Combat Harness



Elite Combat Armor is the standard armor worn into battle by Covenant Elites. Since their split from the Covenant, Elites have continued to wear this armor. Although the armor comes in many colors, denoting different ranks and specialties (see Elite Ranks, all have two attributes in common: their general design is identical, and all are equipped with varying strengths of Elite Personal Energy Shield.

Ranks
The following Covenant Elite ranks were known to make use of standard Combat Armor:

Zealot/Field Master/Ship Master/Fleet Master: The Generals and Admirals of the Covenant military; commanders of battalions, ships, and fleets. Field Masters lead armies; Ship Masters command ships; Fleet Masters command armadas. 'Zealot' seems to be a general term, applying to all gold-armored Elites. Zealots appear to have been physically augmented somehow, as they are able to survive a whole clip from an M6C Magnum, or 2 Sniper Rifle headshots (However a clip of Dual Magnums will kill them) although this may be due to higher-quality armor.

Special Operations Commander: Special Operations Commanders command a troupe of regular Spec Ops troops. They are immediately above Ultras in rank, the only cosmetic difference being more white on the Commander. They are only seen in Halo 2, in Rtas 'Vadumee. It is unknown how strong their shields are or how skilled they are in combat, because 'Vadumee is invincible and an ally.

Ultra Elite: These are the Covenant's Colonels and Captains, just below the golden-armored Zealots in rank. Several white Elite corpses were seen in Halo, presumably killed in combat with the Flood, but they do not appear in battle until Halo 2. They command operations, unlike the Zealots who command fleets or armies. Although they do not possess the same level of natural resilience as the Zealots, they use Overshields in combat to continue fighting long after their enemies are forced to retreat. They carry energy swords as backup weapons.

Special Operations Elite: Special Operations Elites are extremely skilled fighters, sent in by the Covenant to accomplish the most dangerous and difficult of missions. They have superior accuracy, fire in longer bursts, and have slightly stronger shielding than regular Elites. Most notably, SpecOps Elites operate in squads and are extremely skilled and accurate grenade throwers. They are equipped with an active camouflage system, but rarely use it except to get into position without notice.

Stealth: The Stealth Elites are the Covenant's assassins, using Active Camo technology, as the Special Operations Elites do. In Halo:Combat Evolved, they do not have energy shields, but are nearly invisible to the naked eye. In Halo 2, they have energy shields, but are still not as strong as normal. They're often used on ambushes, which, with the help of their active camouflage technology, allows them to take down many enemies, if they're unseen. They are also sent to gather intelligence. Another variant of the stealth elite is rarely seen throughout Halo 2. They usually fight in pairs, similar to the Hunters. They are usually cloaked and wield two plasma rifles each and, sometimes on harder difficulties, energy swords. You can only see their armor color when they have died. In Halo: Combat Evolved, their armor had a sky blue color, far lighter than Minor armor. In Halo 2, Stealth Minors wear a very dark navy color, while Stealth Majors have tan/brown armor.

Major Domo: This veteran Elite warrior is the physical equal of the UNSC's SPARTAN-II. Overall they are more agile, more accurate, and more aggressive than Minors, and seldom make tactical errors in combat. A single Red Elite can hold its own against an entire squad of UNSC Marines. In Halo 2, they can often be seen dual-wielding, piloting Covenant vehicles, or carrying heavy weapons. They are roughly equal in gameplay to the Master Chief, but with inferior aim and tactics.

Minor Domo: The most common and least experienced Elite, Minor Elites are still skilled warriors superior to any human soldier, but they are somewhat weaker than Major Domo Elites or SPARTAN-IIs. Their energy shields are not quite as powerful, and they often make tactical errors such as standing in one place while firing, or rushing forward into enemy fire. They also fire in shorter bursts, and have somewhat less accuracy. Along with Major Domo Elites, they often lead squads of Grunts into battle.

Trivia

 * The Combat Armor is the default armor for Elites in multiplayer. In multiplayer games, the color can be chosen by the player, but does no affect their shielding or health. Their shields are always equal to that of a Major-Domo.
 * In Halo 3, Combat Armor is slightly different from before in that it seems darker and smoother.