IWHBYD skull (Halo 3)

Were you looking for the Halo 2 Skull?

"I would have been your daddy, but a dog beat me over the fence."

The Seven Rings you must jump through for the Skull

John-117 with IWHBYD Skull.

In Halo 3, the IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) Skull is located on the level The Covenant. To get this skull, you must start at the beginning of the mission, and be on the difficulty level of Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

The name of the skull is based on a statement uttered by Sergeant Johnson in the first Halo: "I would have been your daddy, but a dog beat me over the fence!" It is also the name of the first chapter of the campaign level Assault on the Control Room in Halo: Combat Evolved. In order to get the IWHBYD skull, you must complete the entire mission 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, 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. Make sure you do not touch the rings or jump through them before you kill Truth.

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. (Be aware that the order in which the rings are numbered for this sequence does not represent their actual installation number. In fact, the ring closest to the elevator is Installation 07)

Sequence order: 4, 6, 5, 4, 5, 3, 4. This is another 7 reference.

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. The Halo theme will play as you get the skull. You must then finish the level, or the skull will not be saved to your profile and you will have to get it again.

Each of the holographic rings sound a different tone of the E Dorian scale when you stand near it. The sequence, if you pay attention, plays part of the Halo theme song. Also, the rings in the citadel are holographic projections of the 7 Halo installations, the fourth being the newly reconstructed (and unfinished) Installation 04, the yet-to-build areas indicated by the red-glowing sections.

FAQ

Q. I still can't get the Skull! What am I doing wrong?

A. You must kill the Prophet and then jump through the rings in the correct order.

The three most common mistakes with the Skull are:

Doing the level on Easy; you must do it on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary for the Skull to appear.
Starting the level from Rally Point Alpha or Bravo; you must start from the beginning of the level.
Jumping through the rings in the wrong order.

Q. I successfully got the skull, but it's not recorded as an achievement on my screen name, and it doesn't seem to play any of the new dialog. What am I doing wrong?

A. When you get the skull, you may save and exit the game. However, you are probably not NOTICING the new dialogue. It's there all right. The reason you do not get an achievement is because it is a silver skull, not a gold skull.

Effect

The IWHBYD Skull unlocks the extra dialogs in the game, which usually comes from the UNSC Marines and Elites, but some ridiculous dialogs does come from enemy forces with this skull on. For example if in a group of two Brutes one is killed, the remaining Brute has a chance to say "You killed my lover!" Here is a list of a few quotes, from their respective races.

Brutes

"We will tear you into bloody ribbons!" said when Brute pins you behind cover.
"Pie is good."
"Sorry, we don't take MasterCard!"
"Sorry, we don't take American Express!"
"The power is YOURS!" - When a Brute sticks you with a grenade, in reference to Captain Planet.
"Ding dong, the demon is dead!" - When a Brute kills you, a reference to The Wizard of Oz.
"Hey Grunt, the demon isn't that big, why don't you go out and get him?" - When a Brute is inside a Bubble shield with a Grunt or two.
"Rip it, homies!" - said when the player is killed.
"He was my lover!" - said by a Brute after you kill a different Brute.
"I have you now!" - In reference to Star Wars Episode IV.
"Use your hate. Only anger can destroy me" - in reference to Darth Vader's famous line in Star Wars
"Stick together team" - In reference to Counter-Strike.
"You killed my pack mate!" (This can be heard without the IWHBYD skull)
"Look! He soiled himself!"
"When this is over, that hammer is going in someone's ass!" - Brute Chieftain.
"There's no I in team! Let's get him together!"
"Oh no, my weak spot!" - When a Brute loses it's shields or is stuck by a grenade in his groin.
"...save the last dance for me."-Refference to Homestar Runner's Strong Bad Email: alternate universe
"Oh my god! its stuck!" - If you stick a Brute with a grenade.
"You bastard!" (Note: can also be heard without the skull active.)
"SHOOP-DA-WHOOP!!!" - Sometimes heard before a Chieftain attacks you with his hammer.

Grunts

"The demon is dead! We'll be heroes!" said when the player is killed.
"I can't run when I'm scared!" Said when a Grunt hesitates to flee.
"Man down!" when you kill all other Grunts and the surviving Grunt flees.
"You killed Flipyap! Or Yapflip, was he... It was Yapflip... No, Flipyap was his brother. Don't tell me I don't know Flipyap! Flipyap and I went to Nipple Academy together, and, now, now he's dead..." - If a nearby Grunt is killed.
"Cover me, I'm going in." "I'm not going to cover you, it's your fault Flipyap got killed." Reference to "You killed Flipyap!"
"You killed Poonflip! Flippiest poon I ever knew!" - If a nearby Grunt is killed.
They also say different things while asleep, such as "Merry Christmas" and "Fist of Rukt" and "Jackal Stew".
"We are the champions, my friends." - If the player is killed by a Grunt. Reference to a song by Queen.
"Well this sucks, I'm headin' north!" - If the player shoots at a fleeing Grunt. Reference to the Narnia novels.
"Fear my bright, blue balls!" - When a Suicidal Grunt charges the player. Players have also heard "Feel" or "Taste my bright, blue balls".
"I was so wrong to shoot at you." - If targeting or shooting a Grunt who recently shot you.
"I'll polish your boots. I'll polish your helmet!" - Panicking grunt, this a reference to the Final Grunt.
"You know, if he gets us, he will tear out our skulls, rip off our masks, and burn the methane. *sigh* We deserve it".
"Don't kill me!! Look, I will join your side!" *Throws a grenade at an ally* See my betrayal? I can join you now, right?" - When targeting or shooting a Grunt.
"Abarakasomething!" - When a Grunt throws grenade at player.
"Green armor, good camouflage, shiny green armor, not so much".
"He really just beat the shit outta me!" - If you melee a grunt but he survives and flees.
"Pray before you eat me!" - When you stick or are about to kill a Grunt.
If a nearby grunt is killed, occasionally, one might start stating the Final grunt line.
"Faith and devotion!" - When a suicidal grunt gets close to the player.
"I will rip out your intestines, and wear them as a necklace!"
"What a world!" - When facing the Master Chief or The Arbiter.
"Open up and say ahh!" - When throwing a grenade at the player.
"I have methane, you want?" - When a Grunt gets chased by you for a while.
"Here's one for your Mama!"
"I'm gonna open up a big can of whoop-ass!"
"I really should have taken those leadership classes!" - Said when you kill the grunts' leader.
"Thank you for choosing Air Blue-Ball!" - When a Grunt is going Kamikaze.
"If you follow the path brother, I MIGHT follow." - If a lot of grunts are together and some are killed.
"Suck It Heretic!!" - Said when throwing grenade and player. This may have been misheard
"Fu**in' Heretic!" - Said when near a group of grunts as Arbiter.Template:Fact
"Watch out, Chris!" - Said when a Grunt is climbing on top of an object, commonly heard in The Covenant, level.
"It's all clear you can come out now. This is sergeant errr Smitherson..ton" - Said when behind cover.
"I'm sorry about your planet!"
"You respect my authoritah!" - Said randomly (a reference to Cartman from South Park)
"I bet you I can stick it!" (Reference to Cortana's "Betcha can't stick it" line in the end of the Halo 2 Trailer.
"He's a nice Demon, Good Demon !" -Halo 3
A Kamikaze Grunt will occasionally hum the Halo theme.
Hey it's the elite guy!-Said radomly when sighting the arbiter in co-op(can be heard without the skull)
"Heres some candy!"-Said when throwing a grenade.
"You big bastard!" -Said when returning fire when you engage him.

Marines

"I must have won the lottery!" Said when given a more powerful weapon.
"This is SPARTA!" - A Marine upon having a victorious kill. Reference to the movie 300.
"I loved him." - If the player kills a nearby ally, not necessarily marine.
"Hey Chief, do you have a pair of socks I can borrow?"
"Haven't you heard any fat mama jokes?"- Said by Marines on The Storm mission.
"I've got some pictures on my MySpace if you want to see them." - Said by a Female Marine.
"You Chief you" - Said when Chief gets killed. Possibly a reference to South Park.
"They remind me of Wookiees, you know, from Star Wars?" - When Sergeant Reynolds is fighting a Brute.
"You like?" - Said by a female marine who proceeds to bend over.
"Oh yeah I can really... Oh sorry, thanks Chief." - When the player gives a marine an explosive weapon.
"Don't stare at me, it makes me nervous." - When you look at a marine for some time.
On The Ark (possibly only on Legendary), when the players leave the landing site of the Forward Unto Dawn in tanks, a Marine can be heard over the radio, singing "Ride of the Valkyries".
"There's no milk that comes out of these things, so look away." - When staring at a female marine's breasts.
"Arbiter's dead.... Never mind" - When Arbiter dies then respawns.
"We've got a Ghost, and it ain't even Halloween!" - Marine upon sighting a Ghost.
"I can't believe it! I mean their fist is as big as my head!"
"If you're just gonna stand there, why don't you get me some whiskey?" - Female Marine.
"Gosh lets be friends forever, 'K thanks bye'." - Female Marine when stared at.
"It's pretty nice with these zombies, I could use a break from fighting the martians" - When the Flood appear on The Covenant.
"Thank you for killing the big scary thing." - Said after you kill a high ranked Brute.
"They killed the Chief! You bastards!" - When the player dies. Reference to South Park.
"I almost had an Achievement!" - Marine when Chief kills an enemy he was attacking.
"you could just have asked him for his weapon!" - When the player kills an ally.
"You want some? Come get some!" - Most likely a reference to John Cena.
"Hey sexy, no not you the alien" - If looking at pilot marine with the Arbiter near.
"I think we just killed their B team." - After clearing the area of Covenant.
"I'll get that letter to your family, I promise." - After killing a marine with a second marine nearby.
"Here you go in front of me, Chief" - When entering an area with hostiles.
"Are you staring at me because I look good, or because you like to get slapped?" - When staring at a female marine's breasts.
"Life... flashing... before my eyes... Johnson... you still owe me 5 Bucks" - When a marine is shot by enemies. Possibly a reference to Homestar Runner.
"Click it or ticket my friend." - Said at the beginning of Tsavo Highway.
"Great now you made me piss my pants" - If you tip over a Warthog.
"Hey buddy, keep your eyes in the green zone" - Said if looking at a female marines breasts.
"Hey soldier, save the PDA for your mother" - Said if looking at a female marines breasts or butt.
"SUCK IT" - When fighting enemies, mostly when a marine is in the passenger seat and kills an enemy or is shooting at one.
"Hey we were surrendering chief!" - Rare saying after you kill a Grunt.
"Aww, you stupid metal rust bucket!" - When you flip over your Warthog.
When you are driving a Warthog over jumps with a marine passenger they will sometimes sing the horn jingle (Dixie) of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazard.
"Thanks Arbiter, you might as well take a crap in my hat." - At the second rally point if player two trades his Plasma Rifle for the marines Rocket Launcher.
"Die for The Shaft, guys!" - A reference to The Shaft, a Bungie joke.
"Wraith is down! We got a Wraith for breakfast!" - Said by Sergeant Stacker when you destroy a Wraith.
"Drop that jelly donut"
"Just because you didn't mean it, doesn't mean it didn't hurt." Can be heard when you hit a marine in the back of the head
"Do you mind looking away Chief, your really starting to freak me out", when staring at a marine for some time.
"Hey, watch your fire, Benedict Arnold!"-when shot at by the player.
"He will just respawn..." when player is killed.
"Uh...you are a guy, right?" when pushing/walking into a male marine.
"That's...my...ASS!"
"Hey what about the Arbiter? Handsome Fella" Said when staring at a male marine.
"Oh I'm sorry chief, I don't even know why I got in this side."Said when asked to get out of the drivers seat of a vehicle.
"aarrrr... here comes the master chief."
"He's gone bananas!" Said when a brute goes berserk
"Their weakness is bananas. Does anyone have any bananas?"(sometimes when the player kills a hunter pair near marines, "I hear their main weakness is bananas","Do we have any bananas?".
"But I already wrote my name on it."-when taking a marines weapon
"That was a massacre! No a slaughter! It was a massacre slaughter kill!"-When Master Chief scores a double kill
"Go back to planet Jackass, jackass!"
"Ghost ride the whip!" Said when you flip a Warthog from being shot by a Ghost and land upright
"Come on let start diggin' a hole", when killed by enemies
"Hey it's dead? Heh, at this pace we will be done by Tuesday...or at least Wednesday" - When a marine kills a grunt.
"Someone get a can of raid" said when Drones are spotted on Tsavo Highway.
"Who wants ice cream?!"
"Arrrr yippy!" on Sierra 117
"Let's go find us some Fox-Trot!" said when kicked out of vehicle, or randomly.
"What's the matter, never saw a ladies man before?" said randomly.
"Yea, I'm a frighteningly handsome young man." said randomly.
"Hahaha! We owned those fools!" said when you kill a group of Covenant.
"Okay, let's start digging a hole people!" said when the Chief is killed.
"Umm, would it be wrong to take his armor?" said when player dies
"You sack of turds!" said when a Marine kills an enemy.
"They're falling back! Yippee!!" said when enemies are retreating.
"You will cease to live very soon!" said when a marine shoots an enemy.
"You killed the hell out of those dudes!" said when you kill a group of covenant.
"He's gone mental!" said when marines see a brute berserking.
"I'm a cowardly fool."-said by a Marine on the Ark.(reference to Halo: Combat Evolved).
"Chief's dead, everybody start shitting your pants now."-If the player is killed.
"Tank beats ghost, Tank beats hunter, Tank beats everything!!!" Said when you get a tank from the Forward Unto Dawn on The Ark and are heading back the way you came. This line is initiated when you destroy a ghost with the tank's main cannon and then the two hunters after the ghost and then the phantom dropship after that in order. This can also sometimes be heard on normal difficulty without the skull.
"And I only pee'd myself a little!" said when you rescue a marine on floodgate

Sergeant Johnson

"That one called you fat Chief!"
"Ain't I immune to this?" - If infected by Flood Infection Form through way of a glitch
"I did it for Hocus!" - If infected by Flood Infection Form through way of a glitch
"Here comes a Wraith for breakfast!" - On the level The Ark, where you are coming back from the LZ in a Scorpion. Johnson says this when you go under the platform, and a Wraith comes down the hill accompanied by some Ghosts.
"Are they actually TRYING to kill us!?" - After being hit several times on Normal Difficulty
"I would have been your daddy, but a dog beat me over the fence" - reference to the name of the skull.

Elites

"Master Chief, can we be friends?"
"Oh snap!"
"Damn. I like you too, but... damn!"
"I... I... I think you're sexy too... er..."
"That's what she said!"
"That's not fair! Oh, well, I'll cover the rear. Hahahahahahaha!"
"Ha Ha Ha! How does it feel to be dead?! Wait, don't answer that."
"Have no fear, I will cover the rear, ha ha ha, err.."
"Die, stinky!"
"What? Do you want me to say 'Wort wort wort'?"
"Wort, wort, wort!" - Reference to the signature battle cry of Elites in Halo 1.
"I'm trying new contacts!"
"I'm not going to kiss you in front of everyone"
"Since when did they come out with that model?"-when an Elite sights the Scarabs on the level The Covenant.
"No, I don't know how to kiss you either."
"If you gaze at me much longer, we may as well exchange fluids!"
"Your ass is mine!"
"Is this because of Reach?"-When you shoot an ally Elite enough.
"One word for you! Uhbuddidubuddiduduh."
"Didn't I give you this for Christmas?"
"Yes, they are the window to my soul... now stop!"
"You had me at 'Hello'."
"Thank you, Reclaimer."
"I shall remember this day always."
"How's it feel to be dead? Wait, don't answer that!"

The Arbiter

"Remember we are allies, you dumb piece of crap."- When Arbiter is shot by the player.
"Bigger isn't ALWAYS better." - After proceeding to kill a Hunter with him nearby.
"What do you gain!?"- After sticking the Arbiter.
"Welcome to the Social." - When walking up to him. (A reference to the "Zune Social".)
"You shot me, fool." - When Arbiter is shot by the player.
"Do not provoke my wrath!" - After shot by the player.
"Well that sucks,but come"-After Johnson dies

343 Guilty Spark

"Girl trouble, I know how that is." - If the player hits him.
"You suck, Reclaimer." - If the player destroys a Sentinel, or if he is shot at by the player.
"Maybe you should try playing on Easy." - If the player kills an ally.
"It's time for the Blue Light Special!" - Randomly. Taken from K Mart's Blue Light special.
"That hurt my feelings! ...Oh my God, I have feelings?! I'm a real boy!" - When shot at by the Chief. A reference to Pinocchio.
"Are you always a pain in the ass?" - When shot at by the Chief.
"Oh, I see. You're a moron." - When shot at by the Chief.
"I'm being bitch slapped!" - When shot at by enemies.
"You are pissing me off!! Oh my! I didn't know I had cursing in my vocal programming." - When shot at by the Chief.
"Hmm... I figured that would happen."- When the player is killed.
"Oh, you're clumsy."- When shot by the player.
"Oh, you're a puss."- When being shot by the player.
"Oh, you're a clutz."- When shot by the player.
"MY shields don't deplete." If you shoot 343 Guilty Spark.
Occasionally he will hum the Halo theme.
"Take a picture, it lasts longer." Stare at him.
"They're just trying to make peace!" - After killing a Sentinel.
"The Arbitrary, or whatever, died." - When The Arbiter is killed.
"I wish I had lips, so then I could whistle." - Rarely said at random points on the level The Ark during the non-vehicular portion of the level.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" - Said randomly on The Ark. A reference to Mary Poppins.
"Did you really have to do that?", When Player Destroys a Sentinel
"Bullets don't grow on trees, you know!" -When shot by the player.
"Bullets don't grow on perennial wooded plants." -When shot by the player.
"I should have expected that." -When you betray an ally.
"Reclaimer, finish this particular fight" -Said on The Ark. A reference to the Halo 3 slogan, "Finish the Fight"

Flood

In the background noise, murmurs can be heard from Combat Forms that sound like, "Braaiinnsss..." This is a reference to the fact that Flood are often considered "Zombies"
Their noises sometimes sound like: "I see you" if you are hiding in a corner.
Sometimes, when your shields are gone or you die, you can hear Gravemind saying "No skill" or "You suck." Occasionally, he will talk to Combat Forms, then say something to himself.
"Are you ready?" - Gravemind before a Flood Combat Form jumps towards you.
"I am pretty" - Gravemind near the end of the level Floodgate.

Strategies

Kill all enemies before you attempt the sequence.
Do not kill your "ally" Flood until all Covenant are dead, they will help a lot in the fighting.
An easy way to wipe them out is to melee them right off the bat and then use lesser weapons for mop-up (save the Fuel Rod Cannons and Brute Shots for later).
Take this chapter of the level EXTREMELY slow and wipe out all enemy turned Flood, especially on Legendary so that you can complete the "ring-jumping" sequence unharmed.
A good idea is to get the skull after you have killed Truth and all of the Flood.
A good idea is to play on Normal if the Flood or the Covenant are too hard.

Trivia

Ironically, the skull was intended to be the hardest skull to find. However, it was discovered very quickly by hackers.
Many players are confused by the order in which the rings are numbered for this sequence. The IWHBYD ring numbering does not represent their actual installation number. In fact, the ring closest to the elevator is Installation 07.
The ring sequence was originally thought to have been much longer than it actually is.