After stalking the forums for many months I have discovered that for all intents and purposes Elites = SPARTANS.
So, if Elites are in fact so powerful as is suggested, how is it that the UNSC managed to defeat them in groundside engagements time and time again?
SPARTANS are not always availible, and even if they were the general consensus of the Bnet Universe forums is that they are about equal anyway, yet the SPARTANS would be outnumbered.
I therfore conclude that either the number of Elites per battle is <50. OR the Elites are not the all powerful SPARTAN analog we believe them to , so much so that at 300m+ a Marine is fully able to bring him down with a couple of bursts from his trusty MA5C.
Which is it? Are SPARTANS only equal to an Elite, or are SPARTANS the superior warriors they are expected to be and an Elite is only equivilent to a pair of soldiers?
The way I see it is that Elites can be killed just as easily as any human, but is fast enough to evade fire more efectively. Therefore making them only slighty more effective than marines, yet significantly less numerous.