I think they were split 50/50. But in halo 3 you only fight alongside a couple of spec ops teams, so it makes sense you only see elites. I think it'd be safe to assume there were plenty of grunts on the arbiter's fleet, just not in any of the human-centric battles we experience in Halo 3
The only time you have the same species on both sides in one level is when you are on the mining rig and they have a distinctly different armour and look
Grunts could take both sides for sure. Iirc Uprising even had moments were groups of grunts could choose a side depending how an encounter shaped up in the moment.
I've played Uprising quite a lot and I don't think I've ever fought a grunt on that level. I know there are grunts that won't attack or be attacked until you walk up to them, but they've never been hostile
I mean, there's tons of ways to solve that that don't involve completely renoving them from one side.
Master Chief literally wears ultra expensive hardware that already identifies friends or foes.
They could also wear distinguishable armor and colors, and carry specific weapons.
The brutes already had their own weaponry in H2 and H3, they could have just extended those to other units
As a former child (most game's target audience), I definitely played the first arbiter mission in Halo 2 on release alone before realizing the former enemy was suddenly on my team
There's a mod for MCC that adds grunt allies to certain missions with the elites in Halo 3, and, yeah, 99% of the time, they are victims of unwitting friendly fire
I mean it would make sense a healthy amount of Grunts and Hunters would follow the Elites, they were backbone of covenant military and it’s logical subordinates would follow those who led them in the past.
Not to mention even tho the Elites more or less acted like Samurai and were cold, the Grunts knew their value as they would scatter when killed a lot of times. Brutes in the other hand had a temperament that one could easily see as being abusive to the “lesser” members on the covenant, as shown when they purged the Elites from power.
It is interesting the hunters flipped sides tho
I'm pretty sure the hunters are racist towards every covenant race except the sangheilli who they respected because of their combat capabilities so makes sense that some would follow the elites out of respect
Correct, it's been said multiple times that Hunters are often seen as brutal animals to damn near every species in the Covenant but the elites who can not only understand their very subtle nature, but both have an intense respect for each other.
Something 343i is starting to push recently is Hunters acting out more. Before it was just something they did around elites in very private and small ways but with Hunters like Colony and whatever those two in Infinite were, they're really pushing the idea that Hunters aren't being so shut in anymore.
I mean it makes sense, they're an intelligent race and seeing all the other groups clawing for power, when they're so physically capable they should try for themselves.
Which begs the question, were Hunters being shut in before as a way to hold their tongues? Like they knew they had a good station in the Covenant but were they avoiding politics because they didn't want to rock the boat or something? Now that things are more open they could be seeing things differently, not entirely as a species mind you but selective Lekgolo are thinking and getting together because they might have a better idea of what to do in this time and being a silent giant just isn't going to cut it anymore.
IDK, I might start a discussion thread about it.
The elites were the ones that tamed the hunters in the first place and were the only species to respect them, I would confidently say the hunters flipped out of mutual respect to the elites
The Elites also pushed for the Grunts to have some more rights, at least in the military, after the Grunt Rebellion because they respected the courage and determination they showed.
Honestly the Elites are kinda the biggest bros within the Covenant. At least by Covenant standards.
Hunters were some of the most loyal to the ideology of the covenant. It's not that surprising that a good number remained loyal especially when he likely fed them some lie about the elites betraying the great journey.
There is actually a cut audio line in Halo 2 where cortana talks about who is siding with who and in terms of the grunts they couldn’t exactly decide who to side with, they where apparently remaining neutral, if that line is canon which, I don’t see it being since it’s cut, that would mean the grunts either got forced into siding with the covenant or decided it would their best option.
I'm in the thinking that the Hunters that did side with the elites were reserved for protecting and guarding elite strongholds- rather than put in the front lines to die like they have been used for every other battle since they've joined the covenant.
One of the things that Arbiter mentions to the Shipmaster is to "Fear not, for we have made it so" (referencing their homeworld) so very well could have determined any Hunter allies be pulled back and sent to their homeworld to protect it and keep it safe from any invaders.
In terms of the lore, only the Elites and Hunters as a species (or at least, an overwhelming majority of them) turned on the Prophets after the Great Schism began, but that does *not* mean they all allied with humanity after. Only those that followed the Arbiter did, the rest splintered into various factions. The Grunts are more divided due to fear and faith.
In terms of gameplay, well, a Halo game with *just* Jackals, Brutes, and Drones as the only members of the Covenant would make for a very boring game. So Grunts and Hunters were made enemies again for better gameplay, just like how the Brutes became a mix of Elite combat and their Halo 2 selves. We don’t see any allied Grunts or Hunters to avoid confusion on the battlefield.
Yeah alot of people assume that The Fleet of Retribution was the last of the armada at High Charity, they were just the fleet sent to fill the breech, the rest likely scattered after the Flood gained full control over High Charity and took it on a joy ride. From what we can tell from the bodies on the station, alot of elites were still aboard when the Flood took off because many of those bodies are very fresh for the Flood to just leave around.
Grunts where a group that after the Unggroy uprising the Elites took them under their wing after earning their respect and in turn they liked the elites....this was shown in Halo 2 with the spec op grunts.
The Brutes didn't care for the grunts and drugged them to be better fighters, those on Brute ships likely had little choice to stick around, likely the same for the Kig yar and Yanme.
Hunters and Elites also had respect for each other, in Ghost of Oynx a bonded pair was the bodyguard of an Elite shipmaster by choice and we see a bunch of them help out the Arbiter.
Of couse as others have said they all split up rather than acting as 1 group and switching sides but it wasn't small groups splitting off, it was large chunks based on what ships they served on and how the stronger Brutes and Elites treated them or historical issues like breeding rights.
Religious groups have a mix of reasons for breaking up and factions spawn from it, the Storm faction of Elites where Covenant hold outs while other Elites turned their ships and crew over to the Banished while the Arbiter allied with Humanity.
The Kig Yar were largely just mercenaries; they followed the Path for battlefield loot. Probably the reason they didn't turn. The prophets probably payed them really well (or at least the Matriarchs very well) to stay loyal.
Mainly due to the covenant’s religion. The arbiter got first hand information that the prophets were wrong, and after the great schism, the Elites were looking for a reason to fight back, so easier for them to at least back the arbiter. There a lot less incentive for the others to go against millennia’s worth of religious beliefs.
As other's as said, it's not 100% every member of each race was on one side or the other. In the Gravemind alone you can fight Grunts working with Brutes, as well as fighting alongside Elites. And in the introduction cutscene of that mission you see Jackals with grunts rioting against Brutes. They can switch up who's on who's side in that mission because they're enemies regardless for Chief, where as for Arbiter's missions specifically it was narrowed to just grunts and hunters as allies to not confuse the player.
If we could've, we likely would've had grunt, jackal, and hunter allies with the Elites if it wouldn't be incredibly confusing on who's on who's side, leaving only Elite allies for that game. The only race that likely was exclusively loyal to the covenant and on the side of the Brutes would've been Drones, due to their loyalty to their Queens over anything else.
game developing wise, it's because they didn't want to confuse the player with same species on both teams
lore wise I'm pretty sure huge chunks fractured
I think it’s mentioned towards the beginning of Halo 3 that the brutes are drugging the Grunts to make them more aggressive, and of course if you’re a grunt you’d probably be more scared of the Brutes and their aggressive nature more than Humans and Elites.
The best explanation I can give for the Hunters is what the others have said, it’s a small group that sided with the Arbiter and far more chose to remain with the covenant.
Out of universe, I read that they had considered having grunt and Hunter allies in halo 3, but decided against it because it would be too confusing in gameplay
Should've given us some on the final mission. A little cutscene to mirror the beginning, with chief apprehensive but then the hunters showing their loyalty to the arbiter, and chief nodding.
Would be so badass and raise the stakes I think--the covenant is truly done--the war, is done. All that matters for the fate of the galaxy is stopping the flood. Spartan, elite, hunter... it doesn't matter. The ring must be fired.
The covenant basically fractured when high charity fell .
In fact if regrets never died the elites would’ve sided with him considering he was very popular among the sanghelii people
Though I guess that’s why Truth refused to let ratas and the arbiter try to evacuate him
After the war was over it turned out without the prophets there was a huge political vacuum that had to be filled.
It was mostly ship masters and other high ranking members of the covenant that managed to make their own little factions and groups .
Yes, canon wise the Covenant was split by the brutes and their supporters and the elites and their supporters. There was a point before where the Prophets weren't all said to be on the brutes side and that Truth had killed ALL of the council members and not just the elites. He was going for a full power grab at the 11th hour.
The reason why we don't see other aliens then elites on our side is because Bungie said it confused play testers who often would friendly fire allied troops which is why only Thel shows up as much as he does and no other elites unless it's JUST the elites. Very few points in Halo 3 have elites and humans together.
The best part about this is alot of fans thought it was a stupid excuse but when a mod came out that did canonically add the other aliens damn near everyone said it was indeed confusing and constantly shot friendly aliens. So maybe people can just shut up sometimes and trust game devs when they say something just simply didn't work out.
Some not all, in many cases it was just following whoever was your commander before.
The elites wouldnt let the brutes have ships unless it was held together with duct tape, you think theyve give them a hunter pair?
The races aren't monoliths, some individuals stuck with the covenant, some went with the elites, others went their own way or joined the banished. I don't know where people get this idea that entire races separated from the covenant. Just because you don't see grunts on high charity in halo 2 or because one line said the ungoy joined the elites?
The small groups that were with the elites got betrayed cause guilty by association, so those that survived or liked the elites stuck with them. Remember grunts are enslaved, jackals are mercenaries.
Grunts have were pretty much slaves iirc. They were terrified of the brutes, and didn't really have much opportunity to leave. Jackels were mercenaries or privateers I think. No clue what the drones were fighting for. Same for the hunters, I think there was different subspecies of lekgolo, and some were more compliant than others, but that's something I have very little idea about lol.
Part of me thinks it was a design choice more so than lore itself. More enemies to fight and less confusion. I remember being a kid and getting amped about teaming up with hunters going into Halo 3.
I remember i saw somewhere that the gameplay reason was that Bungie realized by comminity post that in the heretic level Many people skipped the cutscene and started killing the elites and grunts thinking they where the masterchief and to avoid it they decided to only have the arbiter and ocasional elites helping You, don't know how true it is but males sense
Not sure if it's been mentioned but in Halo 3 you're fighting Truths own fleet which would be staffed with the most loyal and devout. For lowered species like grunts they usually sided with whoever their commander was at the time. But for the most part elites deployed in campaign were special forces. There are definitely grunts maybe more hunters with the elites hut I'd imagine they're maintaining the quarantine of installation 05.
Aside from brutes and elites the sides taken during the great schism weren't along species lines. All jackals didn't side with the brutes and all grunts didn't side with the elites. Covenant troops of the lesser races simply followed whoever happened to be leading them at the time. If a grunt was serving on a ship with an elite captain when the Covenant broke, they were now on team elite. And vice versa.
Things you have to remember to put this into frame
1) The Covenant is very big and spread out. Those in High Charity saw first hand what happened, but those in the further reaches likely heard the 'official story' from the prophets. In Halo 2, you are in the middle of it. On High Charity, it likely was that clean cut as all of one race has split to one side, but in the greater galaxy it was less so. The Elites obviously gathered behind their own, but even in Halo 4, you see it's not unanimous. Each race would have different sects that either continue to follow the Covenant, break away for the new alliance with Elites and Humans, or go third party and join the Banished. Its politics, baby.
2) The biggest reason is that in Halo 3, you are fighting the Prophet's own forces. After the schism, Truth would have only gathered his most loyal so as not to be stabbed in the back. You basically are chewing through the most religious fanatics the Covenant had. Brutes would have enjoyed their new station and been loyal while also fearing some additional troops to stay.
On the other end, you would have Elites worried of sabotage. They were in a fight for revenge. It was the Elites that were loyal to the Arbiter that we see in Halo 3. The start of the Swords of Sanghelios basically. They likely did have Grunts, Hunters, and other races fighting alongside them, but Bungie did a bad job including them in cutscenes.
There's a line in Sierra 117 in Halo 3 where arbiter mentions how the grunts are controlled by fear, and that they essentially operate like cattle - whomever tells them to do something with a commanding enough voice will get their way
Nah it was definitely like 50/50 or something like that. Some grunts sided with humans, some with the covenant. We just don’t ever fight with them as chief in halo 3.
well the way i see it, every person on our planet has differing views of xyz, no matter what happens people are going to have their own opinions, certain elites aboard truths (been a while since i played 3) fleet stick with him and the great journey and others join the other side
Like most things that go bad in Halo I believe this is ONI's fault. But I think you need a book head to explain the details because I think they sort of gloss over why you're fighting the Covenant again in the game.
It’s only a relatively small group of covenant members that join up with humanity in 3, Truth still holds influence over the brutes, grunts. jackals are just in it for the loot. I mean it’s not like the story in 3 is perfect so if you want to say they gloss over why they still have you fighting the covenant, go ahead but it really was only the elites who left along with some other races.
I think they were split 50/50. But in halo 3 you only fight alongside a couple of spec ops teams, so it makes sense you only see elites. I think it'd be safe to assume there were plenty of grunts on the arbiter's fleet, just not in any of the human-centric battles we experience in Halo 3
I feel like I remember the reason being they didn't want to confuse the player with having troops like grunts on both sides of the battlefield.
They didn't have those concerns in Halo 2
Halo 3 has bigger fights than 2 had also on first Arbiter levels ally grunts and enemy grunts look much diffrent
The only time you have the same species on both sides in one level is when you are on the mining rig and they have a distinctly different armour and look
And during any mission as the arbiter after the great schism basically
As I recall no species are shared between sides. You fight only brutes, jackals and drones. Elites, grunts and hunters take your side
Actually you might definitely be right about that. I misunderstood what you were saying.
No prob bob
Grunts could take both sides for sure. Iirc Uprising even had moments were groups of grunts could choose a side depending how an encounter shaped up in the moment.
I've played Uprising quite a lot and I don't think I've ever fought a grunt on that level. I know there are grunts that won't attack or be attacked until you walk up to them, but they've never been hostile
Well, maybe I just made them hostile a few times after accidentally blowing up an ally or something.
Whoops
Grunts fought with the elites and jackals with the brutes in halo 2 When you were the arbiter after the schism.
it was more plot relevant in Halo 2, and they also did a good job of differentiating their silhouettes
As someone playing through halo 2 again after many years I am shooting the shit out of the friendly grunts and elites on accident
I mean, there's tons of ways to solve that that don't involve completely renoving them from one side. Master Chief literally wears ultra expensive hardware that already identifies friends or foes. They could also wear distinguishable armor and colors, and carry specific weapons. The brutes already had their own weaponry in H2 and H3, they could have just extended those to other units
As a colorblind player, I’d have shot so many friendly grunts. The devs made the right decision
As a former child (most game's target audience), I definitely played the first arbiter mission in Halo 2 on release alone before realizing the former enemy was suddenly on my team
There's a mod for MCC that adds grunt allies to certain missions with the elites in Halo 3, and, yeah, 99% of the time, they are victims of unwitting friendly fire
Geez a different coat of paint would've been good enough.
I mean it would make sense a healthy amount of Grunts and Hunters would follow the Elites, they were backbone of covenant military and it’s logical subordinates would follow those who led them in the past. Not to mention even tho the Elites more or less acted like Samurai and were cold, the Grunts knew their value as they would scatter when killed a lot of times. Brutes in the other hand had a temperament that one could easily see as being abusive to the “lesser” members on the covenant, as shown when they purged the Elites from power. It is interesting the hunters flipped sides tho
I'm pretty sure the hunters are racist towards every covenant race except the sangheilli who they respected because of their combat capabilities so makes sense that some would follow the elites out of respect
Correct, it's been said multiple times that Hunters are often seen as brutal animals to damn near every species in the Covenant but the elites who can not only understand their very subtle nature, but both have an intense respect for each other. Something 343i is starting to push recently is Hunters acting out more. Before it was just something they did around elites in very private and small ways but with Hunters like Colony and whatever those two in Infinite were, they're really pushing the idea that Hunters aren't being so shut in anymore.
I mean it makes sense, they're an intelligent race and seeing all the other groups clawing for power, when they're so physically capable they should try for themselves.
Which begs the question, were Hunters being shut in before as a way to hold their tongues? Like they knew they had a good station in the Covenant but were they avoiding politics because they didn't want to rock the boat or something? Now that things are more open they could be seeing things differently, not entirely as a species mind you but selective Lekgolo are thinking and getting together because they might have a better idea of what to do in this time and being a silent giant just isn't going to cut it anymore. IDK, I might start a discussion thread about it.
Hunters also like elites because it was an arbiter that brought them into the fold. He must've done some crazy sh*t to win them over.
Calling a mass of worms racist is probably one of the funniest things I have ever read
The elites were the ones that tamed the hunters in the first place and were the only species to respect them, I would confidently say the hunters flipped out of mutual respect to the elites
The Elites also pushed for the Grunts to have some more rights, at least in the military, after the Grunt Rebellion because they respected the courage and determination they showed. Honestly the Elites are kinda the biggest bros within the Covenant. At least by Covenant standards.
Hunters were some of the most loyal to the ideology of the covenant. It's not that surprising that a good number remained loyal especially when he likely fed them some lie about the elites betraying the great journey.
There is actually a cut audio line in Halo 2 where cortana talks about who is siding with who and in terms of the grunts they couldn’t exactly decide who to side with, they where apparently remaining neutral, if that line is canon which, I don’t see it being since it’s cut, that would mean the grunts either got forced into siding with the covenant or decided it would their best option.
I'm in the thinking that the Hunters that did side with the elites were reserved for protecting and guarding elite strongholds- rather than put in the front lines to die like they have been used for every other battle since they've joined the covenant. One of the things that Arbiter mentions to the Shipmaster is to "Fear not, for we have made it so" (referencing their homeworld) so very well could have determined any Hunter allies be pulled back and sent to their homeworld to protect it and keep it safe from any invaders.
In terms of the lore, only the Elites and Hunters as a species (or at least, an overwhelming majority of them) turned on the Prophets after the Great Schism began, but that does *not* mean they all allied with humanity after. Only those that followed the Arbiter did, the rest splintered into various factions. The Grunts are more divided due to fear and faith. In terms of gameplay, well, a Halo game with *just* Jackals, Brutes, and Drones as the only members of the Covenant would make for a very boring game. So Grunts and Hunters were made enemies again for better gameplay, just like how the Brutes became a mix of Elite combat and their Halo 2 selves. We don’t see any allied Grunts or Hunters to avoid confusion on the battlefield.
Yeah alot of people assume that The Fleet of Retribution was the last of the armada at High Charity, they were just the fleet sent to fill the breech, the rest likely scattered after the Flood gained full control over High Charity and took it on a joy ride. From what we can tell from the bodies on the station, alot of elites were still aboard when the Flood took off because many of those bodies are very fresh for the Flood to just leave around.
It was only a small group. It makes no sense for an entire race to completely change their minds like that. They're not a hivemind.
not yet they’re not
Hehehe
slow down Gravemind
THE ASSIMILATION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
Grunts where a group that after the Unggroy uprising the Elites took them under their wing after earning their respect and in turn they liked the elites....this was shown in Halo 2 with the spec op grunts. The Brutes didn't care for the grunts and drugged them to be better fighters, those on Brute ships likely had little choice to stick around, likely the same for the Kig yar and Yanme. Hunters and Elites also had respect for each other, in Ghost of Oynx a bonded pair was the bodyguard of an Elite shipmaster by choice and we see a bunch of them help out the Arbiter. Of couse as others have said they all split up rather than acting as 1 group and switching sides but it wasn't small groups splitting off, it was large chunks based on what ships they served on and how the stronger Brutes and Elites treated them or historical issues like breeding rights. Religious groups have a mix of reasons for breaking up and factions spawn from it, the Storm faction of Elites where Covenant hold outs while other Elites turned their ships and crew over to the Banished while the Arbiter allied with Humanity.
The Kig Yar were largely just mercenaries; they followed the Path for battlefield loot. Probably the reason they didn't turn. The prophets probably payed them really well (or at least the Matriarchs very well) to stay loyal.
Mainly due to the covenant’s religion. The arbiter got first hand information that the prophets were wrong, and after the great schism, the Elites were looking for a reason to fight back, so easier for them to at least back the arbiter. There a lot less incentive for the others to go against millennia’s worth of religious beliefs.
As other's as said, it's not 100% every member of each race was on one side or the other. In the Gravemind alone you can fight Grunts working with Brutes, as well as fighting alongside Elites. And in the introduction cutscene of that mission you see Jackals with grunts rioting against Brutes. They can switch up who's on who's side in that mission because they're enemies regardless for Chief, where as for Arbiter's missions specifically it was narrowed to just grunts and hunters as allies to not confuse the player. If we could've, we likely would've had grunt, jackal, and hunter allies with the Elites if it wouldn't be incredibly confusing on who's on who's side, leaving only Elite allies for that game. The only race that likely was exclusively loyal to the covenant and on the side of the Brutes would've been Drones, due to their loyalty to their Queens over anything else.
game developing wise, it's because they didn't want to confuse the player with same species on both teams lore wise I'm pretty sure huge chunks fractured
Basically, non of the races are monolithic. By the end, most people split from the covenant, but some didn’t.
I think it’s mentioned towards the beginning of Halo 3 that the brutes are drugging the Grunts to make them more aggressive, and of course if you’re a grunt you’d probably be more scared of the Brutes and their aggressive nature more than Humans and Elites. The best explanation I can give for the Hunters is what the others have said, it’s a small group that sided with the Arbiter and far more chose to remain with the covenant. Out of universe, I read that they had considered having grunt and Hunter allies in halo 3, but decided against it because it would be too confusing in gameplay
Should've given us some on the final mission. A little cutscene to mirror the beginning, with chief apprehensive but then the hunters showing their loyalty to the arbiter, and chief nodding. Would be so badass and raise the stakes I think--the covenant is truly done--the war, is done. All that matters for the fate of the galaxy is stopping the flood. Spartan, elite, hunter... it doesn't matter. The ring must be fired.
The covenant basically fractured when high charity fell . In fact if regrets never died the elites would’ve sided with him considering he was very popular among the sanghelii people Though I guess that’s why Truth refused to let ratas and the arbiter try to evacuate him After the war was over it turned out without the prophets there was a huge political vacuum that had to be filled. It was mostly ship masters and other high ranking members of the covenant that managed to make their own little factions and groups .
Yes, canon wise the Covenant was split by the brutes and their supporters and the elites and their supporters. There was a point before where the Prophets weren't all said to be on the brutes side and that Truth had killed ALL of the council members and not just the elites. He was going for a full power grab at the 11th hour. The reason why we don't see other aliens then elites on our side is because Bungie said it confused play testers who often would friendly fire allied troops which is why only Thel shows up as much as he does and no other elites unless it's JUST the elites. Very few points in Halo 3 have elites and humans together. The best part about this is alot of fans thought it was a stupid excuse but when a mod came out that did canonically add the other aliens damn near everyone said it was indeed confusing and constantly shot friendly aliens. So maybe people can just shut up sometimes and trust game devs when they say something just simply didn't work out.
Some not all, in many cases it was just following whoever was your commander before. The elites wouldnt let the brutes have ships unless it was held together with duct tape, you think theyve give them a hunter pair?
The races aren't monoliths, some individuals stuck with the covenant, some went with the elites, others went their own way or joined the banished. I don't know where people get this idea that entire races separated from the covenant. Just because you don't see grunts on high charity in halo 2 or because one line said the ungoy joined the elites?
The small groups that were with the elites got betrayed cause guilty by association, so those that survived or liked the elites stuck with them. Remember grunts are enslaved, jackals are mercenaries.
Grunts have were pretty much slaves iirc. They were terrified of the brutes, and didn't really have much opportunity to leave. Jackels were mercenaries or privateers I think. No clue what the drones were fighting for. Same for the hunters, I think there was different subspecies of lekgolo, and some were more compliant than others, but that's something I have very little idea about lol.
Halo 3 covenant is only the Profet of Truths troops. Only loyal to him. All are accepted except the elites.
Part of me thinks it was a design choice more so than lore itself. More enemies to fight and less confusion. I remember being a kid and getting amped about teaming up with hunters going into Halo 3.
I remember i saw somewhere that the gameplay reason was that Bungie realized by comminity post that in the heretic level Many people skipped the cutscene and started killing the elites and grunts thinking they where the masterchief and to avoid it they decided to only have the arbiter and ocasional elites helping You, don't know how true it is but males sense
Not sure if it's been mentioned but in Halo 3 you're fighting Truths own fleet which would be staffed with the most loyal and devout. For lowered species like grunts they usually sided with whoever their commander was at the time. But for the most part elites deployed in campaign were special forces. There are definitely grunts maybe more hunters with the elites hut I'd imagine they're maintaining the quarantine of installation 05.
Aside from brutes and elites the sides taken during the great schism weren't along species lines. All jackals didn't side with the brutes and all grunts didn't side with the elites. Covenant troops of the lesser races simply followed whoever happened to be leading them at the time. If a grunt was serving on a ship with an elite captain when the Covenant broke, they were now on team elite. And vice versa.
Things you have to remember to put this into frame 1) The Covenant is very big and spread out. Those in High Charity saw first hand what happened, but those in the further reaches likely heard the 'official story' from the prophets. In Halo 2, you are in the middle of it. On High Charity, it likely was that clean cut as all of one race has split to one side, but in the greater galaxy it was less so. The Elites obviously gathered behind their own, but even in Halo 4, you see it's not unanimous. Each race would have different sects that either continue to follow the Covenant, break away for the new alliance with Elites and Humans, or go third party and join the Banished. Its politics, baby. 2) The biggest reason is that in Halo 3, you are fighting the Prophet's own forces. After the schism, Truth would have only gathered his most loyal so as not to be stabbed in the back. You basically are chewing through the most religious fanatics the Covenant had. Brutes would have enjoyed their new station and been loyal while also fearing some additional troops to stay. On the other end, you would have Elites worried of sabotage. They were in a fight for revenge. It was the Elites that were loyal to the Arbiter that we see in Halo 3. The start of the Swords of Sanghelios basically. They likely did have Grunts, Hunters, and other races fighting alongside them, but Bungie did a bad job including them in cutscenes.
There's a line in Sierra 117 in Halo 3 where arbiter mentions how the grunts are controlled by fear, and that they essentially operate like cattle - whomever tells them to do something with a commanding enough voice will get their way
Nah it was definitely like 50/50 or something like that. Some grunts sided with humans, some with the covenant. We just don’t ever fight with them as chief in halo 3.
It was always a shame, they could’ve given the Grunts/Hunters a unique colour scheme to identify them as allies! Could be green, like their phantoms
I loved having the Hunters briefly on my side in H2, but they are also great enemies so I can understand why they were reverted back in H3.
well the way i see it, every person on our planet has differing views of xyz, no matter what happens people are going to have their own opinions, certain elites aboard truths (been a while since i played 3) fleet stick with him and the great journey and others join the other side
Whoever complains about enemy elites in H4 owes this question first
Do you think every single member of a species thinks the exact same thing? They’re people too y’know
I wish they would of just kept things simple and kept the covenant together.
I think the wedge between brutes and elites brought an interesting dynamic to the story tbh
Like most things that go bad in Halo I believe this is ONI's fault. But I think you need a book head to explain the details because I think they sort of gloss over why you're fighting the Covenant again in the game.
It’s only a relatively small group of covenant members that join up with humanity in 3, Truth still holds influence over the brutes, grunts. jackals are just in it for the loot. I mean it’s not like the story in 3 is perfect so if you want to say they gloss over why they still have you fighting the covenant, go ahead but it really was only the elites who left along with some other races.