides a needle rifle, a needler, and three plasma grenades, although once the player uses the third grenade, they will only be able to hold two.
 * The real-time strategy game StarCraft features a Protoss unit known as the zealot; these warriors also wear golden armor and wield powerful energy blades.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Zealot armor is available as an Armor Permutation once the player has reached the rank of Captain.
 * There are a total of 7 Zealots that appear to fight Noble Team: 2 in Winter Contingency towards the end (not counting the Field Marshall), 1 in Tip of the Spear who can be killed for an achievement, 3 in the end of The Pillar of Autumn (again not counting the Field Marshall), and 1 in the final cutscene in Lone Wolf during Noble Six's Last Stand
 * A BOB Zealot is seen in the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary trailer.