Halo 3 has gone down in history as one of the finest games ever. It had a revolutionary and exceptionally popular multiplayer mode which has been given a new lease on life thanks to The Master Chief Collection, while its campaign is a timeless masterpiece. In that campaign, you face a wide range of enemies, some much more powerful and much more interesting than others.
We’ve taken a look at the campaign as a whole and ranked each variety of enemies you can snipe in the head or launch a sticky grenade at, based on their power.
14 Constructors
The Constructors come in last place on our list simply because they can barely be counted as enemies. These guys aren't exactly on team Chief, but they never try to hurt him either. They simply float around fixing stuff as their name suggests; however, if they get attacked, the Sentinels will know about it.
13 Grunts
The weakest and most comedic of all Covenant enemies are the Grunts. These little triangular guys are always out in force during fights but have very little impact on their proceedings. Typically, they carry a plasma pistol and miss most of their shots, but they can occasionally mount a turret or drive a Ghost. Known for their stupidity, it’s easy to take down a grunt. A well-placed headshot with most guns with be their downfall, while a quick melee to the back will take down all of them. At their least intelligent, you can wander past a group of Grunts taking a nap (which actually happens towards the start of the Halo 3 campaign) or see one sprinting towards you with sticky grenade attached to its hands.
12 Drones
Probably the most annoying enemy in all of Halo is the Drone. A bit like a glorified bumble bee, the Drones fly around your head every now and again, seemingly more intent on getting in the way rather than doing any actual harm.
As they’re so small, each Drone can be killed incredibly easily if you can manage to find a moment where they aren’t whizzing around too quickly. Most of them wield a plasma pistol just like the Grunts. So as long as you can find some cover from which to attack them, they shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
11 The Flood (Infection Form)
The Flood is the catch-all name for the zombie-like parasite that can consume sentient life. The infection form of the Flood is the simplest form of Flood enemy you can face in Halo 3. However, they're basically the zombified equivalent of the Drones - they're annoying, but not difficult to kill. Like the Drones hover around you in the air, these guys gang up on you from beneath your feet.
10 The Flood (Combat Form)
The Flood don’t tend to discriminate, turning both UNSC marines and Covenant into their mutant form. Their basic Combat Form is dangerous but unrefined. With a bit of poise, you can take out this variant way before it is actually able to attack you. When you can still see the remains of an Elite underneath their mutated outer shell they're bloody terrifying, though.
9 Sentinels
The closest thing to a Constructor in terms of physiology is the Sentinel. They look pretty similar, but the main difference is that the Sentinels are equipped to fight back. There are a few different varieties of Sentinel, and they cover a range of Forerunner activities, from repair (like the Constructor) to defense. When you come across one equipped with a Sentinel Beam, it might be a tough fight. Until you remember how susceptible they are to plasma weapons, that is.
8 The Flood (Carrier Form)
The Carrier Form of the Flood looks like it would be one of the most dangerous foes in the Halo world, but they're surprisingly easy to take care of. A Combat Form Flood will eventually evolve into the Carrier Form, which will eventually spontaneously explode and send Infection Forms out around it, thus starting the cycle again. This makes them crucial for the Flood's survival, but not particularly difficult to stop.
7 Jackals
The Jackals play an important role amongst the line-up of Covenant enemies. They are one of two Kig-Yar subspecies (the other being Halo: Reach’s Skirmishers), and the only enemy well-versed in the use of sniper weapons. They might be rather rare in comparison to the likes of Brutes and Grunts, but noticing a Jackal up in the treetops is pretty scary when you remember how accurate they can be. On higher difficultly, one shot in the head from a well-hidden Jackal is going to take your entire shield away, so you really need to be on top of your game when fighting off these guys.
6 Brutes
In Halo lore, the Brutes are the most recent addition to the Covenant. Their real name (Jiralhanae) can be translated to Wild Slave, thanks to their savagery. While among the least intelligent of the Covenant, they’ve still managed to form a society that has an impressive grasp over explosives and has access to their own jetpacks. Fighting a Brute can be simple if you’re able to keep your distance, as they tend to fight with close-range weapons and physical aggression. But on higher difficulties, they're a challenge. Also, remember that Brutes have a hierarchy. Some lower-ranking Brutes will have limited armor and weaker weapons, but Brute Chieftains, for example, are suited and booted while wielding gravity hammers.
5 Monitors
Monitors are in charge of the various types of Sentinels while they are stationed at each Halo installation. They are highly intelligent but seem to have the large majority of their interactions and decisions built around an inbuilt protocol, and as such, their knowledge outside of their Installation is pretty limited. The Monitor we are most familiar with is 343 Guilty Spark. He (and his fellow Monitors) rank quite highly in our list as he provides the game's toughest boss fight, but once you know what you're doing, he isn't too hard to take care of.
4 The Flood (Ranged Form)
The most threatening thing about the Flood is their ability to adapt and infect with such speed. However, the Pure Flood variant is composed entirely of Flood biomass, meaning they don't have to worry about finding a host.
The least impactful of the three Pure varieties is the Ranged Form, as it cannot move. The main problem with fighting a Ranged Form Flood is that their projectiles are highly dangerous if you don't have the ability to quickly snipe them, and they can turn into Stalker Form and back if necessary.
3 The Flood (Stalker Form)
Stalker Form is the Form that attacks the least frequently. Their immense speed and ability to jump long distances make them a formidable foe, while their ability to change into Ranged or Tank form makes them unpredictable in a fight. However, in a direct one on one battle, they aren't impossible to kill.
2 The Flood (Tank Form)
The Tank Form of the Flood basically does exactly what you expect it to. It's large, brutal, and tough to kill. The one good thing is that this makes them slower, easier to spot, and rarer. On top of that, they can create Infection Forms. The Energy Sword is the only way to kill them with speed.
1 Hunters
Interestingly, Hunters aren’t one singular life-form, but a gestalt of Lekgolo creatures who group together to form a Mgalekgogo (AKA, a Hunter). This leaves them as the most powerful, most resilient, and most intelligent of all the Covenant life forms. Even on the easiest of difficulty, Hunters are very hard to kill and take a lot of work with high-powered weaponry. On higher difficulties, they’re almost impossible to take down. And they almost always travel in pairs, so you have twice the fear to stare in the face. They also come equipped with a high powered assault cannon: this weapon is a version of the fuel rod cannon which is capable of shooting high powered incendiary gel directly from the right arm of the Hunter. Even when you finally manage to kill a Hunter, you can’t pick up its weapon.