Sangheili

The Sangheili are a generic race of warriors and commanders in the unified conglomerate races of the Covenant. The Humans have termed these warriors as Elites, presumably because of their adeptness in combat.

Introduction
There are a few distinctly different Elite ranks. These ranks are color-coded for rapid identification on the battlefield. Promotions are based on victories over the humans and the amount of humans slain by an Elite. The lowest Elite rank is Minor Domo, while the highest is the Councilor. The increasement of rank also denotes better combat skills (aiming, weapons proficiency, etc...), better tactical skills (strafing, leadership, etc...), access to stronger body armor and energy shielding, and allowance of wielding the higher Covenant weapons, like the Energy Sword. The Energy Sword is a ceremonial, yet pragmatic weapon that is an external indicator of status along as its role as a heavy weapon.

However, regardless of rank, all are roughly 8'6" tall and incredibly strong, over twice as muscular as a Marine. Their strength allows them to rely on brute force when necessary, but they are quite capable of brilliant battlefield tactics as well, compared to standard Marines. Their natural resilience is augmented by a personal energy shield in their armor, which recharges when depleted. They are also known for their cross-weapons proficiency and vehicular training - they are the only Covenant race that can operate vehicles besides Grunts and Brutes.

This unique blend of their defensive systems, augmented by their combat skills and tactics, have led to their place as the iron heart of the Covenant military. This earns them high ranking in the eyes of the Prophets and the lesser races of the Covenant.

Elites are far superior to their subordinates, Grunts, Jackals, and Drones (who are ordered to treat Elites with near-sublime deference), and their energy shielding and combat skills allow them to best UNSC Marines with ease. However, recently, their place in the Covenant and favoritism by the Prophets has been challenged by the audacious Brute race, and their competition in both the military and bureaucratic arms of the Covenant is boiling into genocide...the Civil War of the Covenant.

Culture
Elites consider the other Covenant client races, with the exception of the Prophets, to be below them in all ways. The Elites and Brutes are the only known races permitted to operate starships within the Covenant, though the crews are always a mix of races.

In the Elite culture, names are considered a privilege. Only things of importance are named. The Elites generally consider humans to be nameless, and resent the fact that humans have assigned the label "Elite" to them, as humans have no standing to be naming things. While in Halo 2, names such as 'Elite' are used, it is likely just for the convenience of the average gamer who would not know the proper names.

Because names are important to the Elite society, each element of the name has a meaning. Elite names are constructed from a series of parts. An example is Ado 'Mortumee. "Ado" is his given name, which is all he had until he was considered an adult. As an adult he earned the right to carry the badge name "'Mortumee". This name is made up of three parts: MOR (an adjectival descriptor, such as "fast", or "deadly"), TUM (a créche name (his family name)), and EE (an honorific indicating he is a participant in the military). Most Elites will have names with this kind of construction. The Covenant military promotion is by merit. A Covenant soldier must succeed to advance. Success is often measured in scalps. A Covenant of "Admiral" or equivalent rank, may have personally slaughtered thousands of individuals to reach that status.

Long ago, the Elites were at war with the Prophets. The Prophets, perhaps tiring of the war, shared with them the myth of the Great Journey. The Elites then became the bodyguards of the Prophets, who would search the galaxy for the Halos, thus starting the Covenant.

In many ways the Elites are much like humans. They communicate, become protective of their troops and become angry and vengeful if other Elites are killed.

Elites do not feel fear as easily as many other Covenant creatures and the only creatures they are known not to command are Prophets and Brutes, though they still interact with both.

In the Conversations from the Universe book included in the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition game, it appears the Elites have begun to speculate why the Prophets have declared the destruction of the human race. Saying after countless battles the humans have proven themselves to be worthy. They also wonder what horrible thing the humans did to defy their gods.

From Conversations from the Universe: "The Humans are weak, but they are tenacious. Even the smallest ones hurl themselves against our defenses with honor. If only the Unggoy were as committed."

""I wonder about the Humans, Commander. Their technology is limited, but some of it is useful and their battle techniques are impressive. They are excellent strategists. But what I ask is this: Why have we not offered them the absolution of the Covenant? From the beginning of this war, the Prophets have made no attempt to absorb them or even offer the option of honorable submission. Why?""

The rest is about the possibility of the Prophets fearing them, the atrocity at Halo, and how the humans have won their few battles.

This is only Elite conjecturalization, it should be noted.

However, it is also possible that this could be due to the same misinterpretation of Forerunner writings that created their religion; the Halos were seen as a 'doorway to heaven', but in activation they would kill the Forerunners, or 'Reclaimers'. Humans have also been called Reclaimers, so the war may simply be because the Forerunner said they must die. It should be noted that the higher-ranking Elites have glyphs on the backs of their armor. Upon closer examination, these glyphs were found to be the same symbols that appeared in the Halo Control Room console. This is an example of how the Covenant worship, or at least revere, the Forerunners' "Great Journey".

Rank Structure
Their currently known color-coded ranks, from order of highest to lowest, are:


 * Arbiter: The rank of Arbiter is a high Covenant rank, although its function is special. It is bestowed upon a talented, high-ranked Elite warrior only in a time of need, like the Grunt Rebellion, or the Taming of the Hunters, and most recently, in the events of Halo 2, the threat of heresy. However, every Arbiter in the history of the Covenant has died, so the anointing as "Arbiter" is not only prestigous, but also ominous, warning of impending death. The Covenant have had many Arbiters in its history, and their bodies, along with the Arbiter's armor (each Arbiter, regardless of year, dons the same silvery armor with encarved glyphs and capable of Active Camoflauge), is stored in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter on the orbital city of High Charity. The Arbiter in the year 2552 is the "incompetent" Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, who failed to protect Installation 05 from the menance of SPARTAN-117, who eventually destroyed it. In Halo 2, this unnamed Arbiter is a playable character, and is played on the levels The Arbiter, Oracle, Sacred Icon, Quarantine Zone, Uprising, and The Great Journey.


 * Councilors: Councilors are the political leaders of the Elites, and share power with the Minor Prophets on the Covenant's High Council. Their ceremonial armor is quite distinct, a silver color with a tall and ornate crested helmet. The Councilors are extremely skilled fighters who favor Energy Swords, but can use any weapon they are given. They also possess extra-strong energy shields, similar to those possessed by the also highly-ranked white "Ultra" Elites. In Halo 2, they were sent to begin the Great Journey with the Prophets on Installation 04, but were treacherously slain or imprisoned by the Brutes, starting the Civil War of the Covenant. They are only physically encountered in the level The Great Journey of the Halo 2, as allies of the Arbiter. However, they also make previous appearances in cinematics and as corpses.


 * Imperial Admiral: Revealed in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the Imperial Admiral's role is to command large covenant fleets and armadas. His armor is silver, and the Admiral shown in the novel possesses golden Forerunner glyphs as well.




 * Supreme Commander: Shown in the Halo Graphic Novel, in the story Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, the Supreme Commander is the overall commander of a particular fleet; in the Halo Graphic Novel, he is depicted as clad in bright violet armor, with a long cloak that wraps around his shoulders. This particular Supreme Commander was a friend and superior to Spec-Ops Leader Rtas 'Vadumee, and would later become the Arbiter.




 * Honor Guard: The personal bodyguards of the Prophet Hierarchs, the Honor Guard wear distinct, ceremonial red armor, with glowing orange crests which are in some ways similar to Japanese samurai armor. They usually operate in teams of two, with one Honor Guard wielding an Energy Sword and another dual-wielding plasma rifles. However, in cinematics they are seen carrying Honor Guard Pike. They are known for their quick reflexes and extreme skill with Energy Swords.  It is unknown precisely what their rank is in relation to other Elites, but due to their less active (although religiously significant) role, it can be assumed that they are slightly below Zealots in the Covenant hierarchy. This however, is a big source of controversy due to the fact that to become an Honor Guard, they had to prove themselves worthy in battle and faith. Also due to the fact that they are the Prophet Hierarchs' personal bodyguards, it can be assumed that they must have a considerable amount of power.


 * Zealot/Field Master/Ship Master/Fleet Master/- Gold: The Generals and Admirals of the Covenant military; commanders of battalions, ships, and fleets. Field Masters are roughly equivalent to human Generals, although they take a more active role in combat; Ship Masters are the equivalent of Navy Captains or Commanders, and Fleet Masters are roughly equal in status to Rear Admirals. 'Zealot' is a term used to refer to gold-armored Elites as a group. Gold Elites are some of the toughest and most skilled Elites. In combat, they are constantly moving and seeking cover, making it difficult to maintain continuous fire on them. They also run faster than other Elites and the Master Chief, and fire in longer, more accurate bursts. Most Gold Elites fight with Energy Swords. Unlike other Elites, Gold Elites do not seem to throw any grenades, nor will they ever board a friendly vehicle. In addition, they do not usually use guns when they receive them...except as makeshift clubs.  They seem to prefer more visceral, close-range combat to the more impersonal gunplay of other Elites. They seem to have a somewhat higher constitution than the rest of the Elites.


 * Ultra Elite - White/Silver (white armor with a white undersuit indicates a Spec-Ops commander): These are the Covenant's colonels and captains, just below the golden-armored Zealots in rank. Several white Elite corpses were seen in Halo, presumably killed in combat with the Flood, but they do not appear in battle until Halo 2. They command operations, unlike the Zealots who command fleets or armies. Ultras commanded the anti-Heresy mission, the retrieval of the Icon, the Scarab in the level "Metropolis" and the defense of the Mausoleum in High Charity. Like the Gold Elites, the Ultras are extremely skilled warriors. They also possess extra-strong energy shields that can withstand several times as much damage as those possessed by regular Elites, and they can take more physical damage as well. They often fight with heavy or dual-wielded weapons. Many also carry Energy Swords as their secondary weapon; when enemies get too close, Ultras let out a war cry, drop their currently wielded weapon, and pull the sword out for close combat. They are incredibly effective fighters, able to continue in sustained heavy combat long after most Elite warriors' shields would have been depleted. They are particularly effective in close quarters combat, where their stronger energy shields and Energy Sword allow them take down large numbers of enemies rapidly and easily survive.


 * Special Operations Elite - Black: Covenant Special Forces that are extremely skilled fighters, sent in by the Covenant to accomplish the most dangerous and difficult of missions. They are usually in Active Camo. Like Golds and Ultras, Black Elites are constantly on the move and never stand still or expose themselves to enemy fire. They also have superior accuracy, fire in longer bursts, and have slightly stronger shielding than regular Elites. They also do not "berserk" when seriously injured, unlike many other Elites. Most notably, Black Elites operate in squads and are extremely skilled and accurate grenade throwers. In Halo, they are the Covenant's elite shock troops, similar to the role played by the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or Helljumpers. They were assigned to eliminate all Flood on a damaged Covenant cruiser and repair it for immediate departure. They were present when the Master Chief boarded that damaged cruiser to find what was left of Captain Jacob Keyes. They were also present on the Pillar of Autumn just before the first Halo was destroyed by its reactors going critical. In Halo 2, the Arbiter's squad of Special Ops Elites/grunts is equipped with unlimited Active Camouflage, and use it when needed. In Halo 2, most Special Ops Elites have a dark purple armor, showing subtly that they are no ordinary Elites without drawing lots of attention a Gold, Ultra, or Red Elite would from enemies in combat. The Arbiter accompanied a squad of dark purple Special Ops elites to crush the Guilty Spark Heresy, and they assist him in retrieving the Sacred Icon.
 * Stealth: The Stealth Elites are the Covenant's assassins, and they uses active camo technology, as the Special Operations Elites does. In Halo:Combat Evolved, they're not having energy shields, but are nearly invisible to the naked eye. In Halo 2, they have energy shields, but are not as invisible as they were in the first Halo game. They're often used on ambushes, which, with help of their active camo technology, allows them to take down many enemies, if they're unseen.


 * Major Domo - Red: This veteran Elite warrior is the physical equal of the UNSC's SPARTAN-II. They are overall more agile, more accurate, and more aggressive than Blue Elites, and seldom make tactical errors in combat. A single Red Elite can hold his own against an entire squad of Marines. In Halo 2, they can often be seen dual-wielding, piloting Covenant vehicles, or carrying heavy weapons. They are roughly equal in gameplay to the Master Chief, but with inferior aim and tactics.


 * Ranger - Vacuum Blue/Thruster Pack: Some Elites are issued jetpacks and flight suits to protect them from the vacuum of space or to aid them in battle. They dual-wield plasma rifles, signifying they are of relatively high rank. Their helmets completely encase their heads, protecting them from the vacuum of space. They are usually seen traveling in small groups of 2-3. They wear a variant of Elite armor optimized for zero-gee, no-atmosphere combat. It is blue in color, somewhat similar to the armor of the Elite Minor, the lowest of the Elite forces. They can pose a substantial threat, due to their unique movement options, and are seen on Cairo Station, Delta Halo, Regret and Gravemind.


 * Minor Domo - Blue: The most common and least experienced Elite. Blue Elites are still skilled warriors superior to any human Marine, but they are somewhat weaker than Red Elites or SPARTAN-IIs. Their energy shields are not quite as powerful, and they often make tactical errors such as standing in one place while firing, or rushing forward into enemy fire. They also fire in shorter bursts, and have somewhat less accuracy. Along with Red Elites, they often lead squads of Grunts into battle.

Anatomy and Physiology
Elites have an interesting physical appearance. Their jaw is quadruple-hinged; they have an upper jaw, and then four mandible-like lips which are lined with sharp teeth, hence the human nickname "Split-lip". It is unknown, given this structure, how Elites chew, swallow food, or even speak.

They have multiple hearts. They appear to have a double set of pectoral muscles. Their hands have four fingers; two middle fingers and two thumb-like fingers on the outside for grasping. Their legs are digitigrade so they can jump great distances compared to humans, and their unusually shaped hoof-like feet give them tremendous balance. They have grayish-brown skin and purpleish blood. It is not known what chemical makes their blood this color, though it is assumed they breathe oxygen or nitrogen because they can breathe the same atmosphere as humans, and cannot survive in space. The majority of Elites have dark blue/black eyes, but there are some exceptions, such as the Arbiter (golden/orange) and Rtas 'Vadumee (green).

In the Halo Wars announcement trailer, the Elites are different on several points. First: They were at least 10 feet tall, and were much more muscular, although the latter could be because much thicker armor for cold weather purposes. They also have a more animalistic growl. It's unknown if they're a different race of Elites, but it could also be because the animators wanted to interest the players. Another example of this type of elite would be Xytan 'Jar Wattinree who stood over 11 and a half feet tall. It may be a different species of Elites that exists but is much fewer.

Intelligence
Elites are extremely intelligent and demonstrate it in combat. Elites are normally on the move when fighting, constantly running and ducking. When presented with a severely dangerous obstacle like a Warthog driving at them, they will leap out of the way. They are also smart enough to hide, in Halo 2 if you have stripped their shield layer they will hide and or duck behind a box or crate. Because of this action, Elites lure inexperienced players into a trap. Players will see the Elite fall back and hide, and then the player will rush the position. This is a fatal mistake on anything but Easy and Normal difficulty. As the player approaches, the Elite will normally then spring from it's position and land a massive melee hit on the unsuspecting enemy. Elites are also good tactitians. Elites wielding energy swords will sometimes lure enemies into chasing them and then jump at the enemy to land a killing blow. Elites are never to be underestimated.

The Elites of Halo 2 are excellent pilots and boarders, in terms of:

-They can run enemies over with relative ease.

-Can use the weapons mounted to the vehicle properly.

-Can successfully kill targets from the side seat of a Warthog or Spectre or Scorpion.

-They can operate tanks properly and can launch a devastating attack with a Wraith or Scorpion.

-Can and do board all vehicles. This is very surprising if the player is inexperienced and not used to the game in general.

-Their ability to react to other allied vehicles. A good example is the level in Halo 2, Uprising. Where the Elites have access to many Covenant Ghosts and a Spectre.

-Are quick to react, on any level where Elites operate vehicles and are an enemy. They will spot you if on foot and or driving a vehicle. A example of this very good reaction time is when you charge a Elite piloted Ghost. They will normally boost at you in an attempt to kill you and not have you board them.

Known Elites

 * Arbiter - ex-Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice
 * Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree
 * Zealot Commander Voro Nar 'Mantakree
 * Heretic leader Sesa 'Refumee
 * Councillor Soha 'Rolamee
 * Zealot Commander Orna 'Fulsamee - Shipmaster of the Truth and Reconciliation
 * Zealot Commander Noga 'Putumee
 * SpecOps Commander Rtas 'Vadumee
 * Kusovai- Special Ops sub-commander
 * SpecOps Major Zuka 'Zamamee
 * SpecOps Major Huki 'Umamee
 * Major Isna 'Nosolee
 * Major 'Kasamee
 * Minor Ado 'Mortumee
 * Minor Bako 'Ikaporamee
 * 'Ontomee
 * 'Qualomee
 * Tano 'Inanraree
 * Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee

Weapon Compatibility
Because of their toughness and versatility on the combat field, Elites can use any weapon on the battlefield, be it Human or Covenant, even though most elites would rather die than use a human weapon.

Trivia

 * The dialog spoken by the Elites of Halo 1 was made by reversing and slowing sound clips of Sergeant Johnson. "Wort wort wort" is the reversed phrase, "Go, go, go!".
 * Elites have a jaw structure much like the Predators from the Predator movie.
 * Elites were first seen after the UNSC fought against Hunters in the year 2552.

Combat
Despite their advantages, Elites also have vulnerabilities:

Related Links

 * Elite Personal Energy Shield