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The Covenant society is based around a caste system of the species below. Many of the alien species conquered by the Covenant are conscripted into, or gradually become part of the alliance. However, during the first contact with the Humans, The Oracle on board the Forerunner Dreadnought revealed to Truth and Regret that Humans are "My Makers", as shown by its luminary. Since the entire Covenant was based on the belief that the Forerunners had transcended, Truth and Regret knew if any of the other races found out what the Oracle told them, the Covenant would break apart.

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Prophets

As the highest caste, the Prophets lead the Covenant and exert complete control over all religious and political affairs. Physically weak, Prophets wield power through absolute command of the Covenant and through scavenged Forerunner technology, leaving the task of conquest to the Elites and the other races. Their higher understanding of the Forerunners gives them great ego and religious powers over the Covenant. The fact that the Covenant are religious zealots makes it all the more easy to control them. They are addressed as "Hierarchs", "Noble Hierarchs", "Holy Ones" or "Exalted" by the other races of the Covenant. Prophets enforce a misguided theology based on the belief that firing the Halo Array will herald some kind of sublimation event called the "Great Journey", which they believe will lead them to the Forerunner's final destination, but it was unknown to them that it would lead them to their death if the Halos were activated. They are called San 'Shyuum in the Covenant language. The most recent and final Hierarchs were Regret, Mercy and, Truth. Prophets will abandon their allies at any moment, as they regard their own self preservation over everything else. This was shown when the Prophet of Truth abandoned Mercy to the Flood.

Brutes

Brutes are one of the newer species to the Covenant and are the only race that has obtained equal status to that of one of the founding "clients" of the Covenant pact, the Elites. They have an incredible natural resilience to damage because of their tough rhino like skin that makes up for their lack of Energy Shields (be it noted that later in Halo 3 they get power armor), and use a number of weapons and vehicles based upon their pre-Covenant technology. This technology is primitive compared to other Covenant weapons, but they are still incredibly lethal, with most Brute-developed weapons having blades attached to them. Suprisingly on of the only ways to take them out is a turret. Some chieftains in Halo 3 and Tartarus from Halo 2 are also equipped with invincibility. As opposed to standard Brute combat, Brutes sometimes will go "berserk", and will try to and usually kill anyone or anything in its path. The said Brute will charge mindlessly in the event of its armor being destroyed, it's companions being killed, being stuck with a plasma grenade(like Elites), or several other circumstances. Brutes have their own ranks going up to War Chieftains who usually wield Plasma Cannons, Fuel Rod Guns, or Chieftains who usually wield Gravity Hammers. The Brutes always work in packs of 3-8 when possible. Brutes are unlike Elites in that they do not have an aversion to using Human weapons, as shown in the books and Halo 2. After the Elites were replaced for failing to protect the High Prophet of Regret from the "Demon", they took over their role as personal bodyguards of the Prophets and also now make up most of the Covenant military. They have a hairy, ape-like appearance with rough, rhino-like skin and a highly resilient body. They are known as Jiralhanae in the Covenant language. It was said in Sierra 117 that the Brutes may be doing something to the Grunts to make them more resilient and stop them running away, and implied some kind of chemicals in the Methane Tanks, but they were probably just threatening the Grunts.

Elites

Elites served as the military leaders of the Covenant before the Great Schism in 2552. While Prophets often had the final say, it was the Elites who organized military campaigns and naval engagements. Ship Masters commanded ships, while Fleet Masters commanded fleets, and Field Masters commanded the vast armies. Elites maintained the military structure of the Covenant and ensured the Prophets' orders were followed, as well as their own. They also had a diverse rank structure which was based off how many foes an Elite had killed. They were a major component of the Covenant and were the only caste able to maintain the military hierarchy as well as having a voice within the High Council. Later on the Elites would be tested and shoved aside from their zealous role as Covenant military leaders by the Brutes. As the Prophets and Brutes attempted genocide of the Elites, the angered Elites left the Covenant, causing a civil war within the Covenant which would end with the Covenant Loyalists adding them to their list of enemies, and the Elites forming the Covenant Separatists along with many of the Grunts and Hunters. The Separatists then became allies with the UNSC in their fight against the Covenant. They are called Sangheili in the Covenant language. An "ee" at the end of an Elite name, such as "'Notodee," would signify that that Elite is a part or was part of the Covenant military, although, after The Great Schism many elites removed the "ee" from their name to show they had left the Covenant.

Hunters

Hunters are actually an assemblage of worm-like entities called Lekgolo that create a communal, armor plated form. In this form, they are known as Mgalekgolo. They usually fight and travel in pairs known as "Bond Brothers" (which technically means that not all of the colonies of worms were able to fit within one set of armor), and are the strongest Covenant fighting units. They wield powerful Assault Cannons and a massive shield resistant to any small arms fire. They are usually used as shock infantry, and are only deployed on the battle field when in need of a heavy force. Their political and religious motivations are completely unknown. Their weaknesses are their exposed orange flesh, which is located on their backs, stomach, and neck. In Halo 3 the leadership offered more protection by covering their stomachs with more armor. Their main weakness is when their back is turned, because of the lack of armor they have there. They are one of the most powerful Covenant foes, challenged only by the Brutes in Halo 2 and the Elites in Halo 3.

Drones

These flying, insect-like creatures referred to as "Drones" served almost exclusively as engineers, but were replaced by the Huragok. They became the second Covenant species with the ability of flight. Their ability to fight on the wing makes them an excellent strategic weapon against ground-based opponents. Unlike most other Covenant races, the Drones do not require an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere or a methane environment, as Grunts do, to survive. They are called Yanme'e in the Covenant language. Some people believe that Drones had joined the Covenant some time in between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. This can be proved false, as they appear in the novel Halo: Contact Harvest, which was the first Human-Covenant contact. They are similar to the drones in the first Marathon game.

Jackals

Due to their superior senses, Jackals are the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military. They are about 5'6" tall and due to their lack of physical durability, they carry a portable Energy Shield generator during combat. Jackals are employed mainly as sharpshooters with their excellent vision and dexterity, and are also deployed to defend strategic areas. When a Jackal is under fire, it will cover its head with its hands and trot away to another position from which to fire from. The first Human contact was between Staff Sergeants Johnson and Byrne on a Human freighter as Jackal pirates tried to board the ship. Jackals have never been seen using grenades except in the book Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. This is probably because they wield both their weapon and their shield, and so cannot throw grenades while dual-wielding. They are called Kig-yar in Covenant language. Jackals were the first Covenant race that the Spartans encountered, as seen in The Fall of Reach.

Grunts

Grunts are both the most common and lowest-placed caste of the Covenant, as the name implies. Despite their notable cowardice and ineptitude, they are quite dangerous in large numbers, which may have been why an Arbiter was needed to quell the Grunt Rebellion. They breathe a methane mixture and thus must wear a large tank on their backs full of the methane to live. They fight well on Plasma Turrets and use the Plasma Pistol and Needler, sometimes wielding the Fuel Rod Gun as well. If their leader is killed, Grunts will run away or they may go Kamikaze by activating two Plasma Grenades (one on each hand) while charging at you and yelling gibberish, and Heretic Grunts will fearlessly charge the enemy when their leader is dead. Their discipline is dependent upon strong leadership and strength of numbers; however, when leaderless, they will present significantly less resistance, often cowering. They are called Unggoy in the Covenant language. Unggoy have a considerable amount of physical strength, enabling them to wield large weapons in the Covenant arsenal. They have learned many Human languages from intercepting transmissions between Human vessels, a fact that they apparently take great pride in. During the Covenant Civil War they, as well as the Hunters, did not fully support either side, though most sided with the Elites, remaining extremely loyal to their "savior", The Arbiter. Their speech is high and squeaky. They find nothing wrong with this, but most other races that have come in contact with them find it comical.

Engineers

Engineers appear in two games: Halo Wars and Halo: Combat Evolved. In Halo: CE, one would need Halo Map Tools to bring it into the game. In Halo Wars, it is a support unit used to heal Covenant units. In military terms,they are a non-militant race. They are needed to maintain the Covenant war machines and will only converse with the Prophets (also individuals who learn their language). This, however, indicates Engineers are very high in the caste system, probably because the Covenant are aware of how much they are needed and that the Engineer's grasp on Covenant and foreign technology, constantly examining or repairing any nearby technology regardless of affiliation or taking things apart and then reassembling them either to original shape or something new. It is believed that the Engineers helped the Covenant to understand how to use the technology effectively.[2] Engineers are actually an artificial species created by the Forerunners, which could contribute to their high status. They are called Huragok in the Forerunner and Covenant language. They were removed from the final version of Halo: Combat Evolved (though they are still present in the code, they are not used), but feature in some of the novels, as an air-unit in Halo Wars, and are featured to appear in Halo 3: ODST.

Deleted Races

Drinols are creatures in the form of bosses that did not make it into the Halo games. They are thought to have been remade into the Flood's Tank Pure Form as there are many similarities between the two.

Stalkers are a Covenant race that did not make it into Halo 2, seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. They were taken from original idea sketches of the Elites in the first Halo game and were supposed to be very wiry and skeletal, with massive amounts of teeth, similar to sharks.

Keelbugs are only seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. They were hybrids of Drones and Brutes, more like Drones but without the insect-like look to them. They were supposed to fly into the battlefield, cut dead bodies into sections, and fly off with them. They seemed to be more like animals than a sentient race.

Special Purpose Snipers are seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. Their arms were used like a tripod, so they could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. They would also be able to hang from trees. This concept appears to have been re-imagined in Halo 3, with Jackal Snipers often being found in trees.

Sharquoi were mentioned in the Halo 2 Collectors' Edition Conversations from the Universe booklet, detailing conversations among Human and Covenant individuals. Nothing seen in any Halo product outside of that mentioning can be called a Sharquoi with any certainty.

Creatures Inhabiting Covenant Worlds

Scrub Grubs are small creatures the equivalent of the rats found on Humanity's home world, Earth. They were first mentioned in Halo: Contact Harvest, while inhabiting a Jackal ship.

Zap-Jellies are sea creatures that live on the Grunt home world, Balaho. They are possibly the equivalent to large jellyfish on Earth.

Thorn Beasts are a food source for the Covenant, though only observed being eaten by Brutes. The only reference to the Thorn Beasts is in Halo: Contact Harvest, when the Brutes are first mentioned, and Halo Wars, in at least one of the timeline periods.

Mud Wasps are insects found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.

Shade Crabs are crustaceans found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.

Helioskrills are predators found on Sangheilios that imitate rocks to catch their prey.