Their political motivation is completely unknown. Though uncommon, the Mgalekgolo can even come in larger sizes and even bigger than the standard Covenant Wraith. They usually stand between twelve to thirteen feet tall, but when in their combat state they crouch into between eight to eight-and-one-half feet, protecting their visible, unarmored stomach and neck. In this form, they are the strongest and most resilient species in the Covenant. Hunters take the hulking bipedal form in the Covenant military. If left alone for a long period of time, however, they will adopt a 'split personality' of shooting followed by melee attacks.ĭuring the Battle of Onyx, some Mgalekgolos apparently had command of lower-ranking Sangheili, signifying they may have a higher military rank in the Covenant military than previously indicated. If one of the bonded colonies is killed, the other will go into a frenzied state, much like the berserk state of a Jiralhanae, or the suicidal charge of an Unggoy. Bonded Mgalekgolo colonies are dropped into battle together by the Covenant, as the Spartans learned: where you find a Mgalekgolo, there is always another close by.

The armor and Assault Cannons used by the Mgalekgolo were given to them by the Sangheili after the former joined the Fellowship of the Mgalekgolo ring that have split into 'bond brothers' are recognized by spiked appendages that rise from their shoulders, which means that they are bonded to another Mgalekgolo. These colonies will share an extremely close and mysterious bond, referred to only as being 'bond brothers', or 'mates'. When a single colony of Mgalekgolo becomes too big, the colony will divide in half to create two independent Mgalekgolo colonies. Their price for this trade was access to space-travel technologies and exploration of the Covenant space lanes. In their agreement to join with the Covenant, the Lekgolo worms, which fed on specific minerals, were consigned to investigate the Forerunner Dreadnought that resided in High Charity and help uncover its inner workings. Terms for their induction into the Covenant were eventually met, despite communication difficulties (which hampered the process). This later came to be known as the Taming of the Hunters. Thus, to save themselves from extinction, their only choice was to agree to join the Covenant. The Covenant was forced to rely on orbital bombardment, a strategy against which Mgalekgolo had little-to-no defense. In ground combat campaigns they were mostly victorious, despite the valiant effort of the Sangheili. The Covenant were further infuriated by the Lekgolo's destruction of Forerunner artifacts during the Mgalekgolo's routine feedings. Their physiology gave them a tremendous and unexpected advantage in combat, not only hampering, but even halting, the Covenant's advance and killing an Arbiter. When the Mgalekgolo home world of Te was discovered by the Covenant Empire, intent on mining its riches, they faced, instead, heavy resistance from what the humans know as 'Hunters'. They always come in pairs or 'bond brothers.' The death of one will enrage the other. During and after the Great Schism there was a division within the species, some aligning with the Covenant Separatists and others remaining with the Covenant Loyalists.

The Mgalekgolo ( Ophis congregatio, meaning 'serpent union'), more commonly known as Hunters, are a unique gestalt of smaller creatures known as Lekgolo, which are tiny, orange, worm-like creatures that group together to exponentially increase their intelligence, strength, and maneuverability.

Halo hunter