Elite

### Distinctions

Humanoid & reptilian body structure; quadruple hinged mandibles with conical teeth; binary vascular system.

## Military and Political Information

### Equipment

* Sangheili Combat Harness
* Plasma Pistol
* Plasma Rifle
* Needler
* Particle Carbine
* Focus Rifle
* Energy Sword
* Void's Tear
* Plasma Grenade

### Notable Individuals

* Thel 'Vadamee
* Rtas 'Vadumee
* Usze 'Tahamee
* Zuka 'Zamamee
* Noga 'Moramee
* Isna 'Nosolee
* Vrag 'Qualomee
* Ripa G'lgamee
* Zark Moramee
* Vaz Dokam
* Soha 'Rolamee
* Bako 'Ikaporamee
* Tsek Vadum
* Vol 'Mdama
* Lor 'Darram

### Other nomenclature

Elite

The **Sangheili**, referred by humans as **Elites**, are a saurian species of the Covenant.

## Overview and Background

As the co-founder of the Covenant Hegemony, the Sangheili owes a much-privileged position within the cast of the Covenant. It is only the Sangheili that are given the honor in protecting the Prophets and are considered the martial protectors of the Great Journey against all forms of heresies and religious subversion.

At 8 feet tall, the Sangheili are formidable and indomitable creatures that share a long history of martial culture and honor. Warfare is part of Sangheili life, beginning from childhood and ending in death. As such, a Sangheili, even a civilian, could reliably defend themselves against would-be attackers.

However, due to their position in the Covenant hierarchy, the Sangheili had a long rivalry with the Jiralhanae, who viewed the Sangheili with envy and resentment. The Jiralhanae view the Sangheili as arrogant and undeserving of their position whereas the Sangheili view the Jiralhanae as primitive, backwards and savage.

The Sangheili are renowned for great strength and intelligence and are praised for their bravery and honor. Sangheili warriors augment these natural abilities further through the use of Energy Shields integrated into their armor.

Depending upon rank and mission objective, they are commonly seen in battle with Plasma Pistols, Plasma Rifles, Needlers, Particle Carbines, Focus Rifles and sometimes, if they are higher ranked, Energy Swords. They are experts in almost everything, being able to master most Covenant weapons and control most Covenant vehicles. The Sangheili are therefore, incredibly versatile and adaptable.

Sangheili employ Phantom and Spirit Dropships for military transit purposes and rapid-response operations. Sangheili follow the Covenant mentality of maintaining hatred towards Humanity, believing them to be an affront to their religion and a challenge towards The Great Journey.

## Rank Structure, Weaponry and Equipment

There are more classes of Elites than any other species in the Covenant. Typically, Elites lead the Covenant army. Even Brutes and Hunters are under their command, both in the leadership ranks and on the battlefield.

The rank structure of the Elites is broken into four groups:

* **Infantry** - Regular Elite soldiers make up the majority of common squad leaders on the battlefield. Most other Covenant species are subservient to them, even the lowest ranked units.
* **Special Operations and Specialists** - These are specially trained Elites who are entrusted, mostly, with covert or high risk assignments that are considered to be too critical or dangerous for regular infantry to handle. Part of the Covenant Special Warfare Group, the Spec-Ops Elites are only deployed in dire situations.
* **Honor Guard** - The Elite Honor Guardsmen are the personal warriors and direct protectors of the Prophets. They act much like the Secret Service when deployed in battle, securing and guarding areas of religious significance such as the Cartographer, Control Room and Library. The ornate armour they wear boosts their energy shields, making them immune to normal ballistic weaponry.
* **High Commanders** - They are among the highest ranked members of the entire Covenant. Answering only to the High Council and the Hierarchs themselves, they are the prominent leaders of the whole Covenant military.

## Gameplay Information

### General

The lower ranks are usually encountered leading squads of Grunts and Jackals and apart of Elite squads. Majors and Ultras can be seen leading Minors into battle. Stealth Elites are usually encountered in groups, it is uncommon to encounter one by itself. Honor Guards are usually in places of religious significance such as the map room in the Cartographer, the Control Room and the Library.

### Strategy

In general, it is best to use plasma based weaponry to knock out their shields then go in for the kill. Unlike the Grunts, Elites can melee so it is recommended to keep a distance from them. However, with each increased rank, they have stronger shields and are likely to wield better weapons than just Plasma Rifles and Plasma Pistols. Stealth Elites, unlike their brothers, don't have energy shielding but are cloaked. However, they can be spotted by faint outlines and they usually attack in a squad. With Honor Guards, their shielding is immune to ballistic weaponry, like the Jackal Shields, and is recommended to take them out with plasma-based weaponry or explosives. Sword-wielding Elites, including Zealots, Plasma Rifle-wielding Ultras who have been stripped of their shields, Stealth Elites, Spec-Ops Elites and all Honor Guardsman ranks, are not to be underestimated; It is recommended to keep a good distance from them due to their Energy Swords killing with one swing, no matter the difficulty.

In Lumoria and Firefight, an Elite Imperial Admiral is fought in a boss-type encounter. Though cutscenes show him armed with an Energy Sword, he will never draw his blade during the fight, instead solely using the Unstable Round Carbine. He is the only Elite in *SPV3* to be equipped with Active Camouflage and energy shields, but he can also teleport. Spotting him during the fight can be tricky, especially since he has an entourage of various Covenant species with him. Hitting him will make him visible, due to his shields reacting, and his cloak will wear off over time, though it can be reactivated shortly after. The projectiles from his weapon can also give away his position. Though he is a boss-type enemy, grenade sticks and headshots will still kill him instantly.

### Thel 'Vadamee

In the spin off missions of the Installation 04 Campaign, The Commander and The Commander: Evolved, players control Thel 'Vadamee as a playable character. The missions are set during the Battle of Installation 04, before 'Vadamee becomes the Arbiter, while he is still a Zealot and a Supreme Fleet Commander. Unlike playable Elites in *Halo 2* and *Halo 3*, he handles differently from a SPARTAN, having his own strengths and weaknesses.

## Trivia

* Their design is a mix between *Halo 2* and *3*. Their bodies more based on *Halo 2* while the helmets and higher ranks' shoulder pauldrons are more based on *Halo 3*. This is evident with ranks such as the Stealth Elites.
* The dialogue spoken by the Sangheili of *Halo: SPV3* was made by reversing and slowing sound clips of Sergeant Johnson. "*Wort! Wort! Wort!*" is the reversed phrase, "Go! Go! Go!"
* In *Halo: CE*, the Elites were the first species encountered in the game: When an Elite Major storms into Cryo Bay 2 and kills Sam. In *SPV3*, it is a Brute Captain instead.
* In *Halo: Combat Evolved*, the Sangheili have three different types of helmet appearances. One is the classical shark-like helmet with the pointed cone at the peak of the helmet. The second is slightly different with a wide, crest-like and curved upper piece on the helmet. The third is known as in the game code as "Sangheili Special." Stealth Sangheili, the gold Zealots and the Special Operations Officers all have a helmet very, very similar in shape to the "shark-like" helmet but slightly different. However, in *SPV3*, all Elite ranks have unique helmets, except Zealots, Spec-Ops Commanders and Admirals who share the shark-like helmets. Usze 'Tahamee, an ally in The Commander and The Commander: Evolved, shares the same helmet as the Spec-Ops Elites.
	+ In *SPV3.1*, all Elites, except Stealth Elites and Spec-Ops Officers, shared the same helmet design.
* Despite being strict with warriors who can be trained with the Energy Sword, in-game, Elite Minors and Elite Majors are the only Elites who can't use them.
* Usze 'Tahamee, a Hero Unit in the 2 Commander missions, is a Special Operations Officer with a red assault harness as opposed to black, to match his appearance in *Halo 3* co-op.
* The Elite Honor Guardsman Zealot is the only type of Elite Honor Guard encountered in Lumoria. It is also one of the very few enemy types not seen in Firefight. The Flood infected variant does appear however.
* Sangheili are about 7 feet tall, which may be another possible 7 reference.
* In *SPV3.2*, the rare Elite rank Special Operations Commander appeared as an enemy in the Lumoria campaign. Only one individual was encountered, near the final area in Fight For The Future, he was armed with an Energy Sword and a large shield gauntlet, reminiscent of an Elite seen in Halo CE's E3 2000 trailer. In *SPV3.3*, for unknown reasons, this particular enemy was removed, making Rtas 'Vadumee, who is featured as a Hero Unit in the 2 Commander missions, the only Spec-Ops Commander seen in *SPV3*.

## Gallery

Elite Major with a Grunt majorElite Minor on PatrolElite MajorZealot with MajorElite UltraElite OssoonaOssoonas in Lumoria.Elite Zealot commanding the First Force on the BeachElite ZealotMajor and his two Minors defend the Gravity lift against the FloodElite major on one of the outpost fighting the FloodElite Minor alongside a Stealth EliteSpec-Ops Elites leading a squad to secure the The Truth and Reconciliation's BridgeHonor Guard Elite - Major class.The infamous Honor Guard Zealot on 8th levelDitto.Ditto.The Honor Guard Ultra who is leading the assault and writing all the Covenant TerminalsOssoona semi-stealthed.Shipmaster Zealot of the Truth and Reconciliation.Honor Guard Minor.Honor Guard Minor fighting Flood.The Light of Sanghelios.Zealot of the Honor Guards.Spec Ops Commander. Note his unique energy shield.The Imperial Admiral after killing Brandon.