Sangheili Zealot

The Zealot is one of the highest military ranks for an Elite of the Covenant.

Rank
"Zealot" is one of the highest ranks given to an Elite. These Elites are veterans who have been in hundreds of battles and have killed countless enemies. A combination of state of the art energy shielding and high intelligence makes these Elites formidable foes. They hold most of the high commanding positions, such as Fleet Masters or Field Commanders.

They are a step higher than Ultras and possibly even Honor Guards in the Elites' ranking structure, but they are outranked by Imperial Admirals, the Arbiter and the Councilors.

Combat
In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots are known to wield Energy Swords and Plasma Rifles. They are significaly tougher than regular Major Elites as they shoot faster and tend to actually pursue, hunt, and kill their target. They also have shields that are twice as strong as those of a Major Elite. In Halo 2, the Zealot AI is notably different: Zealots are always found wielding Energy Swords, ceremonial weapons befitting their high rank. If, as the Arbiter, you give them another weapon, they will not fire it; instead, they will use it as a makeshift melee weapon. Much faster than lower Elites, they are also far harder to hit and duck behind obstacles to avoid fire. When found with Energy Swords they are highly dangerous and should be dealt with quickly. They are very powerful and smart, and are a force to be reckoned with.

The best way to deal with a Zealot is at a longer ranges, as they always wield swords. Also, due to their strong shields, it is advisable to use heavy weapons, such as the sniper rifle and rocket launcher, if they are available. The M6D pistol is only moderately effective, taking 16 headshots to kill a fully-shielded Zealot on Normal difficuly. If you are forced into close-quarters combat with a Zealot, you should use a shotgun. However, the player must exercise extreme caution and have very good timing, as it takes several blasts to kill a Zealot, and they can run faster than you can backpedal. The plasma pistol is also effective, as it can completely disable their shields with a single overcharged shot. Like any other Elite, a Zealot will be briefly stunned after the overcharged shot disables their shields. The player should use this opportunity to quickly switch to another weapon, preferably one capable of making headshots (pistol, Battle Rifle, etc.), and finish off the Zealot.

In Halo 2, their shields are not quite as strong, but they can be fought in much the same way. They are still very deadly in close-quarters, so the player should keep their distance. In addition to the tactics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, dual M6C Magnums can be effective at closer ranges, so long as you stay outside of their reach. Dual Needlers are also very effective.

Titles
Because "Zealot" is the highest military grade for an Elite, there appears to be a variety of rank titles for Zealot Elites, and some Zealots are subservient to others. Some of the known titles include:


 * Supreme Commander: These are the highest known titles for Zealot Elites. Supreme commanders are in charge of entire fleets of starships, as well as all ground forces within those fleets. The only known Supreme Commander was the Arbiter, being in charge of the Fleet of Particular Justice. It is not, however, clear that Supreme Commanders are Zealots, as the Arbiter was shown at alternating times with ornate purple armor or the armor of a Zealot.
 * Fleet Master and also and possibly another name for De Facto Commander: This rank normally acts as the normal Ship Master, and controls only one ship, but when a fleet needs to do an special objective, the Fleet Master acts as the commander for the ships participating in that objective (normally called Task Force). Voro '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 naval "Captain". Ship Masters command Starships within the Covenant, but they still fall under the command of their fleet's Supreme Commander and De Facto commander/fleet master. An example of this is Orna 'Fulsamee, who was the ship master of an unknown destroyer. Many believe that Orna Fulsamee commandeered a CCS class battle cruiser, but in the book Halo: The Flood, he actually commands a destroyer. It mentioned it at the beginning pages of Halo The Flood. The title of Ship Master is not exclusive only to the Zealot rank.
 * Field Master: This rank is equivalent to the UNSC Marine "General". 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 a HQ miles away from the conflict. They are in charge of all warriors of any race within that army, as well as all armor, air support, and materiel utilized by that army. An example of this is Noga 'Putumee, who led forces against the humans on Installation 04.

Physical Appearance
Zealots wear distinct gold armor, often with tan lining, and their shields are more powerful than those of their subordinates.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealot Elites appear with about the same frequency on all settings, although their strength on each difficulty increases significantly in a direct proportion with the difficulty level. They are difficult to kill on Normal mode and even more so on Legendary. In the stage Truth and Reconciliation on Legendary difficulty, Zealots will replace the usual Stealth Elites encountered in the ship's Gravity Lift bay.

On Legendary, they always have highly enhanced energy shields (three times more powerful than standard MJOLNIR armor shields), and most also wield Energy Swords (however, on at least two occasions in the level Two Betrayals, Zealots are seen with Plasma Rifles also). Zealots are also always accompanied by a vanguard group of lesser ranking Elites. The ranks of these Elites vary depending on the difficulty, with Minor Elites making up the vanguard on Normal mode, and Major Elites and Stealth Elites making up the vanguard on Heroic and Legendary.

Halo 2
Unlike in Halo: Combat Evolved, Zealots only appear as enemies in the suicidal mode known as Legendary, with few exceptions.

Zealots are always seen with groups of subordinate Elites, as in Halo: Combat Evolved. They have strong energy shielding, roughly equivalent to that of Elite Majors, and will continually charge SPARTAN-117 and his Marine comrades until killed. They also exclusively wield Energy Swords, unless given a different weapon by an allied player. Furthermore, Zealots are usually in unusual positions. (see below)

Their shields seem to be weaker than in the first game, as is about the same strength as a Major Elite's shields. For example, in Halo: Combat Evolved, they could take two Needler explosions before dying, but in Halo 2 they can take only one. It appears their stronger shields were traded to the Ultra and Councillor Elites.

The following is a list of Zealot appearances in Halo 2.


 * Cairo Station (Legendary only) - In Hangar B-01 (the second Hangar Bay), a Zealot armed with an Energy Sword leads the fifth Covenant wave out of the boarding craft to fight the player-controlled Master Chief.
 * Outskirts (Legendary only) - At a point in the level where a Covenant Phantom dropship approaches and drops off troops, it will drop one Covenant Zealot off, along with the rest of the units. The Zealot will then normally charge toward and attack the player and any remaining Marines. Another example is a section of the same level near the Hotel Zanzibar, after Sniper Alley. There is always a Zealot in the half collapsed building, which will jump down and attack if the player walks down the streets near it.
 * Metropolis (Legendary only) - As one gets to the service tunnel at the end of the Highway tunnel, a sword-wielding Zealot will emerge from there.
 * Uprising - The Arbiter always gains a Zealot ally in the early part of the level Uprising, regardless of difficulty.
 * The Great Journey - In the final battle with Tartarus, one or more Zealots with Energy Swords will be generated to aid you, either before or during the fight. Their usefulness is limited however, as Tartarus's shield protects him from Energy Swords and melee attacks. Since these are a Zealot's primary methods of attack, the Elites simply deal no damage and are left open to a close range attack from the Fist of Rukt.

Zealots in Halo 2 are far more sneaky and tactical than in Halo: Combat Evolved. They usually fight in more refined and stealthy ways than their allies. An example of this is that, rather than simply charging the player the entire time, they will sneak on him and only charge after being seen. It should also be noted that the Zealot AI will not enter any vehicles except for Phantoms and Crusiers.

Supreme Commanders

 * The Arbiter - former Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice

Fleet Masters

 * Voro 'Mantakree - De facto Fleet Master of the Second Fleet of Homogenous 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

Field Masters

 * Noga 'Putumee - Field Master in the Fleet of Particular Justice

Trivia

 * The Zealots featured thus far have not had a black secondary color like lower ranking Elites. In Halo: CE, they are solid gold. In Halo 2, they have a brown/tan secondary color. It is unknown if this armor is given to all Zealots or if there are variants which have black as the secondary color. Given the frequency of the featuring of Zealots seen by players, all Zealots are likely issued this color scheme.
 * Zealots seem to be the equivalent of flag officers (various grades of Generals and Admirals).
 * With the exception of Major Domos, Zealots are the only rank featured so far that have been confirmed holding the position of Ship Master.