| Revision as of 20:16, 11 October 2007 editPeptuck (talk | contribs)6,621 edits →Grunts← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 06:48, 31 December 2024 edit undoHatutuons (talk | contribs)382 edits →Species | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Short description|Fictional alliance from the game Halo}} | |||
| The '''Covenant''' is a fictional ] and ] alliance of ] races who serve as the main antagonist body of the '']'' science-fiction video game series. They are composed of a variety of diverse species,<ref name=gamespotfaq>{{cite web | date=October 17, 2003 | url=http://au.gamespot.com/features/6075824/p-34.html | title=The GameSpot Guide to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' — The Covenant | work=] | accessdate=September 8 | accessyear=2006 }} Requires GameSpot registration.</ref> united under the religious worship of the ] and their belief that the ] will provide a path to salvation.<ref name=wind/> Seen as technically superior to humans, they are fighting a ] against the human ]; the ] declared humanity an affront to the Forerunners and ordered their destruction.<ref name=manualstory>{{cite book | year=2001 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual - The Story So Far | pages=4 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> | |||
| {{DISPLAYTITLE: Covenant (''Halo'')}} | |||
| {{Sources exist|date=January 2022}} | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}} | |||
| {{Infobox fictional race | |||
| | name = Covenant | |||
| | series = ] | |||
| | image = Covenant Group.jpg | |||
| | alt = | |||
| | caption = Clockwise from left: a Covenant Mgalekgolo, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and Unggoy as they appear in '']'' (2007). | |||
| | first = ] | |||
| | last = | |||
| | creator = ] | |||
| | genre = ] | |||
| | other_names = {{ubl|Elites (Sangheili)|Grunts (Unggoy)|Jackals (Kig-Yar)|Hunters (Mgalekgolo)|Prophets (San’Shyuum)|Brutes (Jiralhanae)}} | |||
| | sub_races = {{ubl|'''Sangheili'''|'''Unggoy'''|'''Kig-Yar'''|'''Mgalekgolo'''|'''San’Shyuum'''|'''Jiralhanae'''}} | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''Covenant''' is a fictional military alliance of various alien species and serves as one of the primary antagonists in the '']'' science fiction series. The Covenant are composed of a variety of diverse species, united under the religious worship of the enigmatic ] and their belief that Forerunner ringworlds known as ] will provide a path to salvation. After the Covenant leadership – the ] – declare humanity an affront to their gods, the Covenant prosecute a lengthy genocidal campaign against the technologically inferior race. | |||
| The Covenant were first introduced in the 2001 video game '']'' as enemies hunting the player character, a human supersoldier known as ]. Not realizing the Halos were meant as weapons of destruction rather than salvation, the Covenant attempt to activate the rings on three separate occasions throughout the series, inadvertently releasing a virulent parasite known as the ] in the process. | |||
| The Covenant were first introduced in '']'' as the protagonist ] and the ] ] are escaping from the UNSC ship ''Pillar of Autumn'' in orbit over ]; the Covenant disable the ship and board it via landing craft. On Halo, the player encounters the Covenant in force all over the ring, and they are the primary enemies until the Covenant release the ] from ].<ref name=gamespotfaq2>{{cite web | date=October 17,2003 | url=http://au.gamespot.com/features/6075824/p-36.html |title=The GameSpot Guide to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' — The Flood | work=] | accessdate=September 8 | accessyear=2006 }} Requires GameSpot registration.</ref> The player later encounters new Covenant races and plays as a Covenant character, ], during the events of '']''. | |||
| To develop a distinctive look for the various races of the Covenant, Bungie artists drew inspiration from reptilian, ursine, and avian characteristics. A Covenant design scheme of purples and reflective surfaces was made to separate the aliens from human architecture.<!-- reception --> | |||
| {{TOClimit|limit=3}} | |||
| ==Overview== | |||
| ==Game development== | |||
| In the primary ] setting of ''Halo'', humanity and the Covenant meet for the first time in the year 2525. Searching for relics left behind by their gods, the ], the Covenant stumble across humans at the colony world of Harvest. The Covenant leadership discovers that the Forerunners designated humanity "reclaimers" of their legacy, and that the Covenant religion is built on falsehoods; to prevent the truth from being uncovered, they instigate a genocidal war against humanity.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lowry, Brendan|date=September 21, 2017|url=https://www.windowscentral.com/halo-timeline-beginning-human-covenant-war-and-downfall-harvest|title=Halo timeline: Beginning of the Human-Covenant War and the downfall of Harvest|website=Windows Central|access-date=October 12, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720184058/https://www.windowscentral.com/halo-timeline-beginning-human-covenant-war-and-downfall-harvest |archive-date=July 20, 2018 }}</ref> | |||
| Like most of the other characters and species in the ''Halo'' universe, the Covenant were slowly developed during the initial concept phase and refined as ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' progressed. To design the various races of the Covenant, ]'s artists looked at live animals and movies for inspiration;<ref name=aoh51>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=51}}</ref> as a result, the species within the Covenant bear simian, reptilian, avian and ursine characteristics.<ref name=aoh51 /> | |||
| The Covenant's superior technology gives them a distinct advantage in the war. In 2552, the Covenant discover and destroy Reach, one of humanity's greatest military strongholds. A human ship fleeing the battle discovers a Forerunner ringworld, Halo. The Covenant believe the activation of these rings are key to bringing about salvation, but the ring is destroyed by the human supersoldier ]. Soon after, the Covenant falls into civil war as the truth of the Halo rings' purpose is revealed: they are actually weapons of mass destruction built to stop the spread of the parasitic ]. The disgraced Covenant commander known as the ] allies with the Master Chief to stop the Covenant and Flood, ending the Human-Covenant War. In the post-war era, various factions replace the power vacuum left by the Covenant; these include the Banished, who feature as primary antagonists in '']''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lennox, Jesse|date=October 6, 2021|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/halo-story/|title=The story of Halo so far: What you need to know before playing Halo Infinite|website=]|access-date=October 12, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007025709/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/halo-story/ |archive-date=October 7, 2021 }}</ref> | |||
| During the course of development of ''Halo'', the designers decided upon three "schools" of architecture, for each of the races represented — the humans, Covenant, and ]. For the Covenant, the team decided on "sleek and shiny", with reflective surfaces, organic shapes, and use of purples.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=98}}</ref><ref name=aoh86>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=86}}</ref> According to art director Marcus Lehto, the principle designs for the race came from environmental artist Paul Russell.<ref name=aoh86 /> | |||
| ==Game development== | |||
| Like the character designs, Covenant technology, architecture, and design continually changed throughout development, occasionally for practical reasons as well as aesthetics.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=101}}</ref> According to Eric Arroyo, the Covenant cruiser ''Truth and Reconciliation'', which plays a major role in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', was to be boarded by the player by a long ramp. However due to technical considerations of having a fully textured ship so close to the player, the designers came up with a "gravity lift", which allowed the ship to be farther away (thus not requiring as much processing power for detail) as well as adding a "visually interesting" component of Covenant technology.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=100}}</ref> | |||
| Throughout much of the development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', very little concrete story details had been developed for the story campaign, and what trials the player character would face. Writer ] and other Bungie staff came up with the idea of a coalition of alien races, subsequently deciding that the faction would be motivated by religion.<ref name="vice-untoldhistoryhalo">{{cite web|author=Haske, Steven|date=May 30, 2017|url=https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|title=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|work=]|publisher=Vice Media|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315011247/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|archive-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> During the course of development of ''Halo'', the designers decided upon three "schools" of architecture, for each of the factions represented – humans, Covenant, and Forerunners. For the Covenant, the team decided on "sleek and shiny", with reflective surfaces, organic shapes, and use of purples. According to art director Marcus Lehto, the principle designs for the faction came from environmental artist Paul Russell,<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|86}} while concept artist Shi Kai Wang was instrumental in developing the look of the various races within the Covenant. Armor color was used to denote ranks of enemies.<ref name="vice-untoldhistoryhalo"/> | |||
| Like the character designs, Covenant technology, architecture, and design continually changed throughout development, occasionally for practical reasons as well as aesthetics.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|98}} According to Eric Arroyo, the Covenant cruiser ''Truth and Reconciliation'', which plays a major role in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', was to be boarded by the player by a long ramp. However due to technical considerations of having a fully textured ship so close to the player, the designers came up with a "gravity lift", which allowed the ship to be farther away (thus not requiring as much processing power for detail) as well as adding a "visually interesting" component of Covenant technology.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|100}} | |||
| The art team also spent a large amount of time on Covenant weaponry, in order to make them suitably alien yet still recognizable to players.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=125}}</ref> At the same time, the designers wants all aspects of Covenant technology, especially the vehicles, to act plausibly.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=143}}</ref> The designers ended up looking at movies and other media for inspiration on almost every aspect of the race.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=120}}</ref> | |||
| The art team also spent a large amount of time on Covenant weaponry, in order to make them suitably alien yet still recognizable to players.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|125}} At the same time, the designers wanted all aspects of Covenant technology, especially the vehicles, to act plausibly.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|143}} In contrast to human weapons firing projectiles, many of the Covenant's weaponry are depicted as firing ]. A few of the Covenant's weapons are not plasma-based, including the Needler, which fires razor-sharp pink needles capable of homing at organic foes. A weapons expert noted parallels between the Needler and ancient Greek Amazons painting their daggers pink as a psychological weapon.<ref name="egm-needler">{{cite magazine|author=Samoon, Evan|date=July 2008|title=Gun Show: A real military expert takes aim at videogame weaponry to reveal the good, the bad, and the just plain silly|magazine=]|volume=1|issue=230|pages=49}}</ref> Bungie designed the majority of Covenant technology to mirror the aesthetic of the Elites; the exteriors are sleek and graceful, with a more angular and complex core underneath hinting at the Forerunner origins of the technology.<ref name="boroumand_2008"/>{{rp|60}} | |||
| ==Belief system== | |||
| The central component of the Covenant's beliefs is the "Great Journey", the spiritual equivalent of a ] and the ultimate goal of the Covenant. The Covenant believe that their ], the ], used the ] to cleanse the universe of all that was unworthy, and led them to salvation. The Covenant wish to wipe out humanity and the Flood, and follow the Forerunners to their mysterious destination. The Covenant's execution of the Great Journey consists of the activation of at least one Halo installation, the "divine wind" of which will sweep all those who are worthy on the path to the beyond.<ref name=wind>'''Mercy''': Halo. Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Sacred Icon| language = English}}</ref> | |||
| ===Species=== | |||
| Such radical devotion is a large portion of ] in the story's plot. As the plot develops, the player and in-game characters are informed by the AI ] that the rings are not the spiritual, transcendent vessels the Covenant seek, but superweapons designed to wipe out all life in the galaxy in an effort to starve ], a highly infectious alien parasite, into defeat.<ref>'''Cortana''': You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill flood, it kills their food. Humans, covenant, whatever. We're all equally edible. The only way to stop the flood is to starve them to death. And that's exactly what Halo is designed to do; wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2001| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Two Betrayals| language = English}}</ref> Additionally, the Covenant's belief that the Forerunners transcended is also revealed as false. The Forerunners were forced to activate the ring network to eradicate the Flood, wiping themselves out in the process.<ref>'''343 Guilty Spark''': After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, died ...as planned. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = The Great Journey| language = English}}</ref> In ''Halo 3'', a log written by one of the few Forerunners to survive the events describes going on a "great journey", thus explaining the source of the Covenant's belief. | |||
| Covenant society is depicted as a ] system composed of different species. Bungie's artists looked at live animals and films for inspiration; as a result, the species within the Covenant bear ], ], ], and ] characteristics.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|51}} Concept artist Shi Kai Wang focused on making each enemy seem appropriate to its role in gameplay.<ref name="robinson_2011"/>{{rp|47}} The species within the Covenant include: | |||
| *'''Sangheili''' (called Elites in Human language) who stand nearly 8'6{{'}}{{'}} (2.6 m) and feature recharging personal shields. The Sangheili initially had simple mouths, which developed into pairs of split mandibles substituting for the lower jaws. Bungie concept artist Shi Kai Wang noted that project lead ] had been insistent on giving the Sangheili a tail.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|37}} While Wang thought it made the aliens look too animalistic, the idea was dropped due to practical considerations, including where the tail would go when the Sangheili were driving vehicles.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|38}} According to Paul Russel, when Bungie was bought by Microsoft and ''Halo'' was turned into an Xbox launch title, Microsoft took issue with the design of the Sangheili, as they felt that the Sangheili had a resemblance to cats that might alienate ]ese consumers.<ref name="podcast-russell">{{cite video |people=Jarrard, Brian; Smith, Luke, &c |date=August 21, 2008 |title=Bungie Podcast: With Paul Russell and Jerome Simpson |url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/d/c/4dcc4b82-fee5-4570-b28f-b573a1ad1631/Bungie_Podcast_082108.mp3 |format=MP3 |medium=Podcast |publisher=] |location=Kirkland, Washington |access-date=August 27, 2008 |time= |quote= |archive-date=February 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203173816/http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/d/c/4dcc4b82-fee5-4570-b28f-b573a1ad1631/Bungie_Podcast_082108.mp3 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
| Most of the Covenant is ignorant of the true purpose of Halo, and almost everyone that becomes aware ends up dying during the events of ''Halo 2''. A group of ] learn of the truth from ], but are killed by the Arbiter. Guilty Spark also reveals this to the Arbiter and ] when the former asks him to explain it, but Tartarus chooses to deny the truth.<ref>'''Arbiter''': Tartarus. The Prophets have betrayed us. / '''Tartarus''': No, Arbiter! The Great Journey has begun! And the Brutes, not the Elites, shall be the Prophets' escort! - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = The Great Journey| language = English}}</ref> He is killed, but the Arbiter survives. The ], having had ample time to interrogate 343 Guilty Spark, is also suggested to be aware of the purpose of Halo, but his description in Bungie's profile puts him the same vein as Tartarus, making him unlikely to accept it as fact. He is killed while trying to trigger the activation of the Halos. | |||
| *'''Unggoy''' (Grunts in Human language), are commonly depicted as basic foot soldiers. Squat and cowardly fighters, Unggoy panic and run if players kill their leaders.<ref name="ign-halo-review1">{{cite web|author=Boulding, Aaron|date=November 9, 2001|url=http://xbox.ign.com/articles/165/165922p1.html|title=Halo: Combat Evolved Review|website=]|access-date=February 19, 2009|archive-date=August 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821193904/http://xbox.ign.com/articles/165/165922p1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Kig-Yar''' (Jackals in Human language) carry energy shields or ranged weaponry. In some cases, such as with the Kig-Yar, the overall design was honed once the enemy's role was clearly defined.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|28}} | |||
| *'''Mgalekgolo''' (Hunters in Human language) are collectives species of pseudo ] creatures that physically shape their colonies in both powerful and practical ways. encased in tough armor.<ref name="bungie_2004"/>{{rp|4–5}} Initial concepts were less humanoid-looking and softer than the final shape, with angular shields and razor-sharp spines.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|33}} | |||
| *'''San’Shyuum''' (Prophets in Human language) serve as the supreme rulers of the Covenant, and were primarily designed by Shi Kai Wang and Eric Arroyo. Originally, the San’Shyuum were built in a more unified way, with the gravity thrones they used for flotation and movement fused with the Prophet's organic structures. The characters were also designed to be feeble, yet sinister. The three Prophet Hierarchs were each individually designed.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|55–56}} | |||
| *'''Jiralhanae''' (Brutes in Human language) are even more physically imposing than the Sangheili, with their society organized around tribal chieftains. Inspired by the animators watching biker films, the Jiralhanae incorporated simian and ursine elements while retaining an alien look. Wang's final concept for the creatures in ''Halo 2'', replete with bandoliers and human skulls, was simplified for the game.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|37–38}} Jiralhanae were meant to typify the abusive alien menace of the Covenant and in the words of design lead Jaime Griesemer, to serve as "barbarians in Rome".<ref name="et tu brute"/> | |||
| Other members of the Covenant include insectoid Yanme'e (Drones); the animators found the creatures challenging, as they had to be animated to walk, run, crawl, or fly on multiple surfaces. Old concept art from ''Combat Evolved'' was repurposed in influencing the Yanme'e final shape, which took cues from cockroaches, grasshoppers, and wasps.<ref name="trautmann_2004"/>{{rp|55}} Cut from ''Combat Evolved'' were floating support workers known as The Huragok (Engineers) ,<ref name="trautmann_2004"/> actually constructed machines rather than organic creatures.<ref name="halowaypoint_huragok">{{cite web|url=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/huragok-engineers|title=Huragok : Species|website=Halo Waypoint|access-date=October 21, 2021|archive-date=March 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329000851/https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/huragok-engineers|url-status=dead}}</ref> They later made appearances in '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']'' as well as various novels. | |||
| ==Appearances== | |||
| The events in ''Halo 2'' occur during the "Ninth Age of Reclamation." The Covenant's organization of time and dates is not elaborated in detail in the game or during any of the novelizations. Joe Staten, in an interview on ], stated explicitly that the Covenant's date system is split into seven ], detailed as follows:<ref>{{cite web|author=]|date=2004-10-22|url=http://halosm.bungie.org/story/staten102204.html|title=Interview with Joe Staten|work=halo.bungie.org|accessdate=February 20|accessyear=2007}}</ref> the Age of Abandonment, followed by the ages of Conflict, Discovery, Reconciliation, Conversion, Doubt, and Reclamation. The Ninth Age of Reclamation takes place during the events of the war between the humans and the Covenant.<ref> Fade up, to see the broken remnants of the Alpha Halo; a Covenant assault carrier flies into view, and camera tracks with it. A huge Covenant fleet has arrived at the wreckage of Halo, and with them a massive, incredibly complex hemisphere structure. Text reads, "Covenant Holy City, High Charity Ninth Age of Reclamation". - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = The Great Journey| language = English}}</ref> The Covenant efficiently devastate human colonies, sparking the Covenant-Human War.<ref name=timeline /> | |||
| With subsequent games, the Covenant and their look were changed or refined to account for increased graphic hardware or gameplay needs. In ''Halo 3'', the Jiralhanae became the primary enemy, and they were heavily redesigned. Concept artists took inspiration from rhinoceroses and gorillas, and armored them with buckles and clothing to represent a different aesthetic look compared to the Covenant. Weaponry was designed to reflect the Jiralhanae’s "souls" distilled to its purest form – conveyed by dangerous shapes, harsh colors, and objects that looked "dangerous to be around".<ref name="boroumand_2008"/>{{rp|47}} The more seasoned the Brute, the more ornate clothing and helmets; the armor was designed to convey a culture and tradition to the species, and emphasize their mass and power. Designs for ''Halo 3'' took cues from ancient Greek Spartans.<ref name="boroumand_2008"/>{{rp|22–25}} Character animators recorded intended actions for the new Jiralhanae in a padded room at Bungie. A new addition to the Jiralhanae artificial intelligence was a pack mentality; leader Brutes direct large-scale actions simultaneously, such as throwing grenades towards a player.<ref name="et tu brute">{{cite video |date=December 2006 |title=ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute? |url=http://www.bungie.net/News/Media.aspx?mid=13858&age_verify=1 |format= |medium= |publisher=] |location= |access-date=February 15, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
| ===The Fall of Reach=== | |||
| ] | |||
| The Covenant first encounter humanity on the outer colony ], where a lone Covenant ship "]" the world, turning its surface into molten glass, and presumably killing all its inhabitants.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web|url=http://halosm.bungie.org/story/halostory.timeline.html|title=Halo Story Timeline|work=halo.bungie.orgaccessdate=2007-08-21}}</ref> The lone ship, broadcasting the Covenant edict, "Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument", destroys the ] ship ''Argo'', as well as several other human ships before being destroyed itself.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2001|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45132-5 |pages=94}}</ref> | |||
| '']'' served as a prequel to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and creative director Marcus Lehto pushed for the team to revamp the Covenant. The aliens' translated English was replaced with untranslated, guttural alien sounds, and their look and weaponry was redesigned. The goal was to make the Covenant intimidating and more alien to players.<ref name="sofge_2010">{{cite journal|last=Sofge|first=Erik|date=October 2010|title=The Halo Effect|journal=]|volume=187|issue=10|issn=|page=88}}</ref> | |||
| The Covenant's superior technology allow them to decimate the human Outer Colonies within four years; the Covenant begin to destroy the Inner Colonies in short order as well.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2001|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45132-5 |pages=127}}</ref> However their efforts are stymied by the ], which stops UNSC ships from directly traveling to inhabited human worlds and which authorizes destruction of navigational databases by captured ships.<ref name=timeline/> | |||
| ==Analysis== | |||
| In 2552, the Covenant assault the human colony ] in an effort to recover an ancient artifact with ] glyphs on it,<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2001|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45132-5 |pages=94}}</ref> but are repelled by a UNSC battlegroup. Victorious, the '']'' departs the system; unbeknownst to its crew or the UNSC, a Covenant transmitter attaches to the ''Iroquois'' and reveals the location of ], Earth's best defended colony, to the Covenant.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2001|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45132-5 |pages=127}}</ref> | |||
| The Covenant serve as one of a number of religious allusions in ''Halo''. Their name refers to sacred agreements between the people of Israel and their God in Jewish and Christian tradition, and could be used to indicate the attitude of superiority complex the aliens have to the inferior and sacrilegious humans. The Covenant's ships bear names referring to elements of Judeo-Christian religion.<ref name="Paulissen_2018">{{cite journal|year=2018|author=Paulissen, P.C.J.M.|title=The Dark of the Covenant: Christian Imagery, Fundamentalism, and the Relationship between Science and Religion in the Halo Video Game Series|journal=Religions|volume=9|issue=4|page=126|doi=10.3390/rel9040126|doi-access=free|s2cid=62790164 |url=http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3648/d6193da5f7db8278ae8003d73fecb88dc769.pdf}}</ref> A review of religions and religious material in video games noted that the Covenant's invented religion had many similarities to those in similar games, and would likely be called a ] in the real world.<ref name="bainbridge_2007">{{cite journal|author=Bainbridge, William; Wilma Alice Bainbridge|date=September 2007|title=Electronic Game Research Methodologies: Studying Religious Implications|journal=Review of Religious Research|volume=49|issue=1|issn=|page=41}}</ref> The thematic parallels of religious zealots fighting an American military metaphor was not lost on Microsoft's content review team, who forced a name change of the holy warrior "]" to Arbiter before the release of '']''.<ref name="vice-untoldhistoryhalo"/><ref name="Paulissen_2018"/> Theologian P.C.J.M. Paulissen notes that while on the surface the ''Halo'' games present a conflict between rational humans and religious alien fanaticism, the comparison is complicated by the technical superiority of the Covenant (they wield energy weapons compared to primitive human ballistics) and the games seem to reject the idea science and religion are rigidly disconnected.<ref name="Paulissen_2018"/> | |||
| ==Cultural impact== | |||
| The Covenant are quick to attack; despite taking heavy losses from Reach's ]s, Covenant ground forces destroy the MAC guns' planet-side generators.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2001|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45132-5 |pages=299}}</ref> With the majority of UNSC forces destroyed, the Covenant begin glassing the planet, but do not totally destroy the surface as usual; instead, Covenant ground forces search for a space-warping crystal hidden on the surface.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-46781-7 |pages=108}}</ref> | |||
| ===Merchandise=== | |||
| Microsoft has commissioned multiple sets of action figures and merchandise featuring Covenant characters for each video game. The ''Halo 3'' action figure sets have been made by ], and include Brutes and Jackals.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Staff|date=April 2008|title=McFarlane 'Halo' Figures|magazine=]|volume=1|issue=180|pages=34}}</ref> The Covenant's weaponry has also been adapted into large-scale replicas.<ref>{{cite web|last=Luna|first=Kevin|date=October 1, 2021|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-games-best-gifts-halo-fans-20211001-ed3axofqizdunnlceo62qxp2lq-story.html|title=The best gifts for Halo fans|website=]|access-date=October 19, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002163428/https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-games-best-gifts-halo-fans-20211001-ed3axofqizdunnlceo62qxp2lq-story.html |archive-date=October 2, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pearce|first=Alanah|date=April 15, 2016|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/14/11-coolest-halo-toys-ever-made|title=11 of the Coolest Halo Toys Ever Made|website=]|access-date=October 19, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417191515/http://www.ign.com:80/articles/2016/04/14/11-coolest-halo-toys-ever-made |archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|date=September 21, 2015|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-5-gets-its-own-mega-bloks-toys/1100-6430709/|title=Halo 5 Gets Its Own Mega Bloks Toys|website=]|access-date=October 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919231227/http://www.gamespot.com:80/articles/halo-5-gets-its-own-mega-bloks-toys/1100-6430709/ |archive-date=September 19, 2015 }}</ref><!-- http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/6028/Halo-2-Action-Figures-New-Pictures --> | |||
| === |
===Reception=== | ||
| The Covenant were positively received in ''Combat Evolved'', with their artificial intelligence praised and the different tactics needed to defeat each enemy type commended.<ref name="edge_review">{{cite magazine | magazine=] | title=Halo: Combat Evolved review | issue=105 | date=November 29, 2001 | url=http://www.edge-online.com/review/halo-review/ | publisher=] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014154037/http://www.edge-online.com/review/halo-review/ | archive-date=October 14, 2014 | url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| Meanwhile, a sizable detachment of Covenant follow the human vessel '']'' to ].<ref name=manualstory/> Wary of accidentally damaging the sacred ring, which the Covenant recognize as Forerunner,<ref name=theflood>{{cite book |last= Dietz|first= William|title=]|year=2003 |publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45921-0|pages=6}}</ref> the Covenant are forced to fight the humans on foot. At some point, the Covenant accidentally release the ], a virulent parasite, from stasis; the Flood infect many human and Covenant, and board the damaged '']'', as well as the '']'', in attempts to escape the ring. The Covenant know of the Flood from their religious texts,<ref>{{cite book |last= Hammock|first= Lee|title=]: Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor|year=2006 |publisher= Marvel Comics|location=New York |isbn=0-785-12372-5)|pages=35}}</ref> and recognize the threat of the parasite. They send in a strike team to retake the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' and divert their attention to stopping the Flood. In the meantime, the ], whom the Covenant view as a "Demon", detonates the ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines, destroying the ring and much of the Covenant fleet. Not soon after this serious loss, the Master Chief and his fellow ]s destroy the '']'', taking a significant portion of a Covenant attack fleet with it. | |||
| The ability to experience the storyline of ''Halo 2'' from the Covenant perspective was described as a "brilliant stroke of game design". Allowing the player to assume the role of a Sangheili who was described as providing an unexpected plot twist, and allowing the player to experience a "newfound complexity to the story".<ref>{{cite web|author=Kasavin, Greg|date=November 7, 2004|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/halo2/review.html?page=2|title=''Halo 2'' for Xbox Review|publisher=GameSpot|access-date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> In addition, some reviewers thought that this provided the series with a significant plot element – ] referred to it as the "intriguing side story of Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili" – and its elimination in '']'' was pointed to as responsible for reducing the role of the Arbiter within the series plot.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web| author=Goldstein, Hillary| url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/821/821911p1.html| title=''Halo 3'' Review|website=]| date=September 23, 2007| access-date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> '']'' listed Covenant as 16th in their list of top 50 Villains.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nichols|first=Scott|date=January 24, 2013|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/a453360/guinness-world-records-counts-down-top-50-video-game-villains/|title=Guinness World Records counts down top 50 video game villains|website=]|access-date=October 19, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819033537/https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/a453360/guinness-world-records-counts-down-top-50-video-game-villains/ |archive-date=August 19, 2019 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Halo 2=== | |||
| <!-- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-25-halo-infinite-teaser-confirms-the-bad-guys-from-halo-wars-2-are-coming-back https://www.windowscentral.com/top-10-xbox-video-game-villains https://gamingbolt.com/top-98-greatest-video-game-villains-of-all-time/76 --> | |||
| ''Halo 2'' sees the beginnings of civil war throughout the Covenant. At the start of the game, the Covenant High Prophet of Regret arrives at Earth with a small escort fleet. Having not known that Earth was the human home world, his escorts are destroyed by the network of MAC guns orbiting the planet. With his fleet gone, Regret jumps to ] with the human ship ''In Amber Clad'' riding their jump. The Master Chief is sent to assassinate Regret, succeeding despite the arrival of ] and the largest Covenant fleet ever seen. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| Concurrently, a group led by ], an Elite, briefly controls a Forerunner station on the ] planet of Threshold (the planet which ] orbited). 'Refumee, having learned of the true purpose of Halo from 343 Guilty Spark, the "Oracle" in the Covenant faith, planned on turning all Elites to his cause.<ref>'''Heretic Leader''': The Elites are blind, Arbiter. But I... will make them see. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Oracle| language = English}}</ref> The commander of the fleet in the first game, blamed for the destruction of the ring, is given the position of ] and sent to eliminate them. 'Refumee is ultimately killed by the Arbiter, but sows the seeds of doubt by presenting 343 Guilty Spark. 343 Guilty Spark is captured by Tartarus afterwards. | |||
| {{reflist|30em|refs= | |||
| <ref name="vice-untoldhistoryhalo">{{cite web|author=Haske, Steven|date=May 30, 2017|url=https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|title=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|work=]|publisher=Vice Media|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315011247/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|archive-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| *<ref name="robinson_2011">{{cite book|editor=Robinson, Martin|year=2011|title=The Great Journey—Halo: The Art of Building Worlds|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-08576-8562-9}}</ref> | |||
| 343 Guilty Spark is interrogated at length by the Prophets and reveals the key to activate Halo: the Index, known to the Covenant as the "Sacred Icon". The Arbiter is sent to retrieve this item, and Tartarus is given orders to kill him should he succeed without getting himself killed. Once the Arbiter succeeds, Tartarus takes the Index and knocks the Arbiter into a chasm, though the Arbiter is rescued from his fate by ]. | |||
| *<ref name="boroumand_2008">{{cite book|editor=Boroumand, Shaida|year=2008|title=The Art of Halo 3|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-07615-6072-2}}</ref> | |||
| *<ref name="bungie_2004">{{cite book | year=2004 | author=] | title=Halo 2 Instruction Manual | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios}}</ref> | |||
| *<ref name="trautmann_2004">{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0}}</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| ] | |||
| Meanwhile, the ] use the assassination of the Prophet of Regret at the hands of ] as a ] to transfer the ] into the position of their Honor Guards, a job the ] had previously held, claiming that Elites could no longer guarantee their safety.<ref name=truth>'''Truth''': Re-commissioning the guard was a radical step, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that the Elites can no longer guarantee our safety. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Sacred Icon| language = English}}</ref> This sudden displacement severely angers the Elites, who had been in such a position since the founding of the Covenant,<ref>'''Arbiter''': (to Prophets) We have always been your protectors. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Sacred Icon| language = English}}</ref> and they threaten to resign from the High Council. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| Furthermore, once enough Brutes are in place, the Prophet of Truth secretly orders the Brutes to instigate a brutal genocide of the Elites, disguised as a Brute ]. This sparks a massive ] between the Covenant. The loyalist forces are those primarily backing the Prophets' continuation of the search and following of the Great Journey; these include all seen Prophets (the Hierarchs and the lesser Prophets), Brutes, ], ], and a handful of ]. The separatist Elites are joined by the ] and the majority of the Grunts. | |||
| * {{Halopedia|Covenant}} | |||
| {{Halo series|state=https://en.wikipedia.org/Covenant_(Halo)}} | |||
| Near the end of ''Halo 2'', the Arbiter is sent by Gravemind to prevent Halo from firing. The Arbiter and the separatists on Installation 05 engage in a truce of necessity with the UNSC forces on the ring in order to stop Tartarus and his Brutes. They are ultimately successful, killing Tartarus in the process. Despite the peace on Installation 05, battles between the remainder of the UNSC and the entirety of the Covenant still continue on and around Earth and the Forerunner world of ]. | |||
| ===Halo 3=== | |||
| During the events of Halo 3, the Elites have split completely from the Covenant, though it becomes apparent during the course of the game that the Grunts and Hunters still remain loyal to the High Prophet of Truth. The war has taken a heavy toll on the Covenant so far, since the events of ], they have lost a large portion of their main fleet from the civil war space fight around ], High Charity itself being invaded and assimilated by the ], and have lost the High Prophets of Regret and Mercy. | |||
| The Brutes seem to have effectively taken the place of the Elites, taking over as field commanders, ship officers, and the Prophet's Honor Guard. The Brutes' leadership seems to have fully shifted to the High Prophet of Truth, likely because of the death of Tartarus, the Brutes' deceased former leader. The Grunts follow them into battle as they once did for the Elites, and the rest of the Covenant forces seem to follow them as they would normally. Of note is the fact that the Grunts and the Hunters have sided with the Covenant instead of the Elites, as the Master Chief and the Arbiter encounter several of the hulking creatures throughout the game. | |||
| In a last ditch effort to make the Great Journey, the High Prophet of Truth has taken a Forerunner flagship to Earth and begins to activate the Ark Installation 00. Before the combined attempts of the remaining UNSC forces and the Arbiter's Elite forces are able to stop him, Truth activates the Ark just as a force of Earth ships open fire, opening a slipspace portal in the sky into which Truth and his Covenant Fleet flee from Earth. | |||
| The Prophet attempts to activate the core of the Ark, leaving his Fleet of Brutes to deal with the smaller Elite Fleet that follows them through the portal. The Brute Fleet is destroyed even with the odds of 3-1 against the Elites. Meanwhile, the Prophet of Truth uses his ground forces, which include an army of Grunts, Brutes and Jackals, along with an array of Wraiths, Ghosts, Scarabs and other assorted forces to slow down the incoming threat enough to activate the Ark. At some point it becomes apparent to him that he requires a human to activate the Ark. As the Master Chief, the Arbiter and Johnson attempt to reach the Ark's core by deactivating the shield surrounding it, Johnson's team is wiped out and he is kidnapped. | |||
| In a later cut scene, the Prophet is shown ordering a Brute not to kill Johnson, as he needs Johnson alive. After some taunting words from Johnson, he admits, "I do need your help, but that secret dies with the rest." At that moment, Miranda Keyes blows her way into the room with a Pelican dropship and attempts to save Johnson, but is shot in the back by the Prophet of Truth. Truth then forces Johnson to activate the Ark as a combined effort of the Master Chief, the Arbiter and a force of Flood fight their way to the control center. | |||
| Upon reaching the control panel, they find the Covenant forces around the center have already been killed, the Prophet of Truth lying in front of the control panel. The Arbiter grasps Truth by the neck, and they argue briefly about the Great Journey. It becomes apparent that Truth has been subtly infected by the Flood when the Gravemind begins to speak through Truth. Truth's last words are "I am Truth! The voice of the Covenant!". The Arbiter responds to this by saying "So you must be silenced!" just before he stabs Truth through the back with his energy sword. | |||
| It is difficult to say what happens to the Covenant after Truth's death, the majority of the game then focuses on the acts against the Flood and the activation of the newly formed Installation 04. In the end of the game Lord Hood makes a speech in commemoration of those lost in the war, and reveals that the war is over, apparently meaning that the Covenant has been repelled. | |||
| ==Technology== | |||
| Technologically, the Covenant are shown to be mostly imitative rather than innovative — most of the time they weaponize technologies discovered rather than research them on their own.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-46781-7 |pages=101}}</ref> The technology the player is exposed to in-game and while reading mostly centers around the military weapons and deployment (guns, ships, and vehicles), while little seems to be commercial or domestic in nature. In addition, both the games and books note that since the Covenant has not researched the technologies they rely upon, they are incapable of utilizing them to their full potential. UNSC ] units (] in particular) have repeatedly been able to boost the efficiency and output of much of the Covenant's weaponry when given access to it,<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-46781-7 |pages=96}}</ref> and likewise are able to easily infiltrate and overcome Covenant computer systems. | |||
| ===Infantry weaponry=== | |||
| The Covenant's arsenal in the games is comprised primarily of energy-based projectile weapons, often centered around ] generation. Covenant weapons trade power for reliability in most cases: the standard Covenant plasma weapons (pistols and rifles) do not need to be reloaded, but neither can their ammo be replenished. They also overheat temporarily if excessively fired, and function erratically if their battery is low. Other specialized weapons function in the same manner as human weapons. In the first game, the selection of Covenant weapons is somewhat limited, but variants based on human weapons are added in the following games. | |||
| As revealed in ''Halo: First Strike'', Covenant weapons are based on Forerunner technology. Plasma weapons are built around a ] that generates plasma and discharges it at a target.<ref>{{cite book | year=2004 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo 2'' Instruction Manual: Covenant Weapons | pages=13 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> Frank O'Connor of the claims there may be something more to the Covenant's weaponry, saying: "The actual technology is not plasma as we know it, but something far more dangerous, arcane, and destructive."<ref>{{cite web|author=O'Conner, Frank|url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=743326|title=Frankie discusses the possibilities of the Covenant's weapons|work=bungie.org|accessdate=February 22|accessyear=2007}}</ref> | |||
| ===Vehicles=== | |||
| {{Mergefrom|Covenant Vehicles in Halo|date=July 2007}} | |||
| {{main|Covenant Vehicles in Halo}} | |||
| The player encounters numerous Covenant ground and air vehicles throughout the ''Halo'' series. Covenant vehicles predominantly use anti-gravity propulsion systems, causing them to hovers a few feet above the ground. They are also painted a deep, solid purple, a stark contrast to the more ]-oriented designs of human vehicles. | |||
| ===Vessels=== | |||
| The Covenant's space-faring navy consists of several classes of ships loosely related to ] of human origin. Specific ships mentioned in the game and novelizations are classed according to human standards. Several important vessels have been named over the course of the series. | |||
| ====Truth and Reconciliation==== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| The ''Truth and Reconciliation'' is a fully-equipped ] capable of anti-ship and anti-ground attacks. It is boarded by the player twice during the campaign of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''; both times are rescue missions to save ]. At some point during the story, the ship is attacked by the Flood and largely disabled.<ref>'''Cortana''': From what I've been able to piece together, their leadership ordered all ships to abandon Halo when they found the Flood, but they were too late. The Flood overwhelmed this cruiser and disabled it. The Covenant are terrified the Flood will repair the ship and use it to escape from Halo. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2001| platform =Xbox| version = | level = Keyes| language = English}}</ref> The Covenant send in strike teams to prevent the Flood from leaving the ring by repairing the cruiser, and the last UNSC forces eventually liberate the cruiser, planning on piloting it back to Earth. It is eventually ] to prevent a Flood infestation from departing Halo.<ref>{{cite book |last= Dietz|first= William|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45921-0 |pages=292}}</ref> | |||
| ====Ascendant Justice==== | |||
| The ''Ascendant Justice'' is a Covenant flagship that is captured by the Master Chief and fellow survivors of ] destruction during the events of '']''. The Chief and company use the ship to return to ], where they rescue human survivors on the planet.<ref>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-46781-7 |pages=108}}</ref> The ship is heavily damaged while fighting Covenant in ]. ], along with an ] officer, use the ship as a lure to draw the Covenant towards the '']''. This ship is destroyed in the following explosion.<ref name=fs336/> | |||
| ====Unyielding Hierophant==== | |||
| The ''Unyielding Hierophant'' is a space station used as a ] for forward deployed forces throughout Covenant space. The station is destroyed by the ], who with fellow ]s, rigs the station to blow. Admiral ] uses the '']'' as a lure, drawing the Covenant towards the station, destroying the armada as the station explodes.<ref name=fs336>{{cite book |last= Nylund|first= Eric|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-46781-7 |pages=336}}</ref> This action delays the Covenant attack on Earth. | |||
| ====High Charity==== | |||
| '']'' is the Covenant Holy City and also serves as its capital. The ship is powered by a large ] ship in the center of the city, which the ] takes to Earth. Using the '']'' as a ], ] infests the city at the end of ''Halo 2''. | |||
| ====Infinite Succor==== | |||
| The ''Infinite Succor'' is an agricultural support ship present at ] during '']''. It is taken over by Flood, who manage to board it using a Covenant dropship, "Brilliant Gift", scoured from the swamps of Halo. A Covenant strike force later neutralizes the threat by sending the ship into a nearby sun.<ref>See the '']'' story, "]".</ref> | |||
| ==Species== | |||
| Covenant society is a ] system composed of many races, some of which were forcibly incorporated. Each race is required to provide a specific number of battle-ready troops in order to remain within the Covenant.<ref name="Beastiarum">{{cite video | year=2007 |title=Halo 3 Essentials; ''disc 2'| medium=DVD||publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> The races are identified by their common ] designation.<ref name=units>{{cite book | year=2004 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo 2'' Instruction Manual: Breakdown of Known Covenant Units | pages=4-5 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> | |||
| ===Prophets=== | |||
| {{main|Hierarchs (Halo)}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Prophets (Covenant: ''San 'Shyuum'') are the highest ranking species forming the Covenant, originally from a planet once inhabited by the Forerunners.<ref name=tf6>{{cite book |last= Dietz|first= William|title=]|year= 2003|publisher= Ballantine Books|location=New York |isbn=0-345-45921-0 |pages=6}}</ref> They form the Covenant's political and spiritual leadership, and have absolute control over day-to-day operations. The primary ]s of the Covenant's will is a ] ] of '']'', the Prophets of ''Truth'', ''Mercy'' and ''Regret''.<ref name=units/> Together, they form the core of power for the Covenant government. There are also lower-ranked Prophets who are responsible for individual aspects of Covenant culture, society, and military operations. While only making a very minor appearance, these lower Prophets are discussed in the series' novelizations. | |||
| Prophets can be seen in-game as physically frail yet mentally agile. While the Hierarchs are confined to ] thrones, they are more than capable of defending themselves. Guarding them, depending on the player's progression through the series, are handfuls of Honor Guard Elites or Brutes. Should their guards fail, they also possess a high-powered energy weapon mounted on the underside of their thrones.<ref name=units /> The thrones themselves also have short-range teleporters and powerful shields. | |||
| Prior to the formation of the Covenant, the Prophets faced utter defeat by the Elites. It was not until the discovery of Forerunner artifacts on the Prophet home world that the two sides were able to form a peace treaty, thus laying the foundation for the Covenant. Since then the Prophets have put considerable effort into extending their own lifespans, as well as breeding to preserve specific genetic traits. After their home world was destroyed, the majority of the Prophet population began to reside within ] and its surrounding fleet. After the outbreak of the ] within High Charity as well as the Elites' turning against the Prophets, their population has dwindled to near-extinction levels. | |||
| The Prophets were primarily designed by Shi Kai Wang and Eric Arroyo. Originally, the Prophets were designed in a more unified way, with their gravity thrones fused with the Prophet's organic structures.<ref name=aof55>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=55}}</ref> The characters were also designed to be feeble, yet sinister.<ref name=aof55/> The three Prophet Hierarchs were each individually designed.<ref>{{cite book |last= Trautmann|first=Eric|title=The Art of Halo|year= 2004|publisher= Del Ray Publishing|location=New York |isbn=0-345-47586-0 |pages=56}}</ref> | |||
| === Elites === | |||
| {{main|Covenant Elite}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The Elites (Covenant: ''Sangheili'', their name for themselves as a species) were originally the core of the Covenant military before their eventual replacement by the Brutes. Standing 8'6", the Elites are excellent soldiers, brilliant tacticians, and disciplined, aggressive fighters.<ref name=halomanual>{{cite book | year=2001 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual | pages=11 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> Faster, stronger, and tougher than any human (with the exception of the MJOLNIR-equipped Spartan II's) they fight in relatively small numbers but often lead squads of Grunts. All Elites, regardless of profession or rank, are fairly capable fighters. The most skilled swordsmen are forbidden to marry, instead being encouraged to breed as often as possible so as to preserve their "swordsman genes". Elites wear armor of varying color, which signifies their rank and relative strength. | |||
| The Elites were the first to join the Covenant when the Prophets discovered evidence of the Forerunners' "Great Journey" and called for a truce in the war between the two. Although the Elites were on the verge of defeating the Prophets, they settled for a subservient role within the Covenant. They were the guardians of the Prophets and the frontline troops for most of Covenant history.<ref>'''Spec Ops. Leader''': We are the arm of the prophets, Arbiter. And you are the blade. - {{cite video game| title = ]| developer = Bungie Studios| publisher = Microsoft| date = 2004| platform =Xbox| version = | level = The Arbiter| language = English}}</ref> However, a combination of the Elites' apparent inability to guarantee the safety of the Prophets (specifically from the Master Chief), their growing skepticism of the Covenant religion, and the Brutes' greater devotion to the same eventually leads the Prophets to begin a genocide against their race. The Elites, in turn, left the Covenant so as to eradicate the Prophets, sparking a civil war and allowing them to combat the Brutes after years of mutual animosity. They side with the humans in this endeavor,<ref name=halomanual/> though after the events of ''Halo 3'' it is unknown if this alliance will last. | |||
| The Elite's standout feature is a four-part lower jaw. Early in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s game development, and in the ] ] promotional video, the Elites had more simple jaws and carried shields instead of the personal shields they came to use.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=prexboxhistory040904 |title=One Million Years B.X. |author=Bungie|date=2006-02-10 |work=bungie.net|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060210224125/http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=prexboxhistory040904 |archivedate=2006-02-10 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Brutes=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Resembling ]s, the Brutes (Covenant: ''Jiralhanae'') are first introduced in the novel '']'', and later as an enemy in ''Halo 2''. Brutes stand 9' tall, possess immense strength, and have incredible endurance, putting them on the same level as the Elites. Brutes are organized tribally and are led by their chieftain; ] is the first example of this, though numerous other chieftains are seen in ''Halo 3''. ''Halo 3'' also introduces a color-based ranking system for the Brutes, much like that of the Elites. | |||
| The Brutes have a long-standing rivalry with the ],<ref>'''Grunt''': You have eyes, Mehmep, you've seen them bicker and fight. And you have ears, you've heard the disrespect the Jiralhanae show the Sangheili. They hate each other. </ref> due in great part to the Brutes' unquestioning loyalty to the Covenant religion and, in turn, the Prophets. This animosity eventually culminates into civil war between the two sides and splits the Covenant in two. Simultaneously the Brutes fill the void of the Elites' departure from the Covenant, assuming leadership roles within the Covenant military and becoming the sole protectors of the prophets. | |||
| Prior to their new position in the Covenant, the Brutes primarily acted as occupying muscle, and thus were rarely seen by humans prior to ''Halo 2''. In battle, Brutes are normally deployed in packs and are able to work together and fight as such. When their pack is killed, a remaining Brute will often go berserk, abandoning its weapon and charging the enemy to deliver a succession of melee attacks. Though the Brutes rely on their heavy skin and strategically-positioned pieces of armor in ''Halo 2'', Brutes in ''Halo 3'' utilize shielding technology like the Elites, making them even more deadly. Brutes often utilize their own, less-sophisticated weaponry in ''Halo 3''; in addition to the plasma and radiation-based weapons used by most of the Covenant, Brute-engineered weaponry relies on projectiles, chemical-based ammunition, or powerful gravity effects. | |||
| ===Grunts=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Grunts (Covenant: ''Unggoy'') serve as the primary ] of the Covenant's military forces, yet are the lowest creatures in the caste system. Grunts do not breathe the same atmosphere as humans and the rest of the Covenant species. In order to survive in ]-based environments, they must wear an apparatus allowing them to breathe ] gases, which can be shot or knocked off their backs in ''Halo 3''. Standing at approximately five feet tall,<ref>{{cite book | year=2001 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo:Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual: The Covenant | pages=10 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> cowardly, and possessing little in the way of armor or relative endurance, a single Grunt is rarely a match for either the Master Chief or any standard Marine. If not being led by either an Elite or a Brute, Grunts will often panic and retreat at the sight of an enemy. Furthermore, in certain missions, players will often find Grunts sleeping on the job. Grunts, like the Elites, come in a variety of different colors, but in their case it only serves to dictate behavior. | |||
| Though not a significant threat to the player on their own, Grunts rarely fight by themselves. When in large groups and emboldened by a higher-ranking unit, such as an Elite, they can overwhelm any opponent with massed fire or through sheer numbers.<ref name=grunts>{{cite book | year=2004 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo 2'' Instruction Manual | pages=4 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> The Covenant views Grunts as disposable in nature, and thus uses them as cannon fodder to either reveal enemy positions or take the brunt of more devastating attacks. In ''Halo 3'', Grunts are shown exercising a kamikaze-like mentality by charging enemies with primed plasma grenades in hand. Before this, they are also one of the few enemies to actually utilize the plasma grenades they carry. Despite their small stature, Grunts are more than capable of wielding the more powerful Covenant weapons. In particular, Grunts often man stationary weapons such as plasma turrets, and in ''Halo 2'' gain the ability to pilot vehicles. Because Grunts can take in knowledge more quickly than other members of the Covenant, they are often tasked with monitoring communications or radar for human activity. As a result, Grunts tend to be somewhat knowledgeable of one or more human languages. | |||
| During the Covenant Civil War, the Grunts opt to join both sides, with most being shown siding with the Elites. However, most Grunts are quick to think of self-preservation, and hence are rarely seen to engage the Brutes on their own. In ''Halo 3'', the Grunts appear to have abandoned the Elites altogether, having sided with the Brutes; the Arbiter comments that this decision was born out of fear of the Brutes. | |||
| ===Jackals=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Jackals (Covenant: ''Kig-Yar'') were originally recruited as replacements for the Grunts, though their temperament made such a transition impossible. They are higher in status, if not necessarily rank, than the Grunts.<ref name=jackal>{{cite book | year=2001 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual: The Jackals | pages=10 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> They have superior senses compared to both humans and other Covenant races, resulting in their role as either scouts or snipers for the Covenant. Some Jackals in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' wear armor that masks their features. | |||
| When deployed as ground troops, Jackals are equipped with arm-mounted ] and a plasma pistol. Their shields are more than capable of deflecting ballistic projectile weapons and Covenant needler rounds, but their strength fades considerably under sustained fire from plasma-based weaponry. Like other shields in the game, their arm-shields will recharge after a short period of inactivity. The shield can be either blue or orange, the latter being much tougher and indicating a higher rank. Orange-shield Jackals can also utilize the overcharge capacity (a supercharged plasma burst that depletes any shield instantly) of their plasma pistols. Jackals usually create defensive, dug-in positions with their large shields, using them to block all attacks while firing from a small hole on the side. In this position, only powerful attacks or explosives will dislodge a Jackal from their position, after which they tend to be easily killed.<ref name=jackal/> | |||
| In ''Halo 2'', some Jackals begin carrying a high-powered particle beam rifle, the Covenant analog to the human sniper rifle. Snipers tend to fire from cover or elevated positions, often beyond the player's ability to effectively spot them without taking fire. Jackal snipers are capable of cutting down all but the hardest of targets with one or two well-placed rounds, particularly on the higher difficultly levels, and rarely miss thanks to the almost instantaneous travel time of the shots. | |||
| Jackals are mercenaries, paying only occasional lip service to the Covenant religion. As such, they interact with the Covenant leadership through the Ministry of Concert and express their dissent about something by limiting access to their services.<ref name="Beastiarum"/> Reflecting this, Jackals often use their fellow Covenant as a distraction in battle, typically attacking while the player is engaged with other targets. | |||
| ===Hunters=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Hunters (Covenant: ''Lekgolo'') are incredibly dangerous foes, deployed more like equipment than soldiers. They stand 12' tall or 8' while contracted, and are brought in for demolition or heavy defense. They always work in pairs, calling each other "bond brothers." Their massive size, near-impenetrable armor, large shields (which double as melee weapons), and arm-mounted plasma mortars essentially make them walking tanks in combat.<ref name=hunter>{{cite book | year=2001 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual: The Hunters | pages=11 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> | |||
| Hunters are the most populace member of the Covenant, nearing two trillion in number. This is because each Hunter entity is actually a conglomerate colony of ] orange ] eels, held together by their armor.<ref>{{cite book | year=2004 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo 2'' Instruction Manual:Hunters | pages=4 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> Small breaches in the armor at their torso and necks reveal this, also serving as weak points for the creatures. This grouping allows the normally unintelligent eels to work together, dramatically increasing their overall intelligence and strength. These eels can be grouped into different "shells" for different purposes; the Hunters seen in the ''Halo'' series are specifically designed for use within the Covenant, and are provided in limited numbers.<ref name="Beastiarum"/> | |||
| Hunters usually show nothing but opprobrium towards the lesser Covenant races (even purposefully killing them if they become an obstruction during battles) and rarely communicate with any other race apart from the Elites. They are believed to have their own religion; it is noted in '']'' that some Hunters even recite poetry and meditate in their spare time. Hunters do not take part in Covenant activity outside of battle, as they only remain within the Covenant so as to utilize its space travel technology.<ref name="Beastiarum"/> | |||
| Hunters do not seem to have any particular loyalty to either of the warring parties in the Covenant civil war; they side with the Elites in ''Halo 2'' and ''Ghosts of Onyx'', but appear to have joined the Brutes in ''Halo 3''. | |||
| ===Engineers=== | |||
| Engineers (Forerunner: ''Huragok'')<!--Halo: Ghosts of Onyx lists the name as a Forerunner word, not a Covenant one. --> are the scientific engineering backbone of the Covenant and its economy. The name ''Huragok'' was given to them by the ] themselves, indicating their Forerunner connection; most Engineers are found residing within Forerunner facilities, and, as indicated in ''Halo 3'''s Beastiarum, were created by the Forerunners. Despite this connection, they have been unhelpful in divulging the secrets of their creators, as they are more concerned with an item's repair than its function or purpose. | |||
| It is notable that Engineers are not actually biological creatures, but rather machines whose parts are so indistinguishable from their biological analogs that it would require medical technology on par with the Forerunners themselves to discern the difference. This also plays into their methods of reproduction; when enough raw material is available, one or more Engineers will work together to form it into a new Engineer. The creation's knowledge base is a direct result of how many "parents" it has (with a maximum of three), and thus it is more beneficial to use multiple Engineers for this process. | |||
| Engineers float via air sacs and their tentacles are able to split into many fine cilia, with which they are able to manipulate machinery. Their motivations are unknown, but they appear to draw no distinction between friend and foe, preferring to spend their time inspecting or repairing technology. They will, however, utter a high pitched keening sound when a Forerunner artifact is under any sort of threat. They are extremely apathetic to any sort of combat, and will just float along with their one desire: to fix things. Engineers can even repair themselves or others of their kind assuming there is no significant damage, allowing them to theoretically extend their lives indefinitely. | |||
| Engineers do not appear in any of the ''Halo'' games, though their character models are coded into ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. They are only mentioned in the various spin-off media for the series. | |||
| ===Drones=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Drones (Covenant: ''Yanme'e'') are the only insectoid race within the Covenant. They talk in a chirpy, clicking noise, but it is not certain if this is a hive communication or individual conversation. Their exoskeleton is pale green and thick in texture. Because of their mobility, they can sometimes be difficult to kill, often flying in large groups and attacking from multiple angles with their plasma pistols or Needlers. However, their overall resistance to damage is quite low and they possess no energy shielding or other such defenses. They first appear in ''Halo 2'', appearing to be new additions to the Covenant fighting force.<ref>{{cite book | year=2004 | editor=Bungie | title=''Halo 2'' Instruction Manual: Drones | pages=5 | publisher=Microsoft Game Studios|language=English}}</ref> | |||
| Drones are suited for aerial combat, and like most of the Covenant races breathe the same atmosphere as humans; however, Drones apparently do not require air and can withstand the vacuum of space, since they can maintain Covenant warships in space. They prefer to stay at a distance and use long-range tactics. They have the useful ability to cling to walls and ceilings, which does not impede their ability to attack. Despite their preference to attack from long-range, Drones are skilled close-range combatants if pushed, utilizing their climbing claws in close-quarters. Drones have been noted to land on vehicles and use their claws for vicious and surprisingly powerful attacks against the occupants. | |||
| The Drones, like the Grunts, are a conquered race that was forced into service by the Covenant. They strictly follow Covenant religion and obey unquestioningly, but do not take part in social norms due to a difficulty in communication with other species. They view the Prophets as their "queens", a remnant of their former hive lifestyle.<ref name="Beastiarum"/> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * - Halo Knowledge center | |||
| * Halo Story Page & Staten, Joe (2005). Retrieved January 9th, 2005. | |||
| {{Halo}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Covenant}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Covenant}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 06:48, 31 December 2024
Fictional alliance from the game Halo | An editor has performed a search and found that sufficient sources exist to establish the subject's notability. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Covenant" Halo – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Covenant | |
|---|---|
| Halo race | |
 Clockwise from left: a Covenant Mgalekgolo, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and Unggoy as they appear in Halo 3 (2007). | |
| First appearance | Halo: Combat Evolved |
| Created by | Bungie |
| Genre | First-person shooter |
| In-universe information | |
| Other name(s) |
|
| Sub-races |
|
The Covenant is a fictional military alliance of various alien species and serves as one of the primary antagonists in the Halo science fiction series. The Covenant are composed of a variety of diverse species, united under the religious worship of the enigmatic Forerunners and their belief that Forerunner ringworlds known as Halos will provide a path to salvation. After the Covenant leadership – the High Prophets – declare humanity an affront to their gods, the Covenant prosecute a lengthy genocidal campaign against the technologically inferior race.
The Covenant were first introduced in the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved as enemies hunting the player character, a human supersoldier known as Master Chief. Not realizing the Halos were meant as weapons of destruction rather than salvation, the Covenant attempt to activate the rings on three separate occasions throughout the series, inadvertently releasing a virulent parasite known as the Flood in the process.
To develop a distinctive look for the various races of the Covenant, Bungie artists drew inspiration from reptilian, ursine, and avian characteristics. A Covenant design scheme of purples and reflective surfaces was made to separate the aliens from human architecture.
Overview
In the primary 26th century setting of Halo, humanity and the Covenant meet for the first time in the year 2525. Searching for relics left behind by their gods, the Forerunners, the Covenant stumble across humans at the colony world of Harvest. The Covenant leadership discovers that the Forerunners designated humanity "reclaimers" of their legacy, and that the Covenant religion is built on falsehoods; to prevent the truth from being uncovered, they instigate a genocidal war against humanity.
The Covenant's superior technology gives them a distinct advantage in the war. In 2552, the Covenant discover and destroy Reach, one of humanity's greatest military strongholds. A human ship fleeing the battle discovers a Forerunner ringworld, Halo. The Covenant believe the activation of these rings are key to bringing about salvation, but the ring is destroyed by the human supersoldier Master Chief. Soon after, the Covenant falls into civil war as the truth of the Halo rings' purpose is revealed: they are actually weapons of mass destruction built to stop the spread of the parasitic Flood. The disgraced Covenant commander known as the Arbiter allies with the Master Chief to stop the Covenant and Flood, ending the Human-Covenant War. In the post-war era, various factions replace the power vacuum left by the Covenant; these include the Banished, who feature as primary antagonists in Halo Infinite.
Game development
Throughout much of the development of Halo: Combat Evolved, very little concrete story details had been developed for the story campaign, and what trials the player character would face. Writer Joseph Staten and other Bungie staff came up with the idea of a coalition of alien races, subsequently deciding that the faction would be motivated by religion. During the course of development of Halo, the designers decided upon three "schools" of architecture, for each of the factions represented – humans, Covenant, and Forerunners. For the Covenant, the team decided on "sleek and shiny", with reflective surfaces, organic shapes, and use of purples. According to art director Marcus Lehto, the principle designs for the faction came from environmental artist Paul Russell, while concept artist Shi Kai Wang was instrumental in developing the look of the various races within the Covenant. Armor color was used to denote ranks of enemies.
Like the character designs, Covenant technology, architecture, and design continually changed throughout development, occasionally for practical reasons as well as aesthetics. According to Eric Arroyo, the Covenant cruiser Truth and Reconciliation, which plays a major role in Halo: Combat Evolved, was to be boarded by the player by a long ramp. However due to technical considerations of having a fully textured ship so close to the player, the designers came up with a "gravity lift", which allowed the ship to be farther away (thus not requiring as much processing power for detail) as well as adding a "visually interesting" component of Covenant technology.
The art team also spent a large amount of time on Covenant weaponry, in order to make them suitably alien yet still recognizable to players. At the same time, the designers wanted all aspects of Covenant technology, especially the vehicles, to act plausibly. In contrast to human weapons firing projectiles, many of the Covenant's weaponry are depicted as firing plasma. A few of the Covenant's weapons are not plasma-based, including the Needler, which fires razor-sharp pink needles capable of homing at organic foes. A weapons expert noted parallels between the Needler and ancient Greek Amazons painting their daggers pink as a psychological weapon. Bungie designed the majority of Covenant technology to mirror the aesthetic of the Elites; the exteriors are sleek and graceful, with a more angular and complex core underneath hinting at the Forerunner origins of the technology.
Species
Covenant society is depicted as a caste system composed of different species. Bungie's artists looked at live animals and films for inspiration; as a result, the species within the Covenant bear simian, reptilian, avian, and ursine characteristics. Concept artist Shi Kai Wang focused on making each enemy seem appropriate to its role in gameplay. The species within the Covenant include:
- Sangheili (called Elites in Human language) who stand nearly 8'6'' (2.6 m) and feature recharging personal shields. The Sangheili initially had simple mouths, which developed into pairs of split mandibles substituting for the lower jaws. Bungie concept artist Shi Kai Wang noted that project lead Jason Jones had been insistent on giving the Sangheili a tail. While Wang thought it made the aliens look too animalistic, the idea was dropped due to practical considerations, including where the tail would go when the Sangheili were driving vehicles. According to Paul Russel, when Bungie was bought by Microsoft and Halo was turned into an Xbox launch title, Microsoft took issue with the design of the Sangheili, as they felt that the Sangheili had a resemblance to cats that might alienate Japanese consumers.
- Unggoy (Grunts in Human language), are commonly depicted as basic foot soldiers. Squat and cowardly fighters, Unggoy panic and run if players kill their leaders.
- Kig-Yar (Jackals in Human language) carry energy shields or ranged weaponry. In some cases, such as with the Kig-Yar, the overall design was honed once the enemy's role was clearly defined.
- Mgalekgolo (Hunters in Human language) are collectives species of pseudo annelid creatures that physically shape their colonies in both powerful and practical ways. encased in tough armor. Initial concepts were less humanoid-looking and softer than the final shape, with angular shields and razor-sharp spines.
- San’Shyuum (Prophets in Human language) serve as the supreme rulers of the Covenant, and were primarily designed by Shi Kai Wang and Eric Arroyo. Originally, the San’Shyuum were built in a more unified way, with the gravity thrones they used for flotation and movement fused with the Prophet's organic structures. The characters were also designed to be feeble, yet sinister. The three Prophet Hierarchs were each individually designed.
- Jiralhanae (Brutes in Human language) are even more physically imposing than the Sangheili, with their society organized around tribal chieftains. Inspired by the animators watching biker films, the Jiralhanae incorporated simian and ursine elements while retaining an alien look. Wang's final concept for the creatures in Halo 2, replete with bandoliers and human skulls, was simplified for the game. Jiralhanae were meant to typify the abusive alien menace of the Covenant and in the words of design lead Jaime Griesemer, to serve as "barbarians in Rome".
Other members of the Covenant include insectoid Yanme'e (Drones); the animators found the creatures challenging, as they had to be animated to walk, run, crawl, or fly on multiple surfaces. Old concept art from Combat Evolved was repurposed in influencing the Yanme'e final shape, which took cues from cockroaches, grasshoppers, and wasps. Cut from Combat Evolved were floating support workers known as The Huragok (Engineers) , actually constructed machines rather than organic creatures. They later made appearances in Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach and Halo Wars 2 as well as various novels.
With subsequent games, the Covenant and their look were changed or refined to account for increased graphic hardware or gameplay needs. In Halo 3, the Jiralhanae became the primary enemy, and they were heavily redesigned. Concept artists took inspiration from rhinoceroses and gorillas, and armored them with buckles and clothing to represent a different aesthetic look compared to the Covenant. Weaponry was designed to reflect the Jiralhanae’s "souls" distilled to its purest form – conveyed by dangerous shapes, harsh colors, and objects that looked "dangerous to be around". The more seasoned the Brute, the more ornate clothing and helmets; the armor was designed to convey a culture and tradition to the species, and emphasize their mass and power. Designs for Halo 3 took cues from ancient Greek Spartans. Character animators recorded intended actions for the new Jiralhanae in a padded room at Bungie. A new addition to the Jiralhanae artificial intelligence was a pack mentality; leader Brutes direct large-scale actions simultaneously, such as throwing grenades towards a player.
Halo: Reach served as a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, and creative director Marcus Lehto pushed for the team to revamp the Covenant. The aliens' translated English was replaced with untranslated, guttural alien sounds, and their look and weaponry was redesigned. The goal was to make the Covenant intimidating and more alien to players.
Analysis
The Covenant serve as one of a number of religious allusions in Halo. Their name refers to sacred agreements between the people of Israel and their God in Jewish and Christian tradition, and could be used to indicate the attitude of superiority complex the aliens have to the inferior and sacrilegious humans. The Covenant's ships bear names referring to elements of Judeo-Christian religion. A review of religions and religious material in video games noted that the Covenant's invented religion had many similarities to those in similar games, and would likely be called a cult in the real world. The thematic parallels of religious zealots fighting an American military metaphor was not lost on Microsoft's content review team, who forced a name change of the holy warrior "Dervish" to Arbiter before the release of Halo 2. Theologian P.C.J.M. Paulissen notes that while on the surface the Halo games present a conflict between rational humans and religious alien fanaticism, the comparison is complicated by the technical superiority of the Covenant (they wield energy weapons compared to primitive human ballistics) and the games seem to reject the idea science and religion are rigidly disconnected.
Cultural impact
Merchandise
Microsoft has commissioned multiple sets of action figures and merchandise featuring Covenant characters for each video game. The Halo 3 action figure sets have been made by McFarlane Toys, and include Brutes and Jackals. The Covenant's weaponry has also been adapted into large-scale replicas.
Reception
The Covenant were positively received in Combat Evolved, with their artificial intelligence praised and the different tactics needed to defeat each enemy type commended.
The ability to experience the storyline of Halo 2 from the Covenant perspective was described as a "brilliant stroke of game design". Allowing the player to assume the role of a Sangheili who was described as providing an unexpected plot twist, and allowing the player to experience a "newfound complexity to the story". In addition, some reviewers thought that this provided the series with a significant plot element – IGN referred to it as the "intriguing side story of Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili" – and its elimination in Halo 3 was pointed to as responsible for reducing the role of the Arbiter within the series plot. Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition listed Covenant as 16th in their list of top 50 Villains.
References
- Lowry, Brendan (September 21, 2017). "Halo timeline: Beginning of the Human-Covenant War and the downfall of Harvest". Windows Central. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- Lennox, Jesse (October 6, 2021). "The story of Halo so far: What you need to know before playing Halo Infinite". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Haske, Steven (May 30, 2017). "The Complete, Untold History of Halo". Vice. Vice Media. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Trautmann, Eric (2004). The Art of Halo. New York: Del Ray Books. ISBN 0-345-47586-0.
- Samoon, Evan (July 2008). "Gun Show: A real military expert takes aim at videogame weaponry to reveal the good, the bad, and the just plain silly". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 1, no. 230. p. 49.
- ^ Boroumand, Shaida, ed. (2008). The Art of Halo 3. Random House. ISBN 978-07615-6072-2.
- Robinson, Martin, ed. (2011). The Great Journey—Halo: The Art of Building Worlds. Titan Books. ISBN 978-08576-8562-9.
- Jarrard, Brian; Smith, Luke, &c (August 21, 2008). Bungie Podcast: With Paul Russell and Jerome Simpson (Podcast). Kirkland, Washington: Bungie. Archived from the original (MP3) on February 3, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
- Boulding, Aaron (November 9, 2001). "Halo: Combat Evolved Review". IGN. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
- Bungie (2004). Halo 2 Instruction Manual. Microsoft Game Studios.
- ^ ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?. Bungie. December 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- "Huragok : Species". Halo Waypoint. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- Sofge, Erik (October 2010). "The Halo Effect". Popular Mechanics. 187 (10): 88.
- ^ Paulissen, P.C.J.M. (2018). "The Dark of the Covenant: Christian Imagery, Fundamentalism, and the Relationship between Science and Religion in the Halo Video Game Series" (PDF). Religions. 9 (4): 126. doi:10.3390/rel9040126. S2CID 62790164.
- Bainbridge, William; Wilma Alice Bainbridge (September 2007). "Electronic Game Research Methodologies: Studying Religious Implications". Review of Religious Research. 49 (1): 41.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Staff (April 2008). "McFarlane 'Halo' Figures". Game Informer. Vol. 1, no. 180. p. 34.
- Luna, Kevin (October 1, 2021). "The best gifts for Halo fans". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- Pearce, Alanah (April 15, 2016). "11 of the Coolest Halo Toys Ever Made". IGN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- Makuch, Eddie (September 21, 2015). "Halo 5 Gets Its Own Mega Bloks Toys". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- "Halo: Combat Evolved review". Edge. No. 105. Future Publishing. November 29, 2001. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014.
- Kasavin, Greg (November 7, 2004). "Halo 2 for Xbox Review". GameSpot. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
- Goldstein, Hillary (September 23, 2007). "Halo 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
- Nichols, Scott (January 24, 2013). "Guinness World Records counts down top 50 video game villains". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
External links
| Halo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video games |
| ||||||
| Levels | |||||||
| Music | |||||||
| Other media |
| ||||||
| Unofficial content | |||||||
| Universe |
| ||||||
| People | |||||||
| Related | |||||||
