Sangheili Ultra

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"On the blood of our fathers. On the blood of our sons. We swore to uphold the Covenant!"

- Sangheili Ultra's mantra.

The Sangheili Ultra is the highest Covenant Sangheili infantry rank.

Description
The standard Sangheili Ultras command specific operations and are the Covenant's equivalent to UNSC field officers. They are directly subordinate to Zealots, who command fleets and armies. They are used on high-priority missions, such as defending the Scarab that was deployed in New Mombasa and during the battle in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. They will wield various weapons ranging from the Plasma Rifle and the Covenant Carbine, to larger weapons such as the Energy Sword, Concussion Rifle, and the Fuel Rod Gun.

Operational history
The Sangheili Ultras are one of the top tier Covenant units and have served gallantly in multiple engagements throughout the Human-Covenant war.

The Sangheili Ultras were seen leading a ground campaign on Reach as well as defending key locations for further reinforcements from the Covenant ships.

During the Battle of Installation 04, corpses of Sangheili Ultras were seen scattered within the, the Truth and Reconciliation, presumably killed in combat with the Flood. The Sangheili Ultras were also seen leading the ground campaign in the occupation of Mombasa, leading multiple lances against the UNSC as well as escorting the Scarab towards the city metropolis of Mombasa. Some were also seen assisting the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam against the Jiralhanae during the Civil War of the Covenant. After Regret's departure to Delta Halo, the Sangheili Ultras along with their brethren were engaged by the Jiralhanae and were slain. Several corpses of Sangheili Ultras were seen in the Indulgence of Conviction during the Flood invasion of Voi.

Halo: Combat Evolved
No Ultras are seen alive in Halo: Combat Evolved. However several dead corpses can be observed throughout the game. The only live Ultra that was ever seen in Halo: Combat Evolved was for a brief moment during one of the launch trailers. It is unknown why Ultra Elites are never seen alive, though this was probably done to balance out the Sangheili ranks.

Halo 2
In Halo 2 many Ultras can be seen alive. Halo 2 is the first game in which they can be fought. They seem to have been given the shield strength of Zealots from Halo: Combat Evolved. They can take up to three shotgun blasts at close range and survive a stick from a plasma grenade. They usually wield plasma rifles, but if the player gets too close they will often go berserk and pull out an energy sword.

Halo 3
Like in Halo: Combat Evolved no Ultras are seen alive. Their corpses can only be seen on the level Floodgate. Quite often their helmets will be glitched, showing either the split jaw that Rtas 'Vadum has or a mixture of the Combat helmet and the Assault helmet.

Halo: Reach
Sangheili Ultras appear alive once again in Halo: Reach, this time with a completely different combat harness and a red secondary color. Their armor also can be earned in multiplayer after attaining the rank of Warrant Officer. Ultras are much more common than they were in Halo 2, even on lower difficulties. They will often attack in groups of three or four and use deadly tactics. They also have access to the armor lock armor ability (which Specialist and lower ranked Sangheili infantry do not) and will use it under certain scenarios (gunned down by Covenant needles or incoming explosive projectiles). While they are not quite as strong as they were in Halo 2, they are still extremely dangerous to fight, and when in groups can be even more difficult. They can sometimes be found operating controls on key devices, such as an Ultra maintaining the Spire's shields in Tip of the Spear. In Firefight, Ultras come down in packs of four in Drop Pods (most likely wielding Concussion Rifles), and are will appear in the squad titled; Elites on heroic or higher.

Trivia

 * Since Sangheili Majors are called Half-commanders, it is possible that Ultras are simply called Commanders. It is possible, and perhaps implied, that Elite Ultras are also given the title of Ship Master. While an Ultra would probably not be the Shipmaster of a capital ship such as a gargantuan or, let alone, an extraordinarily gargantuan, an Ultra may be given command of a lighter starship, such as a , a , a Covenant frigate, or a . Further evidence of this might be when the character Rtas 'Vadum in Halo 2, The Great Journey, remarks, "I'm going to take the cruiser back.", referring to a CCS-class battlecruiser in the distance. If he intended to take and then hold the ship from the Covenant Loyalists, then one could argue that he most likely already had the authority of rank to command such a ship, since he was already the leader of all Covenant special forces. However, this is only speculation, as 'Vadum may have intended to hand control of the ship over to a higher ranking Sangheili once he'd secured it. Still, given the importance of Ultras in ground operations, the possibility of them being Ship Masters should not be taken lightly.
 * In Halo 2, when a Sangheili Ultra is going berserk (letting out a war cry, shakes its head, ready to pull out an Energy Sword), and when the player melees it from behind, the Elite will drop a fully charged Energy Sword.
 * In Halo 2, if the player sticks a Sangheili Ultra with a plasma grenade, the Elite will drop the weapon he was using, and (if he survives) will pull out an Energy Sword.
 * Given what is played out in both Halo: CE and Halo 2, an Ultra seems to perform the same duties and be just as important as a senior field officer. If this is true, the Ultras are the Covenant's version of UNSC Lieutenant Colonels/Colonels and Commanders/Captains.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo: Reach, if the Thunderstorm skull is activated, all Sangheili will be upgraded to this rank.
 * In Halo: Reach multiplayer, the Ultra Combat Harness is available once a player reaches the rank of Warrant Officer.
 * In Halo: Reach, Ultras seem to have what appears to be an upside-down Marathon symbol on the front of their helmet.
 * In Halo: Reach, Ultras commonly use their Evade and Armor Lock abilities in combat. They also dual-wield plasma rifles more often than other Elites.
 * In Halo: Reach, the blue lights on the Ultra's helmet, which indicate its eyes, sometimes do not appear in Multiplayer, indicating it is fighting with its eyes closed. In Campaign, the lights are easily seen. This can be caused due to gameplay lag.
 * In Halo: Reach, Ultras rarely, if ever, berserk to pull out a sword. The only ones that are scripted to berserk will be likely to carry a sword.
 * The armor sported by Ultras in Halo: Reach bears a striking resemblance to that of the Sangheili Councilors encountered in Halo 2.
 * On Heroic and Legendary Difficulties in Campaign or Firefight, Plasma Grenades won't kill Elites with the rank of at least Ultra in one hit, even when the grenade sticks to their helmets.
 * If you find an Ultra in any campaign, you are sure to find other Elites, Grunts and Jackals. Since their position is Commander, they are often seen leading troops into battle.
 * It is impossible to see an Ultra's eyes as they are covered by its helmet. However, it is possible to see the Ultra's jaws move out of its helmet, too. This can also be seen with Sangheili Ranger and Special Operations Sangheili
 * In the Deliver Hope trailer, an Elite Ultra is shown assassinating an Army trooper.
 * In Halo: Reach, unless one uses the Noob Combo then uses a headshot, it takes five Sniper Rifle shots to kill them on Legendary.
 * In Halo: Reach Firefight, Elite Ultras can be deployed from Drop pods.