Stealth Sangheili

The Stealth Sangheili is a Sangheili rank of the Covenant, and later, the Covenant Separatists.

Roles
Stealth Sangheili, although an offshoot of the Covenant Special Operations division, are not the same as Special Operations Sangheili since they are officially a part of the Covenant Army. The Stealth Elite corps operates standard battlefield units who participate in all major groundside operations, while SpecOps Sangheili work independently in small teams.

Combat
Stealth Sangheili are usually armed with plasma rifles, either single-wielded or dual-wielded. Frequently, these soldiers use energy swords. They often lie in wait in order to ambush their enemies. They are also far less prone to make tactical mistakes, such as not charging directly into a fight and taking cover more often, which is important due to their relative lack of shielding. Their agility and Active camouflage makes them difficult targets to hit, and they often attack in pairs, very much like Mgalekgolo.

The best way to combat a Stealth Sangheili in Halo: Combat Evolved would be to take advantage of their weak shielding. The M6D pistol and the SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle will kill them with a single shot to the head, though it can be difficult to land shots due to the Sangheili's agility and camouflage ability. The sniper rifle's night vision makes this easier because it makes them quite visible. The MA5B is very effective at close range, as its ability to fill the air with a large number of projectiles reduces the need for accurate aiming, and allows the player to find the Sangheili more easily while they are still camouflaged. Explosives are also effective when trying to flush them out of hiding or from behind cover, or to damage them.

Despite having Active camouflage, when a Stealth Elite is equipped with an energy sword, the sword's glow will give away their location, making for an easy kill.

In Halo 2, use head shot-capable weapons such as the SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle, M6C handgun, BR55 Battle Rifle, or the Type-51 Carbine. Their relatively weak shields can be broken easily by these weapons, and like any other Sangheili soldier, they can be killed by a single headshot while unshielded. Marksman weapons such as the Sniper Rifle can kill them with a single headshot even when fully-shielded depending on difficulty you're playing on. The shotgun is very effective when combating a Stealth Elite in a close quarter’s environment.

Stealth Sangheilis appear frequently in the Halo 2 campaign and mainly the level Outskirts on Legendary, though they also appear in the underwater structure in the level Regret, and on Gravemind.

Armor and Shields
These Sangheili are clad in armor that comes in several different variations. They are a specialty class, like the Rangers, and are suited for stealth operations.

During and prior to the Battle of Installation 04, their armor was a light cyan and gray color, wore pointed helmets and shoulder pads (signifying rank), and had a Forerunner glyph on their back. However, this armor system did not allow for use of a personal energy shield, allowing for a quick and easy kill if their location is known.

During the Battle of Earth and the Battle of Installation 05, these Stealth soldiers received updated and improved armor. The color was changed from a grayish tone to either a brown and steel or silver and steel color. In addition, the designers added in personal energy shields for increased survivability. The shielding system worn by Stealth Elites is significantly different from any other armor system worn by the Sangheili. Stealth Sangheilis' shields recharge incredibly quickly, much faster than any other shield system seen in use in the Halo universe (including the shielding systems of Elite combat harnesses, SPARTAN power armor, and Brute power armor). Additionally, Stealth Elites appear to have almost twice as much health as a standard Minor Elite. On the downside, these shields are noticeably weaker than those worn and used by Sangheili Minors, with almost 50% the shield strength of a Minor Sangheili's shields.

Trivia

 * Stealth Sangheili are not to be confused with Ossoonas, who also employ Active camouflage. Ossoonas are meant to spy on the enemy without participating in the fight unless spotted, while Stealth Sangheili are for combat purposes.
 * In Halo: Reach, stealth sangheili are replaced by the new version of Spec ops elites, which appear to be a combination of stealth elites and spec ops elites from the past games.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, the stealth elites have weaker armor than Minors. It only takes one fully-charged shot from a Plasma Pistol to kill them.
 * On Halo Anniversary, it is revealed that the Stealth Elite will be replaced by the Spec Ops armor from Reach, as seen in Behind the scenes Anniversary campaign.SpecOps in Halo CEA will retain their Halo: Reach armor, but it will be a pale bluish white and they will be able to stay completely invisible.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary