Prophet of Regret

This article is about the Covenant High Prophet. For the Halo 2 level, see Regret (Level).

The High Prophet of Regret is the youngest of the three High Prophets that lead the Covenant High Council. Regret is rash, ambitious, immature and naive compared to the other Prophets. Before ascending to the role of Prophet, he served as Vice Minister of Tranquility, where he worked frequently with Sangheili and had adopted some of their personal traits, such as a preoccupation with honor and personal arms. However, he also exhibits traits of alcoholism. Regret's character was voiced by Robert Atkin Downes.

Twenty Third Age of Doubt

During the Age of Doubt, 2524 by the UNSC calendar, the Prophet of Regret held the post of Vice Minister of Tranquility. He was unique among the Prophets for his confrontational demeanor, a trait he gained from working with Elites. He informed the future Prophet of Truth about the existence of Harvest and what they believed to be a vast repository of Forerunner artifacts. (These "artifacts" were the Reclaimers on the planet.) After conspiring with the future High Prophet to gain these artifacts for their own use, he helped Truth by pretending to sympathize with those blacklisted from reproducing due to inbreeding, which included the Prophet of Restraint. After pretending to be the father of a child Restraint had unlawfully fathered, Regret blackmailed Restraint into stepping down from his position as High Prophet.

Before their coup, the Prophets visited Mendicant Bias, an ancient AI stored in the Forerunner Dreadnought that had not spoken to anyone for hundreds of years. When the Luminations of Harvest were entered into its matrix, it revealed the symbols had been misinterpreted -- that humans were equals to the Forerunner and the Covenant had been mistaken in their beliefs. As it tried to launch the Dreadnought from High Charity, the Prophets along with the future Prophet of Mercy, disconnected the Oracle from the ship and decided to eradicate humanity before any of the Covenant learned that the most basic premise of their faith was false.

Regret served during the destruction of Halo Installation 04 and helped condemn the Sangheili Supreme Commander (later the Arbiter) who was responsible for the loss of the ring.

Earth

The Prophet of Regret led the first attack on Earth with a small fleet of two Assault Carriers and thirteen Battlecruisers. He may have been directed to Earth by a Forerunner artifact on Coral to search for the Ark, but he apparently had no knowledge of a human presence on Earth or that it was his enemy's homeworld. He sent Ranger Elites and Boarding Craft to destroy the Orbital Defense Platforms Malta, Athens, and Cairo, so he could push through into the heart of Africa. Despite the Master Chief's actions, his ship made it to the ground and deployed the first full-scale invasion force of Covenant on Earth .

After landing in New Mombasa, Regret's forces searched the city supported by Scarabs and many Phantom dropships. As the Master Chief approached his Carrier, Regret's ship initiated a Slipspace in the middle of New Mombasa to escape and regroup. The forces generated by the jump vaporized the entire city and left an enormous crater. The move was so surprising that only the In Amber Clad and four Prowlers were able to follow the Carrier.

Delta Halo

Regret's current fate, as a Prophet Form.

Regret's Carrier deployed ground and infantry forces onto the surface of Installation 05, and set up a presence around a temple in the middle of a lake, from which Regret began his religious sermons. He transmitted an apology to the Prophet of Truth, indicating that he couldn't have known that the humans would be there or in such force. Truth responded that only Mercy had spared him from public condemnation. Nevertheless, High Charity and the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity rushed to the new Halo, and a flight of Phantoms was deployed to rescue the Hierarch.

In Amber Clad arrived in system soon after and deployed ODST forces on Installation 05 along with the Master Chief to locate and kill Regret. The operation was a success, but soon afterward High Charity made a jump to the ring and ordered one of the nearby ships to use its Gravity Lift to destroy the temple, nearly killing the Spartan and leaving Regret for dead.

Regret's body was later assimilated and reanimated by the newly formed Gravemind. He expressed annoyance with another captive of the Gravemind's, 2401 Penitent Tangent, and reacted to the presence of the Arbiter, warning him to forgo any heretical suggestions made by the Monitors and the humans and to pursue the Great Journey. What remained of Regret was destroyed with the Gravemind when the replacement for Installation 04 was prematurely fired by the Master Chief and Cortana.

Gameplay

The only weapon Regret has is his Gravity Throne, seen in the level Regret. Regret is heavily guarded by Grunts and Honor Guard Elites. The throne is equipped with two Gravity Cannons that glow bright orange and are a modified version of a Hunter's Assault Cannon. It allows him to teleport a short distance away. Regret can be knocked out of his throne and shoot the player with a Plasma Pistol before teleporting back to his chair. The only way to defeat him is to board his throne and melee attack him. However, rockets and energy swords can weaken him. Though this will not kill the Prophet it will reduce the number of melee hits needed to kill him.

Trivia

• Regret's title is ironic, like the names of all the other High Prophets, as he never showed any regret for his actions.
• The Prophet of Regret is still alive in Halo 2 by way of the Gravemind.

Related links

• Prophet of Mercy
• Prophet of Truth