There are so many iconic characters loved by fans throughout the Halo series, but one character fans have wanted more focus on for a long time is the Arbiter. At first, many players were turned off by the idea of playing as the enemy from Halo: CE, but over time this position has softened to the point where he has become a fan favorite of the series.
Nearly everyone calls him the Arbiter, but that’s not his true name. The Arbiter is a title given to great warriors of the Elites (Sangheili), and while it once was an honor to be bestowed with the title, the Prophets (San'Shyuum) in the Covenant Empire made it a mark of shame. Afterward, warriors who had brought dishonor or failure to the Covenant were branded and given the title. Arbiters were sent on the most dangerous missions by the Covenant and were never expected to survive.
The current Arbiter fans all know and love is Thel ‘Vadam, who served as the Supreme Commander of a large Covenant fleet. During this time, he took part in the Covenant’s genocidal war against humanity, including commanding the forces that invaded and glassed the UNSC fortress world of Reach. While pursuing the Pillar of Autumn, this led them to the Installation 04 Ringworld, where he battled humans who fled onto the Forerunner construct. During this battle, the Flood parasite was accidentally released by the Covenant, distracting Thel ‘Vadam and allowing John 117 to destroy the Ringworld in the confusion.
During the opening events of Halo 2, Thel ‘Vadam was put on trial before the Covenant leadership, who decided to strip him of his rank and title, at which point he was tortured, branded and sentenced to death. The Hierarchs decided to allow him to commute his sentence and redeem his name and honor by becoming the new Arbiter, destined to die in service of the Covenant. Accepting the offer, he was first tasked with eliminating a group of Covenant Heretics and capturing 343 Guilty Spark, who survived Installation 04s destruction.
Not long after, he was tasked with finding the Activation Index for a newly found Ring. While successful, he was betrayed by the Prophets, who ordered the Brutes (Jiralhanae) to kill Arbiter and the other Elites, plunging the Covenant into a civil war. He was saved and brought before the Flood Gravemind, who revealed the truth and tasked both him and Master Chief with stopping the Covenant from activating the Ring. When attempting to reason with Tartarus and the Brutes, Arbiter asked Guilty Spark what the Rings were really built for, who answered that they were built as weapons designed to kill all sentient life to starve the Flood, including the Forerunners themselves. This further revelation made the Arbiter realize that the Prophet's teachings and the Covenant’s religion were nothing but lies and madness. It also solidified his desire to ally with the humans and destroy the Covenant once and for all.
His redemption arc is considered one of the best in gaming, as he goes from a sworn enemy of humanity to one of their greatest allies and advocates for peace. Throughout Halo 3, the Arbiter is an almost constant ally and companion for Master Chief, whether against the Covenant or the Flood. Where once he was an ardent supporter of the Prophets, he personally killed the Prophet of Truth when destroying the last Covenant holdout. At the end of the game, he shakes hands with Admiral Hood at the war memorial and holds hope that the Chief had survived. He then leaves with the rest of the separatists to return to their homeworld and rebuild.
Fans of the series have always seen Arbiter as the Covenant’s own version of the Master Chief, a powerful, cunning warrior who acted as a champion of his species. Like the Chief, Arbiter tends to come up with improvised solutions and risk his life if it means victory, a trait that sets him aside from most other Covenant commanders.
When finally reintroduced in Halo 5, the Arbiter has become not only a changed man but a force of change for the rest of his people. Thel ‘Vadam no longer leads his fellow Sangheili on the Covenant’s so-called Great Journey but on their own great journey of redemption, truth and peace for the galaxy. If the Arbiter does appear again in Halo Infinite when it finally releases, many fans will see him as not just a valuable ally in battle but a genuine friend we haven’t seen in ages.