Gameplay

Halo 3 skulls: Difference between revisions

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(→‎IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy): Made it clear what to do with the rings on The Covenant for IWHBYD skull.)
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{{era|H3}}
{{Title|''Halo 3'' skulls}}
{{Ratings}}
{{Status|Gameplay}}
[[Image:Halo3-skull-fog-floodgate.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A skull in ''Halo 3''.]]
[[File:Halo3-skull-fog-floodgate.jpg|thumb|300px|An example of a skull in ''Halo 3''.]]
[[Skull]]s are easter eggs in ''[[Halo 3]]'' designed to make the game more challenging or interesting. [http://www.gamerhelp.com/article_viewer.cfm?article_id=129280 The complete walkthrough] to find the skulls in ''Halo 3''.  
'''Skulls''' are a series of gameplay modifiers available for use in ''[[Halo 3]]'' and ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''. Both games feature the same roster of skulls and effects, though in ''Halo 3'' these items are hidden throughout the game's [[campaign]] as hidden easter eggs - and must be found before they can be used. In ''ODST'' and the ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' iterations of both games, all skulls are unlocked from the start.


==Background ==
Once activated, a skull makes gameplay either more humorous, or more challenging.


The skulls greatly resemble those in the [[Multiplayer]] game variant "Oddball" and can be used as weapons in much the same way but they lack the information text(i.e. :press RB to pick up) to pick them up. They are usually hidden and out of the way, so one must search for them, or else know where they are, to get them. There are thirteen skulls in Halo 3. 9 Gold ones which unlock [[Achievements]] and 4 Silver ones which do not unlock Achievements but are needed to unlock the Hayabusa [[Spartan]] [[Armor]] for Multiplayer. There is also one 'Unknown Skull' which doesn't unlock anything, but may have a glitch that gives the player a [[Spartan Laser]].
==Background==
The skulls greatly resemble those in the [[Multiplayer]] game variant [[Oddball]], and can be used as weapons in much the same way. However, they lack the information text (i.e. "Press '''RB''' to pick up...") to pick them up. They are usually hidden and out of the way, so one must thoroughly search for them, or know where they are, to get them. There are thirteen skulls in ''Halo 3'', along with a fourteenth secret skull on [[Cortana (level)|Cortana.]]


Note:  in order to obtain any of the skulls you have to start the level from the beginning and on Normal or higher difficulty. You may, however, use the "Resume Solo/Co-op Game" option from the title menu to resume a level, and still obtain them. You do not have to finish the level nor do you need to carry the skull after first picking it up, so you can simply save and quit, with the exception of the IWHBYD skull. The Mythic skull is also available on Easy (albeit whether or not you will still receive the Achievement is unknown). Also, a VERY important note is that the skulls are affected by physics. This means that a grenade can knock a skull out of its place.
To unlock a skull, you must start its level from the beginning, on [[Normal]] or higher. You can stop playing at any time (provided you resume using the "Resume Solo/Co-op Game" option from the main menu), and you do not need to carry the skull all the way to the end (with the exception of the IWHBYD skull).


To activate the skulls you merely need to press X in the Campaign Lobby and select any of the skulls you desire to play the game with. The Unknown Skull will not appear on this list.
The Mythic skull is the only skull available on [[Easy]], although you will not receive the achievement for it. Also, a ''very'' important note is that the skulls ''are'' affected by physics. This means that, with the exception of the Famine skull, skulls can be moved by grenades, explosions, and other forces.


"[[Gold Skulls]]" will grant you achievements, worth 10 [[Gamerpoints]] when you first get them, and add multipliers to your campaign meta-game score. There are 9 Gold Skulls. Gold skulls mostly affect the difficulty of game-play, making the game more challenging.  
Once a skull is unlocked, you can activate it from the Campaign Lobby. Simply press '''X''' while in the Campaign Lobby, and then select a skull with '''A''' to activate it. Multiple skulls can be activated at once.


"Silver Skulls" do not unlock achievements or add multipliers to your meta-game score. They are differentiated on the selection screen by their background, but are identical in-game. There are 4 Silver Skulls. Silver skulls affect the physics, dialogue and appearance of the game-play.
There are two different types of skulls: Gold skulls and silver skulls. Gold skulls will, when unlocked, grant you achievements, each worth 10 [[Gamerscore]]; when activated, they add multipliers to your [[Campaign Scoring|Campaign Meta-game score]]. The nine gold skulls affect the difficulty of game-play, making the game more challenging. Silver skulls do not unlock achievements or add multipliers to your meta-game score. They are differentiated on the selection screen by their color, but are identical in-game. There are five Silver skulls, and four of them affects the physics, dialog, and appearance of gameplay.


Collecting 5, 9, and 13 skulls of either type will unlock the Hayabusa Chest, Shoulders, and Helmet pieces, respectively, for usage in [[Multiplayer]] and Matchmaking.
Collecting 5, 9, and all 13 skulls of either type will unlock the [[Hayabusa Powered Assault Armor|Hayabusa]] Chest, Shoulders, and Helmet [[Armor customization (Halo 3)|Armor Permutations]], respectively, for usage in Multiplayer and Matchmaking.


In flood infested areas such as the flood ship in Floodgate or the level Cortana:You can shoot the pods with flood infection forms in them and a skull will pop out but you cant pick them up.
In ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', the functionality of ''Halo 3'' skulls is identical, with two differences. All skulls (and Armor Permutations) are unlocked for gameplay from the start. The skulls can still be found and collected in campaign for achievements: both gold and silver skulls unlock achievements worth 5 Gamerscore each.


== Meta Game Quick Reference ==
== Campaign skulls ==
 
=== Meta game quick reference ===
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;" border
|-
!   Skull Name
!Icon
!   Multiplier
!Skull Name
!   Short Description
!Multiplier
!Short Description
|-
|[[File:Halo 3 Iron Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Iron|Iron]]
|3×
|In Solo play, dying reverts the player to the beginning of the level. In cooperative play, any player death reverts to the previous checkpoint.
|-
|[[File:Halo 3 Black Eye Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Black Eye|Black Eye]]
|1.5x
|No auto-shield regeneration. Only melee attacks cause shields to recharge.
|-
|[[File:Halo 3 Tough Luck Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Tough Luck|Tough Luck]]
|1.5×
|Grenades, Needler fire, projectiles (i.e. [[M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon|Rocket Launcher]], [[Type-25 Grenade Launcher|Brute Shot]], and [[Class-2 Projectile cannon|Fuel Rod Cannon]]) and vehicular charges are evaded more skillfully by the AI. Brutes go Berserk more often and Grunts will turn Kamikaze more often.
|-
|[[File:Halo 3 Catch Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Catch|Catch]]
|1.5×
|NPCs throw many more grenades at an alarming rate. NPCs always drop two grenades when dying.
|-
|-
| [[#Iron|Iron]] || 3x || Teammate dead? Reload checkpoint. Everyone dead? Restart level.
|[[File:Halo 3 Fog Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Fog|Fog]]
|1.5×
|Motion Tracker is fully disabled.
|-
|-
| [[#Black Eye|Black Eye]] || 1.5x || No auto-shield regeneration, melee attacks cause segmented regeneration.
|[[File:Halo 3 Famine Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Famine|Famine]]
|2×
|Dropped weapons have much less ammunition/charge.
|-
|-
| [[#Tough Luck|Tough Luck]] || 1.5x || Enemies attain ninja-esque dodging, for grenades in particular.
|[[File:Halo 3 Thunderstorm Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Thunderstorm|Thunderstorm]]
|1.5×
|All enemies are promoted to higher ranks. (More experience) .
|-
|-
| [[#Catch|Catch]] || 1.5x || NPCs are more likely to throw grenades. NPCs always drop at least 2 grenades when dying.
|[[File:Halo 3 Tilt Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Tilt|Tilt]]
|2×
|Enemy defensive resistances/weaknesses are amplified.
|-
|-
| [[#Fog|Fog]] || 1.5x || No motion tracker.
|[[File:Halo 3 Mythic Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Mythic|Mythic]]
|2×
|All NPC's health allocation is doubled.
|-
|-
| [[#Famine|Famine]] || 2x || Dropped weapons have half the initial ammo/charge.
|[[File:Halo 3 Blind Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Blind|Blind]]
|1×
|Player HUD and weapon model are disabled.
|-
|-
| [[#Thunderstorm|Thunderstorm]] || 1.5x || Rank goes up one for all NPCs.
|[[File:Halo 3 Grunt Birthday Party Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Grunt Birthday Party|Grunt Birthday Party]]
|1×
|Headshots on Grunts trigger a confetti effect and sounds of children cheering.
|-
|-
| [[#Tilt|Tilt]] || 2x || Damage type resistances are amplified, Brute armor is near-impervious to [[Human]] weapons.
|[[File:Halo 3 Cowbell Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#Cowbell|Cowbell]]
|1×
|Increased aceleration from explosions.
|-
|-
| [[#Mythic|Mythic]] || 2x || NPC's health is greatly increased.
|[[File:Halo 3 IWHBYD Skull.png|center|50px]]
|[[#IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) skull|IWHBYD]]
|1×
|Rare dialogue becomes more common.
|}
|}


=='''List of Gold Skulls'''==   
===List of gold skulls===
If you need some help, watch the video at [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRQ-bOwMgco this link].
==== Iron ====
[[File:H3 Iron.jpg|thumb|The Iron skull is located on the left side of the image.]]
{{Article quote
|Death carries a heavy price...
}}
 
'''Level''': [[Sierra 117]]
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a hammer.
 
'''Effect''': If you die while playing solo, you will respawn at the very beginning of the level - The "Revert to last checkpoint" option is no longer selectable. If any player dies while playing [[Campaign#Cooperative|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.


=== Iron ===
'''Point Multiplier''': 3×
[[Image:Iron-skull.jpg|thumb]]
'''Level''': [[Sierra 117]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>


'''Directions''':<br>
'''Directions''':
# Battle through to the end of the level until the point where you must rescue Sergeant Johnson and his team.
# Battle through to the level normally until you arrive at the point where you must rescue [[Sergeant]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Johnson]] and his team.
# Sniper as many enemies as you can before jumping down, especially on the bridge.
# Snipe as many enemies as you can before jumping down, especially on the bridge.
# Jump down and cross the bridge.
# Jump down and cross the bridge.
# Keep to the right of the bridge until you see a block lined with some pipes. Jump onto this block and continue.
# Keep to the right of the bridge until you see a blocked line with some pipes. Hop onto this block and continue.
# When you reach the end of this raised block, jump up into the balcony.
# When you reach the end of this raised block, jump up into the balcony.
# Follow this balcony to the end, the skull is hidden behind a pillar jutting out from the building.
# Follow this balcony to the end, the skull is hidden behind a pillar jutting out from the building tucked into the corner.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a hammer.
==== Black Eye ====
[[File:H3 Black Eye.jpeg|thumb|Skull is located on the pipe.]]
{{Article quote|Bash your way to better health.}}
'''Level''': [[Crow's Nest]]
'''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 following actions will also recharge your energy shields:
* The '''RT''' attacks from the [[Type-1 energy sword|Energy Sword]] and [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|Gravity Hammer]]
* An enemy being in the Gravity Hammer's shockwave area of effect.
* [[Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|Boarding/hijacking]] an enemy vehicle
* Punching (not boarding/hijacking) an enemy vehicle, [[Rizsheda-pattern Shade|Shade Turret]], or any enemy-manned turret
* Destroying a [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]]'s core on any level that features Scarabs
* Punching the exposed Lekgolo part of the core of a Scarab.
* Activating [[Invincibility]]
* Deploying a [[Regenerator]]
* Betraying allies and punching them
 
'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5×
 
'''Directions:'''
# At the beginning of the level, walk to the door leading to the barracks, then turn around.
# Walk to the green metal rack and jump on top of it.
# Turn to the right, look up to the red metal beam, and jump on it.
# To the direct right again, is a much larger blackish pipe. Jump on it.
# Walk along the pipe, taking care not to fall off, and you will see the skull at the end.
 
==== Tough Luck ====
{{Article quote|Your foes always make every saving throw.}}
 
'''Level''': [[Tsavo Highway]]
 
'''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. Non-Chieftain [[Jiralhanae]] will berserk more often and Grunts will become Suicide Grunts more often.
 
'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5×
 
'''Directions''':
# Keep battling through to the point where you must fight a group of [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]], two of which are using [[Barukaza Workshop Chopper|Choppers]].
# Kill all the enemies, destroy the shield, then continue through until you reach a long, winding bridge. At this point, a [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] [[Ket-pattern battlecruiser|CCS-class Battlecruiser]] should fly overhead.
# To your left, you will see a series of yellow ladders. Go to the very last one. If you receive a [[Regenerator]] at the top, you will know it is the correct ladder.
# Jump over or around the large metal bar on the right, then turn to the left.
# Look down and you will see a large, black support below you. Jump down onto it. Note that you have to walk and be standing on the part of the pipe that sticks out slightly with the bolts going through it—otherwise, you'll take too much fall damage and die.
# Walk along to the end of the support, then turn to the left again.
# Now you should be able to see the skull on a cliff across a gap. Jump across the gap on to the cliff, and get the skull.
<center>
<gallery>
File:H3 Tough Luck Pipe.jpeg|The pipeline that must be traversed to the Tough Luck skull.
File:H3 Tough Luck.jpg|The Tough Luck skulls in its hidden location.
</gallery>
</center>


'''Effect''': If you die while playing solo, you will restart at the beginning of the level (you cannot revert to the last checkpoint at any time). If any player dies while playing co-operative, you will reset to the last checkpoint. This is similar to what would happen when playing co-operative on [[Legendary]] in ''[[Halo 2]]''.
==== Catch ====
[[File:H3 Catch.jpg|thumb|The Catch skull is located on top of the silo.]]
{{Article quote|Pull pin. Count to three. Throw.}}


'''Point Multiplier''': 3x
'''Level''': [[The Storm]]


''See also: The other Sierra 117 Skull, [[#Blind|Blind]]''
'''Icon''': A skull marked with an image of a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|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 [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|Warthog]] is hit by a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|Plasma Grenade]], it will now be hit by two, three, or even four. The Catch skull has no effect on [[The Flood|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 [[Unggoy#Suicide Grunts|Kamikaze Grunts]]. It has been observed that the Marines will sometimes throw grenades with reckless abandon, similar to their behavior in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.


=== Black Eye ===
'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5×


'''Level''': [[Crow's Nest]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8kiVzzKct8</ref>
'''Directions''':
#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.<ref>http://halo.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=23863683&postRepeater1-p=2#23864906</ref>
# Battle through to Lakebed A -- the point where you fight an [[Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|Anti-Air Wraith]], a handful of [[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Ghosts]], and a standard [[Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith]].
#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.
#[[Drive an AA Wraith|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 [[AV-14 Hornet|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.
#[[Explosive jumping|Explosive Jump]].
#Park a Ghost below, then jump from it onto the building. Use an [[Explosive jumping|Explosive Jump]] if necessary.
#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.
#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.
#On [[Campaign#Cooperative|Co-op]], one player can jump onto the other player's head, then onto the building.
#Drive the [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|Warthog]] at the foot of the silo and [[crouch Jumping|crouch-jump]] onto it. Make sure that the Warthog is at the Wraith-side of the silo before attempting the crouch-jump.
#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.


'''Directions''':<br>
'''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.
# At the beginning of the level, walk to the door leading to the barracks, then turn around.
# Walk to the black metal rack and jump onto it.
# Slowly move to the very right of the metal rack.
# Jump onto the small black pipes, then onto the large brown pipe in front of you.
# Walk along the pipe, taking care not to fall off and you will see the skull at the end.
'''Note''': There are many other ways in which you are able to jump onto the brown pipe.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a smaller skull with a bruise under one eye. Also, the skull’s left eye is marked with a bruise underneath it.
==== Fog ====
[[File:H3 Fog.jpg|thumb|The Fog skull is in the Combat Form's right hand]]
{{Article quote|You'll miss those eyes in the back of your head...}}


'''Effect''': Your Energy Shield will not recharge until you perform a melee hit. The Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer's R-Trigger attacks count as a melee attack. Hijacking also counts as a melee attack.
'''Level ''': [[Floodgate]]


In ''Halo 2'', the Black Eye skull could be used to give the player a full 300% overshield, but the recharge effect only worked if you killed an enemy with a melee attack. However, energy sword does not count. In ''Halo 3'', simply hitting an enemy with a melee attack will recharge your shield, regardless of whether the enemy dies or not. However you're no longer able to gain an overshield.
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a swirl of fog.


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5x
'''Effect''': Your [[Motion tracker]] is disabled completely.


-----------------------------------------------
'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5×


=== Tough Luck ===
'''Directions''':
[[Image:100 2912.jpg.JPG|thumb|right]]  
#Walk into the destroyed city of Voi. As soon as you enter the city, there is a building with an SAM Launcher on the right. Move to the middle of the road that leads in and left.
'''Level''': [[Tsavo_Highway_(Level)|Tsavo Highway]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
#Take out a weapon with a scope (preferably a [[BR55HB SR Battle Rifle|Battle Rifle]]) and look up and to the right (to the top of the right hand building). Wait for a Marine to say over the radio, ''"All squads, report."''
#You will see a [[Flood combat form|Flood Combat Form]] on the roof of the building to the right. It will jump across the street above you as a Marine replies, ''"There, over there!"''. You can either kill the Combat Form, making it drop the skull, or, you can shoot off it's right arm. You may either kill it whilst it is still on the first roof or try to shoot it while it is in midair. The skull will fall to the ground between the two buildings.


'''Directions''':<br>
==== Famine ====
Note:This is the first time you come across a highway
[[File:H3 Famine.jpg|thumb|200px|The Famine skull on The Ark.]]
{{Article quote|Trust us. Bring a magazine.}}


# Keep battling through to the point where you must fight a group of brutes, two of which are using choppers.
'''Level''': [[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]
# Kill all the enemies, destroy the shield, then continue through until you reach a long, winding bridge. At this point a Covenant Battle Cruiser should fly overhead.
# To your left you will see a series of yellow ladders. Go to the very last one. If you receive a regenerator at the top, you will know it is the correct ladder.
# Jump over or around the large metal bar, then turn to the left.
# Look down and you will see a large, black support below you. Jump down onto it.
# Walk along to the end of the support, then turn to the left again.
# Now you should be able to see the skull on a cliff across a gap. Jump across the gap, and get the skull.


'''Note''': You can get back to the highway. If you jump back onto the pillar you can carefully walk around the ledge untill you reach the grassed area, jump off and up the hill to your right and you will be back on the highway to continue on your way! Alternatively, the player can simply return to the previous checkpoint - though you don't keep the skull, the achievement remains.
'''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.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with three clovers.  
'''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. Jackals, the only enemies found in the Halo 3 campaign to overcharge Plasma Pistol shots, are very likely to run out of charge due to the reduced charge also affecting them. Leaving them with no charge and no way to attack the Chief. This does not work in the Halo 3: ODST campaign.


'''Effect''': Enemies dodge grenades, needles, and vehicle assaults with a far greater success rate. However, plasma and spike grenade sticks are still possible at close range, and from behind.
'''Point Multiplier''': 2×


'''Note''': Does not affect [[Hunters]] or [[Ranged Pure Forms]].
'''Directions:'''
#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.
#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.
#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:
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''Method I''': Use Chopper to get up to the platform through the rocks and park it on a slanted platform where your jump can reach where the skull is. This may require several attempt to do it.


==== Thunderstorm ====
[[File:H3 Thunderstorm.jpg|thumb|The Thunderstorm skull, and in the background, an aerial battle rages.]]
{{Article quote|Field promotions for everyone.}}


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5x
'''Level''': [[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]


-------------------------------------------------
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a lightning bolt.


=== Catch ===
'''Effect''': All enemies and allies are promoted to the highest available rank. The number of shielded Flood Elite Combat Forms and shielded Sentinels is also increased. Promotions given:
[[Image:Catch-skull.jpg|thumb|The Catch Skull is located on top of the Silo.]]
* Brute Minors and Brute Majors are promoted to Brute Ultras.
'''Level''': [[The Storm]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
* Brute Captains and Brute Captain Majors (bar some) are promoted to Brute Captain Ultras.
* Grunt Minors (bar some) and Grunt Majors are promoted to Grunt Ultras.
* Elite Minors are promoted to Elite Majors.
* Jackal Minors are promoted to Jackal Majors.


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5×


'''Directions''':<br>
'''Directions''':
#After deactivating the first tower, there is a part in the level where you have to fly a Hornet to the third tower. As you hop into the Hornet, the title ''If You Want It Done Right'' will be displayed—if it isn't, then no skull will appear.
#On your way to the third tower, you will see the second tower (which was disabled by the Elites). This is also the tower with the [[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal]]. Fly over to it.
#There is a long, flat, semi-enclosed part of the tower that extends out over the ocean. There is a very tall ramp that leads up to it. At the end of the extension you will find the Thunderstorm skull.


# Battle through to the point where you fight an AA wraith, a handful of Ghosts, and a standard Wraith.
'''Note''': Restarting from Rally Point Alpha allows you to go to the skull's location, but no skull is present. Also, the "Too Close to the Sun" achievement can be unlocked from the skull location.
# You should see a silo like building. (See image) On top of this is the skull.
# There are multiple methods which can be used to get onto the building.
#* Grenade jump.
#* Park a vehicle below, then jump from it onto the building.
#* 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.
#* On Co-op mode, one player can jump onto the other's head, then onto the building.
#* Use combinations of vehicles, grenade jumps, and other players.
#* Drive a Ghost to the foot of the silo, then stick it with a plasma grenade.  The explosion of the grenade, coupled with the explosion of the Ghost, gives more than enough height.


'''Notes''':
==== Tilt ====
*If you destroy the standard Wraith, the skull will vanish.
[[File:H3 Tilt.jpg|thumb|The Tilt skull in its hiding place.]]
*A deployable cover can be obtained by killing the driver of the AA Wraith.
{{Article quote|What was once resistance is now immunity.}}
*If you die once, the skull will not respawn again. Clicking the "Restart Mission" button to refresh the spawn does not help either. The only way is to "Delete" the saved game by changing the difficulty of the level, and changing back again or change the campaign mission to a different one, and back to "The Storm" again the refresh the Skull spawn point.{{fact}}
*The campaign must be beaten on Normal difficulty or higher prior to acquiring the skull or it will not appear.
*This may be one of the easiest skulls to work with. Once activated you have to dodge a lot more grenades, as the effect states, but you also get WAY more grenades to work with. The only difficulty with this skull is if you are driving a vehicle and you are charging into an area packed with [[grunts]] you have to really careful not to get stuck because they have been observed throwing up to four [[plasma grenades]] in a row.
*The skull will not be there when you first look for it,it's best to get the skull before the standard wraith appears as fast as you can.
'''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. The Catch skull has no effect on Flood, as they don't throw grenades. It should be noted that they will throw a unlimited amount of grenades at their enemies. Grunts have been seen throwing more than 4 in a row. The skull does not seem to increase the number of [[Kamikaze Grunts]], however.
'''Level''': [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5x
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a smaller skull with a hole in its head.


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


=== Fog ===
'''Point Multiplier''': 2×


'''Level ''': [[Floodgate]]
'''Directions''':
#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.
#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.
#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 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 (Halo 3)|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.


'''Directions''': At the beginning of the level, you will walk into the destroyed city of Voi. As soon as you enter the city, there is a the first main building with a missile installation on the right. Move to the middle of the road that leads in and left.  Take out a weapon with a scope (preferably a battle rifle) and look up and to the right (to the top of the right hand building). Possibly wait for the sergeant to say "squad, report!" You will see a single flood combat form on the roof of the building to the right. It will jump across the street above you and a marine to starts yelling "there, over there". If you are playing co-op, station one man in the middle of the road between the burning building and the building the creature lands on (Check where he goes before reverting to last save.) Kill the flood just before/as it jumps, one guy using an assault rifle shooting straight up, and one guy sniping from the slanted light post with a battle rifle. Hopefully, the skull will fall off the right hand building so you can pick it up. It may come to rest near the bottom of the left-hand building. This should take several tries. If you miss the flood or the skull is stuck on the building, just restart at the last save.
==== Mythic ====
[[File:H3 Mythic.jpg|thumb|This skull is the Mythic skull]]
{{Article quote|Coverage under the Covenant Health Plan.}}


'''Note''': Look up and to the right just BEFORE entering the city continuing to walk into it.  You will see them run to the top ledge of the building, but you have a VERY limited amount of time to shoot the Flood creature.  But the first time, if you're unable to shoot them, you will at least have a good idea of where to be looking the second time, and just revert to saved.
'''Level''': [[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]
Tip: you only need one bullet, no matter from what gun to bring the skull down. Since the level is very dark, you may miss the skull being dropped, so search around to find it.


'''Note''': You will have to revert to last save quickly if you miss because after the marine starts yelling "we're surrounded sergeant!" there will be another checkpoint and you will have to restart the mission (if you missed).
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a circle with a smaller circle in it


'''Note''': If you are a nervous player you may wish to disable this skull while playing levels that have booster back brutes which can go up into the air, fly above you, and then kill their boosters dropping themselves right next to you.
'''Effect''': All of the Covenant you encounter have twice the amount of health and shields. This will also extend to your allies, too.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a swirl of fog.
'''Point Multiplier''': 2×


'''Effect''': Your motion sensor is no longer active.
'''Directions''':
#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.
#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.


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5x
=== List of silver skulls ===
Silver skulls provide no score multipliers when turned on.
==== Blind ====
[[File:H3 Blind.jpg|thumb|The Blind skull on the rock.]]
{{Article quote|Shoot from the hip.}}


-------------------------------------------
'''Level''': [[Sierra 117]]


=== Famine ===
'''Icon''': An eye with the pupil crossed out.


'''Level''': [[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Effect''': Your entire Heads-Up Display is disabled. You can't see your weapon, shield meter, motion tracker, equipment, or ammo/grenades. Your shield will not make any noise unless it is recharging. You do not get notifications for checkpoints or loading nor are you able to visibly see prompts. You are able to see what gun you're holding by the subtle sound it makes, looking down, and getting out of first person view. You are also able to know what type of grenade you have equipped yourself with by the subtle sounds they make.


'''Directions: Method A''' At a point in the level, 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 about 40 feet wide. 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. 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 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. 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. (Note: you don't need to back up excessively. The process from the moment you throw the grenade to when you start running towards it should take less than 2 seconds).
'''Directions''':
- Alternatively you can make it harder on yourself by getting about 6 feet away from the incline, and throw a plasma grenade to the top of the incline. It will stay there, because the incline rises about 3 inches before it goes downward. As you throw, begin a jump toward the crevice of the support. If you timed it right, you should be about 5 feet past the grenade when it explodes, which should give you the boost you need to get onto the support and get the skull. The timing might take a few tries before you get it right.  
# Go to the area where you first encounter the Covenant. There should be a Brute Captain Major and a few Grunts.
-It is best to do Method A on Normal Difficulty as the grenade blast will take your shields to the brink. Don't be lazy, take care of the two ghosts first.
# Face the large body of water and look for the protruding rock.
# Jump onto this rock. There should be another rock. Jump on this. Walk to the end of this rock and pick up the skull.


'''Directions: Method B''' A slightly easier way to get the skull is to use a Brute Chopper. Save one from an earlier battle, and then drive it to the part that's underneath some kind of roof (this is where you're going anyways) drive out from underneath it, and you should be making a right turn. To the right, on the rock face, there is a lone boulder on the ground. Drive slightly past it, then turn around, aiming at the bridge, and drive up the steep face. Eventually, you will be at a small gap between the bridge and the rock. on the left "edge" of the rock, you can see a small upwards incline. Using this as a jump, boost off of it and try to land on the bridge. This will probably take a few tries. Once you're on, turn left and drive to the last "pillar" (which contains the skull) hugging the pillar, drive the Chopper as close to the edge as possible. Then just jump on top of the Chopper, and jump into the pillar. Getting the Chopper just right and getting into the pillar takes a few tries, so don't be discouraged if you miss and take a while.  
==== Grunt Birthday Party ====
[[File:BirthdayGruntCloseUp.jpg|thumb|The effect of the Grunt Birthday Party skull.]]
{{Article quote|Light a match...}}


'''Directions: Method C''' When killing Brutes in the level pick up a deployable cover and drop it in front of the pillar with the skull and use it as a step to the ledge.
'''Level''': [[Crow's Nest]]


'''Directions: Method D''' Play the level on Co-Op with a friend. Both of you should climb up on to the platform. Have your friend stand as low on the incline near the pillar as he can with his back against the pillar. Then your friend should kill you, and when you respawn you will land right on his head, use him to jump up to the platform, grab the skull, and you both get the achievement.
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a candle.


'''Directions: Method E''' Yes, another method but this is for those who can't grenade jump for their lives. Quite simple really, just take a bubble shield and at least one fragmentation grenade and go to the ledge. Deploy the 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.
'''Effect''': If a Grunt is shot in the head with any headshot-capable weapon (such as the [[BR55HB SR Battle Rifle|Battle Rifle]], [[Type-50 particle beam rifle|Beam Rifle]], [[Carbine]], [[Sniper rifle|Sniper Rifle]] or [[M6 Series|Magnum]]), a popping sound is heard, colorful confetti explodes out of it which causes minor damage to nearby enemies, detonates grenades on the ground, and a sound clip of children cheering from the game ''Hurray''!"can be heard in the background. When the Grunt's head explodes, their mask will usually fall off.


'''Directions: Method F''' One more method. This is for people who know how to grenade jump but by some misfortune use their grenades. Take a brute shot, they're all over the place on that level, 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.
'''Directions''':
#Method A: On your way to the barracks, you will come across a section in the level where you are required to drop down into a shaft, and at the bottom, are several pipe entrances, where Drones fly in and out of. Reaching the bottom will initiate a Cortana Moment.
#If you walk to the end of the corridor, there is another large drop (purple pipe with a rotating fan), but do not jump down. Instead, look down around the drop and you will notice a small ledge protruding out a little bit with a green arrow just visible in the middle of it. If you approach the edge very slowly and walk backwards very quickly as soon as you fall, you will land on the ledge. The skull will be located at the end of the passage.
#Method B: After the battle with the Chieftain and Brutes, grab a grav lift. Continue on until you are in the shaft with the drones. Walk down the corridor and go down the large drop. Turn around and throw the grav lift. Go through it and then you'll enter the passage with the skull at the end of it.


'''Directions: Method G''' One More method. Was found by Accident in CO-OP so it's still experimental. stand on your friends head. Then have them grenade jump. At the highest point of their jump, jump over to the ledge. If performed correctly, you should land on the platform.
'''Note''': Try to lay the lift as near to the pipe as possible; laying it in the middle won't always work.


'''Directions: Method H''' On co-op, if you can't find any brute shots, take a fuel rod gun dropped by the grunt heavies on the far side of the big bowl (from the entrance) near the platform, and climb up onto the other platform with the skull on (with your co-op partner) Go to the support on which the skull is and stand on their head and jump and fire down (onto your partner) at the same time and you should easily get onto the support, which you can walk along to get the skull.
==== Cowbell ====
Note that this does not work as well on solo because the fuel rods just bounce off the slanting floor.
[[File:H3 Cowbell.jpg|thumb|The Cowbell skull above the stairs.]]
{{Article quote|More bang for your buck.}}
'''Level''': [[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]


'''Directions: Method I''' An easier way is to get a deployable cover dropped by some Brutes near the beginning of the level, deploy it near the wall, and jump on it, then jump from that to the ledge, and crouch down to get the skull.
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a cowbell.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a smaller skull.
'''Effect''': Physics impulses are increased. Explosions and melee attacks launch characters and objects farther, but the damage is not affected. Allies and enemies alike do not flinch when you melee them bar [[Jiralhanae]] with very weak shields.


'''Effect''': All weapons that are dropped by enemies or are scripted to spawn on the ground (e.g., near a downed Pelican or group of dead bodies) have halved or reduced ammunition or charge. However, weapons found in cases still have the regular amount of ammo.  
'''Directions''':
#You must start this level from the beginning; starting from any other point will cause the skull to not appear. After defeating the [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|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 battery|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:
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.
##'''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.


'''Point Multiplier''': 2x
==== IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy)====
[[File:H3 IWHBYD.jpg|thumb|The IWHBYD skull in front of the light bridge.]]
{{Main|IWHBYD skull (Halo 3)}}
{{Article quote|But a dog beat me over the fence!}}


-------------------------------------------------
'''Level''': [[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]


=== Thunderstorm ===
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a double helix.


'''Level''': [[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Effect''': Rare dialog is more common, and vice versa.


'''Directions''': After taking down the first tower there is a part in the level where there are two hornets and you are expected to take one and get to the third tower to take it down. The screen will briefly show "If you want it done right" as you hop into the Hornet.  If it does not say "If you want it done right", then no skull will be present.  After you get in, start to fly to the third tower. On your way there, you will see the second tower (which was disabled by the Elites). It looks exactly like the third tower (only without all the land and enemies on it). Fly over to it. You will hear an Elite reminding you that the tower is already disabled. This will confirm you are in the right area. There is a long flat part of the tower that extends out over the ocean (semi-enclosed). There is a very tall ramp that leads up to it. At the end of the extension you will find the Thunderstorm skull. You must get out of your Hornet or Banshee, or the skull will not appear.
'''Directions''': Near the end of the level, after you and the Arbiter fight through the Covenant to stop Truth from firing the Halo rings, the Flood will turn against you. Fight your way back to the elevator, but '''DO NOT''' drop through the vent at the end. Instead, turn around, facing the 7 holographic rings. From here, the closest ring is 1, the farthest away is 7. '''''FOLLOW THIS SEQUENCE BY JUMPING THROUGH THE RINGS IN THIS ORDER''''': 4 6 5 4 5 3 4 (If you listen closely, the humming noise of each holographic ring corresponds to one of 7 notes on a musical scale, and the sequence of notes produced by the rings in the sequence follows the tune of the last [[seven]] notes of the Gregorian Chant from the famous [[Halo Theme]]). Afterward, head all the way back to the control console and the skull should be on the floor just in front of the light-bridge.


You must start from the beginning of this level, disabling tower one then moving outside in order to pick up this skull.
==== Unknown (Second Blind/Assassin) ====
{{Main|Halo 3 skulls#Assassin skull|l1=Assassin skull}}


* Restarting from Rally Point Alpha allows you to go to the skull point, but no skull is present
'''Level''': [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]
* Starting from Rally Point Beta (with a Tank and Warthog) leads to a fight with two Scarabs, and is beyond the skull pickup point


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a lightning bolt.
'''Effects''': Nothing. [[Halo 3 skulls#Glitches|There is a glitch]] that enables a player carrying either this skull or the [[Halo 3 skulls#Tilt|Tilt]] skull through to the end of the level to start the next level with a [[M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle|Spartan Laser]] and their current secondary weapon.


'''Effect''': All enemies (and Sangheili allies) are promoted to the next available rank. The number of shielded Flood combat forms is also increased. Also it seems that the Chieftain on Sierra 117 sometimes become a War Chieftain. Elites that would have been Majors do not become Ultras, however, and stay the same rank. Basically, field promotions for everyone!
'''Directions''':
#This skull can be found in the reactor room. First, kill all of the Flood forces in the room. Once the room is free of Flood, search the room for some stacked up Deployable Covers. Make sure you have some grenades (not Spike Grenades or Firebombs) with you.
#Grab one of the Deployable Covers and climb one of the pillars that extend from the upper floor. Deploy the cover and climb it. Then, jump to the upper floor. If you can't do it with the Deployable Cover, throw a grenade on the end of the pillar and grenade jump—if you got the [[Halo 2 skulls#Famine|Famine skull]] by grenade jumping, you should be able to reach the upper floor in 2-3 tries.
#When you're up, search around the surface and look down. At some point, you should find the skull among some bones. It's above the main door.


'''Point Multiplier''': 1.5x
'''Note''': In ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', the skull will sometimes fall off its perch when it spawns, falling into the pit and becoming unobtainable.


---------------------------------------------------------
== Mythic skulls ==
These skulls can be found in the [[Mythic Map Pack]] levels that can give you [[achievement]]s. These skulls only appear when in [[Forge]].
=== Orbital ===
[[File:H3 Orbital Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Orbital skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Orbital]]


=== Tilt ===
'''Icon''': A skull marked with the emblem of the [[Quito Space Tether]].


'''Level''': [[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Direction''': Above the pit between the two pathways, go up until you see the skull on the ledge. You must exit Edit Mode on the ledge beside it, crouch and get it.


'''Directions''': The skull is at the top of the large circular room where Cortana asks your name, and says it’s very nice to meet you and that she likes to play games too (your screen and movement won’t change for this one). To the left of the room will be some small, somewhat fungal, growths on the walls. Near this is a rounded pillar. 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; try backing up slightly first.  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.  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.  Walk up the extruded Flood tentacle onto the roof of the are where you will find the Skull.
===Assembly===
[[File:H3 Assembly Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Assembly skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Assembly]]


*Note that underneath the platform you usually walk on are a 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 you cause your jumps to fail.
'''Icon''': A skull marked with [[Lekgolo]] worms.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a smaller skull with a hole in its head.
'''Direction''': Near the middle. Between the two pipes connecting the middle to the building. Use Edit Mode in Forge to fly up there.


'''Effect''': All enemy weaknesses and resistances double. Example: Brute armor is weaker to plasma weapons and stronger against projectile weapons.
===Sandbox===
[[File:H3 Sandbox Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Sandbox skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Sandbox]]


'''Point Multiplier''': 2x
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a [[Monitor]].


--------------------------------------------------------------
'''Direction''':


=== Mythic ===
The skull is located between two of the [[The Guardians|Guardian]] towers, at the right of the sun - locating the skull in [[Theater]] first helps. The towers fire upon the player on sight, and are one-hit kills, so to reach the skull, a player has to use scenery items to protect themselves. An easy way to obtain the skull is through the following steps:


'''Level''': [[Halo (Level) (Halo 3)|Halo]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Method 1:'''
#In [[Forge]], [[Overload glitch (Halo 3)|overload]] the map.
#Locate the skull and construct a Tube Y-Intersection surrounding the skull. This will serve as your protection against the towers' deadly beam.
#Place two two-way teleporter nodes; one inside the tube and the other within the map's safe zone.
#Start a new round and simply walk into the teleporter and obtain the skull.
'''Method 2:'''
#Locate the skull in Theater mode.
#Place a corner piece of movable corridor with one opening facing in the direction of the skull and the other opening facing the sky.
#Position yourself within the piece of corridor looking out towards the skull.
#'Pick up' the corridor and move towards the skull, the corridor should move around you, absorbing the fire from the Guardian Towers.
#When you reach the skull simply turn back into a Spartan, crouch down and pick it up.
'''Method 3:'''
#Before starting, edit both the editor and player traits to give both maximum overshields. (This allows both modes to withstand a single blast from a tower.)
#Locate the skull.
#Create a [[Bubble Shield|bubble shield]] in edit mode and pick it up in player mode.
#Fly to the skull in edit mode.
#Enter player mode and quickly drop the bubble shield over the skull, giving you time to retrieve it.


'''Directions''': Move forwards, hugging the right wall and curving slowly left.  After about 15 seconds 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.  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.
===Heretic===
[[File:H3 Heretic Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Heretic skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Heretic]]


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a circle with a smaller circle in it
'''Icon''': A skull marked with the [[Mark of Shame]].


'''Effect''': All of the Covenant you encounter have twice the amount of health.
'''Direction''': Standing on the sword platform face the windows and the skull is 90 degrees to the right of the sword under the vents.


'''Point Multiplier''': 2x
===Longshore===
[[File:H3 Longshore Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Longshore skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Longshore]]


-----------------------------------------------------------
'''Icon''': A skull marked with a harpooned fish.


==List of Silver Skulls==
'''Direction''': On the top of a large ventilation shaft beside a "Fronk's" sign. Head for the aircraft carrier & then turn right. Only accessible via Forge.


=== Blind ===
===Citadel===
[[File:H3 Citadel Skull.png|thumb|200px|The Citadel skull's location.]]
'''Level''': [[Citadel]]


'''Level''': [[Sierra 117]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Icon''': A skull marked with the symbol of the [[Covenant citadel|Citadel]].


'''Directions''': In the beginning of the level, you and your troops will come across a waterfall with a Phantom dropping off troops. This your first contact will any enemies. Kill all of the enemy troops to get them out of the way. Face the water body (lake) and move to the right of the area towards the lake. There is a rock jutting out of the land, and one of the larger rocks extends into the water. The blind skull is at the tip of the rock. There is also a second blind skull on the level '''Cortana''' but no bonus is gained for capturing both skulls. Though that is a fun challenge on [[Legendary]].  
'''Direction''': Find the overshield on the blue side. Then look for the wall with the blue triangular shapes on it. There should be a pillar in-between the shapes. At the top of this pillar, to the right in an alcove is the skull. Only accessible via Forge.


'''Icon''': A skull marked with an eye with a crossed out pupil. Also, the skull’s eyes are shaded white.
==Special / Exclusive Skull==
=== Assassin===
Hackers searched the Halo 3 files and found evidence of an "Assassin Skull" in the <code>mainmenu.map</code> file. The same file also had hints of every skulls' locations, and the Assassin skull's hint was "Interred where heroes fall". Interestingly enough, the Sierra 117 Blind skull's hint was "Interred deep within her tomb". That description doesn't match with Sierra 117, but the Assassin skull's description does (the Chief fell from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought|Dreadnought]] at that level). The "unknown skull" on Cortana matches the Blind skull's description, considering that Cortana was trapped in ''[[High Charity]]''.


'''Effect''': Your HUD and weapon are no longer visible.
Apparently the unknown skull in Cortana was going to be the Blind skull, and Sierra 117 would have the Assassin skull, but the latter was replaced by the former. However Bungie technically did not remove the "old" Blind skull from the game, nor updated the mainmenu.map file; the Assassin skull and its info were not removed, and the hint for the Blind skull was not corrected. It has commonly been claimed that if a player retrieves the unknown skull before they retrieve the Blind skull, that they will unlock the Blind skull in the Campaign options screen, but this has been disproven.{{Ref/Site|Id=BlindSkull2|URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOFxQrKArI|Site=YouTube|Page=Halo 3 - Is The Secret Skull On Cortana Really A 2nd Blind Skull?|D=03|M=10|Y=2017}}


-----------------------------------------------------------
===Acrophobia===
The Acrophobia skull is an exclusive skull, featured only in [[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]. The skull was released for the Xbox and PC version in commemoration of Halo 3‘s release on PC on 14 July 2020.


=== Grunt Birthday Party ===
'''Unlock criteria''': Kill 343 enemy air units (Banshee, Drones, Sentinels, and Phantoms).
[[Image:BirthdayGruntCloseUp.jpg|300px|thumb|The effect of the Grunt Birthday Party Skull.]]
http://images.wikia.com/halo/images/b/be/1213124784_Grunt_grun_gru_gr_g.jpg


'''Effects''': Hold jump to activate the skull, and hold crouch during the flight to stop mid-air.


'''Level''': [[Crow's Nest]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/>
'''Note''': Direct impact into almost anything at high speed while in flight can cause the player to die upon impact.


'''Directions''': On your way to the barracks (after you view the bomb, and after the flying Drones), you will come across a part in the level where you drop down a hole with fallen rocks at the end. Cortana sends you a message ("you'll be called upon to serve") when you land. Once the message is over, you will find yourself in a wide corridor with open pipes on either side, with Drones flying across every now and then. If you walk to the end of the corridor, there is another large drop (purple pipe with a rotating fan), but DON'T GO DOWN. If you go to the very edge and look down the drop, you will notice a small ledge protruding out a little bit. If you approach the edge very slowly and walk backwards very quickly as soon as you fall (or vice-versa), you will land on the ledge. Behind you (or in front of you if you backed towards the drop and then ran forwards) is the skull.
===Anger===


This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Note''': If walking off the edge does not work for you, take a gravity lift and use it to propel yourself back up to the room underneath the grating after you have jumped down off the edge.  Sometimes the skull is not there, this is because you have to kill all of the drones.
===Bandanna===


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a candle.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Effect''': If a Grunt is shot in the head with any semi-automatic weapon (including the [[Battle Rifle]]) confetti explodes out of it (the explosion causes minor damage to nearby enemies), and a sound clip of children cheering from the game Viva Pinata can be heard in the background. With good aim, you can also cause the explosion with a [[Magnum]]. When the grunt's head explodes, their mask  will usually fall off
===Bonded Pair===


'''Note''': If you are playing with any of the skulls active you should have this skull active. It does not increase the difficulty of the game, it actually makes it easier. When you blow a [[grunt]]'s head off the explosion slightly damages nearby enemies. Groups of three or more grunts, if you kill them quickly, within 3 seconds or so with headshots, will most likely kill any single additional grunt in the nearby vicinity.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Note''': You can set off large chain reactions if you activate Cowbell and catch in conjunction. First kill [[Grunts]] by shooting them in their chests to make them drop their plasma grenades. Do this repeatively until the plasma grenades build up. Next shoot one in the head to blow up their head. This will set off all the built up grenades. Sit back. Watch. Enjoy.
===Boom===
----------------------------------------------------


=== Cowbell ===
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Level''': [[The_Ark_(Level)|The Ark]]<ref name="youtube-x8kiVzzKct8"/> 
===Eye Patch===
 
'''Directions: Method A''': You must start this level from the beginning - starting from any other point will fail.  After defeating the Scarab, grab a gravity lift from the small structure in the center (to the right of the entranceway up the large slope), then continue on until you pass the room with a lot of explosive plasma containers. 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. Use the gravity lift to get there. The ideal place to deploy it is about 3/4's down-ramp and a little to the left of the middle, facing up-ramp(facing up-ramp will ensure the gravity lift doesn't slip farther down); you should be running down-ramp and jump so your jump-apex is above the gravity lift. You should also be running towards the tall section, aiming towards the middle of the top shelf on the section. If your gravity lift is destroyed, you can always revert to last save since the room containing the skull is a checkpoint. Also if you have difficulty getting there crouch while being grav-lifted.
If you don't get the skull at first then keep trying, you will get it eventually.


- Alternatively you can place at the bottom of the ramp and use a Brute Shot jump for extra height.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Directions: Method B''': If you are having too much trouble placing the grav lift, it is possible to drive a Brute Chopper into the building (there's one inside the small structure where you battle the Scarab). You can then drive the Chopper to the bottom of the ramp, You can then easily walk right into the opening with the skull.
===Foreign===


'''Directions: Method C''': If you are playing on Co-Op, have two of the players grab a Grav lift. One drops his or her Grav lift before the platforms and goes up to the fourth level (One below the skull) and waits for his or her partner to join them. The person still holding their Grav lift stands right on the edge of that platform a drops their Grav lift facing straight down. If you have placed the first one right then they should be inline.  stand on top of it, look down, and deploy the Grav-lift. One person walks of the edge onto the Grav lift backwards. You should then be suspendid above the platform. Just keep pushing forward with the left sitck and you should move onto the platform. If not, keep pushong forward with the left stick and when the Grav lift on the floor breaks then you will drop onto the platform.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


===Ghost===


'''Directions: Method D''': It is possible to get the cowbell without using a friend, brute shot, or Grav-lift. All you need is some jumping skills. You can jump from the ramp to the first platform and then to each platform above.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Directions: Method E''': It is possible to get the Cowbell by using a combination of both an explosive crate and a stick grenade.  Push the crate down the stairs to the correct location (as above), then stick the grenade on top.  Wait approximately one second, then jump (as the grenade explodes, setting off the crate).  This will send you sufficiently high to make it to the 4th level.  Do not hold down the right "take" button as you do so, as this may negate picking up the skull.
===Jacked===


'''Note''': It is suggested to always couple this skull with the Grunt Birthday Party skull for maximum damage when encountering large numbers of Grunts.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Note''': Another possible use for this skull would be to couple this skull with Catch (so that grenade explosions are deadlier and occur far more frequently), creating a greater sense of danger in large firefights.
===Malfunction===


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a cowbell.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Effect''': The force of explosions is increased immensely.
===Master Blaster===


'''Note''': While this makes life more dangerous for you it also makes it a bit easier. Your grenades will be more destructive, obviously, but also the force of the explosions from the grunts heads exploding (with the Grunt Birthday Party skull active) will increase as well.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Note''': This skull should be used in conjunction with the Grunt Birthday Party Skull (or the Catch Skull if you want a challenge.)
===Pinata===


'''Note''': This skull weakens your melee attacks.
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


---------------------------------------------------------------
===Recession===


=== IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) ===
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


''Main article:'' [[Halo 3: IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) Skull]]
===So…Angry…===


'''Level''': [[The_Covenant_(Level)|The Covenant]]
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Directions''': In order to get the IWHBYD skull, you must complete the entire mission (eg. do not use Rally Point Alpha) until you reach the final battle scene, where the Prophet of Truth is planning on lighting all seven rings. Once you reach the bridge, battle your way across with the Arbiter and Flood (making sure not to jump through any rings), neutralize all Covenant, watch/skip the cinematic, and kill all the flood (this is optional, but makes the procedure much easier). Once the bridge is devoid of enemies, you will have to literally jump through the 7 rings in a complex order. Once you have completed this, the IWHBYD skull will appear at the beginning of the light bridge leading to Truth's podium.
===Swarm===


Each number corresponds to the ring you must jump through. The ring at the elevator is 1. The ring next to Truth is 7. The ring with red on it is 4.  
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


Sequence orders:
===That’s Just… Wrong===
::::Quick sequence(easy, doesn't always work) 4,6,5,4,5,3,4.
::::Longer sequence (sure-fire way) 1,3,4,6,7,5,4,6,5,4,5,3,4.
::::Definite sequence (DEFINITE WAY TO DO IT) 1,3,4,6,7,5,4,6,5,4,5,3,4,5,4,5,3,4.


Once you have completed the sequence, the skull will appear at the beginning of the light bridge leading to Truth's podium. If you are not sure you got it then look at the rings when you complete the sequence, they will be blinking in sequence. The Halo theme will play as you get the skull, and the rings will stay on brightly and sometimes flash. You must then finish the level, or the skull will not be saved to your profile and you will have to get it again (eg: jump down the blue hole at the far end as per the normal end to the level).
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


The skull will not spawn if you have jumped through any of the rings before you reach the Prophet Truth. If you do by some means jump through a ring before Truth is dead, then simply restart from the last save.
===They Come Back===


'''Icon''': A skull marked with a double helix (DNA Symbol).
This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.


'''Effect''': Unlocks new, often humorous, dialogs for the AI. Such as "THIS IS SPARTA!" for some marines or "Pie is good" said by some [[Brutes]]. Sometimes a Brute may even say "He was my lover!" when you kill a nearby Covenant soldier, and Grunts may say "Stay close to me, Nipple-mate!" to another Grunt when they are suspicious that enemies may be nearby, or "Thank you for choosing Air Blue-Ball" as they go Kamikaze. Also, after winning a firefight, a marine will sometimes say "Yeah, they were all like, 'We're gonna take over Earth', and we were all like 'Yeah? Eat these grenades!'" And, if you stare at a female marine's chest with the skull on, she will say "Keep the eyes on the green zone, soldier."
==Cut Hints==
''Halo 3''{{'}}s mainmenu.map file contains unused lines that would have hinted at the locations of the skulls.


'''Note''': Be sure to actually jump through the rings, not just go through them
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Skull !! Hint
|-
| Iron || Interred along [[Sierra 117|the slopes of Mt. Killimanjaro]]..
|-
| Black Eye || Interred within [[Crow's Nest|the hidden human base]]..
|-
| Tough Luck|| Interred in a ditch at the side of [[Tsavo Highway|the road]]..
|-
| Catch || Interred at [[The Storm|the crater's edge]]..
|-
| Fog || Interred [[Floodgate|where the dead walk again]]..
|-
| Famine || Interred within [[The Ark (level)|the wastelands of the Ark]]..
|-
| Thunderstorm || Interred near [[The Covenant (level)|the peaks at the Ark's core]]..
|-
| Tilt || Interred deep within [[Cortana (level)|the Flood hive]]..
|-
| Mythic || Interred on [[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Installation 04v2]]..
|-
| Assassin {{C|cut}} || Interred [[Sierra 117|where heroes fall]]..<br>(Describes where the blind skull is found in the final game)
|-
| Blind || Interred within [[Cortana (level)|her tomb]]..<br>(Describes where the unused skull in Cortana is found)
|-
| Cowbell || Interred along [[The Ark (level)|the rim]]..
|-
| Grunt Birthday Party || Interred where [[Crow's Nest|the crows roost]]..
|-
| IWHBYD || Interred at [[The Covenant (level)|the Foundry's edge]]..
|}


'''Note''': This skull does not affect the difficulty of the game. It just makes the game a bit more fun.
== Trivia ==
===Glitches===
The [[Spartan Laser]] the player receives on the mission [[Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo]] upon completing [[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]] with a skull equipped is likely an unintended quirk caused by the way the game reallocates player weapons after completing certain missions. Between these missions, the game will go through a series of checks comparing the player's weapons to the weapons in the next mission to determine whether they are present. Ordinarily, if they are, the player will retain them. If the game cannot find an appropriate match for the weapon, or the player has a projectile weapon with an empty magazine and no ammunition remaining, it will instead give the player the default loadout for the mission.  


===Unknown Skulls===
Skulls, however, are unintentionally able to pass the checks for retaining non-melee energy weapons as the game doesn't check an energy weapon's ammunition count, contrary to projectile weapons which are checked. This means that holding:
*the [[Halo 3 skulls#Tough Luck|Tough Luck]] skull from [[Tsavo Highway (level)|Tsavo Highway]] into [[The Storm (level)|The Storm]]; or
*the [[Halo 3 skulls#Tilt|Tilt]] or [[Halo 3 skulls#Unknown (Second Blind/Assassin)|Unknown]] skull from Cortana into Halo,


There is a 5th silver skull, that does not appear in the Campaign Options screen. It is on the level [[Cortana(Level)|Cortana]], in the reactor room after retrieving the AI. It can be obtained on Co-op with a [[Deployable Cover]]. Deploy it near the edge of the roof, and get Player Two to jump on it and Player One on top of Player Two. Player One should be able to jump on the edge of the roof and get the skull. Please note that this skull has no affiliation with the 13 required skull list, and if carried for the rest of the level, Player One will start with a [[Spartan Laser]] on the next level. It may also have an effect on health, shields or the amount of damage enemies can do. Caution: this may only work with certain skull combinations and/or other factors in gameplay. This skull is a duplicate blind skull.
will give the player the first energy weapon in the weapon index of these levels. In The Storm, this gives the player a [[Plasma Pistol]], and in Halo it gives them a Spartan Laser. If the player finishes any other mission with a skull, the game will replace it with a default weapon instead. This is because these missions check either projectile weapons or melee weapons first in the weapon index, which are both checks the skulls will immediately fail.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hD8PoqLLTc '''General Heed on YouTube''' ''- The Truth About The Secret Skull On Cortana Revealed'']</ref>


Also, there is another unknown skull in the beginning of the level [[Sierra 117]] in the very first [[Covenant Loyalist]] encounter. It can be found opposite from where the second [[Phantom]] deployed units. It is on a rock on the edge in the corner.
===Miscellaneous===
*The Mythic skull has gold teeth.
*A skull's melee power is the same as a regular melee, rather than an instant kill with the Oddball.
*''Halo 3'' skulls also have [[command neural interface|neural interfaces]] in the back of them, like those used by [[John-117]], [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] and [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]] and etc.
*The "I Would Have Been Your Daddy" skull references to the first chapter of [[Assault on the Control Room]], in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' which shares the same name. The skull name is the same quote from the beginning of the level.
*It is possible to "dribble" the skull at the beginning of ''Crows Nest'', just pick up the skull when unarmed and start rapidly pressing right trigger.
*On any level with the Arbiter, if you kill the Arbiter in a safe spot, and drop the skull very close to him, he might jump up and grab it and use it as a weapon, going into the fight hitting enemies with the skull as he goes.
*The "Grunt Birthday Party" skull is the only skull that appears in all seven of the Halo games that feature skulls: ''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]'', ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', ''[[Halo Wars]]'', ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', ''[[Halo 4]]'', and ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''.
*''Halo 3'' skulls are generally easier to get than in ''Halo 2''. They can be found on the Normal difficulty, and are often hidden in simple places which require far less skill and time to reach; examples being the Tough Luck, Mythic and Thunderstorm skulls, which only require taking a simple detour rather than a complicated jump challenge.
*In Co-op, if any of the players do not have the skull of that corresponding level and someone picks it up, the skull will be unlocked in both the menu and as an Achievement for the players which did not already have it.
*The term "[[Mythic (difficulty)|Mythic]] Difficulty", or more commonly "LASO", simply refers to a person playing on Legendary difficulty with every skull active.
*The sound that results from the Grunt Birthday Party skull being used was originally from [[wikipedia:Viva Piñata|Viva Piñata]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/franklez/status/1131661432787853312]</ref>
*The particle effect for the Grunt Birthday Party skull was created by Bungie VFX artist [[Steve Scott]] for amusement during a period of intense [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_developer#Crunch_time crunch] during the development of ''Halo 3''.<ref>[https://twitter.com/stepscot/status/1152667859983589376 '''Steve Scott on Twitter''' - ''Someone cosplayed as a particle effect I made to amuse myself during a brutal crunch over a decade ago. This gives me a type of joy I have never experienced before. #gamedev #halo3'']</ref>


==Trivia==
==Gallery==
*A skull's melee power is the same as firing a shot gun.
<gallery>
File:Main menu map.jpg|The code containing hints to skull locations and descriptions.
File:HxD - Assassin Skull.jpg|The Assassin skull listed within Halo 3's game code.
File:H3 Icon Skull-Gold.png|A gold skull as depicted on Bungie.net.
File:H3 Icon Skull-Silver.png|A silver skull as depicted on Bungie.net.
</gallery>


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}


==External Link==
==External links==
[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12828 Bungie.net - Get the most out of skulls]
*[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12828 Bungie.net - Get the most out of skulls]
*[http://www.gamerhelp.com/article_viewer.cfm?article_id=129280 Location of all the skulls]


[[Category:Halo 3]]
[[Category:Halo 3]]
[[Category:Skulls]]

Latest revision as of 06:03, April 18, 2024

An example of a skull in Halo 3.

Skulls are a series of gameplay modifiers available for use in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. Both games feature the same roster of skulls and effects, though in Halo 3 these items are hidden throughout the game's campaign as hidden easter eggs - and must be found before they can be used. In ODST and the Halo: The Master Chief Collection iterations of both games, all skulls are unlocked from the start.

Once activated, a skull makes gameplay either more humorous, or more challenging.

Background[edit]

The skulls greatly resemble those in the Multiplayer game variant Oddball, and can be used as weapons in much the same way. However, they lack the information text (i.e. "Press RB to pick up...") to pick them up. They are usually hidden and out of the way, so one must thoroughly search for them, or know where they are, to get them. There are thirteen skulls in Halo 3, along with a fourteenth secret skull on Cortana.

To unlock a skull, you must start its level from the beginning, on Normal or higher. You can stop playing at any time (provided you resume using the "Resume Solo/Co-op Game" option from the main menu), and you do not need to carry the skull all the way to the end (with the exception of the IWHBYD skull).

The Mythic skull is the only skull available on Easy, although you will not receive the achievement for it. Also, a very important note is that the skulls are affected by physics. This means that, with the exception of the Famine skull, skulls can be moved by grenades, explosions, and other forces.

Once a skull is unlocked, you can activate it from the Campaign Lobby. Simply press X while in the Campaign Lobby, and then select a skull with A to activate it. Multiple skulls can be activated at once.

There are two different types of skulls: Gold skulls and silver skulls. Gold skulls will, when unlocked, grant you achievements, each worth 10 Gamerscore; when activated, they add multipliers to your Campaign Meta-game score. The nine gold skulls affect the difficulty of game-play, making the game more challenging. Silver skulls do not unlock achievements or add multipliers to your meta-game score. They are differentiated on the selection screen by their color, but are identical in-game. There are five Silver skulls, and four of them affects the physics, dialog, and appearance of gameplay.

Collecting 5, 9, and all 13 skulls of either type will unlock the Hayabusa Chest, Shoulders, and Helmet Armor Permutations, respectively, for usage in Multiplayer and Matchmaking.

In Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the functionality of Halo 3 skulls is identical, with two differences. All skulls (and Armor Permutations) are unlocked for gameplay from the start. The skulls can still be found and collected in campaign for achievements: both gold and silver skulls unlock achievements worth 5 Gamerscore each.

Campaign skulls[edit]

Meta game quick reference[edit]

Icon Skull Name Multiplier Short Description
Halo 3 Iron Skull.png
 Iron 3× In Solo play, dying reverts the player to the beginning of the level. In cooperative play, any player death reverts to the previous checkpoint.
Halo 3 Black Eye Skull.png
 Black Eye 1.5x No auto-shield regeneration. Only melee attacks cause shields to recharge.
Halo 3 Tough Luck Skull.png
 Tough Luck 1.5× Grenades, Needler fire, projectiles (i.e. Rocket Launcher, Brute Shot, and Fuel Rod Cannon) and vehicular charges are evaded more skillfully by the AI. Brutes go Berserk more often and Grunts will turn Kamikaze more often.
Halo 3 Catch Skull.png
 Catch 1.5× NPCs throw many more grenades at an alarming rate. NPCs always drop two grenades when dying.
Halo 3 Fog Skull.png
 Fog 1.5× Motion Tracker is fully disabled.
Halo 3 Famine Skull.png
 Famine 2× Dropped weapons have much less ammunition/charge.
Halo 3 Thunderstorm Skull.png
 Thunderstorm 1.5× All enemies are promoted to higher ranks. (More experience) .
Halo 3 Tilt Skull.png
 Tilt 2× Enemy defensive resistances/weaknesses are amplified.
Halo 3 Mythic Skull.png
 Mythic 2× All NPC's health allocation is doubled.
Halo 3 Blind Skull.png
 Blind 1× Player HUD and weapon model are disabled.
Halo 3 Grunt Birthday Party Skull.png
 Grunt Birthday Party 1× Headshots on Grunts trigger a confetti effect and sounds of children cheering.
Halo 3 Cowbell Skull.png
 Cowbell 1× Increased aceleration from explosions.
Halo 3 IWHBYD Skull.png
 IWHBYD 1× Rare dialogue becomes more common.

List of gold skulls[edit]

Iron[edit]

The Iron skull is located on the left side of the image.
“ Death carries a heavy price... ”

Level: Sierra 117 Icon: A skull marked with a hammer.

Effect: If you die while playing solo, you will respawn at the very beginning of the level - The "Revert to last checkpoint" option is no longer selectable. 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: 3×

Directions:

  1. Battle through to the level normally until you arrive at the point where you must rescue Sergeant Johnson and his team.
  2. Snipe as many enemies as you can before jumping down, especially on the bridge.
  3. Jump down and cross the bridge.
  4. Keep to the right of the bridge until you see a blocked line with some pipes. Hop onto this block and continue.
  5. When you reach the end of this raised block, jump up into the balcony.
  6. Follow this balcony to the end, the skull is hidden behind a pillar jutting out from the building tucked into the corner.

Black Eye[edit]

Black Eye Skull
Skull is located on the pipe.
“ Bash your way to better health. ”

Level: Crow's Nest 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 following actions will also recharge your energy shields:

  • The RT attacks from the Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer
  • An enemy being in the Gravity Hammer's shockwave area of effect.
  • Boarding/hijacking an enemy vehicle
  • Punching (not boarding/hijacking) an enemy vehicle, Shade Turret, or any enemy-manned turret
  • Destroying a Scarab's core on any level that features Scarabs
  • Punching the exposed Lekgolo part of the core of a Scarab.
  • Activating Invincibility
  • Deploying a Regenerator
  • Betraying allies and punching them

Point Multiplier: 1.5×

Directions:

  1. At the beginning of the level, walk to the door leading to the barracks, then turn around.
  2. Walk to the green metal rack and jump on top of it.
  3. Turn to the right, look up to the red metal beam, and jump on it.
  4. To the direct right again, is a much larger blackish pipe. Jump on it.
  5. Walk along the pipe, taking care not to fall off, and you will see the skull at the end.

Tough Luck[edit]

“ Your foes always make every saving throw. ”

Level: Tsavo Highway

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. Non-Chieftain Jiralhanae will berserk more often and Grunts will become Suicide Grunts more often.

Point Multiplier: 1.5×

Directions:

  1. Keep battling through to the point where you must fight a group of Brutes, two of which are using Choppers.
  2. Kill all the enemies, destroy the shield, then continue through until you reach a long, winding bridge. At this point, a Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser should fly overhead.
  3. To your left, you will see a series of yellow ladders. Go to the very last one. If you receive a Regenerator at the top, you will know it is the correct ladder.
  4. Jump over or around the large metal bar on the right, then turn to the left.
  5. Look down and you will see a large, black support below you. Jump down onto it. Note that you have to walk and be standing on the part of the pipe that sticks out slightly with the bolts going through it—otherwise, you'll take too much fall damage and die.
  6. Walk along to the end of the support, then turn to the left again.
  7. Now you should be able to see the skull on a cliff across a gap. Jump across the gap on to the cliff, and get the skull.
  • The pipeline that must be traversed to the Tough Luck skull.

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

  • The Tough Luck skulls in its hidden location.

    The Tough Luck skulls in its hidden location.

Catch[edit]

The Catch skull is located on top of the silo.
“ Pull pin. Count to three. Throw. ”

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: 1.5×

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.[1]
  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.

Fog[edit]

The Fog skull is in the Combat Form's right hand
“ You'll miss those eyes in the back of your head... ”

Level : Floodgate

Icon: A skull marked with a swirl of fog.

Effect: Your Motion tracker is disabled completely.

Point Multiplier: 1.5×

Directions:

  1. Walk into the destroyed city of Voi. As soon as you enter the city, there is a building with an SAM Launcher on the right. Move to the middle of the road that leads in and left.
  2. Take out a weapon with a scope (preferably a Battle Rifle) and look up and to the right (to the top of the right hand building). Wait for a Marine to say over the radio, "All squads, report."
  3. You will see a Flood Combat Form on the roof of the building to the right. It will jump across the street above you as a Marine replies, "There, over there!". You can either kill the Combat Form, making it drop the skull, or, you can shoot off it's right arm. You may either kill it whilst it is still on the first roof or try to shoot it while it is in midair. The skull will fall to the ground between the two buildings.

Famine[edit]

A screenshot of the Famine skull in Halo 3's Campaign level The Ark.
The Famine skull on The Ark.
“ Trust us. Bring a magazine. ”

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. Jackals, the only enemies found in the Halo 3 campaign to overcharge Plasma Pistol shots, are very likely to run out of charge due to the reduced charge also affecting them. Leaving them with no charge and no way to attack the Chief. This does not work in the Halo 3: ODST campaign.

Point Multiplier: 2×

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.
    9. Method I: Use Chopper to get up to the platform through the rocks and park it on a slanted platform where your jump can reach where the skull is. This may require several attempt to do it.

Thunderstorm[edit]

The Thunderstorm skull, and in the background, an aerial battle rages.
“ Field promotions for everyone. ”

Level: The Covenant

Icon: A skull marked with a lightning bolt.

Effect: All enemies and allies are promoted to the highest available rank. The number of shielded Flood Elite Combat Forms and shielded Sentinels is also increased. Promotions given:

  • Brute Minors and Brute Majors are promoted to Brute Ultras.
  • Brute Captains and Brute Captain Majors (bar some) are promoted to Brute Captain Ultras.
  • Grunt Minors (bar some) and Grunt Majors are promoted to Grunt Ultras.
  • Elite Minors are promoted to Elite Majors.
  • Jackal Minors are promoted to Jackal Majors.

Point Multiplier: 1.5×

Directions:

  1. After deactivating the first tower, there is a part in the level where you have to fly a Hornet to the third tower. As you hop into the Hornet, the title If You Want It Done Right will be displayed—if it isn't, then no skull will appear.
  2. On your way to the third tower, you will see the second tower (which was disabled by the Elites). This is also the tower with the Terminal. Fly over to it.
  3. There is a long, flat, semi-enclosed part of the tower that extends out over the ocean. There is a very tall ramp that leads up to it. At the end of the extension you will find the Thunderstorm skull.

Note: Restarting from Rally Point Alpha allows you to go to the skull's location, but no skull is present. Also, the "Too Close to the Sun" achievement can be unlocked from the skull location.

Tilt[edit]

The location of the Tilt skull on the level Cortana.
The Tilt skull in its hiding place.
“ What was once resistance is now immunity. ”

Level: Cortana

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

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

Point Multiplier: 2×

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 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[edit]

This skull is the Mythic skull
“ Coverage under the Covenant Health Plan. ”

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. This will also extend to your allies, too.

Point Multiplier: 2×

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.

List of silver skulls[edit]

Silver skulls provide no score multipliers when turned on.

Blind[edit]

Blind Skull in Halo 3 campaign level Sierra 117.
The Blind skull on the rock.
“ Shoot from the hip. ”

Level: Sierra 117

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, equipment, or ammo/grenades. Your shield will not make any noise unless it is recharging. You do not get notifications for checkpoints or loading nor are you able to visibly see prompts. You are able to see what gun you're holding by the subtle sound it makes, looking down, and getting out of first person view. You are also able to know what type of grenade you have equipped yourself with by the subtle sounds they make.

Directions:

  1. Go to the area where you first encounter the Covenant. There should be a Brute Captain Major and a few Grunts.
  2. Face the large body of water and look for the protruding rock.
  3. Jump onto this rock. There should be another rock. Jump on this. Walk to the end of this rock and pick up the skull.

Grunt Birthday Party[edit]

The effect of the Grunt Birthday Party skull.
“ Light a match... ”

Level: Crow's Nest

Icon: A skull marked with a candle.

Effect: If a Grunt is shot in the head with any headshot-capable weapon (such as the Battle Rifle, Beam Rifle, Carbine, Sniper Rifle or Magnum), a popping sound is heard, colorful confetti explodes out of it which causes minor damage to nearby enemies, detonates grenades on the ground, and a sound clip of children cheering from the game Hurray!"can be heard in the background. When the Grunt's head explodes, their mask will usually fall off.

Directions:

  1. Method A: On your way to the barracks, you will come across a section in the level where you are required to drop down into a shaft, and at the bottom, are several pipe entrances, where Drones fly in and out of. Reaching the bottom will initiate a Cortana Moment.
  2. If you walk to the end of the corridor, there is another large drop (purple pipe with a rotating fan), but do not jump down. Instead, look down around the drop and you will notice a small ledge protruding out a little bit with a green arrow just visible in the middle of it. If you approach the edge very slowly and walk backwards very quickly as soon as you fall, you will land on the ledge. The skull will be located at the end of the passage.
  3. Method B: After the battle with the Chieftain and Brutes, grab a grav lift. Continue on until you are in the shaft with the drones. Walk down the corridor and go down the large drop. Turn around and throw the grav lift. Go through it and then you'll enter the passage with the skull at the end of it.

Note: Try to lay the lift as near to the pipe as possible; laying it in the middle won't always work.

Cowbell[edit]

Cowbell Skull in Halo 3 campaign level The Ark.
The Cowbell skull above the stairs.
“ More bang for your buck. ”

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. Allies and enemies alike do not flinch when you melee them bar Jiralhanae with very weak shields.

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.

IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy)[edit]

IWHBYD Skull in Halo 3 campaign level The Covenant.
The IWHBYD skull in front of the light bridge.
Main article: IWHBYD skull (Halo 3)
“ But a dog beat me over the fence! ”

Level: The Covenant

Icon: A skull marked with a double helix.

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

Directions: Near the end of the level, after you and the Arbiter fight through the Covenant to stop Truth from firing the Halo rings, the Flood will turn against you. Fight your way back to the elevator, but DO NOT drop through the vent at the end. Instead, turn around, facing the 7 holographic rings. From here, the closest ring is 1, the farthest away is 7. FOLLOW THIS SEQUENCE BY JUMPING THROUGH THE RINGS IN THIS ORDER: 4 6 5 4 5 3 4 (If you listen closely, the humming noise of each holographic ring corresponds to one of 7 notes on a musical scale, and the sequence of notes produced by the rings in the sequence follows the tune of the last seven notes of the Gregorian Chant from the famous Halo Theme). Afterward, head all the way back to the control console and the skull should be on the floor just in front of the light-bridge.

Unknown (Second Blind/Assassin)[edit]

Main article: Assassin skull

Level: Cortana

Effects: Nothing. There is a glitch that enables a player carrying either this skull or the Tilt skull through to the end of the level to start the next level with a Spartan Laser and their current secondary weapon.

Directions:

  1. This skull can be found in the reactor room. First, kill all of the Flood forces in the room. Once the room is free of Flood, search the room for some stacked up Deployable Covers. Make sure you have some grenades (not Spike Grenades or Firebombs) with you.
  2. Grab one of the Deployable Covers and climb one of the pillars that extend from the upper floor. Deploy the cover and climb it. Then, jump to the upper floor. If you can't do it with the Deployable Cover, throw a grenade on the end of the pillar and grenade jump—if you got the Famine skull by grenade jumping, you should be able to reach the upper floor in 2-3 tries.
  3. When you're up, search around the surface and look down. At some point, you should find the skull among some bones. It's above the main door.

Note: In Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the skull will sometimes fall off its perch when it spawns, falling into the pit and becoming unobtainable.

Mythic skulls[edit]

These skulls can be found in the Mythic Map Pack levels that can give you achievements. These skulls only appear when in Forge.

Orbital[edit]

The Orbital skull's location.

Level: Orbital

Icon: A skull marked with the emblem of the Quito Space Tether.

Direction: Above the pit between the two pathways, go up until you see the skull on the ledge. You must exit Edit Mode on the ledge beside it, crouch and get it.

Assembly[edit]

The Assembly skull's location.

Level: Assembly

Icon: A skull marked with Lekgolo worms.

Direction: Near the middle. Between the two pipes connecting the middle to the building. Use Edit Mode in Forge to fly up there.

Sandbox[edit]

The Sandbox skull's location.

Level: Sandbox

Icon: A skull marked with a Monitor.

Direction:

The skull is located between two of the Guardian towers, at the right of the sun - locating the skull in Theater first helps. The towers fire upon the player on sight, and are one-hit kills, so to reach the skull, a player has to use scenery items to protect themselves. An easy way to obtain the skull is through the following steps:

Method 1:

  1. In Forge, overload the map.
  2. Locate the skull and construct a Tube Y-Intersection surrounding the skull. This will serve as your protection against the towers' deadly beam.
  3. Place two two-way teleporter nodes; one inside the tube and the other within the map's safe zone.
  4. Start a new round and simply walk into the teleporter and obtain the skull.

Method 2:

  1. Locate the skull in Theater mode.
  2. Place a corner piece of movable corridor with one opening facing in the direction of the skull and the other opening facing the sky.
  3. Position yourself within the piece of corridor looking out towards the skull.
  4. 'Pick up' the corridor and move towards the skull, the corridor should move around you, absorbing the fire from the Guardian Towers.
  5. When you reach the skull simply turn back into a Spartan, crouch down and pick it up.

Method 3:

  1. Before starting, edit both the editor and player traits to give both maximum overshields. (This allows both modes to withstand a single blast from a tower.)
  2. Locate the skull.
  3. Create a bubble shield in edit mode and pick it up in player mode.
  4. Fly to the skull in edit mode.
  5. Enter player mode and quickly drop the bubble shield over the skull, giving you time to retrieve it.

Heretic[edit]

The Heretic skull's location.

Level: Heretic

Icon: A skull marked with the Mark of Shame.

Direction: Standing on the sword platform face the windows and the skull is 90 degrees to the right of the sword under the vents.

Longshore[edit]

The Longshore skull's location.

Level: Longshore

Icon: A skull marked with a harpooned fish.

Direction: On the top of a large ventilation shaft beside a "Fronk's" sign. Head for the aircraft carrier & then turn right. Only accessible via Forge.

Citadel[edit]

The Citadel skull's location.

Level: Citadel

Icon: A skull marked with the symbol of the Citadel.

Direction: Find the overshield on the blue side. Then look for the wall with the blue triangular shapes on it. There should be a pillar in-between the shapes. At the top of this pillar, to the right in an alcove is the skull. Only accessible via Forge.

Special / Exclusive Skull[edit]

Assassin[edit]

Hackers searched the Halo 3 files and found evidence of an "Assassin Skull" in the mainmenu.map file. The same file also had hints of every skulls' locations, and the Assassin skull's hint was "Interred where heroes fall". Interestingly enough, the Sierra 117 Blind skull's hint was "Interred deep within her tomb". That description doesn't match with Sierra 117, but the Assassin skull's description does (the Chief fell from the Dreadnought at that level). The "unknown skull" on Cortana matches the Blind skull's description, considering that Cortana was trapped in High Charity.

Apparently the unknown skull in Cortana was going to be the Blind skull, and Sierra 117 would have the Assassin skull, but the latter was replaced by the former. However Bungie technically did not remove the "old" Blind skull from the game, nor updated the mainmenu.map file; the Assassin skull and its info were not removed, and the hint for the Blind skull was not corrected. It has commonly been claimed that if a player retrieves the unknown skull before they retrieve the Blind skull, that they will unlock the Blind skull in the Campaign options screen, but this has been disproven.[2]

Acrophobia[edit]

The Acrophobia skull is an exclusive skull, featured only in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The skull was released for the Xbox and PC version in commemoration of Halo 3‘s release on PC on 14 July 2020.

Unlock criteria: Kill 343 enemy air units (Banshee, Drones, Sentinels, and Phantoms).

Effects: Hold jump to activate the skull, and hold crouch during the flight to stop mid-air.

Note: Direct impact into almost anything at high speed while in flight can cause the player to die upon impact.

Anger[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Bandanna[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Bonded Pair[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Boom[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Eye Patch[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Foreign[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Ghost[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Jacked[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Malfunction[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Master Blaster[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Pinata[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Recession[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

So…Angry…[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Swarm[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

That’s Just… Wrong[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

They Come Back[edit]

This skull was made available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the April 2022 update.

Cut Hints[edit]

Halo 3's mainmenu.map file contains unused lines that would have hinted at the locations of the skulls.

Skull Hint
Iron Interred along the slopes of Mt. Killimanjaro..
Black Eye Interred within the hidden human base..
Tough Luck Interred in a ditch at the side of the road..
Catch Interred at the crater's edge..
Fog Interred where the dead walk again..
Famine Interred within the wastelands of the Ark..
Thunderstorm Interred near the peaks at the Ark's core..
Tilt Interred deep within the Flood hive..
Mythic Interred on Installation 04v2..
Assassin (cut) Interred where heroes fall..
(Describes where the blind skull is found in the final game)
Blind Interred within her tomb..
(Describes where the unused skull in Cortana is found)
Cowbell Interred along the rim..
Grunt Birthday Party Interred where the crows roost..
IWHBYD Interred at the Foundry's edge..

Trivia[edit]

Glitches[edit]

The Spartan Laser the player receives on the mission Halo upon completing Cortana with a skull equipped is likely an unintended quirk caused by the way the game reallocates player weapons after completing certain missions. Between these missions, the game will go through a series of checks comparing the player's weapons to the weapons in the next mission to determine whether they are present. Ordinarily, if they are, the player will retain them. If the game cannot find an appropriate match for the weapon, or the player has a projectile weapon with an empty magazine and no ammunition remaining, it will instead give the player the default loadout for the mission.

Skulls, however, are unintentionally able to pass the checks for retaining non-melee energy weapons as the game doesn't check an energy weapon's ammunition count, contrary to projectile weapons which are checked. This means that holding:

will give the player the first energy weapon in the weapon index of these levels. In The Storm, this gives the player a Plasma Pistol, and in Halo it gives them a Spartan Laser. If the player finishes any other mission with a skull, the game will replace it with a default weapon instead. This is because these missions check either projectile weapons or melee weapons first in the weapon index, which are both checks the skulls will immediately fail.[3]

Miscellaneous[edit]

  • The Mythic skull has gold teeth.
  • A skull's melee power is the same as a regular melee, rather than an instant kill with the Oddball.
  • Halo 3 skulls also have neural interfaces in the back of them, like those used by John-117, Captain Keyes and Lord Hood and etc.
  • The "I Would Have Been Your Daddy" skull references to the first chapter of Assault on the Control Room, in Halo: Combat Evolved which shares the same name. The skull name is the same quote from the beginning of the level.
  • It is possible to "dribble" the skull at the beginning of Crows Nest, just pick up the skull when unarmed and start rapidly pressing right trigger.
  • On any level with the Arbiter, if you kill the Arbiter in a safe spot, and drop the skull very close to him, he might jump up and grab it and use it as a weapon, going into the fight hitting enemies with the skull as he goes.
  • The "Grunt Birthday Party" skull is the only skull that appears in all seven of the Halo games that feature skulls: Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians.
  • Halo 3 skulls are generally easier to get than in Halo 2. They can be found on the Normal difficulty, and are often hidden in simple places which require far less skill and time to reach; examples being the Tough Luck, Mythic and Thunderstorm skulls, which only require taking a simple detour rather than a complicated jump challenge.
  • In Co-op, if any of the players do not have the skull of that corresponding level and someone picks it up, the skull will be unlocked in both the menu and as an Achievement for the players which did not already have it.
  • The term "Mythic Difficulty", or more commonly "LASO", simply refers to a person playing on Legendary difficulty with every skull active.
  • The sound that results from the Grunt Birthday Party skull being used was originally from Viva Piñata.[4]
  • The particle effect for the Grunt Birthday Party skull was created by Bungie VFX artist Steve Scott for amusement during a period of intense crunch during the development of Halo 3.[5]

Gallery[edit]

  • The code containing hints to skull locations and descriptions.

    The code containing hints to skull locations and descriptions.

  • The Assassin skull listed within Halo 3's game code.

    The Assassin skull listed within Halo 3's game code.

  • A gold skull as depicted on Bungie.net.

    A gold skull as depicted on Bungie.net.

  • A silver skull as depicted on Bungie.net.

    A silver skull as depicted on Bungie.net.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ http://halo.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=23863683&postRepeater1-p=2#23864906
  2. ^ YouTube, Halo 3 - Is The Secret Skull On Cortana Really A 2nd Blind Skull? (Retrieved on Oct 3, 2017) [archive]
  3. ^ General Heed on YouTube - The Truth About The Secret Skull On Cortana Revealed
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ Steve Scott on Twitter - Someone cosplayed as a particle effect I made to amuse myself during a brutal crunch over a decade ago. This gives me a type of joy I have never experienced before. #gamedev #halo3

External links[edit]

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