I’m sorry if this question has been asked 1 million times here but I would really like to know because I think that the brutes are such a big part of the halo universe and shouldn’t be ignored 100% just because a new studio is making halo now. Also brutes are my favourite enemy in halo and the brute shot is my favourite weapon so I would really like to see these return in future halo. 
The Brutes are indeed alive and kicking.
When the Brutes were integrated into the Covenant, they were settled on resource rich worlds to deter greedy members of the Covenant to take the resources for themselves.
In the post war era, Brutes aren’t doing to well. Quite a handful are operating with Sangheili as slave labor, using their Sangheili commanders to fill the psychological role of Chieftain. Most of the Brutes, however, don’t have the machinery necessary to extract the resources from the worlds they were settled on. This has lead to an escalation in Brute raiding parties in the Sangheili-Jiralhanae Joint Occupation Zone. While the packs are currently working together, their alliance will not last. Brutes are months away from famine and will soon begin fighting among themselves.
Meanwhile, on Sangheilios and other Elite controlled areas, Brutes are starting to abandon the Sangheili, planting bombs and stealing ships in the process.
At the current point we’re at in the Halo story, Lord Hood, The Arbiter, and Elder Chieftain Lydus are in the process of peace talks as all factions want and need the resources on the Brute colonies.
> 2533274819594227;2:
> The Brutes are indeed alive and kicking.
>
> When the Brutes were integrated into the Covenant, they were settled on resource rich worlds to deter greedy members of the Covenant to take the resources for themselves.
>
> In the post war era, Brutes aren’t doing to well. Quite a handful are operating with Sangheili as slave labor, using their Sangheili commanders to fill the psychological role of Chieftain. Most of the Brutes, however, don’t have the machinery necessary to extract the resources from the worlds they were settled on. This has lead to an escalation in Brute raiding parties in the Sangheili-Jiralhanae Joint Occupation Zone. While the packs are currently working together, their alliance will not last. Brutes are months away from famine and will soon begin fighting among themselves.
>
> Meanwhile, on Sangheilios and other Elite controlled areas, Brutes are starting to abandon the Sangheili, planting bombs and stealing ships in the process.
>
> At the current point we’re at in the Halo story, Lord Hood, The Arbiter, and Elder Chieftain Lydus are in the process of peace talks as all factions want and need the resources on the Brute colonies.
thank you for posting this! i am new to the whole Halo lore and it was very strange when the Brutes were built up so much between the 2nd and 3rd game only to vanish from the Covenant completely in 4 and 5!
> 2533274819594227;2:
> The Brutes are indeed alive and kicking.
>
> When the Brutes were integrated into the Covenant, they were settled on resource rich worlds to deter greedy members of the Covenant to take the resources for themselves.
>
> In the post war era, Brutes aren’t doing to well. Quite a handful are operating with Sangheili as slave labor, using their Sangheili commanders to fill the psychological role of Chieftain. Most of the Brutes, however, don’t have the machinery necessary to extract the resources from the worlds they were settled on. This has lead to an escalation in Brute raiding parties in the Sangheili-Jiralhanae Joint Occupation Zone. While the packs are currently working together, their alliance will not last. Brutes are months away from famine and will soon begin fighting among themselves.
>
> Meanwhile, on Sangheilios and other Elite controlled areas, Brutes are starting to abandon the Sangheili, planting bombs and stealing ships in the process.
>
> At the current point we’re at in the Halo story, Lord Hood, The Arbiter, and Elder Chieftain Lydus are in the process of peace talks as all factions want and need the resources on the Brute colonies.
Actually, the Joint Occupation Zones are between the Swords of Sanghelios and the UNSC, not between the Elites and Brutes. Escalation brings up the fact that many Sangheili colonies located within the Joint Occupation Zones are being raided by the Jiralhanae due to their dwindling resources. The is no alliance between the two races.
And don’t forget the fact that in The Return, many Sangheili commanders are hunting down the Brutes to extinction. Now add that to the fact that Brutes have been seen as slave labour and constantly demonised in-universe as well as out.
> 2533274968769781;1:
> I’m sorry if this question has been asked 1 million times here but I would really like to know because I think that the brutes are such a big part of the halo universe and shouldn’t be ignored 100% just because a new studio is making halo now. Also brutes are my favourite enemy in halo and the brute shot is my favourite weapon so I would really like to see these return in future halo.
the brutes are to busy hammering eachother to death
> 2533274941452909;5:
> > 2533274968769781;1:
> > I’m sorry if this question has been asked 1 million times here but I would really like to know because I think that the brutes are such a big part of the halo universe and shouldn’t be ignored 100% just because a new studio is making halo now. Also brutes are my favourite enemy in halo and the brute shot is my favourite weapon so I would really like to see these return in future halo.
>
>
> the brutes are to busy hammering eachother to death
Yeah, and last time I checked so are the Elites, except with swords.
I’m glad to see them gone. Drove me crazy in ODST.
> 2535410645227839;7:
> I’m glad to see them gone. Drove me crazy in ODST.
No way, they were fun to fight, and having a game focused on them was a nice change from the Elites!
> 2533274884387290;8:
> > 2535410645227839;7:
> > I’m glad to see them gone. Drove me crazy in ODST.
>
>
> No way, they were fun to fight, and having a game focused on them was a nice change from the Elites!
A game that had focused in them as enemies. However, none of the games actually explores or humanises the Brutes. They are constantly demonised, even throughout the novels. Meanwhile the Elites have had several games where they were playable, several games that had revolved around the, or they had a major impact on the plot, several novels (too many to list) exploring their culture, their history and their perspectives, fancy technology… I could keep going on and on. But what do the Brutes get? 2-3 games demonising the Brutes, several novels demonising them, Brutes being hunted down to almost to the point of extinction by the Elites (The Return) and a single universe entry, a novel (Contsct Harvest) and short story (Stomping in the Heels of a fuss) exploring their culture.
I honestly hope Halo Wars 2 barely features any Elites. Just Brutes and other barely witness Covenant races (Yanme’e and Yonhet), the Spirit of Fire Crew and the Flood. Just… Anything BUT the Elites.
> 2533274926227685;9:
> > 2533274884387290;8:
> > > 2535410645227839;7:
> > > I’m glad to see them gone. Drove me crazy in ODST.
> >
> >
> > No way, they were fun to fight, and having a game focused on them was a nice change from the Elites!
>
>
> A game that had focused in them as enemies. However, none of the games actually explores or humanises the Brutes. They are constantly demonised, even throughout the novels. Meanwhile the Elites have had several games where they were playable, several games that had revolved around the, or they had a major impact on the plot, several novels (too many to list) exploring their culture, their history and their perspectives, fancy technology… I could keep going on and on. But what do the Brutes get? 2-3 games demonising the Brutes, several novels demonising them, Brutes being hunted down to almost to the point of extinction by the Elites (The Return) and a single universe entry, a novel (Contsct Harvest) and short story (Stomping in the Heels of a fuss) exploring their culture.
>
> I honestly hope Halo Wars 2 barely features any Elites. Just Brutes and other barely witness Covenant races (Yanme’e and Yonhet), the Spirit of Fire Crew and the Flood. Just… Anything BUT the Elites.
Yeah I agree, there really hasn’t been much focus on their culture, though from what we’ve seen its a pretty safe bet their culture is basically ape like and violent. It would be very cool to see another side of them though. From the one trailer we have for Halo Wars 2 it could be safe to predict a focus on them as antagonists. Though I’m hoping for Halo Wars 2 to be set in the Covenant War, so I expect there will be Elites as well if this happens.
All this being said, most video games do not go this far into the lore of the antagonists, Halo is pretty good for lore, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.
If there is one thing that we absolutely need, it is lore that really dives into the lore of the Brutes and makes them more than crazy space apes. I love the Brutes. I could see them having a really fascinating culture, that would surprise a lot of people. Too often does the lore focus on The Elites and how wonderful they are. It has even reached a point where you have an Elite actively vying for the romantic interest of Sarah Palmer. It makes me sick, and I have stopped consuming the lore because there is just too much Sangheili huff. 343 has allowed their obsession with the Elites to go full fan fiction / rule 34 as of Halo 5.
The only positive lore I have seen attached to the Brutes was Halo Escalation 1,2, and 3…and that was swept under the rug for whatever reason. That was an amazing story arc, and 343 decided to “leave it nebulous”. You could have made an entire 10 of 15 piece collection about The Brutes trying to normalize relations with Humanity, specifically (with Humanity being the mutual ally between the Brutes and the Elites - hence keeping peace), all while trying to keep Covenant Remnant forces at bay, and from sullying the diplomatic ties. We could have seen the Brutes actually have an arc, as a species, and actually take a step forward on the galactic stage. We could have seen the Brutes, in all of their aggressive nature, learn to have a begrudging respect for Humanity, and actually want to cooperate with them. We could have seen Humanity have a good reason for their surge in power with their access to the resources under the Brutes feet, and the Brutes could have learned more about cooperation with other races, and perhaps even something about how to actually take advantage of these resources (trading resources for knowledge and expertise). But no…we needed more Elites and more huff pieces about how fantastic the SoS is. We needed more DIdact. We needed Lord Hood in a wheelchair. We needed to see how happy the HUmans and the Elites are with all their joint ops.
I always believed that good narrative stems from actually contributing to you lore in new ways. By constantly developing the lore of the Elites, it gets stale and boring. If you go back and read Escalation 1-3…Chieftain Lydus actually got along with the Humans. He was very weary of the Arbiter and the Sangheili, but, he really didn’t have too much beef with Lord Hood or the Humans. There is more value to the lore with Humanity struggling to forge new ties with a harsh species, than constantly showing us the puppy love between the UNSC and Sangheili.
Even the Canon Fodder articles are so focused on the Elites, it is mind boggling. Every time a community Q&A comes around, I ask for more lore on the Brutes, and every time, all we get is more Sangheili huff. If I have said it once, it is worth saying again…the Sangheili are GETTING STALE! Give us something new! Give us lore on The Brutes. They deserve to have their arc, and they deserve to have a future in the lore beyond “being hunted into extinction” or “too primitive to do anything”
If 343 wanted to make things right, they can start by retconning The Return right out of the lore. I do not think that there is any room in the lore for this piece. I think it was a very short sighted and narrow minded piece of lore that was written before 343 had laid out their game plan. If The Brutes are ever given a chance at redemption and an actual arc, The Return needs to be retconned out of the lore. Furthermore, if 343 is going for a Mass Effect 3 style story, where we have a galaxy uniting against the created, the Brutes need to have their arc, and they need to step up, and they cannot be driven to extinction. You need to give the Brutes their time in the sun. They need to have a future, and they need to advance as a species. They are not dumb animals and they are not mindless apes; the lore SHOULD reflect that. This species did achieve space faring status by themselves once. Yes, they made mistakes with it. Fix it, by showing us they actually learned from it in some way.
Yes, Halo Wars 2 will feature the Brutes, but, chances are, they are just gonna be baddies. I am not opposed to the Brutes being baddies, but I want smart baddies. I want baddies with redeemable qualities, and deep characters. I doubt we will see our Mystery Chieftain come to his senses in the face of the flood and actually set aside his differences with Humanity in order to survive contact with this dangerous parasite.
Holy hell this thread got bumped.
> 2533274819594227;12:
> Holy hell this thread got bumped.
Yes it did, but, it is something that is very worth talking about.
> 2533274800842897;11:
> If there is one thing that we absolutely need, it is lore that really dives into the lore of the Brutes and makes them more than crazy space apes. I love the Brutes. I could see them having a really fascinating culture, that would surprise a lot of people. Too often does the lore focus on The Elites and how wonderful they are. It has even reached a point where you have an Elite actively vying for the romantic interest of Sarah Palmer. It makes me sick, and I have stopped consuming the lore because there is just too much Sangheili huff. 343 has allowed their obsession with the Elites to go full fan fiction / rule 34 as of Halo 5.
>
> The only positive lore I have seen attached to the Brutes was Halo Escalation 1,2, and 3…and that was swept under the rug for whatever reason. That was an amazing story arc, and 343 decided to “leave it nebulous”. You could have made an entire 10 of 15 piece collection about The Brutes trying to normalize relations with Humanity, specifically (with Humanity being the mutual ally between the Brutes and the Elites - hence keeping peace), all while trying to keep Covenant Remnant forces at bay, and from sullying the diplomatic ties. We could have seen the Brutes actually have an arc, as a species, and actually take a step forward on the galactic stage. We could have seen the Brutes, in all of their aggressive nature, learn to have a begrudging respect for Humanity, and actually want to cooperate with them. We could have seen Humanity have a good reason for their surge in power with their access to the resources under the Brutes feet, and the Brutes could have learned more about cooperation with other races, and perhaps even something about how to actually take advantage of these resources (trading resources for knowledge and expertise). But no…we needed more Elites and more huff pieces about how fantastic the SoS is. We needed more DIdact. We needed Lord Hood in a wheelchair. We needed to see how happy the HUmans and the Elites are with all their joint ops.
>
> I always believed that good narrative stems from actually contributing to you lore in new ways. By constantly developing the lore of the Elites, it gets stale and boring. If you go back and read Escalation 1-3…Chieftain Lydus actually got along with the Humans. He was very weary of the Arbiter and the Sangheili, but, he really didn’t have too much beef with Lord Hood or the Humans. There is more value to the lore with Humanity struggling to forge new ties with a harsh species, than constantly showing us the puppy love between the UNSC and Sangheili.
>
> Even the Canon Fodder articles are so focused on the Elites, it is mind boggling. Every time a community Q&A comes around, I ask for more lore on the Brutes, and every time, all we get is more Sangheili huff. If I have said it once, it is worth saying again…the Sangheili are GETTING STALE! Give us something new! Give us lore on The Brutes. They deserve to have their arc, and they deserve to have a future in the lore beyond “being hunted into extinction” or “too primitive to do anything”
>
> If 343 wanted to make things right, they can start by retconning The Return right out of the lore. I do not think that there is any room in the lore for this piece. I think it was a very short sighted and narrow minded piece of lore that was written before 343 had laid out their game plan. If The Brutes are ever given a chance at redemption and an actual arc, The Return needs to be retconned out of the lore. Furthermore, if 343 is going for a Mass Effect 3 style story, where we have a galaxy uniting against the created, the Brutes need to have their arc, and they need to step up, and they cannot be driven to extinction. You need to give the Brutes their time in the sun. They need to have a future, and they need to advance as a species. They are not dumb animals and they are not mindless apes; the lore SHOULD reflect that. This species did achieve space faring status by themselves once. Yes, they made mistakes with it. Fix it, by showing us they actually learned from it in some way.
>
> Yes, Halo Wars 2 will feature the Brutes, but, chances are, they are just gonna be baddies. I am not opposed to the Brutes being baddies, but I want smart baddies. I want baddies with redeemable qualities, and deep characters. I doubt we will see our Mystery Chieftain come to his senses in the face of the flood and actually set aside his differences with Humanity in order to survive contact with this dangerous parasite.
I agree with all of THIS.
One thing that’s interesting about the Jiralhanae is that, in a way, they are an alternate view of Humanity, who in their case the Cold War had escalated to the point of nuclear war, yet a few years later the race had been “saved” by being uplifted by the Covenant. Then 60 years after their induction to the Covenant they’re being hunted down to extinction by the guys who had uplifted them (to put it vaguely). The Brutes have so much potential that could be explored, yet very little has actually made use of that potential (this actually gives Last Light special bonus points in my book for the inclusion of both the Spartan-IIIs and the Jiralhanae). Yet the only Jiralhanae that has actually been humanised and given proper treatment that I can recall is Castor from Halo: Last Light.
Honestly, and it’s quite sad to say this, but the Jiralhanae have been treated even worse than the freaking Unggoy. The Unggoy get better treatment, both in-universe AND out. At least the Unggoy are not demonised and ignored constantly.
I mean, come on, let’s drop the Sangheili completely and build up the other races, not just the Brutes, but the Yanme’e, the Kig-Yar (who did receive some love in Hunt the Truth season 2), hell, even the Yonhet. Just anything BUT the Sangheili. They’ve had several novels including Hunters in the freaking Dark, Broken Circle, Kilo-Five, Shadow of Intent and several more, along with several games such as Halo 2, 3 and 5 revolving around the Elites. Even in the latest Canon Fodder the Brutes have been ignored. Last time I checked the Brutes ARE a major power in the galaxy, right after the Elites and Humanity. Honestly, the amount of Sangheili fiction is sickening at this point.
You know, one thing I would certainly like to see is a Sangheili faction (that’s NOT the SOS) actually giving good treatment to the Jiralhanae. Not only would it be a way to undemonise the Jiralhanae, it would also serve as a way to show that the post war conflicts isn’t black and white. One thing I’m quite annoyed about is that there has been little shown to humanise the Covenant remnants, with those factions always being portrayed as religious fanatics. One thing I have noticed in Halo: Spartan Strike is that Jul’s Faction has Brutes in their ranks. Yes, Jul has Brutes in his Covenant, as in, NOT hunting them down to extinction, unlike a certain other faction seen in The Return (hint: it was the SOS). This serves as a way to show the post war conflicts isn’t black and white and a way to humanise the relationships other species have with the Brutes.
Another thing to note is that, while the Sangheili have, ignoring the Swords Of Sanghelios (because the SOS is very, very tiring at this point), not been shown to innovate upon their technology. However, one thing that IS interesting is that the Jiralhanae have. The Brutes had manufactured their own gear (Spiker, Brute Shot, Mauler), their own vehicles (the Prowler, they modified the Chopper), modified their own ships. Something like this is interesting and it is something that should be explored. Show us how the Brutes are different to the Elites, show us why the Brutes were chosen to replace the Prophets that doesn’t have something to do with political power. Show us that the Brutes aren’t mindless apes. Show us that the Brutes aren’t the demonised beasts that everyone seems to believe.
> 2533274926227685;15:
> You know, one thing I would certainly like to see is a Sangheili faction (that’s NOT the SOS) actually giving good treatment to the Jiralhanae. Not only would it be a way to undemonise the Jiralhanae, it would also serve as a way to show that the post war conflicts isn’t black and white. One thing I’m quite annoyed about is that there has been little shown to humanise the Covenant remnants, with those factions always being portrayed as religious fanatics. One thing I have noticed in Halo: Spartan Strike is that Jul’s Faction has Brutes in their ranks. Yes, Jul has Brutes in his Covenant, as in, NOT hunting them down to extinction, unlike a certain other faction seen in The Return (hint: it was the SOS). This serves as a way to show the post war conflicts isn’t black and white and a way to humanise the relationships other species have with the Brutes.
>
> Another thing to note is that, while the Sangheili have, ignoring the Swords Of Sanghelios (because the SOS is very, very tiring at this point), not been shown to innovate upon their technology. However, one thing that IS interesting is that the Jiralhanae have. The Brutes had manufactured their own gear (Spiker, Brute Shot, Mauler), their own vehicles (the Prowler, they modified the Chopper), modified their own ships. Something like this is interesting and it is something that should be explored. Show us how the Brutes are different to the Elites, show us why the Brutes were chosen to replace the Prophets that doesn’t have something to do with political power. Show us that the Brutes aren’t mindless apes. Show us that the Brutes aren’t the demonised beasts that everyone seems to believe.
Generally, I think the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae will never be more than uneasy allies. If I am not mistaken, Jul Mdama hated the Jiralhanae, and it was Merg VOl that had Jiralhanae in his ranks. I think Merg Vol also disliked Brutes, however. I will say that Brutes and Elites should dislike one another. This is not a bad thing, per say. I think that enriches the galactic politics. In my honest opinion
However, I will say this; Human and Brutes have been known to get along. The Keepers of the One Freedom, for example, saw Brutes and Humans working together, against the UNSC and UEG. I think this sets president that would enable the UNSC to work with Lydus’ clan for mutually beneficial purposes. To be honest, I would rather see the UNSC trying to build a bridge with Lydus’ Jiralhanae. I think both sides could make it work, and it would enrich the UNSC and Jiralhanae aspects of the lore, by showing how the process would go, from start to finish.
I do agree though, Brutes are sold very short, in and out of the lore. There is no shortage of Sangheili fanboys that say Brutes are “dumb apes”, all while ignoring the little facts that become clear when you read between the lines. The Brutes do know how to innovate, and they do understand how to adapt technology. I just wish it was shown more in the lore, and in more clear and precise fashion.
> 2533274800842897;16:
> > 2533274926227685;15:
> > You know, one thing I would certainly like to see is a Sangheili faction (that’s NOT the SOS) actually giving good treatment to the Jiralhanae. Not only would it be a way to undemonise the Jiralhanae, it would also serve as a way to show that the post war conflicts isn’t black and white. One thing I’m quite annoyed about is that there has been little shown to humanise the Covenant remnants, with those factions always being portrayed as religious fanatics. One thing I have noticed in Halo: Spartan Strike is that Jul’s Faction has Brutes in their ranks. Yes, Jul has Brutes in his Covenant, as in, NOT hunting them down to extinction, unlike a certain other faction seen in The Return (hint: it was the SOS). This serves as a way to show the post war conflicts isn’t black and white and a way to humanise the relationships other species have with the Brutes.
> >
> > Another thing to note is that, while the Sangheili have, ignoring the Swords Of Sanghelios (because the SOS is very, very tiring at this point), not been shown to innovate upon their technology. However, one thing that IS interesting is that the Jiralhanae have. The Brutes had manufactured their own gear (Spiker, Brute Shot, Mauler), their own vehicles (the Prowler, they modified the Chopper), modified their own ships. Something like this is interesting and it is something that should be explored. Show us how the Brutes are different to the Elites, show us why the Brutes were chosen to replace the Prophets that doesn’t have something to do with political power. Show us that the Brutes aren’t mindless apes. Show us that the Brutes aren’t the demonised beasts that everyone seems to believe.
>
>
> Generally, I think the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae will never be more than uneasy allies. If I am not mistaken, Jul Mdama hated the Jiralhanae, and it was Merg VOl that had Jiralhanae in his ranks. I think Merg Vol also disliked Brutes, however. I will say that Brutes and Elites should dislike one another. This is not a bad thing, per say. I think that enriches the galactic politics. In my honest opinion
>
> However, I will say this; Human and Brutes have been known to get along. The Keepers of the One Freedom, for example, saw Brutes and Humans working together, against the UNSC and UEG. I think this sets president that would enable the UNSC to work with Lydus’ clan for mutually beneficial purposes. To be honest, I would rather see the UNSC trying to build a bridge with Lydus’ Jiralhanae. I think both sides could make it work, and it would enrich the UNSC and Jiralhanae aspects of the lore, by showing how the process would go, from start to finish.
>
> I do agree though, Brutes are sold very short, in and out of the lore. There is no shortage of Sangheili fanboys that say Brutes are “dumb apes”, all while ignoring the little facts that become clear when you read between the lines. The Brutes do know how to innovate, and they do understand how to adapt technology. I just wish it was shown more in the lore, and in more clear and precise fashion.
Actually, Spartan Strike featured Jul’s faction with Jiralhane in his ranks on Installation 03. And, as you said, Brutes and Elites being in conflict with each other would be great in terms of political storytelling, having cases of Brutes and Elites working -together- would make that even more interest, not that I’m saying every single Brute and Elite should kiss -Yoink-, but it enriches storytelling by showing variety, outliers, complexity.
I certainly agree with your point on Human-Jiralhanae interactions. That’s one of the many, many things that made Halo: Last alight such a great novel. It showed that the Brutes and Humans can interact and fight with each other. It showed that the Jiralhane are a morally complex race. However, I don’t like the idea of Humanity being allies with every single race out there, humanity being the mediator between each of the Covenant races. Mass Effect had already went into that route and in a way reinforces the HFY aspect that been plaguing the Halo universe since the end of the Covenant war/post Bungie.
Exactly. In some ways, the Brutes -are- better than the Elites, and in others, they are not. I want 343 to show this, and not kiss Sangheili -Yoink- while doing so.
I thought i knew how the brutes vanished, I guess not thanks for the info.
They all gathered up with the new Banished leader Atriox from halo wars 2, and broke the covenant with their clan.
> 2535406353054564;19:
> They all gathered up with the new Banished leader Atriox from halo wars 2, and broke the covenant with their clan.
Please do not revive old threads.