Halo Wars skulls

Skulls are objects that Ensemble Studios hid in levels in Halo Wars. When obtained and activated they can alter gameplay difficulty and add interesting features.

How to find them

Each level in Halo Wars has an optional objective where you are asked to kill a certain number of a certain unit type, such as killing 100 Grunts in the first mission, Alpha Base. Once this objective has been completed, the skull location will flash on the mini-map for a few seconds, so it's important to watch the map as you complete the objective. To simplify this, the objective will have a counter that pops up every time you kill a unit of the designated unit type. For example, the HUD will show "56/100 Grunts Killed"; when you have killed 100 Grunts for that objective, the skull will appear.

List of skulls

Look Daddy!

"When Grunts die, their methane tanks always shoot off."

Unlock requirement: Kill 100 Grunts on Alpha Base.
Location: On the embankment near the downed Banshee where last set of Marines are found.
Note: This is perhaps the hardest skull to obtain, since most times, a player kills only 95-98 Grunts before the end of the mission. Try using only Warthogs to splatter the Grunts before other units kill them. Also, while inside Alpha Base, do your best not to destroy the Spirit transports, as they drop additional Grunts.

Grunt Birthday Party

"Grunts explode into confetti after being killed."

Unlock requirement: Kill 20 Jackals on Relic Approach.
Location: At the south end of Alpha Base.

Cowbell

"Destruction physics magnified."

Unlock requirement: Kill 45 Hunters on Relic Interior.
Location: In front of the main console, where Forge and Anders are initially pinned down.

Wuv Woo

"Scarabs shoot a rainbow made of pure love and hearts."

Unlock requirement: Kill 50 Elites on Arcadia City.
Location: Very eastern part of the map near statue of man holding book.

Fog

"No minimap, final score will increase."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 5 Wraiths on Arcadia Outskirts.
Location: North west of the map, on top the highway near two buildings.

Sickness

"All player units have 50% fewer hit points, final score will increase."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 50 Banshees on Dome of Light.
Location: In the hangar just behind and to the right of the UNSC firebase.

Rebel Sympathizer

"Non-player units get 25% more hit points, final score will increase."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 10 Locusts on Scarab.
Location: Next to the power node to the west of the Scarab.

Rebel Supporter

"Non-player units do 50% more damage, final score will increase."

Unlock requirement: Kill 750 Flood Infection Forms on Anders' Signal.
Location: On a cliff edge beside a crevice in the northern part of the map.

Rebel Leader

"Non-player units start with extra veterancy, final score will increase."

Unlock requirement: Kill 20 Flood Stalks on The Flood.
Location: By the downed Pelican to the east of your starting base. You will need air units, as ground units can't get to the cliff the skull is on.

Catch

"All player units' abilities recharge in half the time, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Kill 350 Swarms on Shield World.
Location: On the island in the south east section of the map (you need air units to reach it).

Sugar Cookies

"All player units have 50% more hitpoints, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 100 Sentinels on Cleansing.
Location: North east section of the ship in between both platforms, or, between the tail-fins of the ship.

Boomstick

"There is a 5% chance that any non-player unit blows up upon death with explosive area of effect damage, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 12 Spirit dropships on Repairs.
Location: North east section of the ship above the central structure.

Pain Train

"All player units train 50% faster, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Kill 10 Flood Bomber Forms on Beachhead.
Location: In the starting area, near the Flood buildings (west of the starting area).

Bountiful Harvest

"Supplies come in 25% faster, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 20 Vampires on Reactor.
Location: North-most part of the map near the second Covenant base.

Emperor

"All player powers recharge in half the time, final score will decrease."

Unlock requirement: Destroy 3 Scarabs on Escape.
Location: North east of the map near a hot water spring and a Flood base.

Achievements

Main articles: Achievements (Halo Wars), Achievements (Halo Wars: Definitive Edition)

The following achievements can be unlocked by finding and using skulls in the original Xbox 360 release of Halo Wars and the Xbox One/PC release of Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.

Halo Wars (X360)	HWDE (XB1)	HWDE (Steam)	Name	Description	Game
	File:HWDE Achievement AlasPoorAndrewThomas.png		Alas, Poor Andrew Thomas	Collect your first Skull.	Halo Wars Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
N/A	File:HWDE Achievement LovelyBunchOfCoconuts.png		Lovely Bunch of Coconuts	Collect 8 Skulls.	Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
	File:HWDE Achievement Graverobber.png		Graverobber	Collect all Skulls.	Halo Wars Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
	File:HWDE Achievement OwnWorstEnemy.png		Own Worst Enemy	Earn a Gold medal with all Debuff Skulls active.

Trivia

The Wuv Woo skull is a reference/continuation of a recurring joke in two of Ensemble Studios' previous games. In Age of Mythology, entering the cheat code "wuv woo" spawns the Flying Purple Hippo unit, while in Age of Empires III the code "wuv woo vol.2" spawns the Flying Purple Tapir. Like Wuv Woo skull, both units have an exceedingly cutesy appearance.