Sangheili

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Template:Covenant Species Infobox The Sangheili (Latin Macto cognatus) are a species of fierce warriors and skilled tacticians in the unified conglomerate races of the Covenant. Colloquially known by humans as Elites, presumably thanks to their adeptness in combat, the Sangheili formed the military backbone of the Covenant for nearly the whole of its existence. Elites as stated in the book Halo: The Fall of Reach, are nigh equal to Master Chief in combat, when the Master Chief encounters a camoflauged elite on the ship Circumference to destroy the databse, a melee ensues and Spartan 117 barely defeats him. A good guess would be three U.N.S.C. Marines would be a match for one Sangheili.

Summary

  Most Elites are approximately 8'6" tall. By human standards Elites boast an incredibly powerful musculature mirroring iron in texture and rigor. Elite warriors augment this natural resilience further through use of personal energy shields integrated into their  armor. This technology, is actually what the Mjolnir armor MarkIII and up were originally imitated from.
     
     Elites employ coffin-like Orbital Insertion Pods as well as Phantom dropships for military transit purposes and rapid-response. Historically Elites have maintained an intense hatred of humanity, believing them an affront to their religion and a challenge to their Great Journey; there are signs that this stance is being slowly abandoned, however, as a tentative alliance between the two enemies forms the core allied faction in Halo 3. Yet the grudging respect Elites now seem to harbor for their allies is not without precedent: Elites long acknowledged humanity's resolve. Impressed by humanity's ingenious tactics and will to survive, some had even wondered why the Prophets never offered humanity a place in the Covenant.

There are several distinct Elite ranks, all equivalent to a UNSC commissioned officer. These ranks are denoted by varying coloration and armor design for identification and honorific purposes. Promotions are based on the amount and type of casualties inflicted by an Elite. Higher ranked Elites retain unique rights to stronger energy shields and thicker, more ornate armor as well as special weapons such as the Energy Sword. The lowest Elite rank, "Minor Domo" primarily functions as a leader to a Grunt squad while the the highest rank, "Councilor," directly serves the Prophets. Councilors also retain at least a limited participatory role in political decision making. Rough ranks and colour coordination are: Blue: Recruit, the blue Elite usually have not had much field experience, they are likely to rush into a fight blindly, punching any enemy it sees, these elites are the most commonly seen. Red: Veteran, these Elites are experienced fighters, a bit thicker shields than the blues, these Elites are more likely to stay back, order troops, and fire with greater accuracy than blues. They will still melee you if you get too close so be careful. Gold: A field commander,also the Honour Guard now disbanded in Halo 3, in Halo I they are usually seen swords, they are the Elite of the Sangheili. Good to have as an ally, bad to have as an enemy. Approach with care. Black: A Special Ops Elite. These are not seen in any of the Halos but are in the Halo books. They have authority over the other ranks and are allowed to do pretty much anything that isn't contradicting a Councilor Sangheili. Green?: These elites have never been seen in the Halos but there is rumours of the Green Elites that pilot phantoms and are known to go down with their phantoms so the chances of seeing one jump ship is unlikely. Silver: Ship Master these Elites made their first appearance in Halo 2 in the level The Arbiter, he is with the Arbiter and a number of other Elites to kill the Heretic, he also appears in Halo 3 in the cinematics only, on the Elite ship the Ship Master has direct authority over everyone other than the Council. Arbiter: Normally he has no authority, but after the Great Schism, he has lead the Sangheili to their salvation, and has allied the humans to combat the Covenant and the Flood.

The Arbiter is considered a sacred position to the Elite culture and the "blade" of the Prophets; as such it transcends the traditional Elite hierarchical structure. Ceremonial positions that have neither political power nor battlefield relevance also exist (such as Elite Honor Guards).

Since the founding of the Covenant Elites have enjoyed a mutually beneficial arrangement with the Prophets, serving as their military counterpart in exchange for political and religious leadership. Thanks to their intelligence and strength Elites were granted not only the favor of the Prophets but the admiration - or at least respect - of the "lesser" Covenant races as well. However, as a result of the Battle of Installation 04 their place in the Covenant was usurped by the Brutes. The end-result of this has been the ongoing Civil War of the Covenant (referred to colloquially as "The Great Schism").

Culture

Two Minor Domos guard the Silent Cartographer's security control room on the level Silent Cartographer in Halo: Combat Evolved Installation 04.

Elites consider all of the other species of the Covenant, with the exception of the Prophets, to be below them in all ways, and this is not without good reason. They are the most refined warriors the Covenant has, and, although they are not as abundant as the other species, they are the most intelligent, the most dependable, and have the highest sense of honor. Because of this, the Prophets have chosen the Elites, and no others, to be on the High Council with them; to help them rule the Covenant. Just before the events of Halo 2, however, the Brutes began clamoring for the attention of the Prophets. It started when they took over as the Honor Guard of the High Prophets, and, by the time of the Covenant Civil War, they had completely taken over the Elites' position in the Covenant.

In the Elite culture, names are considered a privilege, as only things of importance are given names. The Elites generally consider humans to be nameless, and resent that the humans have assigned the label "Elite" to them, as humans have no standing to be naming things. While, in Halo 2, they use such titles as "Elite," because that is how the humans translate their true name. Because names are so important to the Elite society, Elite names are constructed from a series of parts, each one having a meaning. An example of this naming scheme is Ado 'Mortumee. "Ado" is his given name, which was all he had until he was considered an adult. As he became of age, 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, his crèche or family name, and ee, an honorific indicating that he is a participant in the military. However recently this suffix is no longer in use as it would appear Elites are no longer in Loyalist Covenant military service. Most Elites will have names with this kind of construction. It appears that additional titles may be given to those of very high rank, such as Xytan 'Jar Wattinree. Since "Jar" is not a part of the standard Elite name, it may be assumed that it denotes Xytan's status as Imperial Admiral, although this has yet to be confirmed. There is no other reference, however, of other names with this sort of addition, as no other Elites above the rank of Zealot have been named.

Promotion in the Covenant military is by merit; a Covenant soldier must succeed to advance among the ranks. Success is often measured in scalps. An Ultra, for example, may have personally slaughtered thousands of individuals to reach that status.

Each Elite "family" has its own unique Battle Poem.

Also, since almost no female Elites have been seen ingame or mentioned in most books, some may speculate that the female Elites are only present on the Sangheili homeworld (Sanghelios), and that only the sons of the Elites are sent into the Covenant to train as full fledged Elites. This may also mean that Elites have have knowledge of their biological parents. Contradicting this, however, is Halo 3's ability to select a gender for your multiplayer character. The only know physiological difference is that the female's voice is much louder than the males'. You can choose male or female for both Spartans and Elites, which must mean that female Elites do see service in the Covenant military,

Mating

Much like Humans, Elites get "married" (or rather, a male and female live with each other and re-produce). Elites that wield swords, however, are Aristocrats and are forbidden to marry. They can, however, mate with any single female Elite they like, or even a married elite, to ensure the passing of the "swordsman" genes to another generation.

History

The Arbiter enters the Sanctum of the Hierarchs.

The Elites once dwelt on a planet that had at one point been visited by the Forerunners, or had been in contact with the Forerunners. The Prophets, however, also lived on a Forerunner planet. It has been suggested, although never confirmed, that the two races lived, oblivious to one another, on the same world. It is unknown how or why, but at some point the Prophets and Elites came together in a long and bloody war. An unknown Elite author described the two races' plight in a poem:

The Prophets eventually ended this war, although their motivations in doing so are unknown. They made peace by telling the Elites the legend of the Great Journey: That by seeking out holy rings scattered throughout the galaxy, obtaining sacred icons, and reunifying them with the Core, a "Great Journey" would begin. This Great Journey would transform believers into godlike beings, while providing salvation for their doomed existence of fighting with the Flood. The Elites then became the bodyguards of the Prophets, who would search the galaxy for the Halos, thus starting the Covenant. The Writ of Union was drawn up in order to codify the Covenant. Its first canto clearly outlines the nature of the Covenant from the perspective of the Prophets:

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. They fear very little, and are never seen to show cowardice, even when death is imminent or unavoidable. When stuck with a plasma grenade, they may roar with pain and fury, but they never scream in horror as even the toughest humans are known to.

It is shown in the Conversations from the Universe booklet that the Elites have begun to question the refusal of the Prophets to accept humans into the Covenant. They claim variously that humans are "tenacious", that their technology is "limited, but... useful", that their battle techniques are "impressive", and that they are "excellent strategists." They seem to believe that humans, although weak, are honorable and brave. Certainly, some Elites believe that humans should be admitted to the Covenant. Some even believe that the humans are equal to them - a considerable step for an Elite, or any member of the Covenant, to make.

Anatomy and Physiology

Elites have an interesting physical appearance and anatomy. Their jaw is quadruple-hinged, with an upper jaw and four Mandible-like lips which are lined with sharp teeth. It is because of this unique mouth that humans have given them the nicknames "split-lip" or "squidhead". It is suggested that the Sangheili are a possibly carnivorous or simply more carnivorous than omnivorous, race. It is unknown, given this structure, how Elites chew and swallow food, or even speak, though may be possible that they possess shaping vols or a tongue.It may be conceivable that the Sangheili configure food dining ware to a certain configuration in which allows them to swallow their food by pouring it into their gullets. This may only apply to speaking English, since in Halo 2 most of their language is translated from UNSC translation software. Their hands only have four fingers; two middle fingers and two opposing thumbs on the outside for grasping. Their legs are digitigrade, possibly allowing them to run very quickly and jump large distances, at least when compared to ordinary humans and other species of the Covenant. Their hooves and leg structure give them excellent balance.

File:Naked Elite.jpg

A standing Elite without armor.

They have purple blood, although it is not known what chemical makes their blood this color. It is assumed that they breathe oxygen, as they can breathe the same atmosphere as humans and cannot survive in a vacuum. They also appear to have a double set of pectoral muscles, which would add to or possibly cause their incredible strength. They have grayish-brown skin, and the majority of Elites have dark blue or black eyes, although there are a few exceptions. It has been theorized that the reason Elites seem to have dark blue eyes is because they wear eye coverings. This hypothesis comes largely from the Arbiter's appearance- when standing before the council in his armor, his eyes were dark, but after his armor was removed, his eyes became a much lighter orange.

File:Arbiter kneel 2.jpg

The Arbiter kneeling without armor.

In the Halo Wars announcement trailer, the Elites are different on several points. They seem far more muscular, although this could be because they're wearing much thicker armor because of the cold weather. They also have a more animalistic growl, which could simply be expanding on the sounds they make in Halo 1. It is most likely that Blur Studios (Ensemble Studios didn't make the actual trailer, Blur did) had altered the Elites appearance and that it was the trailer- not the actual gameplay. Elites in the actual gameplay shown at the E3 look much more like those in the other Halo games. Either way, it appears that Blur had just altered the Elites appearance for the effect; after all, they are slightly different than Bungie in design taste and opinions. The height difference does not mean much; Xytan 'Jar Wattinree, the imperial admiral, was known to be over eleven feet tall, though it could be due to an illusion and it is also possible he was wearing a head dress as a high ranked Elite could. However the height of an Elite usually averages out to about eight and a half feet.

Intelligence

A Covenant Elite Zealot from Halo 2.

Elites are extremely intelligent and demonstrate this in combat. Elites are normally on the move when fighting, constantly running and ducking, strafing and dodging when firing at the enemy. When presented with an obstacle, such as say, a Warthog driving at them, they will leap out of the way, and if a vehicle stops, they will attempt to board it or disable it. They are also smart enough to utilize cover, ducking behind crates or other obstacles when their shields are drained until they recharge. It should be noted that not all Elites make use of cover: Zealots and Councilors charge their enemies with reckless aggression, regardless of any damage they sustain; only very seldom do they admit temporary defeat. They are quite capable of luring their enemies into traps by falling back into cover; as the enemy approaches, the Elite will spring from its position and land a massive melee hit on the unsuspecting opponent, usually it's a one hit kill if it is on on any difficulty higher than Easy. Elites are incredible tacticians, renowned for their ferocity and decisive thinking. Perhaps the most conclusive statement that can be made, then, is that Elites are never to be underestimated, no matter what rank.

"Although Elites are naturally very intelligent, their culture's long dependence on a military-industrial schema has led to an emphasis on might over science. In some regards, the advent of the Covenant made this position easier--allowing the Elites to concentrate even more monomaniacally on military endeavors, while Prophets took care of science and technology"

— 343 Guilty Spark in the Bestiarum

Weapon Compatibility

File:Elite and marine.jpg

An Elite and a dead Marine as depicted in Halo Wars.

Because of their toughness and versatility on the combat field, Elites can use any weapon on the battlefield, human or Covenant, though most Elites would rather die than use a human weapon. The Arbiter, it appears, has no particular objection to sullying his honor with a human weapon. However, this is most likely because his honor is already tarnished by his heresy. Most other Elites will use a human weapon if it is given to them by the Arbiter, although usually with a derogatory remark, such as, "Pah! Even as trophies, these weapons are worthless!", or "Worthless piece of crap!" But in the hands of an Elite, any human weapon, even an M6C Pistol, can be deadly.

Combat

Despite their advantages, Elites also have vulnerabilities:

Counter-Elite Tactics
M6D Pistol	The M6D Pistol has high damage per hit, high accuracy, and is very effective against Elites. The only thing you should worry about, however, is the Pistol's low rate of fire.
MA5B Assault Rifle	Not the most effective weapon. Your best strategy with this weapon is to just hold onto the trigger- it'll take a little bit, but the deluge of bullets will quickly overwhelm the Elites' energy shield. From medium range it is better to pulse the trigger, as after the trigger is released, the bullet spread is reset.
M6C Magnum	Can be somewhat effective against Elites. Its best to Dual Wield with a plasma weapon to take down their shields, then aim for the Elite's head with the magnum for a quick kill.
BR55 Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine	Both are a high step up from the MA5B. The BR55's 3 round burst or the Carbine's semiautomatic mode is pretty effective against Elites. However if the Newb Combo is used any Elite can be killed in a matter of seconds.
SMG	Good when coupled with the Plasma Pistol or the Plasma Rifle, breaks shields quickly, and is excellent when it does.
Shotgun	Instant kill weapon at close range, except against higher Elites such as Ultras and Councilors.	Fragmentation Grenade	Elites have good reflexes and dodge most grenades thrown at them, but a frag grenade, though it won't kill them instantly, is harder to see and will destroy their shield. They're useful in narrow areas, close quarters, or for making the enemy break cover. One blast will only kill Stealth Elites.
Plasma Cannon or Shade	Very useful, though few and far between. Basically a 3 second way to break an Elite's shield and put it away.
Rocket Launcher or Fuel Rod Cannon	Very good against Elites in cover and for taking out groups of 2 or more, but for the sake of practicality, carry something else to switch to for one-on-one combat.
Plasma Pistol	Resist the urge to fire a charged shot; an Elite will most likely dodge it. Instead, fire continuously to bring down more quickly. This weapon's upgraded lock-on in Halo 2 makes it practical for shield breaking. An excellent tactic for killing an Elite very quickly, especially on Legendary, is to charge it up, fire at the target Elite, then quickly fire a shot from the M6C Magnum for an instant kill.
Plasma Rifle or Brute Plasma Rifle	Very effective if your aim is true. If not, the overheat can leave you vulnerable to a charging and angry Elite. Dual-wielding is good too. For the Brute variant, dual-wielding is necessary to avoid overheating of both guns.
Needler	Highly effective. If you catch an Elite in the open, fire about half a clip then retreat and the needles will home in on it, piercing its shield and killing it. An example of a "fire-and-forget" weapon. The only problem is that needlers are slow. So have some patience.
Plasma Grenade	Run up close, or take good aim, then throw it at an Elite. If it becomes scared, it runs toward the rest of its squad, blasting them as well. Beware against higher ranking Elites or on higher difficulty levels as certain Elites, when stuck with a plasma grenade will attempt to rush you, killing you in the explosion. In these circumstances simply backpedal and fire at the Elite to stagger it until the grenade detonates.
Brute Shot	The grenades bounce high unless you hit first try and the explosion radius is small compared to other grenades, but can take out an Elite in only one or two hits.
Energy Sword	This weapon is effective at close quarters, and is fatal in one hit for lower ranking Elites. Two lunges are required to slay an Ultra Elite, even on the Easy difficulty. Be careful, though, as it is very common for the higher ranks to have an energy sword of their own as a secondary weapon.

Heretic Elite Ranks

Sesa 'Refumee

Heretic Leader - Heretic Red/Thruster Pack: The leader of the Heretics. He wore reddish armor, similar to that of standard Heretic Elites, but the armor was upgraded with an Elite Ranger's thruster pack. This gave him a unique advantage in combat, but it was not enough for him to defeat the Arbiter, who slew him in the Battle of the Gas Mine. Prior to his death, he had come into contact with 343 Guilty Spark, Who told him the true purpose of Halo. The Hierarchs sent the Arbiter to quell this heresy, and, with 'Refumee's death, he did. 'Refumee wielded two plasma rifles.

Heretic Elite Major

Heretic Elite Major - Heretic Gold: Work as commanders of the Heretic Grunts and Heretic Elite Minors. They wear gold-colored heretic armor, and are equipped with Covenant Carbines and Sentinel Beams. A select few, closest to the Heretic Leader, wield energy swords. While not so skilled in the swords' use as Honor Guards, Councilors, Zealots or even Ultras, they are quite dangerous due to their crafty flanking maneuvers and teamwork.

Heretic Elite Minor - Heretic Brown: Group commanders of the Heretic Grunts. They wear brown heretic armor, and wield Carbines, and, occasionally, Sentinel Beams. They are excellent shots, far superior to normal Elite Minors. They are skilled Banshee pilots, but fly in pairs, supplementing there effectiveness.

Known Elites

File:H-JawH2.jpg

Rtas 'Vadumee strides forward.

• Arbiter - ex-zealot of the Fleet of Particular Justice
• Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree - Imperial Admiral during Ninth Age of Reclamation
• Zealot Commander Voro Nar 'Mantakree - 'Inanraree's successor as Ship Master of the Incorruptible
• Heretic leader Sesa 'Refumee - Leader of Heretics based in Threshold gas mine
• Councilor Soha 'Rolamee
• Zealot Commander Orna 'Fulsamee - Ship Master of an unknown "covenant destroyer"
• Spec-ops N’tho ‘Sraom
• 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 - Ship Master of the Incorruptible
• Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee
• Uruo 'Losonaee
• Usze ‘Taham
• Zasses 'Jeqkogoee
• Parala 'Ahrmonro

Trivia

• The dialog spoken by the Elites of Halo: Combat Evolved was made by reversing and slowing sound clips of Sergeant Johnson. "Wort wort wort" is the reversed phrase, "Go, go, go!".
• The date in which Elites were first encountered by the UNSC is a subject of constant retconning. Initially Halo: The Fall of Reach stated that John and Linda encountered Elite Rangers as a new and unfamiliar species in the Battle of Reach in 2552, but in Halo: First Strike the Spartans at CASTLE Base seemed to recognize Elites when they encountered them. Furthermore, the Halo Wars trailer showed Elites, apparently without energy shields, battling UNSC Marines even earlier in 2531, although as the game is incomplete this is subject to change and may represent events that were covered up. Most recently, in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx it was established that the SPARTAN-III Beta Company had fought Elites as early as 2537, but the Spartans at Reach would not have known this due to the project's secrecy.
• Jason Jones at first wanted the Elites to have tails, but Shi Kai Wang talked him out of it by arguing that the Elites would look too animalistic. An additional point was that when the Elites sit, the only place their tails could go was folded between their legs, creating a somewhat awkward appearance.
• Sangheili's blood smells something like fresh tar.
• Although Elite melee attacks are devastating, a serious glitch causes the melee attcks of Heretic Elites to do no damage at all. However, the sound of a melee attack hitting the player is created, even if the player moves out of the way of it. Heretics wielding Energy Swords can still kill the player, despite this glitch.
• The Elites will help you in some levels of Halo 3.
• In Halo:Combat Evolved some Elites have helmets that are curved at the back. This may mean that only female Elites wore the curved helmets, though the curved helmets never appeared in Halo 2 or Halo 3.
• Macto means "to magnify, glorify, honor/slay, fight, punish, afflict. Cognatus means a relative, kinsman.

Images

• 

  A Minor Elite mows down enemies with a Shade.

• 

  A Zealot prepares to lunge.

• Early Elite Study.jpg

  An early Elite study.

• Cryolab elites.jpg

  A trio of Elites attacking the Pillar of Autumn.

• Ossoona.jpg

  An Elite multiplayer character model.

• Halo3Elites.JPG

  Halo 3 Elite Concept Art.

• EliteEGMcover.jpg

  A picture/render from the September 2007 EGM magazine covering Halo 3.

• Halo3024.jpg

  Elite armor types.

Related Links

• Elite Personal Energy Shield
• Dead Shielded Elite