Halo 5: Guardians skulls

This article is about the gameplay modifiers in Halo 5: Guardians. For other uses, see Skull.

All the skulls featured in Halo 5: Guardians.

Halo 5: Guardians skulls are game modifiers featured in Halo 5: Guardians with the appearance of a human skull. The skulls are the same from Halo: Reach and Halo 4. Just like in previous installments like Halo 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary skulls are collectibles that the player will be awarded with an achievement for founding the first and the last fo them, and can also be accessed in the campaign menu after claiming them in the levels in which they're found.

Campaign Skulls

Score Attack Reference

Skull Name	Multiplier	Short Description
Iron	3x	Teammate dead = Reload checkpoint. Everyone dead = Restart level.
Black Eye	1.5x	No auto-shield regeneration. Only melee attacks cause shields to recharge.
Tough Luck	1.5x	Grenades, Needler fire, projectiles (ie. Rocket Launcher, and Fuel Rod Cannon) and vehicular charges are evaded more skillfully by the AI. enemies go Berserk more often and Grunts will run away for less time, turn around and attack again the player.
Catch	1.5x	NPCs throw many more grenades at an alarming rate. NPCs always drop two grenades when dying.
Fog	1.5x	Motion Tracker is fully disabled.
Famine	2x	Dropped weapons have much less ammunition/charge.
Thunderstorm	1.5x	All enemies are promoted to higher ranks. (More experience)
Tilt	2x	Enemy defensive resistances/weaknesses are amplified.
Mythic	2x	All NPC's health allocation is doubled.

IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) Skull

File:Halo 5 Skull 1 - Mission 1 Osiris - IWHBYD.png

The ledge with the skull ready to be picked by the player.

Level: Osiris

Icon: A skull marked with a double helix.

Effect: Rare dialog is more common, and vice versa.

Directions:

1. Go to the very first forerunner door on the level before using the Artemis for the first time.
2. Look to the left towards a ledge and clamber it.
3. look towards the air battle there will be a triangularish ledge where the skull lies.

Black Eye

File:Halo 5 Skull 1 - Mission 2 Blue Team - Blackeye.png

The Black Eye skull, resting on a pipe.

Level: Blue Team

Icon: A skull marked with a smaller skull with a bruise under one eye.

Effect: Your Energy Shield will not recharge until you perform a melee hit. The Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer's RT attacks count as melee attacks. The shock-wave created by the Gravity Hammer will also recharge your shield.

Point Multiplier: 1.5x

Directions:

1. On the reactor room, go to the far left of the reactor there will be a few ammo boxes and a pipe, clamber the pipe.
2. Walk all the way to the end of the pipe that will lead you to a dark small room.
3. On the floor there should be a breakable piece, ground pound it and that should make you fall to another room.
4. Once inside, go towards the left there should be a small pipe with the skull resting on it for you to pick up.

Iron

File:Iron-skull.jpg

The Iron Skull is located on the left side of the image.

Level: Glassed

Icon: A skull marked with a hammer.

Effect: If you die while playing solo, you will respawn at the very beginning of the level. If any player dies while playing Co-op, all players will respawn to the last checkpoint. This is similar to what would happen when playing Co-op on Legendary in Halo 2, but it is slightly more harsh on the players.

Point Multiplier: 3x

Directions:

1. After you gain access to the Corp Scorpion and go through some arched rocks, you may see a cargo ship flying and being pursued by a Phaeton.
2. Shoot at the Phaeton until you destroy it.
3. When you destroy it, you will hear the Grunt Birthday Party sound effect which means the skull will appear in one of three places.

Blind

File:Halo 5 Skull 1 - Mission 4 Unconfirmed - Blind.png

The cave where the skull is hidden.

Level: Unconfirmed

Icon: An eye with the pupil crossed out.

Effect: Your entire Heads-Up Display is disabled. You can't see your weapon, shield meter, motion tracker or ammo/grenades.

Directions:

1. After entering the underground facility you'll find a forklift which you have to climb.
2. Climb a bow that's next to the wall and look behind you where there is a cat walk.
3. Climb said cat walk and go to the end of it.
4. At the end you will find a small cave where you need to crouch, just walk inside.
5. you will find the skull lying in there.

Thunderstorm

File:Halo 5 Skull 1 - Mission 6 Evacuation - Thunderstorm.jpg

The Thunderstorm Skull, with the top exposed so the player can denote its position

Level: Evacuation

Icon: A skull marked with a lightning bolt.

Effect: All enemies and allies are promoted to the highest available rank. Elites will be Elite Warriors, Grunts will be Grunts Heavy, Crawlers will be Alpha Crawlers.

Point Multiplier: 1.5x

Directions: For you to get the skulls you need to destroy 5 cones in 2 minutes or less.

1. The first of the cones is located close to the door where the level Unconfirmed begins, after you go through it, you have to go the left where a rokc ledge and a metal stairway are, you'll find the cone next to a boxes with a blanket on them.
2. Second cone is before you go inside the tunnel where Governor Sloan says: ¨This is Governor Sloan broadcasting on all frequencies. People, if you are still planetside, make your way to the space elevator right now. Final shuttles are departing with or without you.¨ there you will find to the right next to some stairways the cone for you to destroy.
3. Third is where the prometheans destroy the bridge, next to a destroyed warthog will be the cone.
4. Fourth will be around the section with a yellow pillar and a few boxes.
5. Fifth & final cone will be next to a destroyed cargo ship and a red box covered with a blanket.
6. Once you have destroyed the cones, you must go to almost the end of the level where the guardian begins throwing pulses, there you will find the skull burried, but with its top exposed for you to see.

Grunt Birthday Party

File:Halo 5 Skull 1 - Mission 7 Reunion - Grunt Birth Day Party (1).jpg

An Imperial grunt Holding the Grunt Birthday party skull

Level: Reunion

Icon: A skull marked with a candle.

Effect: If a Grunt is shot in the head with any headshot-capable weapon (such as the DMR, Beam Rifle, Carbine, Sniper Rifle or Magnum), a popping sound is heard, colorful confetti explodes out of it, and a sound clip of children cheering from the game Hurray!"can be heard in the background. When the Grunt's head explodes, their backpack will usually explode.

Directions:

1. In the section of the mission on a cliff where there are some covenant examining a crashed Phantom simply, walk towards the right and go inside the tunel.
2. After coming out of it, you will see some covenant boxes, and even an Energy sword, walk left and see the grunt singing & holding the skull.
3. Walk behind the grunt, and it will say ¨action button-punt¨ for you to kick the grunt of the ledge.

Fog

File:Halo 5 Skull 2 - Mission 7 Reunion - Fog.jpg

The Fog Skull as it rests on the platform

Level : Reunion

Icon: A skull marked with a swirl of fog.

Effect: Your Motion tracker is disabled completely.

Point Multiplier: 1.5x

Directions:

Tough Luck

File:Tough luck skull.jpg.jpeg

The pipeline that must be traversed to the Tough Luck Skull.

Level: Evacuation

Icon: A skull marked with a three-leafed clover.

Effect: Enemies dodge Grenades, Needles, slow moving projectiles and vehicle assaults with a greater success rate.

Point Multiplier: 1.5x

Directions:

1. Keep battling through to the point where you must fight a group of Brutes, two of which are using Choppers.

Catch

File:Catch-skull.jpg

The Catch Skull is located on top of the silo.

Level: The Storm

Icon: A skull marked with an image of a Plasma Grenade.

Effect: All AI-controlled units, friend or foe, throw grenades more often, where applicable. It even affects scripted grenades. For example, on the level Crow's Nest, on the part where the Warthog is hit by a Plasma Grenade, it will now be hit by two, three, or even four. The Catch Skull has no effect on Flood. It should be noted that characters will throw an unlimited amount of grenades at their enemies. The skull actually does seem to increase the number of Kamikaze Grunts. It has been observed that the Marines will sometimes throw grenades with reckless abandon, similar to their behavior in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Point Multiplier: 1.5x

Directions:

1. If you have the Easy Shield in your service record, the skull will NOT spawn. You have to beat the campaign on normal or higher to make the skull spawn again.
2. Battle through to Lakebed A -- the point where you fight an Anti-Air Wraith, a handful of Ghosts, and a standard Wraith.
3. You should see a silo-like building (see image). On top of this is the skull. Look for the ramp that leads over to the platform where the normal Wraith is dropped.

There are multiple methods which can be used to get onto the building.

1. Hijack the Anti-Air Wraith and maneuver it so the back (the part with the plasma mortar, or in this case, fuel rod launchers) touches the base of the silo where the ground rises slightly; then, simply get out. The only problem is that this will cause an NPC Hornet to fire upon the standard Wraith, and the Wraith may focus its fire on you, so you will need to work a little quickly. The Anti-Air Wraith should remain still while you jump on the back and onto the top of the silo.
2. Explosive Jump.
3. Park a Ghost below, then jump from it onto the building. Use an Explosive Jump if necessary.
4. Park one Ghost on the Wraith-side, then get another Ghost and park it on top. You should be able to simply jump on top of the Ghosts, then onto the silo.
5. Take a Deployable Cover, then use it between the red wall and the building. Move out of the way and you can use the cover as a stepping stone.
6. On Co-op, one player can jump onto the other player's head, then onto the building.
7. Drive the Warthog at the foot of the silo and crouch-jump onto it. Make sure that the Warthog is at the Wraith-side of the silo before attempting the crouch-jump.
8. Drive the Warthog between the silo and the wall so that it is turned on its side. Jump onto the red wall, then jump onto the silo.

Note: Do not destroy the standard Wraith, or the skull will disappear. Do not physically damage the normal Wraith (though the plasma turret operator can be sniped safely) in any way or the skull will disappear.

Famine

File:Famine-Skull-H3.jpg

The Famine Skull on The Ark.

Level: The Ark

Icon: A skull marked with a smaller skull. The smaller skull seems to have a line between it and some dots (food). This describes the obvious traits of a famine.

Effect: All weapons that are dropped by enemies or are scripted to spawn on the ground (e.g., near a crashed Pelican or group of dead bodies) have halved or reduced ammunition or charge. However, weapons found in cases still have the standard amount of ammo.

Point Multiplier: 2x

Directions:

1. After obtaining the Scorpion, you will be directed into a fork in the road. Going straight will lead you into a giant bowl-like valley, and going to the right will lead you through a broad sandy road.
2. To the left is the bowl with two roads cut into the rock face. Go to the right and drive directly ahead until you hit the rock wall.
3. When you get underneath the platform structure, you will notice some climbable rocks on the right that will lead you to the platform itself. You will notice several beam-like supports alongside the platform. Go to the very last one, at the end of the platform. If you jump up you can see the skull at the end. Align yourself right up to the support. You need to get to the crevice of it, sticking out and away from the platform; the skull can be seen in it. There are several methods to obtain this skull:
   1. Method A: Stick a Plasma Grenade right where the beam-like support and incline meet (on the bottom edge of the incline). Back up, run and jump, aiming a little higher than the skull. You should be just over and a little forward of the grenade when it explodes giving you enough of a boost to reach the skull.
   2. Method B: Pick up a Deployable Cover and place it in front of the pillar with the skull and use it as a step to the ledge. It may take a few tries to place it exactly at the perfect spot, as it may slide off and fall off the ledge.
   3. Method C: Play the game in Co-Op mode. Stand on your friend's head and have them run and jump towards the skull. At the highest point of their jump, jump over to the ledge. If performed correctly, you should land on the platform.
   4. Method D: Deploy a Bubble Shield so that the edge of it is near the edge of the structure. The Bubble Shield should keep the grenade you throw inside it so right after you throw, jump, and the grenade should give you a sufficient boost.
   5. Method E: Take a Brute Shot, and aim it downward but still on the building Take a leap, and as you jump, fire downward and you will be able to launch yourself to the skull.
   6. Method F: If you saved the Rocket Launcher from the downed Pelican, you can rocket jump by positioning yourself a suitable running distance from the platform with the skull, running at it backward, jumping as you reach the slanted floor and firing a rocket. The blast should be sufficient to propel you to the platform. It may take a few tries to get it without killing yourself, and is inadvisable on any difficulty other than Normal for this reason.
   7. Method G: Find a few Ghosts, and use the boulder and a boost+A-button combo to get them onto the platform. Then stack them near the spot with the skull and you should be able to jump from on top of them to the skull.
   8. Method H: On the way back through this canyon, after getting the Scorpions from the Forward Unto Dawn, as you pass under the arch and blow up the Phantom, there is a wall to the left of the part where the canyon narrows that you can drive a tank up. If you drive one up, then wedge it in the area where the Forerunner structure comes closest to the cliff you're on, you can take a second tank up the cliff, and drive it across the bridge made from the first one, onto the Forerunner structure, then, with some careful positioning, use its turret as a platform to jump to the skull

Tilt

File:T-skull.jpg

The Tilt Skull in its hiding place.

Level: Cortana

Icon: A skull marked with a smaller skull with a hole in its head.

Effect: All enemy weaknesses and resistances double. Example: Brute armor is twice as weak to plasma weapons and twice as strong against projectile weapons.

Point Multiplier: 2x

Directions:

1. The skull is at the top of the large circular room where Cortana says "It was the coin's fault! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe (drop in tone). I'm sorry, I can't..." When you enter this room you will fall out of a hole in the ceiling, next to a sitting, dead Elite. To the left of the room will be some small, somewhat fungal, growths on the walls. Near this is a rounded pillar.
2. Stand on the pillar and jump to the thin growth outcrops to the left. On many of them, you will hit your head on an obstruction above if you are not careful; spoiling the jump. After the first two to the left, turn around and look away from the rock wall - then left ninety degrees for another one with a longish extrusion of Flood material.
3. This one is difficult as your head will hit the wall with jumps from many of the obvious positions. One jump that works is at the tip of this jump, back about 2 feet from the edge, and jumping slightly left (approx one foot) of the tip of the target jump. Another jump that works is; When you get on the the upper outcrop on the left, facing the other outcrop you are jumping to, move as far as you can to the left. Then, jump toward the other outcrop with the extension of flood material. Walk up the extruded Flood tentacle onto the roof of the area where you will find the Skull in a small pile of blood and bones. Note that underneath the platform you usually walk on are two to three Deployable Covers near the Terminal with Cortana's message. These can be placed on the pillar and the ledge to make the jumps easier and help you avoid things that can cause your jumps to fail.

Mythic

File:Mythic new.jpg

This Skull is the Mythic Skull

Level: Halo

Icon: A skull marked with a circle with a smaller circle in it

Effect: All of the Covenant you encounter have twice the amount of health and shields.

Point Multiplier: 2x

Directions:

1. At the beginning of the level, move forward, hugging the right wall and curving slowly left in the cave up ahead. After a short amount of time, you will see a tunnel opening to the right. Move through this, but still hug the right wall. Part way along an opening (cave) on the right will open up.
2. Move inside, turning your flashlight on (up on the D-pad of the controller). Soon you will reach a dead end, and the skull is on the ground, among the rocks.

Cowbell

Template:Article Quote Level: The Ark

Icon: A skull marked with a cowbell.

Effect: Physics impulses are increased. Explosions and melee attacks launch characters and objects farther, but the damage is not affected.

Directions:

1. You must start this level from the beginning; starting from any other point will cause the skull to not appear. After defeating the Scarab, take a Gravity Lift from the small structure in the center (to the right of the entrance up the large slope), then continue on until you pass the room with a lot of explosive Plasma Batteries. In the hallway after this room, there is a tall section with openings above the turning point of the hall, and the skull is in the top one of the highest of these. There are several methods to obtain this skull:
   1. Method A: Use the Grav Lift to get there. The ideal place to deploy it is about three fourths of the way down the ramp, and a little to the left of the center, while facing up-ramp (facing up-ramp will ensure the Grav Lift doesn't slip farther down). Run down the ramp and jump, such that you reach the peak of your jump while directly over the Grav Lift. You should also be running towards the tall section, aiming towards the middle of the top shelf on the section. If your Grav Lift expires or is destroyed, you can always revert to last save since the room containing the skull is a checkpoint. If you have difficulty getting there, crouch while being Grav-Lifted. This may take a few tries.
   2. Method B: If you are having too much trouble placing the Grav Lift, it is possible to drive a Brute Chopper into the building. You can then drive the Chopper to the bottom of the ramp, jump onto it, and deploy the Grav Lift, which will go through the vehicle. You should be elevated to the opening with the skull.
   3. Method C: If you are playing on Co-Op, have two of the players grab a Grav Lift. One (Person A) should drop their Grav Lift before the platforms, use it to go up to the fourth level (one below the skull), and wait for their partner (Person B) to join them. Person B should stand right on the edge of that platform and deploy their Grav Lift while facing straight down. If Person A placed the first one right, then the two Grav Lifts should line up, with one hovering above the other. Person A should then walk backwards off the edge and onto the Grav Lift(s). A will end up being suspended above the platform with the skull, at which point they should just keep holding the left thumbstick forward until they move onto the platform. If they can't move forward, they should keep pushing forward anyway, because when the lower Grav Lift breaks, they will drop onto the platform.
   4. Method D: If you managed to pass through the previous room without setting off any of the plasma batteries, push one down to the edge of the openings, detonate it with a plasma grenade or a brute shot, and explosive jump to the top opening.

Trivia

• Until one of Halo 5's updates you could not revive teammates nor be rivived when the Iron skull was turned on.