Sangheili General

"Victory is secured, not from the throne, but from the front lines."

- Sangheili General's mantra. A Sangheili General is a Sangheili rank in the Covenant. This rank appears to be the Sangheili equivalent of the Brute War Chieftain. The armor of a Sangheili general is available as an armor permutation for Sangheili players in Halo: Reach.

Role
Sangheili Generals are one of the highest-ranking military personnel given command of groundside forces in the direct occupation of enemy territory. Each is charged with leading hundreds or even thousands of troops into battle, and multiple Generals will coordinate with each other during large-scale campaigns. While their primary specialization is field command, they are also extremely lethal in combat and will personally lead their troops on the front lines. Sangheili Generals report directly to a Field Marshal or even Supreme Commander depending on the nature of a given military operation.

Armor
A Sangheili General's armor is heavily augmented and boasts enhanced shielding and a distinct command helmet. It is similar in design to that of a Sangheili Honor Guardsman, although there are notable differences. A large horn-like ornament protrudes from the front of the helmet. Ornamental patterns run along the helmet, shoulder pauldrons, and cuirasses. The Sangheili General may also be a lower form of a Zealot, as it has yellow/gold colored armor like the Regular Brute Chieftain is lower ranking than the War Chieftain.

Gameplay
Sangheili Generals perform a role very similar to Jiralhanae War Chieftains. Some will aggressively rush the player with Energy Sword drawn, while others make use of heavy weapons such as the Fuel Rod Gun, Plasma Launcher, Plasma Rifle and Concussion Rifle. They are often found overseeing important tactical locations, or leading large groups of soldiers into battle. While they are stronger than Sangheili soldiers of most other ranks, they are somewhat more reckless; if their shields are taken down, they tend to ignore the fact and continue with their assault.

Sangheili Generals have similar roles as Field Masters and Shipmasters, except that they are more common, and use heavier weapons such as the Fuel Rod Gun more often than Energy Swords, however, they are no where near as elegant when using them compared to the Field Marshall or Regular Zealots. They have only been encountered during the Battle of Reach, and, however, previously they were considered a part of the Zealot Rank.

Anti-General Tactics

 * The Noob Combo is probably the easiest way to deal with a General at range as the plasma pistol will drop any Sangheili's shields in one hit. This is recommended at mid to long range, and can be a life-saver when a sword wielding General charges you.
 * Another effective method would be to engage the General in Melee combat. If you engage the General in a "Fist Fight" and keep hitting melee, he will always die first. You can also get behind him when he screams (This will happen when he loses his shields and also if you go near him but allow him to berserk first) and assassinate him. This is also a great way to get the That's A Knife achievement. This is risky, as Generals sometimes arm themselves with energy swords, and even when they fight bare handed they are powerful.
 * In Halo 2, it was easy to engage a Sword wielding Elite in hand to hand combat due to the more realistic hit boxes. The player can dodge sword swings by stepping back, stepping to the side, crouching right as the Elite steps forward while swinging (dependent on if the slash is horizontal), or jumping over the Elite's head. In Halo: Reach however, the Melee speed of a sword wielding Elite has been significantly increased.
 * It IS possible to still win in a hand to hand fight against a Sword wielding General, or any other sword wielding Elite. The player must have Sprint equipped. This is very challenging and takes practice. When the Sword Elite charges you and gets very close (You must time this perfectly and have a high sensitivity on your controller) Sprint to the side, and the Elite will swing and miss the swing, then, quickly sprint back to your first position and assassinate the Elite, who will still be recovering from the missed swing (If you execute this fast enough). Sometimes, the Elite will roar in frustration after a missed swing, making this much easier to pull off.
 * Repeatedly firing a concussion rifle can effectively take down a General since each shot can stun the general leaving him vulnerable.
 * Your best defense, in general would be distance. At mid range Generals can employ fuel rods, which slow down and arc downwards. At a distance, they are easy to dodge, but up close a fuel rod or concussion rifle burst is hard to fairly predict and dodge. Use ranged weapons and drop them first before they charge you or retaliate. But if you have Sprint, it is possible to evade the shots and get up close to the Elite.

Trivia

 * The Sanghelli General's armor permutation is available if the player reaches the rank of Major in Halo: Reach.
 * The General seems to be of a lower status than Sangheili Zealots: whilst Zealots are seen rarely in Halo: Reach's campaign and are noted as significant targets by Noble Team (e.g.: Tip of the Spear), Generals are more commonly seen and fielded in a way that makes them appear to be more expendable leaders. For example, a general is seen as the commander of Ardent Prayer and they are often seen leading large groups of Elites and other infantry as well as commanding anti-air turrets.
 * Despite their presumed lower ranking, the General's shields appear to rival the strength of a Field Marshall being only slightly lower, while stronger than those of the "standard" Zealot. It is, however, possible that Zealots are sent to control key locations and retrieve artifacts, while Generals are sent into the battlefield, thus the need for their stronger shielding, as they can distract enemies and keep them away from the "standard" Zealot.
 * Generals could be considered Ship Masters and Field Masters of the Zealot rank in Halo: Reach, while the true Zealots are more like Spec-Ops of the Zealot Rank.
 * It has the same shoulders as the Sangheili Field Marshall.
 * They are the strongest Elites in Firefight

Appearances

 * Halo: Reach