Sangheili Point Defense Gauntlet

Early in the development of Halo, Elites carried an arm shield, similar to the Jackal Personal Arm Shield carried by Jackals. This shield was later replaced by the Elite Personal Energy Shield. While the Elite Arm Shield was never seen in game, it left it's footprint by forcing all Covenant weapons (with the exception of the Fuel Rod Gun) to be single handed weapons.

Possible Return
The appearance of the Elite Arm Shield in the Halo Graphic Novel has lead to speculation that it may be revived in Halo 3. This speculation is reinforced by the fact that the dual wieldable Energy Sword seen in the HGN has been unofficially confirmed in the Et Tu Brute video, lending a small measure of credibility to the source.

It is also theorized that the Covenant Civil War may give a reason for the revival of the Elite Arm shield. With the Jackals siding with the Brutes, the Elites have no shield carrying soldiers, which would most likely be an important role in their military. It would make sense for Elites to equip arm shields to fill the void. On the other side, the Brutes have thus far failed to adopt any form of energy shielding and as they are going to be the primary enemies for much of Halo 3, it would be reasonable for some of them to adopt an arm shield in order to keep Plasma Weapons useful, and to increase variety in gameplay while decreasing the "damage sponge" issue mentioned in the Et Tu Brute video.

Related Links

 * Shields
 * Elite Personal Energy Shield
 * Jackal Personal Arm Shield
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Elites