This vehicle seems similar in shape, size and design to cruisers referred to as "CCS" class by Cortana in Halo 1, such as the Truth and Reconciliation, which crashed on the surface of the ringworld in Halo 1 and was temporarily a prison for Captain Keyes before his rescue by the Master Chief and Cortana.

The Wraith is a Covenant hover tank. In Halo 1 it had only one form of armament, a powerful, long-range plasma mortar that was just as, if not more, effective against Covenant units as against humans and the Master Chief. These tanks also had a habit of running over their support ground troops. Wraiths were not pilotable by the Master Chief in Halo 1. Once their pilots were killed, the vehicle was useless, as with Banshees and Ghosts. Sniping a Wraith pilot before he entered the vehicle left the Ghost intact and harmless, but still useless. The most effective weapons against Wraiths were rocket launchers and the Warthog's LAAG cannon. In addition to the mortar, in Halo 2 it appears as if the Wraith also has two automatic plasma cannons, probably similar to those on the Banshee and Ghost. This will probably mean slightly different strategies when facing them than in the first game. The Wraith vehicle, while slow, does have a Boost mode.

Special Ops Elites in Halo 1 were the toughest, fastest and strongest of the Elite variations in Halo 1. They used plasma grenades accurately and often would dodge grenades used against them most of the time and could survive a direct hit from a rocket launcher at point blank range. In Halo 2 it seems there may be more variations on the SpecOps Elite, as some have been seen in various colors (black or white) and carrying different weapons. Some may carry plasma swords, like the Gold elites of Halo 1, while others, like this example, might carry Carbines or Beam Rifles.

The spiritual and political leaders of the Covenant are the Prophets, with their hovering chairs and their elaborate headdresses. They are guarded by Elites and, although not as physically imposing as them, are supposed to possess deadly and "unique" attacks. At one point Bungie mentioned the possibility of being able to distinguish individual Prophets from one another by their headdresses. Prophets may have specialized, individual roles in Covenant society. At least two specific prophets have been mentioned in various places: the Prophet of Truth and the Prophet of Regret. The Halo 2 manual says their significance is "administrative or religious in nature" and notes they have never been seen on a battlefield, and never captured or killed.

The Elite Minor, or blue Elite, is the weaker and more common version. This one is armed with a Carbine, the rough equivalent of the Battle Rifle, and probably more dangerous than Halo 1's standard weapon for the Elite Minor, which was a plasma rifle. In Halo 1, Elites also sometimes used needlers and plasma grenades. Elites have full body rechargeable shields that deflect energy and projectile weapons. Like the Jackal's armband shield, however, it can be completely drained by an alt-fire charge from the plasma pistol, leaving him open to damage from other weapons. When an Elite's shields are drained, he will generally seek cover. When his health becomes low, he will charge you in a suicide manuever. When near you, they will usually attempt a melee attack. Sangheili refers to all Elites, not just Minor ones.

The Phantom appears to be a rapid attack unit that also carries ground troops, and may end up functioning as a replacement to the original game's unnamed dropships, which have not yet been seen in any Halo 2 footage. Two Brutes drop out of the back of one during the E3 2003 realtime demo, to board a Warthog and kill the driver and passenger.

In Halo 1, Jackals only carried plasma pistols, but as you can see from this shot, in Halo 2 they wield other weapons, including plasma rifles and possibly even needlers. The armband shields they carry are not as effective as the full body shields used by Elites, but they will deflect most projectile weapons and are even good against plasma rifles. The best strategies against Jackals are to try and shoot areas unprotected by the shield, which are easier to hit when they are in motion, or to use the alt-fire of a plasma pistol to drain the shield and then switch to another weapon while it cools. Like the Elite's shields, a drained Jackal shield will recharge over time. Jackals with drained shields, like Elites, will also often retreat and take cover while their shields recharge. Grenades can be effective against Jackals, especially when used behind them where their shields do not protect. The Halo 2 manual refers to Jackals as "excellent shots" and indicates they have higher status than Grunts.

Grunts are Covenant "cannon fodder" according to the books, and make up the bulk of their ground forces. Despite their all-too-often retreats in Halo 1, the novels describe them as almost heroic in their persistence. In Halo 1, Grunts wielded plasma pistols or needlers, and often carried plasma grenades. SpecOps grunts, wearing black uniforms, also carried Fuel Rod Guns similar to those that Hunters have molded into their arms and the alternate firing mode for the Banshee. (The Halo PC manual reports them using plasma rifles but not needlers, but I believe this is an error, as I have definitely seen them use needlers but never recall seeing one use a plasma rifle.) Normally grunts are orange or red. Red ones seem to be tougher, and may be Grunts Major, similar to the major/minor divisions seen among Elites and in several kinds of enemies in the Marathon series. Grunts are usually only dangerous in groups, and tend to congregate near stronger units such as Jackals and Elites. The Halo 2 manual indicates that when an Elite is nearby, Grunts are less likely to flee, but will panic when faced by "superior forces".

The insectoid Covenant Drone can fly and uses a variety of weapons. Frankie in particular made mention of them using weapons like the Carbine and sniping from high areas, but advised players to attack them in the air because they're even more dangerous when on the ground. Weapons with recoil, like the SMG and the battle rifle, are expected to be more effective than others against drones because the recoil will help track overflying units. The Halo 2 manual refers to Drones' ability to fly as "limited", relying on anti-gravity assistance, but also says they use this ability to gain an "almost insurmountable strategic advantage." Thanks to BOLL who extracted the image from Halo2.com.

The Elite Major, or red Elite, is the strongest type of normal Elite, excluding camoflauged Elites, which are normally weaker, and SpecOps (black) Elites, which are usually stronger. The Major/Minor nomenclature continues the tradition from the Marathon series.

This maskless Grunt is probably in a methane environment, hence no need for an air mask.

While only slightly different in appearance from its Halo 1 forebear, the Ghost in Halo 2 is also actually quite different. Like other vehicles, it is now partially destructible. Rather than a single explosion that renders the vehicle unusuable and the driver dead, like other vehicles, the Ghost can be wrecked in stages.

It also has the boost feature, activated by using the left trigger; this causes the Ghost to accelerate faster, but the twin plasma cannons cannot be fired in this mode.

The ghost can also be "boarded", allowing other players to approach it at a low enough speed, eject the driver and take over the vehicle, TJ-Hooker style.

The banshee is a one-man flying assault vehicle that can fly like an airplane and hover like helicopter. It carries two armaments; dual plasma cannons, similar to those on the Ghost, and a Fuel Rod Gun similar to those carried by Spec Ops grunts and molded into the arms of Hunters.

The Banshee is supposedly powered by "anti gravity pods" located on the ends of the wings. From footage in recent television advertisements, it seems likely that the handling characteristics of Banshees have been somewhat altered since Halo 1.

The Shadow is an armed Covenant personnel carrier. It has a roof-mounted plasma turret that bears a lot of resemblance to the Shade turret from Halo 1.

The Master Chief destroys several of these with a Warthog-mounted Gauss gun in the E3 realtime demonstration from 2003.

The Shadow has a crew of two (driver and gunner) and can carry up to 8 infantry units, including Elites, Brutes, Grunts or Jackals.

This item was erroneously referred to in the Halo2.com site's XML files as the "Creep". This might have been an early name.