As one of the primary antagonists that Master Chief must do battle with in the Halo series, the Brutes began life as a challenging enemy to take down on the battlefield, only being outpaced by the even larger and more deadly Hunters. In later entries in the series, the Brutes would go on to have a much larger role in the story, particularly before the events that caused the Covenant to splinter in Halo 3.
While the Brutes have a relatively large impact on the Halo series in general, the lack of focus that the series has on its story and world lore means that a lot of the information surrounding this bestial race is found in other mediums, such as the novels and comics. It can leave some fans who have only played the games with little to go on as to the history and lives of the Brutes.
10 They’re Known As Jiralhanae To Their Own Kind
While the Brutes are known as such to humanity, it is fairly obvious that this isn’t actually the name for this race despite many members of the Covenant referring to one another by the human designations. To their own kind, the Brutes are known as the Jiralhanae. The Brutes have a tendency to charge wildly at their enemies and have, historically, acted without much thought to the consequences of their actions.
9 Their Latin Name Means Wild Slave
Humans aren’t the only race to have given the Brutes their own designation, as the Forerunners also cataloged various races in the galaxy to ensure that the Flood didn’t take over before they could fire up the Halo weapons and destroy all life. To the Forerunners, Brutes are called Servus Ferox, a Latin term that means “Wild Slave” and is an equally fitting description for the species, as they blindly followed the will of the Prophets despite both humanity and the Elites trying desperately to tell them the danger that would come if they allowed the Halo rings to be activated.
8 They Don’t Get Along With The Elites
For the most part, the Covenant are a group of several species of aliens that came together for the benefit of either themselves, the Prophets, or simply due to being amalgamated into the group following a defeat on the battlefield. This means that, despite often working together, several species don’t get along all that well, including the Brutes and the Elites.
This is particularly evident in the second and third games in the series, where the Arbiter and Tartarus have a clear hatred for one another even before the former learns of the true intentions of the Prophets, as well as the true nature of the Halo rings.
7 They Weren’t A Part Of The Covenant For Very Long
As can be discovered in several terminals in the first and second Halo games, the Covenant began following a devastating war between the Elites and the Prophets, with many races joining the group in the years following their supposed peace. The most recent addition to the Covenant, occurring shortly before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, was the Brutes who were, ironically, instrumental in the disillusion of the original Covenant.
6 Several Brutes Have Greek or Roman Names
The naming conventions for several of the alien races take inspiration from real-world languages and names, usually in a way that ties them to similar cultures. In the case of the battle-loving Brutes, many of the main characters are named after figures in Greek history or mythology, such as Tartarus, named after the Greek equivalent of Hell or the underworld, and Decimus, a Roman general who was instrumental in the assassination of Julius Caesar.
5 They Acted As The Secret Police For The Prophets
The Prophets may have been power-hungry and misguided, but it can’t be said that they weren’t intelligent when it came to how they used the other species in the Covenant. Although the Brutes were wild and barely under control, the Prophets saw that their blind adoration and faith made them perfectly suited to act as the secret police for the Prophets, ensuring that anyone who discovered that they weren’t, in fact, the receptacles for the word of God, would be swiftly taken care of with little push back.
4 Their Brutish Natures Hide Their Intelligence
Despite their name and the general consensus among many of the species shown in Halo that the Brutes are nothing but mindless animals, the Brutes are actually quite intelligent when they need to be. While they tend to lean towards brute force when in battle, they are more than capable of making tactical decisions on the fly, though they aren’t as intelligent as the Elites or the Prophets.
This hidden intelligence has often resulted in them being underestimated in this regard, leading them to become one of the most deadly forces on the battlefield when it comes to the Covenant forces.
3 They Almost Used Large Metal Shields In Halo 3
When players think of enemies that use shields in the Halo series, the first that is likely to come to mind are the Jackals, who are rarely, if ever, seen without their signature energy shield, but there was almost another species in the Covenant to use shields in combat as well. In early versions of Halo 3, the Brutes, now taking charge of many of the enemy forces against both Master Chief and the Arbiter, would use large, metal shields in combat, not unlike the armored arm-guards than the Hunters used. This was later dropped in favor of full-body armor in the final version of the game, something they didn’t have in the first two Halo titles.
2 Some Brutes Can Be Found Using Human Weapons in Halo 2
One aspect of Halo that often made gameplay much more interesting was the ability to pick up the Covenant’s weapons and use them against their former owners, something that the Brutes apparently enjoyed doing in Halo 2. While it doesn’t happen all that often, the player can sometimes come across a Brute wielding a human weapon rather than a Covenant weapon, usually a shotgun, which can make them even more dangerous in close quarters combat than they already were.
1 Brutes Have Been Shown Dual Wielding Weapons In Trailers, But Never Do In-Game
A major point of contention among gamers in recent years, particularly after the disastrous trailer for Killzone 2 and the painfully obvious scripted “gameplay” trailer for Anthem are games being falsely advertised to players through their marketing campaign. While not a major transgression, Halo isn’t exempt from this practice, as multiple trailers for past titles have shown the Brutes dual-wielding weapons in combat, something that became available to the player in Halo 3, despite the fact that they are never shown doing this in actual gameplay.
