Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Skulls are game modifiers featured in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary with the appearance of a human skull. Like in Halo 3, they must be hunted down within the campaign levels to gain access to them. Once they are collected the skulls disappear permanently. The skulls and the effects are not visible in Classic mode.[1]
List of skulls
List of Gold Skulls
Iron skull
Level: The Pillar of Autumn.
Location: This skull is located in the very beginning of the level, at the back of the Cryo deck. If facing away from the observation platform (where Sam is killed,) it is on the left side of the room, behind a stack of crates that are behind the targeting lights.
Effect: When activated, this skull will restart the level if the player is killed, or reload the last checkpoint if multiple players are killed playing co-operatively.[2]
Mythic skull
Level: Halo
Location: After defeating the first Covenant wave, walk directly towards the waterfall from the escape pod. It is behind the large boulder on the right in the water.
Effect: When activated, the health of Covenant infantry will be doubled.[3]
Foreign skull
Level: Truth and Reconciliation
Location: At the bottom floor of the Hangar, in the hallway where the Hunters ambush the Marines.
Effect: When activated, players will no longer be able to pick up Covenant weaponry.[3]
Famine skull
Level: The Silent Cartographer
Location: When you land on the beach, go backwards rather than towards the Covenant. The skull is situated on top of a hill with a winding path up the back of it (the hill which the Pelican crashes next to). The skull is right on the corner inbetween three bushes.
Effect: When activated, weapons dropped by the AI - ally or enemy - would have half the ammunition they normally would.[2]
Bandanna skull
Level: The Silent Cartographer
Location: At the end of the tunnel, on the ceiling in the security console chamber. A grenade or rocket jump is usually necessary. An alternative method is for the first player to crouch on the window strip in the tunnel below the skull, then having a second player kill himself and subsequently respawn on top of the first player. The skull would then be instantly acquired.
Effect: When activated, players will have unlimited ammo, including grenades.[1]
Fog skull
Level: Assault on the Control Room
Location: After crossing the first bridge and taking the elevator down to the ground floor, the skull will be on a raised platform in the center of this room and will be surrounded by fog. It will require a grenade jump to reach it
Effect: When activated, the player's motion sensor will be disabled.[2]
Malfunction skull
Level: Assault on the Control Room
Location: When you enter the tunnel and you come to the large room with a gorge, you will notice pipes that stick out of the gorge in the middle on both sides. The skull is on one of the pipes sticking out of the gorge's walls.
Effect: When activated, one random part of the Heads-up display will disappear after every respawn.[2] The effects of the skull are not cumulative; only one aspect of the HUD (reticule, ammo counter, shield indicator, health monitor, motion tracker) is inactive at any given time.
Recession skull
Level: 343 Guilty Spark
Location: Located to the left of the Facility in a little drop behind a shade turret. When you cross the fallen tree, you'll see a shade turret blow up and assault rifle fire coming from the structure. Instead of going inside, immediately go to the left and keep against the back wall. you'll come to a turret with a small drop behind it. Slide down the drop carefully and the skull will be waiting for you at the bottom.
Effect: When activated, every shot the player fires would deplete two rounds instead of one. For plasma-based weapons, the depletion rate is doubled.[1]
Black Eye skull
Level: The Library
Location: In the back of one of the vents before entering the Index chamber for the first time. (Warning: Grenade jump necessary.) On the first floor at the beginning of the level, you will notice squarish openings in the ceiling that the flood use to enter the level. Before entering the round, yellow room, find the vent closest to that door and do a grenade jump into it. The skull will be waiting for you.
Effect: When activated, the only way players are able to recharge their energy shields after taking damage is to melee an enemy.[3]
Eye Patch skull
Level: The Library
Location: Behind the Index on the final platform. Instead of running onto the platform to grab the Index, go around while remaining as far from the Index as possible. The skull will be waiting on the ground right behind it.
Effect: When activated, auto-aim will be disabled.[3]
List of Silver Skulls
Grunt Funeral skull
Level: Exclusive preorder promotion.[4]
Effect: When activated, every Unggoy's methane tank will explode similar to a plasma grenade when killed.
Boom skull
Level: Halo
Location Hint: Apparently even the Forerunners needed indoor plumbing. Before driving your Warthog into the underground Forerunner facility, look straight up to see a series of pipes. Walk along the cliff edge and jump to the pipe mesh.
Effect: When activated, all explosions' damage radius will increase two-fold.[1]
Piñata skull
Level: Two Betrayals
Location Hint: Don't rush, take some time to explore. After that last fight, you earned some time off. After you capture the last Banshee, fly it past the third generator room back to where you emerged from the chasm tunnel. Search the top of the underground entrance.
Effect: When activated, hostile infantry will drop a plasma grenade with each melee.[3]
Grunt Birthday skull
Level: The Maw
Location Hint: Foehammer's last stand. Use your Warthog to get up on one of the railings where Foehammer goes down at the end of the mission.
Effect: When activated, Unggoy will explode in a shower of confetti with a headshot.[1]
Trivia
- Unlike in Bungie games, players can still revert to their last checkpoint when using the Iron skull.
- The description for the Boom skull advises "Light fuse, run away." This is a reference to the second chapter of The Maw.
- The Bandanna skull is a reference to the Metal Gear franchise, in which every game has an unlockable bandanna that grants the player infinite ammunition.
- Unlike previous iterations, the Grunt Birthday Party skull can be set off by headshots from non-precision weapons (i.e. Assault Rifle, Plasma Pistol, etc). It merely requires that the final fatal shot strike the Grunt's head.