Storm Sangheili

Storm Sangheili
Biographical and armament information
Species	Sangheili
Weapons	Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword Type-27 Beam Rifle Type-25 Plasma Pistol Type-33 Needler Type-51 Carbine Type-53 Plasma Casters Type-54 Plasma Pistols Type-55 Storm Rifle Type-56 Needlers Type-57 Carbines Type-58 Fuel Rod Cannons Scattershot
Equipment	Active Camouflage Type-1 Plasma Grenade Sangheili Personal Energy Shield
Vehicles	Hesduros-pattern Banshee Type-26 Banshee Type-26 Wraith Type-32 Ghost Type-44 Phantom Type-54 Rapid Attack Vehicle Type-57 Dropship Troop Carrier Type-58 Light Assault Gun Carriage
Political and military information
Missions	Ground assault Defense
Role	Lance leaders Pilots Shock troopers Standard infantry
Affiliation	Covenant Empire Jul 'Mdama's Covenant Swords of Sanghelios

Storm Sangheili, also known as Storm-class Sangheili, are specialized Sangheili shock troopers that serve the Covenant remnants. Typically armed with aptly-named Storm Rifles, Storm Sangheili perform a variety of roles in combat. They have been observed acting as lance leaders for lesser-ranking troops as well as piloting a wide array of vehicles. Seemingly the lowest class of soldier in 'Mdama's successor Covenant, Storm report to superior Sangheili officers such as Commanders and Warriors.

Originally servants of the Covenant Empire, Storm Sangheili joined the forces of a variety of remnants after the conclusion of the Human-Covenant war. A majority entered Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and subsequently served as the backbone of its Sangheili troops, but some instead chose to join rival factions such as Thel 'Vadam's Swords of Sanghelios.

Description

Role

Storm Sangheili, also referred to as Storm-class Sangheili, were specialized Sangheili shock troopers that performed assault, marksmen and scout duties. In the vein of the Covenant Empire, Storm in Jul 'Mdama's faction also led lower-ranking Kig-Yar and Unggoy forces in battle, while themselves reporting to higher-ranking Sangheili soldiers.

Rank Structure

In the Covenant Empire, Storm Sangheili had their their own internal rank structure based on armor color. The consequences of this can be observed in 'Mdama's successor faction. Blue colored Storm harnesses signal the rank of Minor and red ones the rank of Major. Ultras are possibly sporting white and red harnesses, whilst commanding officers wear gold. It is also possible that green-armored Storm Sangheili historically backed Thel 'Vadam's forces against the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism, but had loyalty that only went as far as the concept of a 'common enemy'.

History

Storm Sangheili served the Covenant Empire during its war with the United Nations Space Command, carrying out far-flung missions on frontier worlds. Following the Great Schism and the consequential conclusion of the war, a majority of Storm Sangheili joined Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and became the remnant's Sangheili backbone. However, many of them instead opted to enter the rival ranks of the Swords of Sanghelios, led by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. In the years after the Great War, Jul 'Mdama's Storm Sangheili battled against UNSC forces in an attempt to satisfy their leader's command. A recently-awakened John-117 encountered numerous Storm during the First Battle of Requiem in 2557, as they attempted to uphold the will of the Ur-Didact. Eventually, Jul 'Mdama was assassinated by Spartan Jameson Locke, during the Battle of Kamchatka on October 20, 2558. With 'Mdama's Covenant weakened by its leader's death, many Storm Sangheili fought in the organization's last stand on Sangheilios against the UNSC and the Swords of Sangheilios in the same year.

Equipment

Storm Sangheili are equipped with Storm harnesses, a variant of the Sangheili Combat Harness, outfitted with Sangheili Personal Energy Shields. The harnesses of Storm Sangheili who served Jul 'Mdama were colored based on rank and left the wearers' arms exposed. Alternatively, members of the Swords of Sangheilios typically wear crimson harnesses that feature ivory markings and complete sleeves.

Storm Sangheili are typically seen carrying Storm Rifles but have been observed wielding all manner of Covenant weapons including: Type-51 Carbines, Type-33 Needlers and Type-25 Plasma Pistols. As of the year 2558, they are utilizing Type-57 Carbines, Type-56 Needlers, Type-54 Plasma Pistols, Type-53 Plasma Casters and Type-58 Fuel Rod Cannons. They are notably allowed to carry Energy Swords no matter their rank, something once considered a privilege for higher-ranked Sangheili in the old Empire. During the Second Battle of Requiem, they were also observed utilizing Boltshot pistols, Forerunner weapons usually wielded by Prometheans. Some Storm were equipped with technology such as Active Camouflage.

Gameplay

Halo 4

Storm Sangheili appear in Halo 4 as enemies in the game's Campaign and Spartan Ops modes. They are the primary variant of Sangheili enemy encountered in the game and serve as the M'dama Covenant equivalent to Minors from other games. Despite this, Storm do have an internal rank structure that is based on color, but it has little impact on how they behave in-game. Storm most commonly wield Covenant weapons including: Covenant Carbines, Needlers, Plasma Pistols and especially Storm Rifles. On rare occasions, they can be seen utilizing Energy Swords and even use Boltshot pistols in Spartan Ops. In terms of equipment, they make use of personal energy shields that are the weakest of Sangheili shields encountered in the game. Additionally, they utilize Plasma Grenades and can rarely sport Active Camouflage.

Halo 5: Guardians

Storm Sangheili appear in Halo 5: Guardians as enemies in the game's Campaign and Warzone modes. These include Warzone Assault, Warzone Firefight and Warzone Turbo. They behave almost identically to their previous iteration in Halo 4, with the addition of an expanded weapon roster. In Halo 5, they can wield Plasma Casters and Fuel Rod Cannons whereas the Type-27 Beam Rifle and Promethean Scattershot are available to them in Warzone only.

Trivia

• Storm Sangheili first appeared in Halo 4, as one of the game's new Sangheili enemy variants.
• Storm Sangheili resemble a cross between Covenant Sangheili Minors and Sangheili Rangers from Halo: Reach.

Appearances

• Halo: The Fall of Reach Animated Series
• Halo 4 (First appearance)
• Halo: Escalation
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo: Tales from Slipspace
  • On the Brink
• Halo: Lone Wolf

Sources

• Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide
• Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
• Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder: Fighting Words
• Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder: Sending out an SOS
• Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder: Fury's Road
• Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder: Looking Glassed discussion thread
• Halo Archive - Canon Fodder Thread
• Ultra Combo - Arbiter’s Colors & Accessories