Sangheili armor

The Sangheili have used a variety of armor over their history. A discrete suit of armor is usually referred to as a harness.

History

 * Various different types of armors have existed throughout history. Over time, the coloration and ornamentation has fluctuated. Armors made in the time around the War of Many Banners and War of Beginnings were often duller in coloration and lacked much of the flair that later armors possessed, though preferences varied by polity. While considered unseemly in later generations, even passive camouflage has been used at points throughout history, including the era of the Wars of Iron and Blood when most energy weapons did not yet exist.
 * More style and flair was added after the Covenant's formation; as well as shielding later on (shielding initially only on the higher ranks and only percolated to be standard to all ranks around the Second Illumination). Bright armor coloration is part doctrine and aesthetic preference, part a means to enable species with differing spectra of color perception to easily differentiate ranks. Over the ages, it has become codified into mainstream Covenant warfighting doctrine, and interwoven with the tenets of Sangheili martial culture and heraldic traditions.

Harness

 * Harnesses use pattern system
 * Dzukari-pattern combat harness, one of the most common standard-issue permutations within the Ministry of Resolution by the final ages of the Covenant
 * Esuqaas-pattern combat harness, a less common manufacturer variation on the Dzukari-pattern
 * Oduwagha-pattern combat harness
 * Neribalu-pattern intrusion harness, an infrequent harness permutation seen in the service of the Devoted Sentries chapter of the Ministry of Fervent Intercession.


 * Modern pattern of combat harness is c. 400 years old (?)
 * Harness can be issued by the clan (if they are wealthy or have access to armories) or, as is common in the later ages, by the ministries themselves. Standardization has become more common in the Consolidation Era of the Covenant, though even in ancient times there have been uniform forces under High Charity.