Jiralhanae War Chieftain

War Chieftain is 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 to regular Chieftains, and are responsible for leading their whole packs as a full military force, and possibly other chieftains. War Chieftains are more responsible with leadership of their subordinates, coordinating strikes and overseeing defenses, instead of engaging in combat, but are nevertheless formidable adversaries.

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

Tactics
War Chieftains usually carry Plasma Cannons or Fuel Rod Cannons into battle, but can use Spikers and rarely Gravity Hammers, striking their enemies from afar while their subordinates close and engage. This gives them a 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 players shields, or drop 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.

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.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 Chieftain, although on Legendary the incendiary grenade and spike grenade is not a guaranteed one hit kill. However, if you follow up with a headshot using an accurate weapon, that will usually take them down.

Trivia

 * First contact between Humans and Brutes was made by Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson and what seemed to be Brute War Chieftain which was truly a Chieftain of the Jiralhanae.