Promethean Knight

Template:New Content Template:Forerunner Infobox Promethean Knights are a class of mechanized Forerunner Promethean warriors. Several legions of Knights represent the central occupying force in the shield world of Requiem, alongside a number of other Promethean machines.^[1]

Overview

The origins of these automatons are both ancient and mysterious. While they differ significantly from the ancient Forerunner Prometheans, a legendary class of Warrior-Servants, they are nonetheless a force to be reckoned with. They are fully weaponized, heavily armored bipedal warriors, easily capable of engaging and terminating perceived threats in almost all environments.^[1] While the Prometheans are fully machines, their AI is a result of a transfer of organic minds into software format via a device called the composer. This extreme measure was intended to create an unstoppable army, completely immune to Flood infection. The Didact's own private guard were the first Knights, but later humans were "conscripted" to expand their numbers. Eventually, even the mightiest of Forerunner war machines proved unable to halt the parasite, necessitating the use of the Halo arrays.

They are known to use Lightrifles and Scattershots as their ranged armament, in addition to a bladed weapon on one hand. They are able to deploy Watcher drones, carried in the back of their armored carapace, for combat support. The Watcher sentinel can greatly improve the Knight's combat capabilities, raising hard light shields or healing the Knight, summoning Crawlers, or flinging back enemy grenades or other ordnance.^[2] Some subtypes also make use of autosentries in addition to the support that they can already summon.

Upon taking critical damage, Knights completely disintegrate; their bodies erode away from where the fatal shot was received and dissolve into glowing particles. Despite this, they can be recreated and revived on-site by a Promethean Watcher.

Appearance

Knights have two sets of arms; two large, artificial arms at each shoulder in which the weapons are mounted and two smaller arms below the shoulders. The larger arms are composed of separate segments held in formation through an energy field. Knights also have a comparatively smaller set with small, five-fingered hands. These smaller arms are more "organic" in shape and are physically attached to the Knight's body.

Knights are covered in patterns of light and have a fire-like glow around their heads. The head features an armored helmet with glowing eyes and what appear to be grimacing jaws with rows of teeth. This helmet assembly can be retracted in two sections, revealing a glowing humanoid skull underneath.^[2]^{[note 1]}

Subtypes

Knight Lancer - a variant equipped with long-range weaponry, greater mobility and enhanced tracking capabilities.
Knight Battlewagon - heavily armored variant, equipped with Scattershot.
Knight Commander - command-and-control unit for Knight forces.

Gallery

Early concepts focusing on the Knights design.
Early concepts of the Promethean Knights.
Different variations of Promethean Knights.
A Promethean Knight dispatches a Sangheili Commander.
In-game screenshot of a Knight.
A Knight exposing the skull inside its head.
A SPARTAN-IV engaging a Knight in close quarters.
A Knight, supported by a Watcher, engages a SPARTAN-IV supersoldier.
An animated image of a Knight Lancer translocating.
A group of Knights on patrol in Scanned. Note the Watchers being stored in the back of their carapaces.

List of appearances

Halo 4 (First appearance)
Scanned

Sources

^ ^a ^b Halo 4 Official site, Characters
^ ^a ^b Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo

Note

^ It is revealed in Halo 4 that Promethean Knights are created using humans that have been converted into digital intelligences by the Composer. However, the skull hidden within the Knight's helmet is almost certainly not that of a human; the bone structure around the nose does not resemble that of a human, and there are several subtler differences from a human skull that can be seen upon close inspection. It is likely that the skull is in fact that of a Forerunner, as it shares key features with the faces of Forerunners seen thus far; this would suggest that while the Knight is controlled by a human intelligence, the Knight itself was created from a Forerunner.

[characters-1] Halo 4 Official site, Characters

[demo-2] Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo

[3] It is revealed in Halo 4 that Promethean Knights are created using humans that have been converted into digital intelligences by the Composer. However, the skull hidden within the Knight's helmet is almost certainly not that of a human; the bone structure around the nose does not resemble that of a human, and there are several subtler differences from a human skull that can be seen upon close inspection. It is likely that the skull is in fact that of a Forerunner, as it shares key features with the faces of Forerunners seen thus far; this would suggest that while the Knight is controlled by a human intelligence, the Knight itself was created from a Forerunner.

[1]

[2]

[note 1]