history of brutes

Despite their savagery, Brutes have proved intelligent enough to achieve spaceflight and space-faring status, though their warlike nature meant they quickly collapsed into civil war, and quickly afterward, fell back to their former pre-space status and learn nothing from the experience. The Brutes had recently concluded a mechanized war of attrition in which the many Master Packs fought and pummeled each other back to a pre-industrial state. When the Covenant discovered them in 2492, they had just rediscovered radio and rocketry. In their primitive state they were quickly defeated and absorbed into the Covenant.

Their warrior culture makes them formidable opponents, even for Spartans, and they were incorporated into the Covenant as fierce guards for the Prophets and heavy infantry.

Brutes are obviously carnivores, given their fearsome fanged jaws and propensity for violence. It has been stated that they feed on the flesh of their enemies, such as the Humans they face in battle, and have been seen eating the meat of a Thorn Beast, apparently considered a delicacy among Brutes. They have once stated they would have gladly devoured the Arbiter, had they been allowed.

As part of the Covenant, Brutes were required as a prerequisite to convert to the Prophets' religion of worshiping the Forerunners. Previously, their original culture revolved around the worship of totems and idols, but they made swift converts. As it is, the Brutes are now the most fanatical adherents to the Prophet's faith, although they seem to hold little concept of sanctity, evidenced by Tartarus's handling of the "Oracle", among other things. Though Brutes are described numerous times as the most recent additions to the Covenant, their "ancient feud" with the Sangheili means that their introduction into the Covenant was still some time ago.

Even at a glance, the Brutes are one of the most primitive members of the Covenant, at least technologically. Even though they employ Power Armor, and use a selection of the Covenant's weapons such as the Plasma Rifle, their native technology is crude; they often use weapons propelling spike-like or explosive projectiles. These weapons are often fitted with effective metal blades for melee combat.