Brute

The Jiralhanae, referred by humans as Brutes, are a large, bipedal, ape-like client species of the Covenant.

Overview and Background[]

Brutes are a physically imposing species of simian origin, resembling large gorillas with ursine, rhinoceros and alien features. They have a large, stocky build (a result of the increased gravity of their home planet) and a thick skin covered with matted, fur-like hair. The color of this skin and hair is indicative of their age; younger Brutes are notable for having a wide variety of skin colors including various shades of tans, browns and reds, while hair typically comes in black, brown, dark red or blonde. Both the skin and hair gradually lose their pigmentation as a Brute continues to age, the former becoming increasingly lighter and grayer, while the latter gradually becomes grayish-silver (which is considered to be a sign of respect within the Brutes' culture).

Ever since their integration into the Covenant, the Brutes have been viewed with contempt by the Elites due to their primitive, monomaniacal nature. As such, deliberate steps have been taken to put the Brutes at a military and hierarchical disadvantage within the Covenant Empire. However, with the initiation of the Human-Covenant War, the High Prophets decreed that as every member of the Covenant deserves to earn their right to partake in the Great Journey, the Brutes were to be provided with a greater degree of control in the military, allowing them to commandeer their own ships and accompany ground side campaigns. However, this newfound freedom is merely a small step in the High Prophet of Truth's master plan to have the more subservient Brutes eventually supplant the Elites, placing the former in key military positions/assets for the day that control is to be forcefully seized from the latter.

Having enjoyed their uncontested dominance within the Covenant society and military, the Elites have not welcomed this incursion of the Brutes upon their military operations, continuing to exercise their disdain through other means; Brutes are only deployed to the battlefield either as front line cannon fodder or reserve troops, the latter which only occurs should the Elites fail in completing a mission objective. Their weaponry primarily consists of outdated models of existing Covenant firearms (another of the Elites' countermeasures enacted to stifle the Brutes' influence within the military), however, they're also permitted by the Prophets to use to their traditional, pre-Covenant-based weaponry such as the Brute Shot and the Piercer. However, they can be found wielding Particle Carbines and Focus Rifles in some situations. Brutes are also shown to express a fondness for the ballistic nature of UNSC weaponry and (given the circumstances), will take the opportunity to do acquire these weapons either as trophies or for personal use.

Rank Structure, Weaponry and Equipment[]

Rank	Image	Description
War Chieftain		Clad in golden Power Armour and adorning an elaborate spiked headdress, War Chieftains are the oldest and most experienced of Brute combatants. Consisting of the Alpha Males of various Master Packs, War Chieftains act as the political, spiritual and military leaders within Brute society, having obtained their position by murdering the previous title holder. War Chieftains saw very little action during the Battle of Installation 04, only being regularly deployed during the Flood outbreak upon the where they fought back the parasite with Hunter Shade Cannons. They also appear in Lumoria but only once wielding a Hunter Beam Cannon
Chieftain		A Chieftain is a Jiralhanae leader of an entire pack. It is one of the highest positions in the Jiralhanae hierarchy both in social aspects and in military rank within the Covenant. They are clad in ornate black armor with red highlights. In Jiralhanae society, Chieftains are subordinate only to War Chieftains and the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae himself. Apart from pack leadership position, the Jiralhanae Chieftains are also spiritual leaders, giving sermons to their packs. Despite this, only one Chieftain was encountered in Halo SPV3.2, making them one of the rarest Covenant enemies to encounter. Chieftain Lapidus in The Commander: Evolved is the lone Chieftain and he is a boss at the end of the level; carrying a Hunter Shade Cannon and a special Overshield that could only be neutered by an Energy Sword.
Brute Commander		Commanders are highly decorated veterans that can be identified by their white Power Armour and their cyclops-like helmet with a bright red light emitting from the "eye." Having achieved their rank after countless battles, Brute Commanders not only act as pack leadership but also as intelligence officers or a "secret police", responsible safeguarding information about the Prophet of Truth's plot to overthrow the Elites. They are most commonly seen armed with Brute Shots and Brute Piercers but are also seen carrying Shredders, Spikers, Brute Plasma Rifles, Particle Carbines and Focus Rifles.
Brute Captain		Captains are experienced warriors that can be identified by their red armour and by their more resilient, horned helmets of the same colour. Having earned their rank after several battles, Brute Captains are typically tasked maintaining order within their assigned pack and directing lesser troops while in combat. They are commonly armed with Shredders, Spikers, Brute Plasma Rifles and Brute Shots, but are sometimes seen equipped with Focus Rifles and Particle Carbines.
Brute Minor		Minors are the lowest rank of Brute infantry and can be identified by their blue armour pieces and their basic helmets of the same colour. Minors primarily consist of younger Brutes (as evidenced by their wider variety in skin and hair colours) and are normally encountered as part of a larger Brute pack alongside other Brutes, compensating their lack of tactical skill with strength in numbers. They can, however, be witnessed leading smaller squads of lesser Covenant species on some occasions. They are most commonly seen carrying Shredders and Brute Plasma Rifles, but will rarely be seen armed with Particle Carbines. When leading a squad or pack, they will almost always be carrying Brute Shots.

Gameplay Information[]

General[]

Despite the majority of their combatants lacking energy shielding and basic armor plating, Brutes more than make up for it with their natural durability; they can absorb large amounts of both ballistic and plasma fire before perishing and are capable of shrugging off some explosive weaponry. However, Brutes are extremely vulnerable to weapons capable of performing headshots, as their only form of protection against them are helmets which can absorb only a few shots before it is destroyed, the durability of each helmet is determined by the Brute's rank.

Brute Commanders are unique in that they possess Brute Power Armour. This armor projects a personal energy shield around the Brute in a similar manner to that of an Elite, but cannot recharge after absorbing damage. The shield transitions from blue to a bright red as it weakens, and once collapsed the armor generating the shield will overload and destroy itself. While still possessing the physical resilience of standard Brutes, Commanders stripped of their shields possess zero additional protection to any part of its body. This includes the head, leaving an unshielded Commander especially vulnerable to a headshot.

Brute War Chieftains are the toughest and most well-protected rank of Brute. Their Power Armour projects an extremely durable energy shield which, once collapsed, does not destroy the armour underneath. This armour protects large sections of the War Chieftain's body from ballistic/plasma fire and from being stuck by Plasma Grenades, on top of being virtually indestructible. The only armor piece that can be destroyed is the War Chieftains headdress, which can take the most punishment of any Brute-worn helmet.

Brutes are frequently encountered in packs, which consist of either: a varying number of Brutes (typically one to three) leading a squad of lesser Covenant species (much like a standard Elite-led squad); or large squads consisting almost entirely of Brutes, led by either several Captains/Commanders or a single Chieftain.

Strategy[]

A general strategy is to use an energy weapon to strip their helmets before head-shooting them. An advanced strategy is to juggle multiple stun-locked Brutes with a head-shot weapon. When dealing with Brute Commanders, plasma weapons and EMP's are very useful for collapsing their shields. Like most other enemies, Plasma Grenade sticks and assassinations are instant kills. Brutes are also particularly vulnerable to Needler and Shredder detonations.

War Chieftains, though rarely encountered, are generally challenging enemies. They always use Hunter Shade Cannons, dealing heavy damage very quickly. Heavy weapons are best for dealing with War Chieftains, anything that can kill them quickly. Headshot weapons can be effective, as can plasma-based weapons for their Power Armor, but explosive weapons, like the M41 Rocket Launcher or Brute Shot, are more desirable options. Hunter Fuel Rod Cannons are also useful. The Sniper Rifle can dispatch War Chieftains without too much trouble by aiming for the head, but this is only a viable option at long range since their aggressiveness can easily overwhelm players trying to perform precision aiming.

Chieftain Lapidus[]

In The Commander and The Commander: Evolved, a Brute Chieftain is featured called Lapidus. Lapidus is the only Brute in SPV3 whose personality can be witnessed first hand. He has his own character model, wearing custom Power Armour that is black instead of gold with a unique looking ornamental headdress. Like other Brute Chieftains, his weapon of choice is a Hunter Shade Cannon.

Depending on which mission is played, he can be portrayed sympathetically (The Commander) or antagonistically as a rival to Thel 'Vadamee (The Commander: Evolved). In both missions, he is fought as an enemy. In The Commander, he appears a Flood Combat Form. His Flood form in unique as his power armour is still intact. This is the only occasion in SPV3 where such an enemy is encountered.

In The Commander: Evolved, however, Lapidus is fought alive as a boss type enemy, the fight being inspired by the final battle against Tartarus in Halo 2. Like Tartarus, he is naturally extremely durable, and his Power Armour almost impenetrable, making him much stronger than a War Chieftain. He is immune to all damage while his armour is active. The only weapon that can overload his shields is the Energy Sword. His custom Power Armour is unique among Brutes as it will reactivate after a certain amount of time has passed from collapsing, much like an Elite's energy shields.

The best strategy for defeating Lapidus in The Commander: Evolved is to knock out his armour with the Energy Sword and stick him with Plasma Grenades or Needle Grenades. He will actively avoid grenades however, so players must be tactical when throwing them. Normal weapons have moderate effects against him and, other than being necessary to collapse his shields, the Energy Sword is almost useless against him, making him the only enemy in SPV3 who is able to withstand the Energy Sword.

Developer Information[]

TBA

Trivia[]

Brute dialogue is sourced from Halo 2. While combat dialogue such as pain/death sounds and berserk vocalizations are untouched, their spoken dialogue has been reversed similarly to the Elite dialogue. This makes them sound more alien like.
- In The Commander: Evolved, along with Jackals, their alien dialogue is replaced with English spoken phrases. This is because the player character of the mission, Thel 'Vadamee, would presumably understand them.
The word "Jiralhanae" is a Korean word that roughly means "behaves like a stupid aggressive lunatic," which describes the Jiralhanae' aggressive personality.
The "-us" suffix on the end of Jiralhanae names is derived from Latin, which designates something as masculine.
Their body models are based primarily on their Halo 2 appearance. However, their armour designs are stripped down/modified versions of the Brute Power Armour used in Halo 3.
In SPV3.0 the Brute Commanders would use Brute Plasma Pistols, however they were replaced with Piercers.
In SPV3.2, the menu description of The Commader: Evolved, Chieftain Lapidus's name was misspelled as "Lepidus". This was fixed in SPV3.3.
Unlike the Brutes of Halo 2 and 3, the Brutes of SPV3 do not go berserk when they lose their armour, their leader or are near death.
Brute Chieftain Lapidus in The Commander: Evolved holds the distinction of being the only special enemy unit to be fought in the game, not including 343 Guilty Spark in The Maw or the Guardian Custode in Fight For The Future as they are more like scenery/plot entities. Although the Elite Imperial Admiral in Lumoria is also fought in a boss type encounter, only Lapidus is classed as an actual boss, while the Admiral is classed as a regular enemy. This makes Lapidus the most unique enemy in SPV3.
- Lapidus also holds the distinction of being the rarest normal enemy encountered in the game. His Flood Combat Form, as seen in The Commander, is the only enemy of that particular type to ever be seen; a Brute Combat Form with Power Armour. In SPV3.2, he shared that title with the Elite Special Operations Commander (not counting Rtas 'Vadumee as he appeared as an allied Hero Unit, not an enemy). Since the Elite Spec-Ops Commander enemy type was removed in 3.3, Lapidus now holds this distinction alone.