Jiralhanae War Chieftain

War Chieftains are a specialized Jiralhanae rank higher than a regular Chieftain. The rank is featured in Halo 3, with War Chieftains playing a significant role in the Covenant's occupation of Earth and defense on the Ark.

Role
War Chieftains seem to be higher in rank than regular Chieftains and are responsible for commanding much larger packs than even a Chieftain. Despite being higher in rank than normal Chieftains, War Chieftains are more often seen guarding a small outpost or commanding a Scarab. War Chieftains are believed to be the equivilent of a Sangheili Field Master.

Appearance
Instead of the lucid red-clad armor of a Chieftain, a War Chieftain wears a similar suit in golden bronze, with equally powerful shields. Their head crests are also more ornate, with a large forehead spike featuring a split V shape with jagged spikes lining the edges and a smaller V further forward on the helmet. This makes the War Chieftains more recognizable in battle, and intimidates enemies, as they know who they are facing.

Tactics
War Chieftains usually carry Plasma Cannons or Fuel Rod Guns into battle and Spikers as sidearms, striking their enemies from afar while their subordinates close and engage. This gives them considerable ability to suppress their enemies, allowing their own forces to move freely. In close, they will often deploy a Power Drain to eliminate the player's shields or throw a Flare to blind their opponents, and can use their weapons to devastating effect. War Chieftains are the only NPC in Halo 3 that can melee while still holding a plasma cannon without dropping it. There also have been some instances where the Chieftain goes berserk in which it can leap great distances and kill an enemy with a single blow.

It is advised that the player use long-range weapons against a War Chieftain, such as the battle rifle or sniper rifle, using cover effectively and firing highly accurate shots to knock their helmet off. If you manage to get up close to a chieftain, meleeing it will prevent it from firing long enough for you to kill it with melee attacks. Incendiary Grenades, along with sticking Plasma Grenades or Spike Grenades if you are close enough, are a good way to kill a War Chieftain, although on Legendary the incendiary grenade and spike grenade is not a guaranteed one hit kill, especially as their armor prevents the grenades from sticking. However, if you follow up with a headshot using an accurate weapon, that will usually take them down.

Trivia

 * In Contact Harvest, Maccabeus, and later Tartarus, wore this armor. It signified at a higher rank than the red and black armor of a regular Cheiftain in Halo 3, which Tartarus wore prior to killing Maccabeus and becoming the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae.
 * In the Halo 3 legendary campaign, War Cheiftains can survive a direct hit from a Spartan Laser, unless it's a headshot.