Honor Guards are considerably rarer than standard Jiralhanae, with only a total of less than a couple dozen appearing throughout Halo 2.Īn Honor Guard Jiralhanae standing on guard. At the start of the Gravemind level, the Player battles their first two Honor Guards. They are also the first Jiralhanae rank to be encountered alive by the Player. They make their first appearances during the starting cut-scene of the level Sacred Icon where they take the Energy Stave and unique armor from the now replaced Sangheili Honor Guard. They are found on the levels Gravemind, High Charity and The Great Journey.

The Sangheili were incensed that their role of protecting the Prophets, which they had faithfully executed for a millennium, had been now delegated by these new upstarts and genetic rivals. This Changing of the Guard was the beginning of the Civil War of the Covenant also known as the Great Schism. The Jiralhanae Honor Guards took the place of the Sangheili Honor Guardsmen as the loyal Protectors of the Hierarchs after the murder of the High Prophet of Regret by John-117.