Kig-Yar

"Jackals may be superior marksmen and they’re very sneaky, but that doesn’t make them excellent snipers — they’re a little too bloodthirsty for that."

- Anonymous UNSC serviceman .

The Kig-yar (Latin Perosus Latrunculus, translated to "Hateful Highwayman" ) are an avian species which serve the Covenant as mercenaries, and later the Covenant Loyalists. Humans have termed these creatures Jackals, as they are known for their swiftness, viciousness and dexterity, even though they aren't the strongest Covenant race. Jackals will either serve as snipers or scouts within the Covenant due to their excellent sense of sight, smell and hearing. They were the first Covenant species encountered by UNSC forces.

Background
Jackals are mainly seen wielding Plasma Pistols, but they may carry Beam Rifles, Needlers, Plasma Rifles or Carbines. In Halo: Contact Harvest, they were shown to wield a Knife/Sword crystalline weapon that explodes after a Jackal has released its grip due to fail safes inside of it, but they aren't Energy Swords, as it says they are a purple-pink colour, making it similar to the projectiles fired by the Needler (they can be seen in Halo: Combat Evolved). Sniper Jackals are equipped with Particle Beam Rifles or Covenant Carbines for maximum damage and range as seen in Halo 2 and Halo 3 respectively, if a player is trying to complete campaign on Legendary they generally are shot in the head, due to the fact that Jackal snipers usually hide in the most difficult places to be seen and killed. In addition, all but the snipers carry the powerful hand held energy shield. The most effective way of killing them is to throw a grenade near them, aim for their feet with a pistol, and thus exposing the rest of them, or barrage them with sniper fire, or if you're a skilled sniper you can shoot between the gap on each side of their shields, or you can melee them.

When the shields are down, a Jackal is more frail and easier to kill than an average Minor Grunt. That isn't to say Jackals are weak, though: they have a decent amount of intelligence (just like Grunts when they aren't panicking). In both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the Jackals are first encountered during the second level. The Jackals are never found on human ships in these games. This is because Jackals are pirates and would most likely raid the ship they were boarding. Also probably because the Jackals seem to be more of a defensive soldier, fighting from behind their shields, yet in the book Halo: the Flood, they were mentioned coming aboard the Pillar of Autumn. It may also have something to do with the fact that their shields seem vulnerable to melee damage, limiting the Jackals' deployment options and make them vulnerable to close combat fighting. However, in Halo 3, they are encountered on the first level, Sierra 117. In Halo: Contact Harvest, they are stated to have larger spines on their back if male, and if female, they have thick callus like plates on their head and shoulders plus their beaks also changed by being longer and crocked upwards. Although some people think that snipers have the male characteristics and shield wielders have female characteristics or vice versa.

Unlike Humans, Brutes, or Elites, Jackals are not brave and are by no means willing to give their life for their cause unless for revenge. For example, when you approach a Sniper Jackal, it will immediately drop its weapon, pull out its Plasma Pistol and start running away. They are aggressive, and this is due mostly to the fact that they are merely mercenaries, rather than religious fanatics, and may be a part of their overall nature. In battle, Jackals share many similarities with Grunts, although they are far more intelligent. Like Grunts, they are a weak subordinate race and are somewhat cowardly (yet not as cowardly as Grunts). Despite their efforts to assure the Covenant of their superiority over the Grunts, they often cower in battle and run away with their shields up in the air (though not with the high frequency of a Grunt). In Halo: Combat Evolved, if you throw a plasma grenade at their feet, they will hardly ever freak out and run away, although it is possible that this is merely because the AI is not as advanced in that game.

Culture
Unlike races such as the Grunts, the Kig-yar were space-faring long before joining the Covenant. As such the Jackals are unique among Covenant races: rather than faithful followers of the Prophets' religion, they are mercenaries working for the Covenant. However, due to the long time they have been in the Covenant, a number of them have accepted the Covenant religion.

The Halo 3 Bestiarum states that the Kig-yar government type is postindustrial capitalism, with a population of 978 million.

Once, the Kig-Yar culture was centered around rival clans sailing across Eayn's seas as pirates, raiding the encampments and settlements of rival clans. As the distances between the clans grew less, so too did the differences, and a united Kig-Yar race reached out to the stars in spacecraft, beginning to populate small asteroids around Chu'ot. Some of these saw opportunity, and became pirates once more, raiding merchant ships. These were apparently the Kig-Yar's only effective response to the overwhelming Covenant military juggernaut when they arrived in their home-system, the war between the two factions apparently culminating around sieges of redoubts on the asteroids surrounding their world, as stated in Halo: Contact Harvest though eventually in order to survive they accepted letters of marque: commissions from the Ministry of Tranquility to engage in the services of the Covenant, though often this was merely used as an excuse to continue raiding, this time preying on the ships of the Covenant's enemies, such as humanity.

When inducted into the Covenant, the Kig-yar were intended to replace the Grunts as the Covenant's foot soldiers; but the temperament of the Jackals made such a change impractical. Instead, they were placed in roles that suited their abilities better such as scouts and being in teams of commando units which allowed the exploitation of their fine senses in the battlefield. They are also deployed as police forces on occupied worlds, although this was always done under the supervision of a member of the higher castes. The reason for this duty was unclear - it is not known if the Covenant feel that the Grunts could not be trusted with such roles or if the predatory nature of the Jackals allowed them a greater ability to police planets. 

Jackals have little status in the Covenant hierarchy, and are subservient to all but the Grunts. Although they technically stand as equals with the Grunts, the reality is that Jackals are usually in an elevated position. While the other races consider the Grunts beneath notice, the Jackals are often purposefully cruel to them in order to assure themselves of their own superiority.

Eayn is the Jackal homeworld and a satellite of the planet Chu'ot‎. It's primary moon is Y'Deio. The gravity is about 0.875 G's, making the inhabitants lighter on Eayn than on Earth. This is surprising, considering how fast Jackals move on Earth. Its colour palette (green and blue) is that of Earth, indicating that it may have forests and oceans, but of course, its continents are shaped differently.

Like the other lower caste members of the Covenant, the Jackals are not represented on the High Council but are instead vetted by the Ministry of Concert. However, unlike the other castes, the Kig-yar do not vocally complain about their position but instead have selected to siphon off resources to their brothers. Whether the Covenant leadership was aware of this is currently unknown. After the Great Schism, they were promoted to where the Drones once were. 

Jackals are not permitted by the Elites to have more than one name, but Jackal society had never placed a premium on such things, so they don't care. Jackal names are invariably single syllable, with two consonants and one vowel, such as Yeg, Jak and Bok. The ranking authorities in Covenant society have been known to feed prisoners to Jackals. One notable example being the opening cutscene of The Arbiter in Halo 2, perhaps indicating that the Jackals are much more bloodthirsty and cruel than previously seen in combat. This probability is supported by the vicious, rabid sounds that Jackals make in combat, and the UNSC remark stating that Jackals were "too bloodthirsty" to really be called snipers. The Jackals are despised by most Elites for their devious nature.

Tactics
Their Shield is almost completely impervious to all Human firearms and strong against plasma based weaponry, but if a plasma weapon is fired at it for an extended period of time it will deplete the shield. The various ways of combating Jackals basically works like this: get an accurate weapon, fire at the exposed hand of Jackal at the side of the shield and the Jackal should flinch, continue to pounding away at the exposed body until the Jackal is dead. Another good way is to overcharge a Plasma Pistol and fire it at their shielding, deactivating it, giving you the time to melee them to death. In the later games, meleeing the Jackal will end up deactivating the shield and sending the alien fleeing.

Note: A good tactic to use in all games is to, in co-op, one player distracts the Jackal while the other player assassinates it. This is good on Heroic or Legendary.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In this game Jackal Snipers (or Marksman) do not exist. Jackals, upon seeing you, sometimes turn towards you and start pointing, allowing you to kill them rather quickly. However, because they alert all other Covenant to your presence when they do, be prepared to start killing everyone else in the immediate vicinity. Jackals can be problematic because your allies pound away at the shield with no forethought, wasting time and allowing them to be killed by other Covenant soldiers. While their over-charged Plasma Pistol shots can be a real pain because they are harder to dodge than in other games. They advance slowly towards you, allowing Grunts and Elites to advance behind the safety of their shields. Any weapon can effectively eliminate a Jackal itself. Throwing grenades behind or in front of them is effective, because they might jump to the side, exposing themselves, they might turn around and start backing towards you, or the grenade might kill them because they occasionally do nothing about it. Hitting them in the exposed hand can take quite a few shots from a Pistol, and they don't flinch nearly as much as in other games. A direct head shot will kill them instantly. Getting up close and personal with a Jackal works very effectively. If they roll to one side (often because you're shooting at them) continue to blast away until they are dead. Destroying their shield with an overcharged Plasma Pistol shot is very effective, allowing you to kill them quickly, and then take their plasma weapon. It takes two sniper shots in the chest to kill them, which means that they may have more base health than Elite Minors, who require two chest shots with their shields fully charged. However, the best tactic is the good old Noob Combo. Basically, overcharge a Plasma Pistol to overload their shields. Then, take a Pistol or Assault Rifle to their unprotected body or you can headshot them.

Halo 2
Jackals begin a whole new role in Halo 2 from Halo: CE. This role is a Sniper (or Jackal Marksman). In Halo CE, all Jackals were equipped with Energy Shields and a one handed firearm. Now in addition to regular Jackals with shields, there are Sniper Jackals who are extremely accurate. This new use of Jackals is best known in the Halo 2 level Outskirts in Sniper Alley (featuring 22 of them). In this alleyway, there are Jackals up in buildings with Beam Rifles that are very hard to get by. The use of sniper Jackals changes the game drastically, because up until now, all Covenant fighters were close range fighters, none of whom carried scoped weapons, and now the Covenant are utilizing tactics seen in Human fighting, that is, stay at a distance. These Jackals can be very good at hiding and are excellent marksmen (especially in Heroic and Legendary) and can easily kill an unwary player. This made them the most irritating opponents in certain levels, the player having exterminating most enemies only to fall to such a marksman. In fact, on Legendary, just one shot to any part of the body will suffice. The best ways to kill Kig-yar are by melee, grenades, or head shots. A single melee will take down a Jackal's shield, leaving them vulnerable to another melee to finish them off. A well placed grenade will either, A. kill the Jackal straight up, B. destroy the Jackal's shield leaving them vulnerable to attack, or C. cause them to dive/roll to the side which means they put their shield down and can be shot easily. Jackals, previously pictured to have weak bodies now seem to have a huge resistance to damage, it takes many shots to the body to kill a Jackal, even with it's shield gone. However, a single head shot with a head shot enabled weapon (Battle Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Magnum, etc.) will kill them. Other tactics include: shooting their shield to make them flinch then killing them, or using a plasma weapon to quickly drain their shield energy. Also, now in Halo 2, they can use Plasma Rifles, Needlers, and Carbines by trading weapons with them when playing as the Arbiter. You can also give Human weapons to Jackals in the level Sacred Icon,such as the Magnum, SMG, Shotgun, and the Battle Rifle. [Note] Jackal Snipers have a limit on how far they can see you, so on levels with vast open spaces, they can be sniped without ever being able to hit you.

Halo 3
The easiest way to take out shielded Jackals is simply shoot at them with a Battle Rifle or other accurate weaponry to the open sides of the shield where there gun can be seen. This makes them flinch dramatically, moving their shields to the right or left. A head shot after that finishes them off quickly and easily. This can be done from a distance. Throwing grenades at them works well too, because they might jump to the side, exposing themselves, they might turn around and start backing towards you, or, the grenade might kill them because they do nothing about it. You could also can shoot the the little circle things on the far side of the shield.

Thankfully, compared to the Master Chief segment levels of Halo 2, the high concentration of nearly impossible to reach Sniper Jackals has been dramatically reduced in Halo 3. Within the "sniper alley" moments of Halo 3, many of the Sniper Jackals have been replaced with "Marksmen Jackals", who utilize Carbines rather than actual Beam Rifles. This has made Legendary mode on Halo 3 more playable, as these Marksmen Jackals will still kill you quickly, though you should be given barely enough time to react if you are careful and observant against them. Beware however, as the actual Sniper Jackals amongst them can still slaughter a player with one shot, just as they did in Halo 2. They are best countered with a scoped weapon of your own, and hitting them with a head shot while they still attempt to aim at you. Proper use of Deployable Cover and Bubble Shields will also give you an edge against them.

For Sniper Jackals, experience, memory, and patience wins the day. You must have a weapon with a scope, and you must cover every inch of viewable area before moving to the next bit of cover. Remember, if you can see them, they can see you, and shooting one will generally alert the other Snipers hiding close-by. When this happens they turn on their helmet lights, making them easier to see.

Co-op players will have a pretty easy time combating the Sniper/Marksmen Jackals as long as one of the players is patient enough to hang well back.

Rank Structure

 * Minor Jackal
 * Major Jackal
 * Ranger Jackal
 * Sniper/Marksman Jackal
 * Zealot Jackal

Jackal Anatomy and Physiology
Jackals are vaguely avian in appearance, with feather-like quills on their heads and arms on males and calloused plates on females for protection from males during mating, and bird-like feet with talons. Jackal Majors seem to be more muscular than Minors, with larger biceps and chests. They have three fingers on each hand including an opposable thumb. Jackals have exhibited both beaks and razor sharp teeth. Such a great variation may be indicative of two species of Jackal.

Additionally, in Halo: CE it is observed that the Jackals wear a rudimentary type of armour; in Halo 2 and Halo 3, however, they are not afforded this luxury.

Though they are not a low-g species, they do have many qualities that are shared with species from low-g worlds. The female of the species lack the spiny plumage (said plumage's colour serving as indication of the Jackal's mood) of the male; replacing it with calloistic plates at the forearms and the rear of the head. The "callous like" skin helps protect the female during courtship. When mating, the male can choose to fertilize the egg, in which a female is produced, whereas if the eggs are not fertilized a male is produced. Aside from the obvious differences in reproductive organs, the male and female of the species are more or less identical in appearance with no physical disparity or mass distribution between the sexes. 

ONI scientists have noted a great variance in skin tone and colour between Jackals, usually a dark orange or green, and some are mottled or spotted with markings of various colour. The purpose of colour variation in Jackals is unknown, though it has been speculated to be tribal tattooing or camouflage suitable for their home world. Although the Jackals vary in skin colour, their blood is purple in colour similar to that of Elites, possibly showing a similar genetic or chemical makeup.

Though they are mainly carnivorous in appearance and indeed are known to consume flesh, apparently even that of other sentient beings, the Kig-Yar are omnivorous. They will eat fruits including an unknown type of melon that may be native to their homeworld.

Jackals seen thus far in the games have been predominantly left-handed; none have been seen wielding a firearm with their right hand. All Jackals wear their shields on their right arm.

The boots that Jackals wear are shaped similarly to the feet of birds. The number of bird-like physiological traits could be an indication of Avian ancestry. Several other bird features include keen eyesight, three fingers like the first birds and possibly hollowed bones because they are fragile against melee attacks.

Because of their avian physiology and the hollow structure of their bones and lack of large calcium deposits, Jackals cannot be mutated by the Flood. The lack of calcium in their skeletons also makes them a poor source of food for potential Flood forms. They have never been observed to be mutated in game.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2



 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Jackals wore more armour, often had helmets, had shorter, stubbier beaks, more jewel-like eyes, and came in two skin colour variations: dark green and dark orange. In Halo 2, they are more avian looking and have only an orange skin colour. Also they have pink reptile like eyes which flicker off and on when dead, but still stay pink. They also have larger biceps and chests. It is unknown why these changes happened, and if the Halo 2 Jackals are a different variety/race of Jackals than the ones in Halo or if the changes were mostly just graphical. Besides the aesthetic differences, there have also been changes in the way the Jackal Personal Arm Shield works and looks, and the addition of a sniper rank. In neither game do Jackals utilize Plasma Grenades, although they do carry grenades in Halo 2. One Bungie staff member quotes that "now they are scarier".
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Jackals hunt predominantly in pairs, usually one major and a minor, 2 minors, or sometimes 2 majors (though more than one pair may be present in certain areas). In Halo 2, shielded Jackals work primarily in teams upwards of four, though they are occasionally found in pairs. Sniper Jackals can also be found working in teams on occasions.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved Jackals also had a more jaguar-like skin pattern, possibly for camouflage on their home world Eayn.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved Jackals only used Plasma Pistols, although they do have programs and animations for using Plasma Rifles and Needlers, while in Halo 2 Jackals can wield more weapons of the Covenant and can even have Human weapons if given to them when playing as the Arbiter on Sacred Icon.

Changes in Halo 3

 * Jackals now wield the semi-deadly Covenant Carbines without having to be given them, these Jackals are designated by some as "Marksmen Jackals" seeing that they are neither Snipers nor shield-bearing Jackals.
 * The Jackals in general wear more armor to better protect themselves, making it more difficult to kill a jackal from the front. It now requires at least two melee strikes to kill a Jackal in Halo 3 on the higher difficulties, the head gear also resembles the armor sported by some Jackals in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * Jackals in Halo 3 are more muscular than in Halo 2, but not as muscular as in Halo:Combat Evolved.
 * Their eyes are darker and more birdlike.
 * Jackals in Halo 3, appear to no longer wear the armored boots they wore in the previous Halo games. As such they feature more animal-like talons on their feet in Halo 3.
 * Halo 3 Jackals have a massive "over-bite" and their teeth hang down over their entire bottom jaw.
 * Sniper Jackals wear a visor-like device on their heads that covers their left eye. It can be assumed this enhances their vision to allow for greater accuracy on the field of battle. When Jackal snipers sight a target, this visor emits a purple light; this functions both to warn the player and reveal the sniper's position. The visor, along with the now-slower targeting time for the creatures' Particle Beam Rifles, can best be described as an effort to balance the snipers out after Bungie's realization that they were too deadly in Halo 2. In certain levels such as Sierra 117, the Sniper Jackals tend to hide in out of reach areas where they are very difficult to see. The best way to take out these Jackal Snipers is to wait for them to fire at you, it will not be an instant death(besides on Legendary and Heroic). After that, you should be able to see them clearly and use a Battle Rifle or other mid range weapon to take them out.
 * When a Jackal is holding a Carbine or Beam Rifle, it can't use a shield at the same time.
 * Jackals language is just reversed English phrases.
 * Their appearance is more bird-like than their reptilian Combat Evolved and Halo 2 counterparts. Their heads now resemble those of a crow or vulture in comparison to the heads of their counterparts which had heads like a reptile or Velociraptor. The appearance of both Halo 2 and Halo 3 Jackals in Halo: Uprising suggests these are another race or subspecies.
 * There are much less Jackals wielding Beam Rifles (less than 20 in the whole game).
 * The Jackals are more powerful in rank, rising from the shadow of the Elites

Trivia

 * Jackals never drive or ride any vehicles in any Halo games with the exception of Spirits and Phantoms.
 * A charged plasma shot will disable their energy shields.
 * In the Halo book The Cole Protocol the Kig-Yar and some rebels are temporary allies.
 * In Halo 3, if you are killed by or near a Jackal, they will let out a long squawk to celebrate.
 * In the Halo: Uprising comic series, both Halo 2 and Halo 3 Jackals appear. This likely means both types have different origins, possibly from different landscapes on their homeworld.
 * Jackals were the first Covenant species fought by human beings. Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne fought two and killed both of them shortly before the Battle of Harvest.
 * Jackals, Prophets, and Grunts are the only species that do not attempt to hijack vehicles, although Grunts can drive Ghosts and pilot Shade turrets.
 * The name Jackal comes from a wild dog that is similar to the wolf, and is a reference to their scavenger-like appearance and nature.
 * In Halo: The Flood, Bok, a Jackal, started to get infected by the Flood and was killed. Since Jackals lack sufficient calcium to make a Combat Form, though, it is possible that he was going to be converted into a Carrier Form instead.
 * The Jackals in Halo: Combat Evolved were shorter and more muscular than their Halo 2 and Halo 3 counterparts.
 * "Kig-yar" is Breton for "chicken" and Phonetic Welsh for "chicken meat".
 * Although Jackals carry grenades in Halo 2, they are never seen using them. This is possibly because of the fact that, in terms of game mechanics, they 'dual-wield' their energy shield with whatever other weapon they are carrying.
 * When playing as the Arbiter, you may give Jackals Plasma Pistols, Plasma Rifles, Magnums, and SMGs. They may also be given Covenant Carbines and Battle Rifles; however, this is due to an oversight, and the animation is flawed (they retain their shields), though it works to your advantage.
 * In Halo 2, Jackals feature a reloading animation for the Needler, and the Needler only.
 * All Jackals shoot left handed, including the use of sniper weapons, and are the only Covenant species to do so (with the exception of Rtas 'Vadum).
 * In Halo 3, Jackal Majors carry purple shields instead of yellow ones as seen in Halo 2.
 * In some levels of Halo 2, Halo 3 and possibly Halo CE, there are Jackals donning whitish colored shields, whether it's a glitch like the Honor Guard-Councilor, or it's part of the ranking system is unknown. Other sightings include greenish-colored shields, also a possible rank indication.
 * The only known female Kig-yar are Chur'R-Yar and Chur 'R-Mut, who were both Ship Mistresses of Covenant Ships. They are also the only Jackals known to have multiple syllables in their names and the first female members of the Covenant mentioned in Halo canon.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Jackals have different head designs than Jackals in Halo 2 or Halo 3.
 * Jackals are the only AI in Halo 3 that can run out of ammunition, but only when they are using the Plasma Pistol. If you have played through the campaign, chances are you have come across this before, but may not have noticed. To see this, wait until a Jackal overcharges his pistol but do not approach it until the pistols battery drains. The Jackal will then be out of battery and will be unable to fire on you.
 * Like birds, Jackals lay eggs and have feather-like protrusions (on males, presumably for display during mating season). Ship Mistress Chur'R-Yar hinted to this in Halo: Contact Harvest. Females, however, have thicker callouses on their backs and the back of their neck.
 * There is a glitch in Halo 2 in which you can turn a Jackal blue.
 * In Halo: The Fall of Reach their blood is said to be blue when in game it was purple.
 * The only Jackal recorded to wield a Needler outside of gameplay is J-011-422.
 * The first time you see a Jackal in the Halo video games is in Halo: Combat Evolved, on the level Halo. They do not appear in the first level, Pillar of Autumn, due to the Covenant's mistrust of them on enemy vessels because of their pirating ways. However, in the book "Halo: The Flood", they were mentioned as boarding the Pillar of Autumn during their initial attack.
 * A dead Jackal is also found in the book Halo: Fall of Reach when John was examining the Covenant. It was apparently killed by an impatient Hunter who crushed it to death. This eventually led to the UNSC discerning their caste system, a major breakthrough in knowing the nature of their enemies.
 * They were firstly seen by Avery Johnson and then by Spartan-IIs, John, along with Sam and Kelly, aboard an unnamed Covenant ship (it was later destroyed thanks to Sam's sacrifice). . Apparently, they managed to easily take it down, as Sam remarks "They sure aren't as tough as their ships".
 * In the entire Halo Trilogy, Jackals are your allies only once, in the level Sacred Icon.
 * It is possible to stick a grenade to a Jackal's shield, if you aim for the center of the shield (the gauntlet) it will stick to it.
 * There was a group of Jackals trained as rangers, eventually being replaced by the Drones as they were more suited for combat in space.
 * In Halo: CE on the level 343 Guilty Spark, one dead Jackal is found in a scorched hallway surrounded by not Jackal, but Grunt blood.

Gallery
Image:Halo3 Jackal.jpg|A Jackal Sniper from Halo 3. Image:Behindyou.jpg|Jackal about to meet a Pelican in the level Assault on the Control Room in Halo: Combat Evolved. Image:19317669-Full.jpg|A Minor Jackal on patrol on The Ark. Image:Jackal Lakeside.jpg|A Jackal Sniper from Halo 2 wields a Particle Beam Rifle. Image:Jackal.jpg|A Minor Jackal about to fire a charged Plasma Pistol. Image:1215645880 Jackal Blood.jpg|A Jackal's blood stain. Image:Jackalsplat.jpg|When Jackals are hit by a warthog, they are either pulled under the warthog's tires... Image:Jackalwarthog.jpg|... or thrown back by the warthog. Image:1225326433 Dead jackal.jpg|A dead Jackal Major. 

Related Links

 * Jackal Point Defense Gauntlet


 * Jackals Unlimited Plasma Pistols