The Covenant (Halo) vs The Grand Imperium of Man (Warhammer 40k)

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I'm rather poorly informed about Warhammer. However, the Covenant's weapons in the game are much weaker than they canonically are (to reduce player frustration). It's been noted that a single plasma pistol burst can vaporize flesh and bone, as well as carry mass. So not only are these superheated balls of ouch, but they have force behind them. The Covenant also has the advantage of numbers. If we're looking at Harvest levels of Covenant, we're talking millions of Jiralhanae (Brutes), billions of Sangheilians (Elites), hundreds of thousands of Mgal'lekgolo colonies (Hunters, which mind you are able to regenerate, and the size of them is dependent on how many Lekgolo worms form into a colony. The covenant has made Mgal'lekgolo that are simply stories tall), and billions more of the Unggoy (Grunts), Kig-Yar (Jackals and Skirmishers), and the ever-helpful Huragok (Engineers).

Considering space battle is pretty much Covenant: 1, Imperium: 0 due to their rather brutal habit of glassing planets with so much plasma that it does exactly that: turns the surface, and all it's inhabitants into a glassy substance (a super-cooled version of the material they heat up into the plasma ammo, like a hot-glue gun).

In great enough numbers, they could win. With lesser numbers, they'd call in the space-high cavalry to glass the planet. Their priority is usually air-support first, everything else second. With air support gone, they can withdraw and start glassing.

Basically, it seems the Imperium has high-tech gear. The Covenant has brutal orbital attacks, numbers, and tactical diversity. They also have this nice habit of dying to lucky individuals named John (whose success is based on exactly that: luck).

I think the most important part of the battle is the Covenant's habit of glassing versus the Imperium's more defensible ships. Of course, the Imperium can't handle several dozen megatons worth of plasma (per shot) hitting their bases on the surface of a planet.

Even more important, the Covenant's previously mentioned population. They have trillions, maybe even quadrillions of aliens across all races, creating this horrific melting pot of culture and technology. Footsoldiers, tacticians, recon, brute force, commanding forces, and some seriously screwed up religion.

Oh yeah, I forgot, the Halos. What happens if we throw a Halo into the mix?

[INSERT ORGANIC LIFE HERE]

Plus its also a matter of luck. If they hit someplace important then Space Marines will join the fight. Also consider MC pretty much ripped the Covenant apart and I consider him to be about as strong as a Space Marine officer, well then the Covenant is pretty much dead isn't it?

He was lucky. Really, really lucky. Cortana, the Chief, Johnson, Jacob and Miranda Keyes, Halsey, Kurt, Sam, Kelly, every Spartan II and III, Thel Vadam, and even the Gravemind acknowledge that he was able to survive only due to his insane luck.

Plus, the Covenant was significantly weakened by the Flood. If you throw them into the fight, it suddenly becomes a game in their favor. Exposed skin? A small crack in the armor? Whatever it is, they'll invade it and turn you into one of them.

This isw a minor point but Hunters don't actually have faces.

It's more like a couple thousand tiny little faces.

Also the Covenant DID loose a fleet of comparable size to the one at Reach. This was in the war they steadily won despite efforts like this.

The worst part? Said loss of fleets required that one of the best soldiers the UNSC had fire hundreds of nuclear warheads into a star, creating a micronova. In a sense, the Imperium could win, should they be willing to sacrifice an extreme number of soldiers (totaling well into the billions, I can presume) destroying a star and making a nova (as the star that was destroyed was a Brown Dwarf).

Oh, and Halo: Evolutions is a good read. I highly recommend it. One of the stories (Midnight in the Heart of the Midlothian) is a direct sequel to the Halo: Legends short The Prototype.