Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary skulls

This article is about the skulls in Halo: Anniversary. For skulls in general, see Skull.

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. The skulls can only be seen and unlocked when using the game's anniversary graphics layer, and do not appear in classic viewmode—though unlike prior games will appear on any difficulty setting. All of the skulls bar one must be unlocked by finding them throughout the game's campaign, hidden in unique locations; upon it's release in 2014 all skulls are unlocked for use by default in Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC). When acquired, the skull simply disappears from the map, rather than being a melee weapon as in Halo 3. Skulls in Halo Anniversary do not have score multipliers, as the game does not have any form of campaign scoring.

In the original Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, once collected, the skulls disappear permanently. In MCC, the skulls reappear every time a mission is replayed. Updates released as part of the MCC Insider Program added new skulls not implemented in the original Xbox 360 version of the game. Skulls in The Master Chief Collection provide multipliers for scoring, the full details of which can be found here.

List of skulls

List of gold skulls

Iron

Iron skull hidden in the Cryo deck.

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.

Iron skull location video here

Mythic

Mythic skull near the waterfall.

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.

Mythic skull location video here

Foreign

Foreign skull in the hallway.

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.

Foreign skull location video here

Famine

Famine skull between the bushes.

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.

Famine skull location video here

Bandanna

Bandanna skull above the tunnel.

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 and grenades, but will still have to reload.

Bandanna skull location video here

Fog

Fog skull in the raised platform.

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 tracker will be disabled.

Fog skull location video here

Malfunction

Malfunction skull on the pipe.

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. 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.

Malfunction skull location video here

Recession

Recession skull between two trees.

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.

Recession skull location video here

Black Eye

Black Eye skull in the pipe.

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 ways players are able to recharge their energy shields after taking damage are to either melee an enemy or use a medkit.

Black Eye skull location video here

Eye Patch

Eye Patch skull on the top floor.

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.

Eye Patch skull location video here

List of silver skulls

Grunt Funeral

Level: Exclusive to those who preordered Combat Evolved Anniversary. Unlocked by default for all players in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Effect: When activated, every Unggoy's methane tank will explode similar to a plasma grenade when killed. In addition, any weapon they were holding upon death disappears with them after detonation, making it harder to find charged Plasma Pistols and loaded Needlers.

Boom

Boom skull above the entrance.

Level: Halo

Location: Before driving the 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. The skull is sitting on the hill above the entrance.

Effect: When activated, all explosions' damage radius will increase two-fold.

Boom skull location video here

Piñata

Piñata skull above the entrance.

Level: Two Betrayals

Location: After the final fight with two Wraiths and capturing the last Banshee, fly it past the third generator room back to where you emerged from the chasm tunnel. The skull is sitting on the top of the underground entrance.

Effect: When activated, hostile infantry will drop a Anskum-pattern plasma grenade with each melee.

Piñata skull location video here

Grunt Birthday Party

Grunt Birthday Party skull on the railing.

Level: The Maw

Location: On the bridge where Foehammer is shot down, 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.

Grunt Birthday Party skull location video here

Halo: The Master Chief Collection-exclusive skulls

Main article: MCC:Skulls

These skulls are only available in the version of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Like all skulls in MCC, these skulls are automatically unlocked.

Icon	Skull Name	Short Description
	Anger	Enemies fire their weapons faster and more frequently.
	Blind	HUD and weapon do not display onscreen. (Added in the September 20, 2018 update).
	Catch	Enemies throw and drop more grenades.
	Ghost	AI no longer flinch from attacks.
	Sputnik	Mass of objects is decreased, making them more easily displaced.
	That's Just... Wrong	Increases enemy awareness of player.
	Thunderstorm	Upgrades the rank of most enemies.
	Tough Luck	Enemies always go berserk, always dive out of the way, never flee.

Achievements

Main articles: CEA achievements, MCC achievements

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo: The Master Chief Collection both grant achievements for collecting and using skulls in the Anniversary campaign. These are as follows.

CEA (Xbox 360)	MCC (Xbox)	Icon (Steam)	Name	Description	Gamerscore
	N/A		Looks like the Oddball	Find your first campaign skull.	10
			Skulls Taken!	Locate half of the skulls hidden throughout the campaign.	25
			Headhunter	Locate all the skulls hidden throughout the campaign.	50
			Tsantsa	Complete any level with three skulls active at Heroic difficulty or higher.	50
N/A			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Iron	Halo CE: Find and claim the Iron Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Mythic	Halo CE: Find and claim the Mythic Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Boom	Halo CE: Find and claim the Boom Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Foreign	Halo CE: Find and claim the Foreign Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Famine	Halo CE: Find and claim the Famine Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Bandana	Halo CE: Find and claim the Bandanna Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Fog	Halo CE: Find and claim the Fog Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Malfunction	Halo CE: Find and claim the Malfunction Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Recession	Halo CE: Find and claim the Recession Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Black Eye	Halo CE: Find and claim the Black Eye Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Eye Patch	Halo CE: Find and claim the Eye Patch Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Pinata	Halo CE: Find and claim the Pinata Skull in remastered mode.	5
			Skulltaker Halo: CE: Grunt Birthday Party	Halo CE: Find and claim the Grunt Birthday Party Skull in remastered mode.	5

Production notes

The skulls were placed in the various levels by designer Chad Armstrong. According to Armstrong, the decision to include skulls in Anniversary was one made with the tacit knowledge that the original Combat Evolved is a highly-beloved game, and as such, some ground rules were set. Skulls could not affect enemy AI or change animations, meaning that several of the skulls featured in Halo 3 and Halo: Reach could not be implemented. This necessitated the creation of several entirely new skull effects.

Cut skulls

During production, several skulls were prototyped and cut.

Bang Bang

One of the skulls considered (but ultimately cut) was "Bang Bang"; a skull which would replace all of the weapon sound effects with those of 343 Industries employees shouting "pew pew" and "bang bang". The skull was ultimately cut late in production due to the massive undertaking needed to record all of the sounds, with Principle Development Lead engineer Greg Hermann elaborating that it was difficult to convince the audio team to "be serious" about the skull. Traces of it can still be found in the game files and enabled via modding. Only the Assault Rifle has the firing noises implemented.

However, this skull was the reason for the implementation of dual-track audio support in the game, which allows for both the original and updated soundtracks to be loaded at the same time.

The sound of employee laughter was also left in builds of Anniversary and can be enabled in-game.

Engineer

Engineer is a skull present in early beta builds of Combat Evolved Anniversary, though its precise purpose is unclear. It has a spawn location inside the coolant pool near the gravity lift on the level Keyes. According to CEA developer Devon Smith, he believes the skull may have been intended to grant the player an overshield akin to the one provided by the Engineers in Halo 3: ODST, though he did not remember that completely. The Engineer skull's icon is reused for Grunt Funeral in the final game.

Trivia

A promotional graphic for the Grunt Funeral skull, replacing the silver tint of the final game with normal colouration.

• When playing co-op in the original Anniversary whether or not the skulls appear depends on whether Player 1 has claimed them yet. If Player 1 has already collected a skull it will not appear, regardless of whether or not Player 2 has collected it. Thus when playing co-op it is important that a player who still needs to unlock skulls plays as Player 1, and a player who has already unlocked the skulls is Player 2. In The Master Chief Collection the skulls appear every time regardless of whether one or both players have already collected them.
• If both the Piñata and Grunt Funeral skulls are active, Grunts will not drop grenades when meleed. The Piñata skull remains in effect for all other enemies.
• 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 Unggoy's head.
• The skulls contain several references:
  • The description for the Boom skull advises "Light fuse, run away." This is a reference to the second chapter of the level 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.