10 Best Video Game Side Characters Who Made Everything Better

Bungie's Halo trilogy delivered a rousing sci-fi story loaded with great characters and memorable dialogue. One member of the cast with a relatively small part was a Covenant Elite driven by honour and leadership.

Easily identified by his white armour, we're first introduced to Rtas 'Vadum, aka Shipmaster in the second game. Initially, he's very sceptical of the Arbiter's mission, putting the lives of his own soldiers first. Yet over time, the two learn to respect each other, something that really comes into play once the Elites break away from the Covenant to join humanity at the end of Halo 2.

Rtas 'Vadum is an incredibly skilled commander of the Covenant navy who eventually leads the charge against the Brute fleet in Halo 3. Outnumbered three-to-one in the trilogy's climax, he's able to outsmart his opponents in orbit while Master Chief, The Arbiter and the rest of humanity's forces battle it out on the ground.

Shipmaster's appearance in the series doesn't last any longer than thirty minutes but he made a big impact on players regardless, making him the most underrated character in the series.

Like The Arbiter, he's one of the few aliens to see through the lies of the Prophets and change his thinking.