Ranks of the Covenant – Every Known Covenant Rank | Halo Lore

this video is brought to you by audible go to audibletrial.com/preneurcast end ins to true believers the covenant operates on a strict caste system with prophets at the top all the way down to the lowly grunts and while no species can hope to truly be elevated above its set caste each species does have its share of ranks and titles each with more power and status than the last this is what we'll be looking at today what I originally decided to make this video I had envisioned a video going over each rank that appears in each game and the MCC as they come out but that's far too restrictive and would leave out a lot of potential information that I would love to cover ranks and roles that don't appear in the games so today we'll go over each rank and role that have been identified in the lore for each species and where these ranks exist in the games or in the wider universe and to note this will just be ranks that were part of the original covenant we'll talk about post war factions and their ranks at a later dates for now sit back and relax because this is going to be a long list starting things off at the bottom of the covenant social caste are the Unga or grunts discovered by the Covenant in 2142 seee on their homeworld of bôla' ho due to their underdeveloped and weak state the ungawa easily conquered and forced into the covenant a rivalry between them and the also low standing King yar along with covenant leadership generally being dismissive of ongoing concerns led to the Envoy rebellion in 2462 despite their diminutive stature the envoys numbers wreaked havoc on High Charity and its populations forcing covenant leadership to unleash an arbiter against them this arbiter partially glassed the on boy home world which ended there were in its wake the young boy were recognized as capable soldiers when provoked and allowed to join the Covenant military as armed infantry rather than the unarmed cannon fodder they'd previously been uncoil one of the only covenant or alien species that do not breathe oxygen instead breathing methane as a result their combat harness includes a methane pack and breathing apparatus at the bottom of the young boy hierarchy are the ongoing miners scoring an orange combat harness and often only armed with plasma pistols these Ungowa are often the most cowardly and are quick to break rank when their commander is killed ongoing miners appear in halo seee halo 2 halo 3 halo 3 ODST halo wars halo reach from which they're most often used design is currently pulled halo Spartan assault halo Spartan strike and halo fireteam Raven along with appearances across the various books comics and other media just above the minor is the ongoing major these are experienced on boy that sport a crimson combat harness and will often command ongoing miners they are often at least slightly more courageous and capable but often not by much and more prone to going kamikaze when their commanding sung-hee Lee or Jarrell hanai are killed these on boys have been in the game since halo seee and continued to appear in halo 2 halo 3 ODST wars reached spartan assault spartan strike and fireteam Raven strangely in Spartan assault they're often seen wearing the white ultra class armor anyway next we have the envoy specialist classes starting with the unglue heavy sporting green combat harnesses these forces are often seen deployed with fuel rod guns or heavy turret weapons or using the support turret on wraiths or phantom drop ships the ungli heavy is one of the handful of ranks that transitioned into the post-war era appearing albeit in a new Armour set in service to post-war covenant remnants on boy heavies first appeared in Halo 2 and continued to appear in Halo 3 ODST reach 4/5 and halo wars 2 among other media after that we have special operations or spec ops unbeli these black armored convoy work within the Covenant Special Operations Division along spec ops sung-hee Lee although after the Great Schism the spec ops on boy that remained loyal to the Covenant started wearing white armor like the ugly ultras these own boy are much more skilled than their infantry counterparts and much less prone to panic and sometimes even equipped with active camouflage though sometimes equipped with plasma pistols they are more often equipped with kneelers and fuel rod guns spec ops unglue or seen in Halo CE e2 3 ODST reach and fireteam Raven along with other appearances in the media next we have a rank that may surprise some people the on boy storm though this rank first appeared in Halo 4 in Canon the storm were a specialized shock unit under the original covenant not much else is known about how this rank functioned within the original covenant however on boys storm appear in halo 4 halo 5 and Halo Wars 2 and we wrap up the specialist ranks with the on boy Ranger though these first appeared in Halo 4 we know from the expanded universe that they were in service with the original covenant on boy Rangers are trained and equipped for extra vehicular activity or Eevee a their suits can operate in a vacuum and low gravity environments and naturally they work with Sun Kili Rangers uncle Rangers appear in halo 4 halo 5 with appearances and a few other media and lastly we have the leadership ranks first up among these is the ugly ultra which sports a silver white armor like Sun Healy alters these on boys serve as field commanders for other on boy though they hold no authority over other covenant species ultras are equipped with stronger armor sometimes equipped with a full helmet for added protection and are more combat capable than their lower ranking on boy on boy ultras first appear in halo 2 and go on to appear in halo 3 ODST reach and Spartans strike our last envoy rank is one that hasn't appeared in any of the shooters the ungai Deacon deacons are the highest rank and on boy can hope to achieve or more accurately the only role they can achieve that doesn't involve service or hard labor organized under the covenants Ministry of Tranquility deacons are typically assigned to expeditionary ships men to ensure the crew keeps in line with the covenants writs and laws as one might expect the authority of an envoy deacon is rarely respected especially by the kar aka jackals and skirmishers species having a long-standing feud with the ongoing deacons could also serve as spiritual leaders for other envoy sponsor of pilgrimages to the holy city of High Charity and sometimes acted as translators for her gawk or engineers deacons dressed in orange tunics emblazoned with a yellow circular symbol deacons primarily appear in the books but interestingly they did appear as a unit upgrade in Halo Wars one though this appearance is generally considered non canon that covers the on boy next up are the kid yar aka jackals and skirmishers kid yar hail from a in the primary moon of the gas giant chew out in the idea system which interestingly is only 41 light-years from Earth when the Covenant discovered the kid yar in 1342 seee the species had already developed some space-traveling capabilities and had colonized nearby asteroids and planetoids only about a third of the total kid yar population actually living on a in the Covenant and kid yar came into brief conflict the asteroids that the kgr made their homes providing good hiding spots from which to strike out against the alien invaders ultimately though the kid yar realized that they could not win against the technologically superior covenant and could potentially profit from expanded trading opportunities they accepted the covenants letter of marque Commission's to engage in the services of the Covenant allowing the kid yar to continue the plundering lifestyle that had to find their species for much of its existence as such keiki are in the Covenant are basically mercenaries motivated not by religious fervor but by monetary reward the keiki are are a standout species in the Covenant for a number of reasons not the least of which is the genetic diversity the species exhibits to the point that one of its subspecies the two Valen also called skirmishers by humanity have supper ring structures and roles within the Covenant as such we'll start with what are commonly called jackals and then move on to skirmishers we start at the bottom with the jackal minor these kgr are equipped with plasma pistols and a turquoise or blue personal energy shield known as a point defense gauntlet alongside the on boy they make up the bulk of the covenants mainstream infantry just above the miners are the jackal majors as is typical with the covenant these more experienced kgr are given better equipment they have stronger point defense gauntlets that are often orange red or purple sometimes they have a little extra armor and occasionally they will wheel plasma rifles or kneelers rather than the standard plasma pistol both jackal minors and majors appear in Halo CE e2 3 ODST reach and fireteam Raven among other media minors additionally appear in Spartan assault and Spartan strike next we have the infamous jackal sniper these battle-hardened kgr trade in their point defense gauntlets and standard weaponry for sniper or marksman weapons though they aren't much more heavily armoured than their infantry brethren kgr snipers are equipped with a special headpiece that smart links to whatever weapon they're using snipers can be equipped with the type 51 covenant carbine type 31 needle rifle type 50 particle beam rifle or the type 52 focus rifle jackal sniper is most infamously appear in Halo 2 and continue to appear in Halo 3 Halo Wars ODST reach halo 4 and halo 5 among other media after that we have the jackal Ranger this rank again primarily appears in Halo 4 and 5 as far as the games are concerned but their history with the franchise goes all the way back to Halo the fall of reach kar Rangers are trained for operation in zero-g and low gravity environments often equipped with vacuum suits though not always kar Rangers are sometimes equipped with a point defense gauntlet and an appropriate one-handed weapon or where they made the long range weapon like a covenant carbine or particle beam rifle fulfilling multiple roles in their units once again jackal Rangers primarily appear in four and five though they've appeared in other media across the franchise next we'll go over the ranks available to the skirmisher subspecies given their larger more muscular builds they often serve more close-range combat roles taking advantage of their greater speed at the bottom we of course have the skirmisher minor like other minor ranks these skirmishers are lightly armored and typically wield plasma pistols though they've also been seen wielding kneelers and needle rifles next we have the skirmisher major distinguished by their crimson armor and red plumage they're typically equipped in the same manner as minors though they have also been seen wielding focus rifles above the major is discouraged for murmillo plural MERM alona's these skirmishers are notably more heavily armored wearing a protective orange armor that features a helmet and two four are mounted point defense gauntlets which they can use to deflect incoming fire the helmet provides a number of sensory upgrades including improved night vision and optical integration with their weaponry they're also often equipped with hologram equipment where millons can often be seen wielding plasma pistols Needlers needle rifles and focus rifles our next rank is the skirmish or commando essentially a Special Operations skirmisher commandos are equipped with an armor almost identical to the mamelons save for the green coloration and the lack of point offense gauntlets they also used the type 27 hologram armor ability skirmisher commando units were originally used by pre covenant key guard governments to combat looting and piracy among key gr asteroid colonies among the covenant they make up specialized combat units operating in discrete close-knit groups with extremely specific mission parameters at the top of the skirmish or infantry hierarchy are the champions gold armored skirmishers they too have the hologram ability armament wise they use the same weapons as the last several ranks have used as far as games go skirmishers have sadly only appeared in Halo Reach they do appear elsewhere in the fiction though including some stories set after the human covenant war I point this out because there's a common misconception that all or even a large number of skirmishers died in the battle of reach I can't necessarily blame anybody for thinking this since it was reportedly told to a couple of news outlets by a Bungie employee back when reach was still coming out the point is though in the lore they're alive and plentiful wrapping up the kid yar as a whole is a bit of a standout for such a low ranked species the title of ship master or ship mistress traditionally only held by elites and brutes a few kid yar were allowed to hold this title as their society is matriarchal most worship mistresses ship mistresses and ship masters were typically employed by the Ministry of tranquility and usually only allowed to command CAG yard ships though there are instances of some commanding covenant frigates key guard ship mistresses and ship masters have only appeared in the books comics and other expanded universe media from there we move on to the Yan Mia or drones hailing from pal amok and the napat system the Yan may yeah are an insectoid species with a caste system consisting of non reproductive workers and soldiers reproductive males and reproductive queens they were encountered by the Covenant in 1112 sea and are one of the few species that managed to stand up to the alien hegemonies might though technologically inferior their sheer numbers gave the EMEA a huge edge further believing pal amok to contain forerunner relics the Covenant were unwilling to glass the planet eventually the prophet leadership of the Covenant found a way to communicate with the yin may yeah and ended the war with a treaty the Yan may yeah were brought into the Covenant initially as mechanics and eventually as soldiers the MA outranking structure is much simpler than anything we've covered thus far and should sound fairly familiar at the bottom are the MA am miners their exoskeletons are usually a simple yellow-green but not always like all yan may ask soldiers they are equipped with anti-gravity pods that allow them to fly freely often they wield plasma pistols but occasionally deploy with Needlers or even plasma rifles an may miners often find themselves under yan may yeah kar or even going major control n may M minors first appeared in Halo 2 along with the EMAs species as a whole it have appeared since in Halo 3 ODST reach and Spartan assault among other EU sources next we of course have the yen may have majors who are distinguished by their red exoskeletons majors again have grabbed pods to allow for extended flight and occasionally deploy with energy shields they wield plasma pistols need lers and occasionally plasma rifles commanding and mayhem miners and often answering to Kidd yar or brute majors though occasionally spec ops ongoing yen may M majors first appeared in Halo 3 ODST and also appear in Halo Reach and Spartan strike we then have the yen may yet ultra distinguished by their cyan or blue exoskeletons with a forked Horn like structure on their heads they again have the standard yen may a grab pods and also support energy shielding albeit a very weak form they typically wield plasma pistols and need lers and often command lower ranking and may yeah and on occasion Lance's of ungli they also appear in Halo 3 ODST and Halo Reach finally we have the yanma a leader or yen may yak captain major at the top of the list these yanmega have a strong gold exoskeleton and deploy with relatively strong energy shields typically they deploy with plasma rifles and can command lower ranking and may yeah k gr and ungli they have thus far only appeared in Halo 3 ODST specifically in firefight next up we have the hurry doc or engineers a truly standout species among the covenant first discovered by the prophets prior to the founding of the Covenant the her Agha are not living organisms strictly speaking they are in fact super advanced computers their bodies made up of nanotechnology that closely mimics organs and tissue a creation of the forerunners her aqaq have one drive to maintain and repair be that technology or in rare cases biology with their multiple tentacles which can split into microscopically fine Scylla her Agha can interface with any of machinery on almost any level even interacting with electronic data storage within the Covenant the her aqaq would maintain existing technology unlock the secrets of newly discovered tech and aid in the development of new technology being forerunner creations though they couldn't simply override safeties or restrictions put in place on forerunner tech not without a great deal of time at least no rarely seen on the battlefield they have been deployed often equipped with an explosive harness to prevent them from falling into enemy hands these harnesses can sometimes be equipped with shield generators that provide added protection to nearby covenant forces or healing units to fix up infantry on the field her Agha capir in Halo 3 ODST Halo Reach Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 though they've had numerous appearances in the expanded media interestingly they were originally intended to appear in the original trilogy but kept getting cut until halo 3 ODST finally brought them into the games now we come to the truly alien let go low a species of worm or eel like being that have limited intelligence on their own but can come together in colonies that create Gestalt forums with much higher intelligence such as the Megillah colo or hunter let go lo hail from a gas giant called teh in the severe system first contact with the Covenant occurred in 789 BCE when the Covenant found a with their luminaries a device that can track forerunner artifacts by this time to let go lo had colonized several of tazed moods and forerunner installations that orbited the gas giant to the horror of the Covenant many of these forerunner structures had been even away at by the LA colo the remnant debris becoming the rings of teh the Covenant began a campaign of extermination but found destroying the trillions of let go lo to be an impossible task given that they often live on and around the very relics the Covenant wanted to save instead an arbiter was created to study the leuco Lo and found that not all of them would eat the forerunner relics some instead eating around them the arbiter suggested taming Lillet Colo and putting their abilities to use to which the prophets ultimately agreed negotiations were had the prophets eventually threatening to destroy the let go low with nuclear weapons facing extinction della colo surrendered and joined the covenant within the covenant let go low would be used a number of different ways at the most basic level they were used to more deeply explore the forerunner dreadnought that stood at the center of high charity unlocking its secrets for the san shyuum prophets however these were often individual ecolo worms the Covenant also uses the various Gestalt colony forms the Cole or take the most familiar Gestalt are the Megillah colo also known as hunters hunters are always deployed in pairs the pair actually comprising a single eccolo colony Megillah colo colonies always start as one Gestalt but split into two when they grow too large these pairs bond brothers share a close bond and when one dies the other will go berserk under the Covenant Megillah colo are contained in a massive bulky blue set of armor that features a large shield on the left arm and an assault cannon on the right the assault cannon fires bolts or streams of radioactive incendiary gel the same stuff used for fuel rod guns Megillah colo don't have any apparent ranks and can often be dismissive of other covenant species save the Sun Healy interestingly gold armored mega let go low appeared during the events of halo 3 ODST though the reasons for this armor have yet to be explained along with ODST Megillah colo have appeared in Halo CE II to three wars reach for five halo wars 2 and fireteam Raven among other media Megillah Colo colonies are also used to drive covenant assault platforms such as the locust scarab and harvester Megillah Colo make up at least part of the massive colony that drives scarabs and a type of Gestalt called a symbolic goal o are used in harvesters despite essentially being the on-board computers for these machines the lagoa colonies are rarely given full control of them Legault low take out a number of more interesting forms in the postwar era but that's a list for another day after that we have the Jarrell Hani aka the roots native to the world of joy sack in the othe Saanen system the Jarrell Hani are one of the most recent additions to the covenant having joined in 2492 seee only 30 years before the human covenant war began at the time the covenant found them the species had just rediscovered radio and rocketry having previously nuked themselves back to the Stone Age in an event called the first immolation many Giro hanai were eager to join the Covenant and those that resisted had little means to fight back the species as a whole was quick to adopt the Covenant religion Jarrell honai were deployed by the Covenant as heavy infantry though some would earn their way to higher positions especially under the high prophet of truth who planned to eventually have the Jarrell Han I replaced the Sun Healy within the Covenant just prior to or after the Great Schism a massive covenant civil war the Jaro Han I received upgraded power armor and expanded ranks for ranks we again start at the bottom with the Jarrell Han a minor typically miners are equipped with blue helmets and minimal armor though this isn't always the case after the outbreak of the Great Schism miners like other Jarrell Han a forces were equipped with cyan power armor though as is typical of the Covenant this armor was less protective than what was given to higher ranks Jarrell Hani minors can be deployed with any number of weapons including Spikers plasma rifles carbines Mahler's brutes shots and more they'll sometimes carry an armored lock module or deployable cover to Jarrell Hani minors first appeared in halo 2 along with the Jarrell Han a species as a whole and went on to appear in halo 3 halo 3 ODST and Halo Reach along with other medium next up is the Jarrell han a major pre schism majors were either equipped similar to minors or captain's depending on who they were deployed with for example tartarus a--'s majors simply had a wraparound neck brace and a leer shoulder armor and a simple helmet on the other hand the majors deployed during the battle of reach or yellow armor with a helmet chest plates shoulder armor and shin braces during the Schism majors received blue power armor similar to Jarrell Hani minors majors are typically equipped with Spikers plasma rifles fuel rod guns brooch shots carbines or Mahler's and sometimes have deployable cover Jarrell hanai majors appear in halo 2 halo 3 ODST and reach among other media after that we have the Jarrell hanai ultra the highest of the basic infantry ranks the ultra largely seems to have come about with the onset of the Great Schism ultra armor uses the same pattern as minors and majors though colored violet ultras will often command groups of lower ranking general Han I enjoy and kar and answer to a captain or chieftain they are typically equipped with Spikers brute shots or carbines though occasionally use beam rifles they are also seen piloting choppers or prowlers as for equipment they usually have deployable cover bubble shields or regenerators Cheryl had a ultras appear in Halo 3 Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST next we come to the specialist ranks starting with stalkers though they saw more regular use after the Great Schism like many of their kin the stalker has been in use since the early years of the human covenant war these early years at least partially saw Jarrell Han a stalkers as part of a group called Blood stars which were led by special operations son Healy from the silent shadow will talk more about them later stalkers are stealth groups equipped with dark grey armor that can cloak the wearer the Blood star variant is described as a dark red like the silent shadow armor in-game they deploy with plasma rifles Spikers or Mahler's and have fire bomb grenades and radar jamming equipment stalkers appear in Halo 3 and Halo 3 ODST among other places next we have Jarrell honai jumpers or jump pack Jarrell Han I wearing a cyan armor these are airborne units that move around with jump packs serving as a counterpart for Sun Healy Rangers in many cases though they can only make limited jumps rather than a Rangers full aerial maneuvering jumpers have served in the Covenant since at least the early years of the human covenant wore these Jarrell hanai can be equipped with a variety of weapons including brooch Spikers plasma rifles and carbines among other weaponry along with a variety of equipment Jarrell honai jumpers appear in Halo 3 halo wars halo 3 ODST where we see the inclusion of major and ultra jumpers halo Spartan assault and Halo Wars 2 among other places closing out the specialist ranks are Jarrell Hani bodyguards which as the name suggests guards Johanna chieftain or other covenant political figures as a side note I can't help but wonder if the honor guard rank evolved into the bodyguard 1 given how similar their duties seemed to be these Jarrell Hani are equipped with a pale blue armor that resembles captain's armor they can be found wielding plasma rifles brood shots Mahler's and carbines and will often carry bubble shields power drains or regenerators Jarrell honai bodyguards appear almost exclusively in Halo 3 continuing onward we have Jarrell honai captain's juror Ohana captain's had a couple different appearances before the Great Schism one variant seen them largely unarmored but carrying a holographic red flag over their shoulders another wearing partial yellow armor that closely resembles what they be equipped with later on when equipped with full body armor primarily at the onset of the Great Schism the standard captain's armor was violent and the rank was expanded to include gold armored captain majors and say an armored captain ultras the power armor of captain's is more ornate and protective than the lower ranks with each captain ranks armored providing more and more resistance to weapons fire captain's lead lower ranking Jarrell Hani and other covenant forces regular captain's and major captains use plasma rifles Spikers or brute shots with ultras sometimes carrying carbines or even fuel rod guns captain's first appeared in Halo 2 and go on to appear in Halo 3 ODST and reach among other media next we have Jarrell hon I honor Guardsman or brute honor guards a rank held by the Sun Healy throughout most of the covenants existence Jiro Han I were tasked with taking over guardianship of the prophets following the death of the prophet of regret on Delta halo in 2552 this exchange of hats the changing of the guard would be a precursor to later restructuring of the Covenant with Daryl Hannah taking over and else ting the Sun Healy Jerell honey honor guards for their brief appearance were tasked with guarding the high profits like their son Healy predecessors they wore ornate yellow and red armor they wielded energy staves when not in combat and often used carbines brood shots or plasma rifles in combat they appear almost exclusively in Halo 2 standing at the top of the Jarrell honai are the various chieftain ranks the primary rank here is simply known as chieftain chieftains are leaders of Jarrell hanai packs both on the battlefield and in society acting as spiritual leaders to their pack the standard chieftain armor has followed a fairly standard design during their time with the covenant modeled after a dagger off a Blart predatory animal native to the general Han a homeworld though this armor is not without its variation chieftain armor is often a combination of red and black following the Great Schism the armors design was made far more ornate and protective the armor also featured energy shields another variant of the chieftain armor notably worn by the army commander known as the thrall Slayer has been seen on a few occasions regardless of armor a common defining feature of chieftains is the gravity hammer based on Jo Hana war hammers from their pre covenant days these hammers denote a position of leadership still chieftains can sometimes be seen wielding other weapons such as fuel rod guns plasma launchers or even plasma cannons chieftains appear in Halo 3 ODST reach Halo Wars Spartan assault Spartan strike and Ayla Wars - among other media just above the standard chieftain we have general Han a war chieftains the highest rank Eiji Rohan I can hold clad in gold ornate armor with full energy shields they often wield fuel rod guns or plasma cannons they have mostly appeared in Halo 3 and ODST with minor appearances in a few other places among the expanded media closing out the Jarrell honey are a handful of which are distinct from actual ranks first up is ship master though largely held by son Healey for much of the covenants history some Jarrell honai were allowed to captain older ships often with certain features and weaponry removed or disabled after the outbreak of the Great Schism and presumably leading up to it more and more Jarrell hanai were put in ship master positions and as brute command of ships expanded so did their command of covenant fleets and their appointment as fleet masters ship masters and fleet masters don't directly appear in the games but you can bet a few of the Covenant fleet seen in Halo 3 and even halo 2 would have had general Han I ship masters and fleet masters at the very top of the Jarrell Hana hierarchy is the chieftain of the Jarrell Hani the political and military leader of the species this title was created during the gyro ha nice time in the Covenant as part of the profit of truths planned to replace the Sun Healy with the journal Hana the title was only held by one Johan ID during the time of the Covenant Tartarus after the Chieftains death at the hands of the arbiter another chieftain Seth igus believed he might have a chance to take the title for himself however his ambitions were cut short by the demon known as john-117 that wraps up the Jarrell Hana and brings us to their rivals and the original military might of the covenant the song Healy the son Healy or elites are one of the two founding species of the covenants after a century long war with the other founding species the san shyuum or prophets the two came together to found the Covenant under the rib of Union for the task of finding the holy halos and enacting their great journey a proud warrior race the song Healy would become the primary military force even as new species were integrated and sign Healy became the primary language of the Covenant when a son Healy warrior first joins the Covenant they are made a minor sporting a simple blue combat harness these basic infantry are nevertheless a notable threat and command Lance's or covenant military units of on boy or kar interestingly minors who don't die or receive a promotion after their first campaign typically commit suicide to retain honor note that's their first campaign not their first mission minor armor comes in a small variety of designs which is to say that all the variants seen across the games are cannon variations of the minor combat harness incidentally this is true for all armor variation among all ranks and species miners most often wield plasma rifles though occasionally they have been known to wield energy swords typically only aristocrats are allowed to in some Healy society though this restriction doesn't apply to the military miners appear in Halo CE II halo 2 halo 3 ODST as corpses along with several other Sun Healy ranks halo wars reach spartan assault spartan strike fireteam raven and other places in the expanded media next up we have the major also known as obediently Ares the Sun Healy term for this rank roughly translates to lesser chosen or charged with glory major isn't a simple officer rank as while majors will often command lances of lesser races and minor Sonny Lee they will also be in the presence of a ship master due to their critical role on the frontlines they'll occasionally even be second-in-command aboard a covenant ship majors typically wear a combat harness that's identical in form to that worn by minors though crimson and color and featuring stronger energy shields a subset of the major rank officers wear a more ornate armor appropriately known as the officer harness functionally though there is no difference between majors and officers majors and officers typically have plasma rifles carbines or kneelers majors appear in Halo c-23 spartan assault and strike and fireteam Raven among other media officers first appear in Halo Reach then in the anniversary edition of Halo seee among some minor other media after that we have the ultra also known as evocative the highest rank for a Sun Healy warrior veterans of the battlefield ultras are less focused on leadership and more on combat when attached to covenant armies ultras will elect a representative a class known as evocative delegate us to answer to the army war hosts until all objectives are complete ultras are expected to eventually ascend to other roles such as a seneschal entering a political career or return to their covenant ministry to serve as instructors ultras wear a silver white armor with even stronger energy shield and majors or officers their armor is often the same in form as minor combat harnesses though they have been seen wearing more ornate armor with a prominent helmet crest and full face covering ultras will wield a variety of weapons from plasma rifles to repeaters to concussion rifles and energy swords ultras first appeared in halo 2 and went on to appear in halo 3 reach and fireteam Raven among other media closing up the basic field ranks we have the Sun Healy general as the rink would apply generals typically command large covenant invasion forces during ground operations like any Sun Healy generals will personally lead their forces into battle during invasion campaigns several generals are needed working in concert to handle any situations and conflicts that arise though mostly seen on the ground operating as field masters generals can hold naval titles like ship master generals where an ornate gold armor with strong energy shields they can be seen wielding a variety of weapons from plasma rifles and concussion rifles to fuel rod guns and energy swords generals so far have appeared almost exclusively in Halo Reach next we'll get into some specialized drinks starting with the Sun Healy storm once again while this rank primarily appeared in Halo 4 and 5 the storm rank were a specialized shock unit within the original covenant like many of these specialist ranks the storm had their own internal ranking structure there is mirroring the structure used by basic infantry blue armored storm were the equivalent of miners red armor the equivalent of majors ultras with a red slash white armor and even gold armor ones for commanders storm son Healy again primarily appear in post-war media like Halo 4 and a low 5 after that we have the Ranger class equipped with a hermetically-sealed combat harness with anti-gravity or thrust PACS rangers are primarily deployed for a VA operations though they have been seen on ground operations their energy shields are typically around the same strength as lower-ranking son Healey Rangers are considered part of Covenant fleet security and have little internal ranking the leader of a squad of Rangers holding the title of first Ranger the second-in-command being titled second Ranger the only other rank that we've seen is that of Ranger commander which sports gold Ranger armor Rangers appear in halo 2 halo reach halo 4 and 5 and Halo Wars - among other media next up we have the Special Operations units not to be confused with son Healey stealth units special operations son Healy are clad in black or dark purple and equipped with both active camouflage and energy shields as the name Special Operations would suggest missions undertaken by this group were considered some of the most dangerous and difficult Special Operations son Healy where a variety of armor configurations including basic minor harnesses to assault or infiltration harnesses depending on the mission flee an attachment or other factors there are a limited number of special operation ranks with your basic spec ops tine Healy the spec ops officer spec ops subcommander and at the top spec ops commander unlike other ranks spec ops commanders wear white armor they also hold a lot of political and military authority holding command of all spec ops personnel and material in a fleet and considered worthy of speaking directly to the hierarchs spec ops son Healy appear in Halo CE e23 and reach with the spec ops commander rank only known to be held by Otis Vavoom appearing in halo 2 & 3 primarily spec ops son Healy and its wider variety of ranks also appear in the expanded media before moving on I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the silent shadow a subdivision of the Special Operations branch little is known about this division though it is known that they were highly respected by other son Healy and often took part in assassination and extraction missions they sported a special crimson combat little is known of their internal ranks though the leader of a squad would be titled first blade during the Covenant war a first blade would occasionally lead select groups of Jerell hanai stalkers known as blood stars the silent shadow have thus far only appeared in the expanded media and quickly another group under the Special Operations banner is the commandos there's not much to say here as we know very little about them other than the combat harness they wore which appeared in Halo 3 moving on though we next have some Keeley stealth units sporting either light blue silver or brown armor they wear basic infantry or infiltration harnesses that would either lack or sport very weak energy shields operating under fleet security they are typically lightly armed with plasma rifles kneedler's or energy swords and primarily serve to gather intelligence a specific type of stealth sang-hee Lee was the Osuna a temporary rank bestowed by a prophet for a mission of critical importance these missions could be intelligence gathering or assassination based stealth elites appear in Halo seee halo 2 halo wars Spartan assault and Spartan strike among a couple other media appearances Osuna have only appeared thus far in the book halo the flood next up we have the zealot class a high ranking military order working under the ministry of fervent intercession the zealots are organized into several different chapters each with their own ranking structure and interpretations of ancient honor codes and debt pacts as the name would suggest zealots are among the most devoted worshippers of the covenant religion and are known for their unparalleled combat skill zealot combat harness has come in many different configurations depending on the chapter fleet assignment cultural background and more typically a marui color zealots holding titles such as ship master will sport the golden color of leadership little is known about the internal ranking structures of zealots save for the rank of Field Marshal field marshals have their own distinct combat harness and hold supreme authority over covenant land forces basically being the equivalent of a ship master or supreme commander on the ground zealots are commonly seen wielding energy swords but will carry weapons like plasma rifles or fuel rod guns zelich's have appeared in most of the Halo games including Halo CE II halo 2 halo wars Halo Reach halo 4 Spartan assault and halo 5 among other appearances in expanded media closing up the actual ranks we have the Sun Healy honor Guardsman or honor guard as discussed earlier these sun healy were tasked with protecting the high profits and other high ranking san shyuum as such only the most skilled Sun Healy warriors will offer the chance to join their ranks when on duty they would be expected to cut down almost anyone who drew a weapon in the presence of a higher arc and keep order during High Council meetings honor guards wear an ornate red and gold armor within the honor guard ranks also exists the lights of San Helios aka honor guard ultras or Helios ultras this elite unit are distinguished by their white and gold armor and could be tasked as personal guards for high ranking sunshine honor guards and honor guard ultras appear almost exclusively in Halo 2 though the honor guard rank also appears in Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 they also have a few appearances in the expanded universe they usually carry a ceremonial staff went on duty but wield energy swords and plasma rifles when in battle up next we look at the abundance of titles available to the Sun healy first up being filled Master sporting gold armor a signifier of leadership field masters command general covenant infantry on the ground often battalion-sized or greater they sport powerful energy shields and often wield energy swords among other weaponry field masters have appeared in Halo seee halo 2 halo wars Halo Reach Spartan assault and Spartan strike though they have only been named as such in EU and ancillary materials after that we once again return to the title of shipmaster as discussed these gold armored elites are the ones that command covenant ships there's not much else to say that we haven't already covered but it's interesting to note that some ship masts will support a Dow mirror for cloak Dow Mears being a native animal to Sun Helios a tradition that dates back to the ancient seafaring days of the Sun Healy ship masters appear in halo seee halo 2 halo 3 halo reach spartan assault halo 4 halo 5 and halo wars - among other EU appearances we next have the title of Fleet Master as the name implies fleet masters command entire fleets of covenant ships often leading from a large flagship vessel like a CAS class assault carrier during a ship's construction fleet masters could order design tweaks to be made the fleet master title has technically only appeared in Halo 3 as far as games go though not by name it's used more commonly in the expanded universe fleet masters appointed directly by the high profits to lead major expeditions would be granted the title of Supreme Commander unlike a fleet master supreme commanders may command an entire contingent of fleets overseeing major operations like blockades or orbital bombardments while also typically wearing the gold armor of command their armor designs can often be more ornate and they will sometimes wear a purple cloak once again Supreme Commander has technically appeared in the games notably halo 2 though not by name it's more commonly seen in the expanded media after that we have the title of Imperial Admiral what would seem to be the highest and most powerful title a Sun Healy can hold to date only one Imperial Admiral has been known to exist sight Anjar watson ree z10 wore an ordinates silver armor with gold inlay patterns and a proven cloak essentially the Covenant equivalent to a Fleet Admiral site an was so powerful that the prophets feared him and assigned the Admiral to guard the fringes of covenant space the title of Imperial Admiral has thus far only appeared in halo the ghosts of Onyx and as part of the tabletop game halo fleet battles finally we wrap up the Sun Healy would they look at their political titles starting with high councilor for son Healy who decide on a more political path none is more significant than that of hike slur sitting on the Covenant High Council across from their san shyuum counterparts hi councilors make up the primary governing body of the Covenant they would be present at the ascension ceremony of new high profits one Sonny Lee counts are selected to ask each new prophet their new name son Healy counselors wear an armor similar to the basic combat harness worn by many son Healy though with a much larger and more ornate headpiece the armor itself is silver and has powerful energy shields though mostly involved in politics now counselors are still extremely skilled and capable warriors son Healy counselors have only appeared in halo 2 as far as the games go with limited appearances in the expanded media finally we wrap up with the title probably most well known to fans are Verner in the distant past arbiters were warrior judge Kings warlords who would conquer and rule over large son Healy populations after the formation of the covenant the title of arbiter became more political in nature a title bestowed upon the commander in chief of the Covenant military during difficult times arbiters would be appointed by the hierarchs to enact their will often taking on tasks deemed suicidal eventually an arbiter would die in battle fulfilling his purpose and a new arbiter would be christened once considered a badge of greatness the title of arbiter became a badge of shame for fallen warriors after an arbiter FAL chav imme went against the will of the prophets from then on an arbiter would be created during a time of great need for the Covenant appointed to a disgraced son Healy warrior as a chance to die with honor in the games two arbiters are known to fans Reb amaura me from Halo Wars and Thal vadym from halo 2 halo 3 and Halo 5 both have appeared in expanded universe media though most notably fel other arbiters have appeared or been mentioned in some expanding universe media as well to limited degrees and finally we wrap up our look at the covenant with the san shyuum aka the prophets the other founding species of the covenant the san shyuum hail from the world of john Jerome at the height of the 4runner ecumene the sunshine you were one of the few species that it advanced to a level comparable to the forerunners somewhat ironically these ancient san shyuum had an alliance with the ancient spacefaring human race of the time they were also very focused on youth and beauty infamous further hedonism and near universal appeal to other races try getting that out of your head following the activation of the halo array this history was largely forgotten or altered and their society shifted towards one that valued age and wisdom millennia later in 2200 BCE the abundance of forerunner technology on their homeworld in particular a crashed forerunner key ship led them to a grand civil war there were the conservative Stoics who believed forerunner technology was sacred and should be left alone and the militantly progressive reformists who wanted to study and use it this war of wills only ended when the reformists finally managed to figure out how to activate the key ship which they called the dreadnought and left the planet ripping out a chunk of it as they left after the founding of the covenant this chunk would be reformed into the dome of high charity following the writ of Union in 852 BCE the san shyuum became the ruling caste of the newly established covenant in control of all technology and largely in charge of political affairs early in the covenants history san shyuum would serve as starship captains Gunners and officers but by the time of the human covenant war the last remnant of san shyuum and active military service were the prelate s-- a select few san shyuum would be chosen and brought to the sacred promissory and high charity where they had their bodies and minds enhanced capable of releasing chemicals into their bodies to enhance their combat abilities or control their consciousness they were powerful enough to give veterans son Keeley pause however these augmentations were not all powerful meant to be used in short bursts pushing themselves too far can result in exhaustion seizures and even death in rare cases however the vast majority of san shyuum took on political and administrative roles when working in one of the covenants numerous ministries asaji a you would start out as a junior staffer working their way up to senior staffers potentially even vice ministers or ministers many ministers held positions on the High Council the primary a theocratic aristocratic legislative and decision-making body for the Covenant in times when a minister could not make a council meeting a vice minister would attend in his stead ministers and minor prophets also known as press and tours would occasionally be attached to a covenant fleet to bless a glassing or oversee an artifact recovery effort among other tasks other titles or positions san shyuum could hold included steward a servant or advisor or even bodyguard to a high-ranking san shyuum or member of nobility vice cleric or cleric a religious office philologist a leader of the ascetic priests who maintained and cared for the oracle within the dread-nots at the center of high charity high lord a title of nobility and secondary administrator one who served as an assistant to a high profit it's important to note that son Shyam can hold multiple titles at a time and at the top of the hierarchy was of course the high profits at any given time there would be three each wielding near absolute authority they could reorganize fleets without council approval create arbiters the will of the prophets create new ministries and more often they would do this for their own gain and ambitions still these hierarchs were not without limitations they had to obey the book of hierarchs an official ruling book they could not interfere with the role of celibates a list that dictated which san shyuum could or could not breed and as they often came into power using blackmail or extortion they too were just as vulnerable to such practices hierarchs like most son Shyam sat in a gravity throne though theirs were much more luxurious and ornate equipped with energy shields and a gravity cannon for defense they were protected by Sun Kili honor guards who would kill almost anyone who drew a weapon in their presence the exceptions seeming to be an arbiter of these san shyuum ranks and titles only hi counselors and hierarchs are confirmed to have appeared in the games both appearing in Halo 2 and hierarchs appearing in one form or another in Halo 3 and Halo Wars naturally san shyuum appear more prominently and in more varied roles in the expanded fiction and that wraps up the military makeup of the covenant or as much as we know of it at this time if you're an avid reader of the expanded universe you'll likely notice that some ranks and titles particularly among the Sun Kili were left out again this video was about ranks of the Covenant specifically maybe later on we can take a look at the feudal society of sun helios and the various positions the Sun Kela can hold there but that's for another time and again if you're wondering about post-war ranks for any of the species we'll talk about that in time for those who aren't as involved in the EU I hope you found this video entertaining and enlightening and if you'd like to know more about the covenant and its makeup allow me to recommend halo content harvest and halo broken circle while most books do feature at least some insight into the Covenant or the Sun Kili these two in particular dive into the makeup politics and history of the covenant that they happen to be Goodreads is just a bonus and if you don't have time to read or for any other reason it never hurts to consider signing up for audible with thousands of audio books including all the Halo novels if you're interested you can get a 30 day free trial by using my affiliate link audible trial com halo Canon the 30 day trial gets you one free audiobook and can be cancelled at any time without losing any book you've purchased if you're interested I've left a link in the description box below thanks for watching and until next time this has been halo cannon thanks for watching if you enjoy this be sure to check out audible by going to audibletrial.com/preneurcast alit anytime and keep any audiobooks you've purchased so check out audible trial comm today

Channel: Halo Canon

Views: 2,681,193

Keywords: halo, canon, halo3, halo2, haloCE, CE, combat, evolved, anniversary, Halo1, bungie, 343, 343i, Guilty, Spark, xbox, 360, gaming, Halo (series), Halo: Reach (Video Game), Video Game (Industry), Master, Chief, Cortana, official, ToaFreak, Toa, Freak, Lore, didact, librarian, forerunner, One, CEA, ODST, Orbital, Drop, Shock, Trooper, Halo3ODST, HaloODST, books, comics, games

Id: G8tIvHOtY8c

Length: 55min 20sec (3320 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 30 2020