How tall are Elites in the Halo lore? Sanghelli race explained

They can definitely slam dunk

An image of an Elite out of its armor from the Halo universe
Image via Bungie and 343 Industries.

The Sanghelli alien race in the Halo universe— also known by the name Elites, a title given to them by humans—is one of the races in the series that come from planet Sanghelios and were originally part of the Covenant faction. 

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Warriors by culture, they are known for having impressive combat skills. Their intimidating nature is emphasized by their height, as they are known for being significantly taller than the humans in Halo lore. We’re going to look at the Sanghelli/Elites a little more closely to see just how tall these guys are. 

How tall are the Sanghelli/Elites in Halo lore?

Concept art of the Elite in armor from the Halo series.
The Elite are hunched over in their armor, so their true height is much taller than what it first appears to be. Image via Bungie and 343 Industries.

According to the book Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, the Elites can stand anywhere from 2.25 meters tall to 262 meters tall. In terms of measuring height via feet, this ranges from 7.38 feet to 8.6 feet

Halo: The Essential Visual Guide was released in 2011 and is an official book written as a collaboration between 343 Industries and DK Publishing that dives into all aspects of the Halo lore, from locations to characters and the various alien races seen throughout the series. It is a handy encyclopedia for all things Halo and a trustworthy source for lore thanks to the book mostly being overseen and written by the lead writer for the Halo universe at 343 Industries, Jeremy Patenaude. 

As well as writing general Halo fiction, Patenaude also ensures that a range of written material stays true to the canon of the Halo world. It’s safe to say, seeing as Patenaude authored most of the visual guide, that the information within the book is as true and canon to the Halo lore as it is possible to be, so this is likely the closest estimation we will get to the true height of the Elites. 

The visual guide also mentions that the Elite seem a little shorter than their actual heights due to the armor, which is designed in a way that gives them a rather hunched position (and probably a pretty poor posture). The Sanghelli might only seem a little taller than the tallest of humankind when you see them in their armor because of this, but the truth is that they are significantly bigger than the humans in the Halo universe, with most of them standing between seven and a half and eight and a half feet tall when not armored up. 

Author
Image of Antonia Haynes
Antonia Haynes
Antonia Haynes is a freelance general gaming writer for Dot Esports who resides in a small seaside town in England where she has lived her whole life. Beginning her video game writing career back in 2014, and having an avid love of gaming since childhood, she became a staff writer in 2018 before becoming freelance in 2023 with her role at Dot Esports. Her ideal day would consist of junk food, fluffy pyjamas and video games because quite frankly going outside is overrated.