Covenant

The Covenant forces have spent more than thirty years trying to wipe out humankind. Because their efforts have been so successful, and because few Covenant troops have ever been captured alive, little is definitively known about their origins, society, or motivations. Intercepted communications and battlefield reports indicate a religious underpinning to their genocidal campaign. What follows are brief descriptions of the alien races known to belong to the Covenant collective, gathered mostly from encounters on the battlefield.

Elite (Sangheili)

Sinewy and extremely tall saurians. Following the First Battle of Harvest in 2525 this species has been observed exclusively as the leadership of the Covenant in all military engagements. They are disciplined and proficient combatants.

Grunt (Unggoy)

Short and broad bipedal arthropods. Typically travel in groups up to eight. Lack discipline; tend to panic once local command has been eliminated. This will occasionally manifest itself as a suicidal attempt to eliminate the forces that eliminated its commander(s).

Jackal (Kig-Yar)

The Jackal and Skirmisher are of the same species, with the larger, more heavily muscled specimens comprising grenadier-type units (Skirmishers) and the smaller, more lightly built specimens seeing deployment as dedicated ranger or sniper units (Jackals). This is a significant change from engagements prior to 2530 when mixed units were more common.