Unggoy Heavy

Heavy
Function:	Combat support, defense, heavy weapons experts
Species:	Unggoy
Affiliation:	Covenant ; Swords of Sanghelios ; Jul 'Mdama's Covenant; Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group

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Heavy is a specialist combat role for Unggoy within the Covenant and its remnants. Heavies are designated for the use of heavy weapons, turrets, and some vehicles.^[1]^[2]

Armor

The original Unggoy Heavies wore distinctive sage-green armor, typically with a full-face methane breather and a cylindrical methane tank on their back, similar to the Unggoy Ultra. Their armor provided significantly more protection that that of a Unggoy Minor or Major but it wasn't nearly as strong as an Ultra's or a Special Operations Unggoys in terms of durability.

The Heavies of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant were slightly different although they wore an overall similar combat harness. They wore unique, turtle-like helmets over their heads and wore harnesses that came in a variety of different colors, including red, blue, orange and silver.^[3]^[4]^[5] Their helmets are also equipped with enhanced optical sensors for better combat performance. The combat harness also allows for the Heavies to use the methane tank as a makeshift thruster pack, allowing for easy access in various terrains.^[6]^[7]

Gameplay

File:1218481089 Heavygrunt.jpg

Stationed on a Phantom's side, this particular Unggoy Heavy shows one of the many duties of its rank: operating plasma turrets or heavy weaponry.

Unggoy Heavies are usually seen in conjunction with other Covenant infantry, operating as heavy support units and are usually operating heavy weapon systems such as T-42 or T-52 plasma turrets, Shade turret and fuel rod guns with deadly effect.

They will usually not flee from their position unless the player is too close or out of range of their weapon, in which case they will pull out a plasma pistol and attack like a normal Unggoy. They are easily dispatched using most tactics. Their armor seems to be slightly tougher than the average Unggoy, most likely to protect them from explosives and the possible backfiring of their powerful weapons. Unlike most Unggoy, it is strangely rare for Heavies to throw plasma grenades.

Note that the cannon is free for a player to use after taking out its operator. In Halo 2 an Unggoy Heavy must first deploy its plasma cannon before it can be used. If the Heavy carrying the plasma cannon is killed before it can deploy it then it cannot be used. This is not the case in Halo 3, since most of the plasma cannons encountered are already deployed, with the exception of a few. They can still be used even if they are detached from their tripod mount.

In Halo 3, Unggoy Heavies are seen utilizing many different heavy weapons and vehicles. They are commonly seen driving Ghosts and seem to be skillful drivers, especially on higher difficulties. Due to their low target profile, they are also much harder to kill in a Ghost from head on. Unggoy will attempt to ram enemies and will keep their distance from advancing foes. Unggoy Heaves may also work in teams on higher difficulties in which case one rams a foe and another shoots the foe out of what they are driving. Usually if they're not piloting a Ghost then they are manning a plasma turret or carrying a fuel rod gun. Like Special Operations and Unggoy Ultras, they are some of the most dangerous and tactical Unggoy. When not manning a vehicle or turret or carrying a fuel rod gun, Unggoy Heavies will usually use plasma pistols, but on higher difficulties they may use Needlers.

Trivia

The only time a non-Heavy Unggoy is seen deploying a plasma turret is in Halo 2 at the beginning of the level The Arbiter where a Special Operations Unggoy is carrying one. This is because the only Unggoy allies encountered in the level are Special Operations units.
In Halo 3, if a Heavy panics while carrying an undeployed plasma turret, it will wave the turret around in the air with only one hand. This is because Unggoy usually use small single-handed weapons, and no separate animation was created for Unggoy Heavies using turrets.
Unggoy Heavies are classified as Special Operations Unggoy in Firefight, whereas Unggoy Ultras are simply classed as regular Unggoy. Actual Special Operations Unggoy are only seen manning the side-mounted plasma turrets on the Phantoms. Something similar happens in Halo 4, where Unggoy Heavies are classified as Ultras by the Commendations along with some other enemies who have also been mislabeled.
In Halo: Reach campaign level ONI: Sword Base, Unggoy Heavies are seen with plasma rifles on higher difficulties.

Gallery

An Unggoy Heavy with a Type-42 plasma cannon in Halo 2.
Detail view of an Unggoy Heavy from Halo 2.
An Unggoy Heavy firing a Type-25 Spiker on the mission The Ark.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo 3.
An Unggoy Heavy operating the Type-52 plasma cannon on a Type-26 Wraith in Halo: Reach.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo: Reach.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo 4.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo 4.
A blue-armored Unggoy Heavy aboard the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.
An Unggoy Heavy, with a Sangheili Warrior and Sangheili Ranger, on Requiem.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo 5: Guardians.
An Unggoy Heavy and Unggoy Storm aboard a Type-57 Phantom.