Unggoy

The Unggoy (Latin, Monachus frigus ) are a species of subordinate warriors in the unified conglomerate races of the Covenant. The Humans have termed such warriors Grunts, because of their speech patterns and their status in Covenant society.

Grunts are the lowest-ranked species of the Covenant hierarchy, forming the bottom-most of all the castes. They are often pressed into combat and manual labor. Furthermore they are typically poor and cowardly warriors, are physically diminutive, wear minimal armor, and most of them are tactically inept and poor shots. However, what they lack in ability they make up for with sheer numbers.

They are unusual in that they breathe methane rather than oxygen. Their combat armor is even integrated with a methane rebreather system, as Grunts appear to be unable to survive long without methane due to asphyxiation much like humans without oxygen.

Culture
Grunts were one of the original races of the Covenant, serving as soldiers, laborers, and "cannon fodder" in all different fields. Their original culture has been all but erased by their incorporation into the Covenant, which occurred 3,517,192 hours (about 402 years) before the events of Halo 3, roughly coming to their reindoctrination in 2142 on the Military Calendar. Before joining the Covenant, the Unggoy had yet to attain tier 4 technology. While not overly intelligent or creative, they are one of the most sociable of the Covenant races. They possess a strong pack mentality, often associating with each other in groups, which causes them to present a danger when encountered in large numbers because of their tenacity and ferocity. Grunts are essentially a slave race, who obey the other Covenant races out of fear, because they have no political power in Covenant society. However, within the Grunt community there is a strong hatred of other species, especially Jackals. It has been indicated that at some time in the Covenant's history, in one of the nine ages, there was a Grunt Rebellion, which was quelled, thanks in part to an Arbiter who was named during that period for that purpose. This fear also leads to a lack of political loyalty and during the Covenant Civil War the Grunts did not ally with a particular side and stayed with whoever was commanding them, most likely out of subservient fear to their masters though many held support for the Elites and still revered The Arbiter.

Due to their low status, Grunts are not permitted by the Elites to possess family names. They do value their ties to their offspring, but are usually separated from their families at an early age by the requirements of their service to the Covenant. The Grunts resent this greatly, but are unable to muster any response. It is also interesting to note that Grunts do appreciate many of the luxuries presented to them in their service to the Covenant, one of them being heat, as stated by the Grunt Kwassas.

In the meantime, the Grunts generally follow a few short, simple guidelines given to them by the Elites; namely "When in doubt, shoot" or "Stay out of the way, live another day."

Grunts feel safe when in large numbers or led by an Elite, though if the Elite or most of the squad dies, or if a superior enemy gets too close, they tend to panic and flee. This renders them extremely vulnerable as they are rather sluggish, but given the time, they will turn around and once again attempt to fight back against the enemy. Higher-ranking Grunts typically have superior morale and are less likely to panic. It should be noted that the Heretic Grunts, unlike their mainstream brethren, will not flee in combat if the enemy approaches. It is unknown why Heretic Grunts have better morale than other Grunts. One possible explanation could be that the enemy is the Arbiter, and the Grunts have had experience with the Elites. This can be ruled out because in Halo 3, Grunts will run from the Arbiter. Another way they could have obtained a higher morale than the Covenant Grunts could be that they are allowed more freedom or a higher status, since they are not bound by the exact same caste system in the Covenant. They could also have found their heresy as a good cause to fight, and therefore draw their strength from that, or a combination of this and the fact that they are not constrained by Covenant society. Alternately, they could be better trained and disciplined than rank-and-file Grunts, or their behavior could simply be the result of their situation.

It is also important to note that in Halo 3, the Grunts are more courageous than beforehand. Fighting more ferociously and are seemingly more hostile to the enemy. In the level Sierra 117 a marine comments on the fact that even the Grunts weren't pushovers when led by the Brutes. The Arbiter replies that their new-found courage is a result of fearing their new Brute masters, who are more cruel and primal than the Elites. Another idea is that the Brutes mixed a gas into the methane tanks to make the Grunts more aggressive, as suggested by a marine. The Grunts also have tendencies to ignite two plasma grenades and suicide bomb the enemy.

After the events of Halo 3, Grunts were freed from their slavery in the covenant and allowed to return to their worlds but they remain in the elite goverment jurastiction. Ironically, the surviving Grunts that still fought for the Brutes and Truth during the Covenant civil war got exactly what they wanted: Freedom from the Covenant.

The intelligence of Grunts has often been hotly debated as much of the source material contradict one another. In the Eric Nylund novels they have been described as dog-like and animalistic but at rare moments, intelligent, such as the Grunt that inadvertently activates the Nova Bomb. In Halo: The Flood Grunts are shown to be much more intelligent, pulling off military maneuvers and other actions, such as their attempting to put a grenade into Master Chief's suit and Yayap who has a higher than normal intelligence for a Grunt. In game, their battlefield tactics are rather simplistic, but they are more than capable of using a variety of weapons and in Halo 3 pilot vehicles such as the Ghost. It is also worth considering that as a slave race, they are most likely purposely left untrained and uneducated to make them easy to control. Grunts seem to outnumber the other races to a large degree and might offer impressive resistance if properly organized. Grunts have been called "Cannon Fodder" because in crisis times, Elites will send them in as a distraction. On very, very rare occasions, sleeping Grunts will say "Mmm Jackal stew."

A popular Unggoy game is Hunting Rock, a game where the goal is to kill any local pest.

Grunts, like humans, have discovered that inhaling certain fumes can make them "high," and one of their favorites is Benzene, which has been described as "lovely lung gold."

Anatomy and Physiology
Grunts are approximately 5 feet tall and are relatively weak when compared to other Covenant species, although they can easily walk either upright on two legs, or on all fours. While carrying arms, they are forced to walk upright so that they may support their weapons with their hands, but while trying to flee, or while patrolling without a weapon drawn, they will discard their weapons and use their over sized arms as forelegs to add speed or stability to their gait.

Grunts' forearms are incredibly oversized, as are their calves, while their upper arms and thighs are incredibly minute. The only way for them to even be able to move like this is if their biceps and triceps are in their forearms and calves, although why they would evolve like this is unknown. This may, however, have to do with the claws that protrude from some of their joints, as the extra mass would add to the force used when melee-ing with the claws.

Grunts have hooves on their three-toed feet, and their skin is leathery and purple-gray. They have a single claw that protrudes from each elbow and knee, but its function is unknown, since there are no known instances where it was used in combat. While they are small and are not agile, they are quite sturdy, and most may be weak, as they seem to be unable to carry a weapon heavier than a Plasma Rifle, although certain Grunts of higher ranks appear to be surprisingly strong, able to carry an undeployed Plasma Cannon or fire a Fuel Rod Cannon without toppling from the recoil. However, physical strength may not actually go along with rank; the types of weapons available to them may be a part of a "trust" issue with the other Covenant. As rank-and-file Grunts are clumsy and tactically inept, more powerful weapons are likely only issued to those who are more disciplined and experienced. In a recent Bungie update, they said that Grunts reproduce frequently. This might explain why there are so many Grunts on the battlefield. This combined with the large number of young per clutch and rapid sensory motor integration development was one of the primary reasons why the species were given the role of disposable cannon fodder. Their unburdened neural pathways allows them to absorb knowledge more freely compared to their peers. As such, they are constantly monitoring the void for traces of Human communication and have developed an understanding of one or two Human languages. This was both a source of pride and stress to them. 

Grunts also have average eyesight and hearing, but they seem to have a very well developed sense of smell, sometimes sniffing the air to detect traces of foes. This is facilitated through the olfactory membranes installed in their masks. There are notable differences between the Unggoy of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, and the Unggoy of Halo 3. Some of the differences of the Halo 3 grunts are elongated heads, the lack of the elbow claws, red eyes, and a leaner torso. This may be attributed to different races of Grunt. Halo 1 is the only game to feature "curl back" armored grunts. Halo 3's grunts have grey mottled skin rather then the black, porous skin of the previous games' Grunts.

Grunts may be stronger than some Marines, as they can carry Fuel Rod Cannons. When Corporal Locklear tried to lift a Fuel Rod Gun in Halo: First Strike, it was too heavy, but Grunts in-game carry Fuel Rod Cannons with no problem. However, if you give a Fuel Rod Cannon to a Marine in Halo 2, he/she won't seem to have any issues carrying it.

Homeworld
The homeworld of the Grunts, Balaho, is a cold, swampy planet with a methane atmosphere and naturally occurring pillars of fire. The cold nature of their planet makes them highly covet of any source of heat they can find.

Since their natural environment is methane-filled, they have to carry tanks of methane in their environment suits to breathe. Without this breathing apparatus, they will suffocate in a "normal" atmosphere. They have also been seen inhabiting large environment domes that have airlocks and methane filters for them to breathe while not in armor or restocking their methane reserves at Battlefield Methane Tanks. Grunts also have high-pitched and squeaky voices, possibly due to acclimation to prolonged methane gas exposure. These voices are commonly regarded as humorous by other races.

Grunts also have thick, luminescent, light-blue blood, possibly a result of methane-based binding proteins in the blood to facilitate methane-based respiration.

Furthermore, Grunts are known for their frequent naps, even sleeping in high-risk combat environments, sometimes even in open daylight or immediately after an enemy has retreated. Whether this is a product of their methane-based metabolism is unknown.

Their home planet was nearly glassed in the Grunt Rebellion.

Overall
The Grunts are the lowest tier of the Covenant rank hierarchy, and are bitter rivals with Jackals as they are both on the bottom of the social hierarchy, and by a political standpoint, are expected to obey the commands of Elites or Brutes without hesitation. This unwavering faithfulness is enforced by the threat of punishment, although on the battlefield, such social protocols are often ignored. They are, in comparison to other species in the covenant hierachy, useless and weak, especially individually. They are easy to overpower, and runaway when leaderless or overpowered.

The Grunts are subdivided into sub-rankings, lower-ranked Grunts are typically poor combatants, while higher-ranked Grunts may be formidable adversaries in combat and even show signs of leadership capability.

Rank Structure
Grunts have several classes, which are easily identifiable by the color of their armor:

Other ranks
Deacon:The only position open to the grunts that doesn't involve combat or hard manual labor. Possibly the lowest position on the Covenant hierarchy. But as seen in "Contact Harvest" the Deacon ordered around other unggoy whenever it came to matter of religion.



Weaponry
Grunts are often armed with the ubiquitous Plasma Pistol, although they are occasionally seen wielding Needlers, Plasma Rifles and even Spikers. Grunts are never seen equipped with two-handed weapons like the Covenant Carbines, Brute Shots, Energy Swords, etc., although Gunner Grunts can carry folded Plasma cannons and Special Operations and Gunner Grunts are occasionally seen bearing Fuel Rod Cannons.

All Grunts are equipped with plasma grenades, although only mostly Ultra Grunts and Special Operations Grunts throw grenades in combat. In Halo 3 Grunts who are startled, or possibly just saw their allies get killed, will arm 2 plasma grenades and rush the player causing a nice sized explosion after a few seconds. As mentioned earlier, most Grunts are inaccurate shooters, although Ultra Grunts and Special Operations Grunts are a threat with their very accurate marksmanship and their tendency to lob grenades accurately. They can also carry the Fuel Rod Cannon.

The Weapon mostly used by Grunts seems to be the Plasma Pistol, however, the Needler is a close second. Usually giving a Grunt a weaker weapon than the one they are currently wielding will cause the Grunt to get very upset, they will pound their "fists" on the ground in a temper tantrum and might say something opposed to switching out the weapon.

On the level Uprising Grunt teammates can be given the human Rocket Launcher

Turrets/Vehicles
In Halo:CE, Minor Grunts were the primary operators of the stationary Shade turrets. In Halo 2, while it is the specific task of Gunner Grunts to man Plasma Cannons or Shielded Plasma Cannons, if no Gunner Grunts are available, Minor or Major Grunts will often man the turret.

In both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, if a Grunt turret operator is killed, nearby Grunts will move to man the unmanned cannon.

Grunts are also surprisingly adept with vehicles, and can man a variety of Covenant ground vehicles:


 * Ghost (Halo 2and Halo 3)
 * Shadow (Seen in Halo 2 E3 Demo, have animation but not used in Halo 2)
 * Shade (Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 3)
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon (Halo 2)
 * Plasma Cannon (Halo 2, Halo 3)

Combating Grunts
Grunts are relatively lightly armored and lack any form of shielding, and are easily dispatched by most weapons. Headshot-capable weapons such as the M6D Pistol and BR55 Battle Rifle are very effective. Like most other unshielded enemies, a single headshot will kill them. They are also easily killed with brief bursts of automatic fire from weapons such as the Assault Rifle, SMG, or Plasma Rifle. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Plasma Pistol is also very effective; one or two charged shots or a few standard shots are often enough to kill a Grunt. Ultra and Special Operations Grunts have stronger body armor and can withstand more damage than lower-ranking Grunts. Melee attacks can generally kill a grunt in one or two blows and is especially effective against sleeping grunts as it will not alert other Covenant troops to your presence. In Halo 3, some weapons will blow the cover of a Grunt's methane tank off and rupture the tank inside. The rebreather can also be knocked off. While this is probably fatal for the Grunts after a certain amount of time, they will continue to fight. A melee attack to a Grunt's back will also rupture the tank, but the blow will usually kill the Grunt outright. If a Grunt catches fire, the tank will explode.

Because Grunts are often in tight formations, grenades and rockets can be used to great effect. However, if stuck by a Plasma Grenade, Grunts will panic and start running in random directions, posing a threat not only to his Covenant allies, but to the player as well.

Trivia

 * In Halo: Combat Evolved on the level The Maw you can find Talking Grunts while in the last bit of the level.
 * In Tagalog, the language spoken in the Philippines, "unggóy" means "monkey".
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, there was a "curl-back" design for the Grunt life support system that occurred on all ranks. This variation is not in Halo 2. It could have been a traditional difference between male and female grunts. Possibly a suit was made by the time of Halo 2 that accommodated both sexes. Another possibility is that the 'curl back' design was an older design not fully phased out by the time of Halo 1 but fully replaced by the 'shark fin' tank design by the time Halo 2 took place. The differentiation between the two appearances has never been stated officially.However,in a recent Halo Wars screenshot in the January '08 issue of OXM, the "curl-back" can be seen operating a turret,which may lead to the fact that that was the old Heavy suit before they formed a color rank.
 * In Halo: The Flood, a group of Grunts coordinate a well timed attack against the Master Chief. A group of them dropped onto him and tried to remove his helmet while another lit a Plasma Grenade. Their goal was to drop the grenade into the Chief's suit, though they failed. This is particularly noteworthy as Grunts are typically shown as unintelligent canon-fodder; incapable of functioning like a military unit without the presence of a higher ranked Covenant race.
 * During the Covenant Civil War, Grunts, having the lowest status in Covenant society, were too afraid to openly pledge support for one side. Thus, allied Grunts in Halo 3 are not present in gameplay.
 * In the level Gravemind, a single Grunt is the protector of the hidden skull. This Grunt is one of the most dangerous enemies in the game because he is completely invisible and fires a Fuel Rod Cannon. Your best chance of killing him is a lucky Carbine headshot.
 * Much has been made in the novels of the fact that the methane gas tanks are explosive but only Halo 3 demonstrates this in-game. Halo Wars has Grunts being propelled many meters (even across maps) by exploding gas tanks.
 * In Halo 3, enemy Grunts have mottled, greenish-black skin and red eyes, giving them a more menacing, hostile appearance.
 * In Halo 3, you can sometimes see Grunts walking with their hands placed on the back of their head, almost as if it was being taken hostage. This is usually seen if you kill the other enemies in the area. (Note: This has been seen to occure with jackals too).
 * A Grunt was seen in the announcement trailer for Halo 3 on a crossing sign. This easter egg has been dubbed the "Grunt Crossing" Easter egg.
 * Monachus means monk. Frigus means cold, coolness, cold of winter/dullness, indolence. A rough translation would mean "Cold monk", perhaps alluding to their cold homeworld. "Monk" can also be related to the fact that they look like monkeys, as in "Cold Monkey".
 * In Halo 3, when you melee a Grunt in the back, it's methane tank will pop off along with a mist of aqua-looking methane. However, no matter what the color is of the Grunt you hit, it's tank will always show as orange.
 * If you take a Grunt's Plasma Pistol and replace it with a rifle, it will throw a tantrum even though it is a better weapon.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Grunts wear the Grunt Symbol upon their chests. But they do no bear it in Halo 2 and Halo 3.
 * In Halo 3, you do not see Grunts on the side of the Covenant Seperatists; however, it is suggested that some number of grunts sided with the Seperatist Covenant.