Heavy (Covenant)

"Ready for a scrap!"

— A Banished Unggoy Heavy on Installation 00.^[1]

A Unggoy Heavy within the Covenant.

Heavy is a specialist combat role within the armed forces of the Covenant empire and its remnants.^[2] The role is most typically held by the Unggoy as well as the Kig-Yar.

Overview

The Heavy class is composed of experienced and skilled formidable warriors capable in a variety of combat, which are served as heavy weapons experts and are designated for combat support, ground assault, defense, recon, boarding, and as well the use of heavy weapons, turrets, and some vehicles.^[3]

The role is typically held by Unggoy, although the Kig-Yar (at least part of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant) can also held this rank. Heavies can be distinguished by their green-colored harness.

By species

Unggoy

Augmenting many individual Unggoy detachments is the battle-hardened Unggoy Heavy class, composed of experienced and formidable Unggoy warriors, who are often fully capable of engaging light armed vehicles effectively.^[4] Heavies are used to engage high-tier enemies through the use of augmented armor, explosives such as the fuel rod gun, and Methane Wagons' plasma cannons.^[5]^[6] Perhaps most noticeable of Unggoy Heavies is their favoring of the brutal fuel rod cannon, making encounters with even just one potentially dangerous.^[4]

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 Ultra. Their armor provided significantly more protection than that of a Minor or Major, but it wasn't nearly as strong as an Ultra's or a Special Operation infantry in terms of durability.^[7]

The Unggoy Heavies of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant wear a helmet with full-face protective rebreathers, enhanced optical sensors with optics articulators, and ultra-dense battle harnesses that has a slim-stock tank with analog eye sockets of Unggoy predators. The harness is issued in orange, blue, silver, green, and magenta.^[4] 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.^[5]^[6] During the Second Ark Conflict in 2559, Unggoy Heavies serving within the Banished were heavily augmented by machinery on Installation 00, and were led by the Shadow Master of Buwan, who joined Yapyap's rebellion against the Banished leader Atriox.^[8]

An Unggoy Heavy wearing the standard Unggoy combat harness.
An Unggoy Heavy wearing the cylinder tank harness.
An Unggoy Heavy wearing the slim-stock tank harness.

Kig-Yar

Generally operating in a support role amongst Kig-Yar trackers and scouts, the Kig-Yar Heavies are the most experienced and skilled of their species, meant to typically deployed to support trackers and scouts and participate in boarding actions.^[9]^[4]^[10] The combination of speed, agility, resistance, and firepower make the Kig-Yar Heavies a force to be reckoned with.^[4]

Kig-Yar Heavy troopers are equipped with armor that provides excellent protection, and wears a helmet contrary to most Kig-Yar infantry troopers.^[4] Its design is intended to reflect the Kig-Yar's station and intimidate enemies,^[4] although it provides no special resilience to headshots. The Kig-Yar Heavies wield an orange point defense gauntlet, which can withstand a single overcharged plasma pistol shot at higher difficulties.^[4] They are typically seen deployed with Needlers more often that their lower ranking counterparts.^[4] Still, they are not a battlefield-shaping threat, and can be dealt with by using the usual anti-Kig-Yar tactics of shooting their free hand to stagger them, or throwing grenades at their blind spots.

A Ibie'shan Kig-Yar Heavy within Jul 'Mdama's Covenant.

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 Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifles on higher difficulties.

Gallery

An Unggoy Heavy with a Shepsu-pattern plasma cannon in Halo 2.
Detailed view of an Unggoy Heavy from Halo 2.
An Unggoy Heavy firing a Paegaas Workshop Spiker on the mission The Ark in Halo 3.
An Unggoy Heavy in Halo 3.
An Unggoy Heavy on a Type-52 Phantom in Halo 3.
Concept art of the heavy for Halo: Reach.
Three Unggoy Heavy in Halo: Reach.
An Unggoy Heavy operating the Pek-pattern plasma cannon on a Zurdo-pattern Wraith in Halo: Reach.
An Unggoy Heavy attacking a M12 Chaingun Warthog in New Alexandria.
Concept art of various Halo 4 Grunt classes, including the Heavy (top-right).
Concept art of Heavy Unggoy.
Colour concept pass on the Heavy (bottom row).
Two variants of the 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 Mikpramu-pattern Phantom.
A green-armored Unggoy Heavy.
The many colored-armors for Unggoy Heavies in Halo 5: Guardians.
Concept art of an Unggoy Heavy for Halo Wars 2.
Blitz card of Unggoy Heavies in Halo Wars 2.
A squad of Unggoy Heavies on Installation 00.
An army of Unggoy Heavies attack a T-26 Wraith and Klavrig Workshop Skitterers.
An Unggoy Heavy manning a Methane Wagon's plasma cannon.

Kig-Yar

Render of the Kig-Yar Heavy in Halo 4.
Another view of the Kig-Yar Heavy in Halo 4.
The Jackal Heavy icon for Halo 4's stats.
Closeup of a Kig-Yar Heavy on the level Composer.
John-117 fighting a Kig-Yar Heavy on the level Composer.
A Kig-Yar Heavy standing near several Z-8250 heavy artillery.
A Kig-Yar Sniper commanding a Kig-Yar Heavy and another Sniper.
A Kig-Yar Heavy and a Commander.
A Kig-Yar Heavy receiving orders from a Sangheili Storm.
A red Kig-Yar Heavy.
A Kig-Yar Heavy model used as an avatar in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
A Kig-Yar Heavy tackling a Swords of Sanghelios Sangheili Storm during the Battle of Nuusra in Halo 5: Guardians.
A Kig-Yar Heavy on Escape from ARC.
A Mark IV-clad Spartan-IV battling a Kig-Yar Heavy.
A Kig-Yar Heavy with a Z-110 Boltshot on Skirmish at Darkstar.