Halo 2 skulls: Difference between revisions

{{Era|RW}}

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Grunt Birthday Party 2.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[Heretics|Heretic]] [[Unggoy|Grunts]] dancing around the Grunt Birthday Skull on the level ''[[The Arbiter]]''.]]

In ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' the skulls are present, however they are not activated when they are collected (though the flash and "whoosh" are still present). Instead, skulls must be selected from the pre-game menu before beginning the level. The skulls are unlocked by default (along with a number of [[Halo: The Master Chief Collection Skulls|new skulls]]) and do not need to be found before they can be used, however each skull unlocks an [[achievement]] when collected, providing players motivation to seek them out.  

Every skull except for Blind and Assassin can only be found on [[Legendary]] difficulty (though on other difficulties the Assassins Skull will have no effect). The Blind Skull may be a very handy tool when recording video on the original Xbox, and, fortunately, is very easy to activate.

==Campaign Order==

#'''''Outskirts''''': [[#Blind|Blind]] & [[#I Would Have Been Your Daddy|I Would Have Been Your Daddy]]

==List of Known Skulls==

{{Center|This section is about the skulls in the 2004 game. For the skulls introduced in Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Eye Patch, Fog, Jacked, Masterblaster, Recession, So... Angry, Streaking, Swarm, They Come Back, Bandanna, Bonded Pair, Boom, Feather, Grunt Funeral, Malfunction, Piñata, Prophet Birthday Party, and Scarab skulls), see [[Halo: The Master Chief Collection Skulls]].}}

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Anger.jpg|thumb|The Anger Skull floating on the wall surrounding the first Valley of Tears in ''Halo 2''.]]

# Take a right as entering the area and run up to the wall past the [[Gravity lift]] that leads up to the [[Deployable lookout tower]].  

# Follow the wall and an invisible [[Unggoy Heavy]] will spawn wielding a [[Type-33 fuel rod gun]]. Kill him and reach the floating Skull called "Anger".  

'''Trivia''': The Skull floats above a Gravity Lift ring. This Skull is treated as a "third" weapon rather than a pickup weapon. You can throw grenades (though there is no animation) and switch to primary and secondary weapons (though there is no side symbol, but a put-away animation).

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Assassin.jpg|thumb|The Assassins Skull flanked by two invisible Sangheili in ''Halo 2''.]]

# Once there, use [[Explosive Jumping|Grenade Jump]] to get onto the roof area. Then, using [[Crouch Jumping|Crouch Jumps]] and/or Grenade Jumps, follow the right side perimeter of the building.  

# Once you have gone as far as you can go you will find a small grassy area with two [[Stealth Sangheili|Stealth Elites]] holding [[Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword|Energy Swords]] (one can be assassinated, the other cannot) in their "angry stance" and the Assassins Skull between them.

'''Note''': This Skull also appears on any difficulty, and even on [[campaign#Cooperative|co-op]] play, but no Elites will be standing there, the flash and name will not appear, and the effect will not take place. If you betray two Marines in a row, they will turn against you and become cloaked. In ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', playing with non-scoring skulls enabled doesn't spawn the Sangheili around the skull, nor would it trigger the achievement if the player picks it up.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Black Eye.jpg|thumb|The Black Eye Skull on the top of the control room in ''Halo 2''.]]

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Blind.jpg|thumb|The Blind Skull, four grenades, and a spotting scope in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': Your [[heads-up display]] becomes invisible. In other words, you cannot see your weapon (unless it's the Energy Sword, which has a glitched appearance with this Skull), body, shields, ammunition, motion tracker, or use your flashlight. Muzzle flare from weapons though, are still visible.

# Crouch Jump onto that and either Crouch Jump or Grenade Jump again (Crouch Jumping is easier), and you should be on the roof (or you can get the Sputnik Skull and only use one grenade).  

# Look for a space between the two buildings, and go into it, at the end there should be four [[M9 fragmentation grenade]]s, a spotting scope, and the Skull in front of them.

'''Note''': An interesting possible message left by Bungie is seen in the form of the frags and scope. Since the Blind Skull is available on all difficulties, it is a sort of "trick skull", to trick players into thinking they have obtained the skull of the level, since a skull is obtainable in every other level (excluding ''[[The Heretic]]'', which is an opening cut-scene). So, it could be here to divert players from finding the IWHBYD Skull. Alternatively, the scope is meant to stand for the word "Look" and the four grenades stand for the word "For" which could make the message "Look for Skulls" ("Skull" is in reference to the Blind Skull).

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Catch.jpg|thumb|The Catch Skull on a ledge, high above the entrance into the area, in ''Halo 2''.]]

# Right after exiting from the underground highway, you'll come to a large open-air circular area with a handful of [[Kig-yar Sniper|Jackal Snipers]] and some [[Sangheili|Elites]]. The quickest way to get safely to the Skull is to get the next checkpoint by jumping into the [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|Warthog]] and drive to the next area.  

# Backtrack to the large area, and clear the enemies. Alternatively, you can skip through the area until you reach where you find the [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraiths]] attacking the building where the Marines are (but you don't have to fight them) and then go back and the enemies will be gone when you go back.  

# There is a large semi-circular beam going from one of the main platforms that goes from the ground up to the top of the two towers. Do a Grenade Jump at the bottom of this beam and walk all the way to the top. Jump over to the ledge of the left tower. Walk to the end of the ledge and you will find the Catch Skull. The Sputnik Skull may be helpful if you have trouble Grenade Jumping.

'''Note''': This Skull is slightly tinged orange whereas the other Skulls are not. Since Flood combat forms do not throw grenades but do drop grenades upon death, this skull is particularly useful in levels featuring  Flood as the player would have a constant supply of grenades.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Envy.jpg|thumb|The Envy Skull and two invisible Sangheili in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': The [[John-117|Master Chief]] now has an [[Active camouflage]] just like the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter's]]. However, there is no visible timer, so remember: five second cloak with ten second recharge on Legendary (the cloak and recharge times are longer and shorter, respectively, on easier difficulties). To fully exploit the effects of this Skull, execute the [[permanent Invisibility|permanent invisibility]] [[glitches|glitch]].

Use grenades to blast the stone away from the door. For that, you'll need all the Fragmentation and [[Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade|Plasma Grenades]] you can carry, sometimes even more (using rocket launcher and having the Sputnik skull would be helpful). Throw each of them into the corner behind the stone. Every time a grenade explodes, the stone will move a little. You'll never get it fully out of the way, but after about eight or nine grenades, there will be enough space to go through the door. Alternatively jump on the rock and throw one Plasma Grenade in the corner behind the rock. This should move it enough so that you can drop into the crack and melee the rock until the doorway is clear. If not, throw a couple more grenades. If you do not have any grenades or rocket launcher ammo, use a Scorpion or Wraith to blast the stone away. This method leads you up a ramp and into a room open to one side where you'll find two dead Grunts along with two Energy Swords (an Easter Egg which implies that these two Grunts accidentally killed themselves with the Swords). Exit the room and you'll be on a platform above the normal area. Grenade jump towards the room you just exited, and you'll be with the Stealth Elites and the Envy Skull.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Famine.jpg|thumb|The Famine Skull surrounded by dead Flood combat forms in ''Halo 2''.]]

# Walk all the way to the end and you'll find four Elite [[Flood combat form|Combat Forms]] convulsing on the floor, with the Famine Skull in the middle of them. Sometimes, the Combat Form nearest to the battlefield stands up, but it does not attack.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Ghost.jpg|thumb|The Ghost Skull sitting above the doorway in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Directions''': Immediately after the armory room that is full of [[Covenant]] and [[human]] weapons, there is an '''L''' shaped hallway. Grenade Jump, using a [[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Ghost]], up to the rafters of this room, and you will find the Skull over a doorway. Or, if you are playing co-op, get a box from the weapon room, and have one player stand on the box, then have the other player stand on the first player's head, have player two Crouch Jump on to the ledge and grab the skull.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Grunt Birthday Party Close.jpg|thumb|Heretic Unggoy dancing around Grunt Birthday Party Skull in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': [[Head Shot|Headshots]] turn into Plasma Grenade explosions. You must first take down an Elite's shield for this to work on one. You also need to shoot [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]] and fellow Marines twice (if they don't have a helmet or you shoot marines in their face, you only need to shoot them once) in the head for this to work. You can also give a headshot to a dead body and it will still explode. This Skull doesn't affect [[Mgalekgolo|Hunters]], [[Yanme'e|Drones]] or [[Sentinel]]s. Keep in mind that the Flood's "head" is actually their sensory antennae, so you need to shoot them in the chest area.

# Under one side you will see the six [[Heretic Unggoy|Heretic Grunts]] dancing in a circle around the Skull.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 IWHBYD.jpg|thumb|The IWHBYD Skull and the hidden sniper rifle in ''Halo 2''.]]

If you want to save the Skull, (in case you fail in the fight with the Elites) you should exit the room and proceed to get another checkpoint. Save and quit. Restart and go back to room with the Skull. It will always be there. When you grab the Skull, you'll be transported into the alley. You will have only a Plasma Pistol, and must fight off seven waves of Ultra Elites (wave one starting with one Elite, wave two with two Elites, and so on).

'''Note''': The Skull is named after a quote originally spoken by [[Stacker]]:<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjKkKHShyp8 '''YouTube''': ''Halo Fest: Halo Universe'']</ref> "I would have been your daddy, but the dog beat me over the fence!" The quote has since been spoken by both [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and Sergeant Stacker. The first chapter of ''[[Assault on the Control Room]]'' is also named "I Would Have Been Your Daddy...". This skull might also just be the skull to make up for the first level since it is just a cut scene all the way and that there was supposed to be at least one skull on every level.

====Tips and Tricks====

This is ''much'' easier with the permanent invisibility glitch. If you die in the alley with no checkpoint after the checkpoint in the Skull room, there will be several white flashes, you will be reverted to the checkpoint in the Skull room, the Skull will disappear sometimes and will not take effect. Also, if you attempt to escape the alley, you will get teleported to the Elites' position and lose all your collected weapons. Once you kill all seven waves, the Skull will become active.

If you get a checkpoint while fighting the Elites, save and quit. You will restart where you saved and then you can continue killing them. Saving here will enable you to load the IWHBYD effect (by killing the remainder of the Elites) after the Xbox is turned off, although the actual Skull will not be reloaded.

To get this skull in Halo MCC Halo 2: Set Legendary/Solo with only the Scarab Skull enabled. No other skulls. Kill (4) sniper jackals immediately when they spawn in the following locations. No Checkpoints needed any more. (In Co-Op the skull didn't appear. Not sure if maybe missing a different process or method or doesn't work at all for Co-Op.)

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Iron.jpg|thumb|The Iron Skull in the middle of the gravity lift in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': When playing co-op, if either player dies the game restarts you at your last checkpoint. The effect resembles the effect already in place on Legendary difficulty, making it a somewhat redundant Skull.  

'''Directions''': When you enter the final (the second) large Gravity Lift (do not confuse with smaller ones throughout the level) after passing the Inner Sanctum, look up. A Skull will pass through you extremely quickly so you must start holding X a bit before you actually pass it to grab hold of it.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Mythic.jpg|thumb|The Mythic Skull floating above a dead Flood combat form in a vent in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': Enemies have more health and shielding, and are therefore harder to kill. Note: health and shielding increase more as the enemies rise in [[rank]]. A red Grunt will not gain as much health as a white Grunt. Similarly, a blue [[Sangheili Minor|Elite Minor]] will gain a small bit of health, but an Ultra Elite will gain a ridiculous amount of both shielding and health, to the point that a Plasma Pistol overcharge won't drop their shields even halfway. Besides that, it also makes your allies gain a small bit of health, and the Skull will make allies immune to being meleed.

# There is a semi outdoor area which has the same type of area right next to it. There is an [[Enforcer]] in front of each one. Go past this area and down the piston and you'll be in a very dark and dank Flood infested area.  

# There's a stack of six or seven boxes as you enter the room. Use them to jump up to the landing above. There are a handful of alcoves on your right hand side. The Skull is in the third alcove, floating above a dead human Flood combat form.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Sputnik.jpg|thumb|The Sputnik Skull floating in midair in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Effect''': The mass of certain objects is severely reduced, making them fly further when smacked with a melee hit, or when they are near an explosion. Weapon damage seems to have strengthened slightly. It also has the added effect of making enemies turn around when you hit them, allowing you to kill them in two hits. With the Sputnik Skull's effect in place, players can reach nearly impossible places and much higher altitudes using Grenade Jumps. Also, your melee has strengthened force. This Skull can be used to obtain the [[Scarab Gun]] by allowing the player to reach massive heights, and is a key component if you want to get the [[Soccer ball|Soccer Ball]] Easter egg.

# Hug the wall (Just enough room for you to walk) until you get to the end of the cliff, and you will see the Sputnik Skull floating in the air.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 That's Just... Wrong.jpg|thumb|The That's Just... Wrong Skull on top of a crate in ''Halo 2''.]]

# You should hold X down, and you should pick up the Skull. It's on a stack of crates, near the end of the tram ride.

[[File:HTMCC-H2 Thunderstorm.jpg|thumb|The Thunderstorm Skull and the displaced trashcan in ''Halo 2''.]]

'''Method 1'''<br>

# Once on the rail, walk down it until you can jump onto the highest platform. Then melee the trashcan away from the wall a few times, the Skull is right behind it.

'''Method 2'''<br>

# It is possible to Grenade Jump up to the platform if you can't stay on the rails. The Sputnik Skull helps a lot here, but it's possible without it.  

# Just get on the ground near the platform the Skull is on and Grenade Jump.  

'''Note''': Any enemy units that have spawned, previous to you acquiring the skull, will remain at the same rank they spawned as. You also don't need to melee the trashcan out of the way, but it will reveal an interesting hidden object. Near the Skull is a burning cigar that looks like a [[Sweet William cigar|Sweet William Cigar]], the type that Sergeant Johnson is seen using.

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker That'sJust...Wrong.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerThatsJustWrong.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Thunderstorm.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerThunderstorm.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Blind.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerBlind.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker IWHBYD.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerIWHBYD.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Catch.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerCatch.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker GruntBirthdayParty.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerGruntBirthdayParty.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Famine.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerFamine.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Envy.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerEnvy.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Assassins.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerAssassins.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Mythic.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerMythic.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Sputnik.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerSputnik.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Anger.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerAnger.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Ghost.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerGhost.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker Iron.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerIron.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Skulltaker BlackEye.jpg|center|115px]]

|[[File:HTMCC_H2A_Achievement_Steam_SkulltakerBlackEye.jpg|40px|center|65px]]

*''Halo 2'''s Skulls are the only ones that have fun surroundings. An example being the [[Heretic Unggoy]] dancing around the Grunt Birthday Party Skull. This is a distinction that is absent in ''[[Halo 3]]'' and ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''.

*Original Xbox players who want to have access to any Skull any time they want can follow these steps.

#Set up a new profile with the name of the desired Skull (to know which profile is which)

#Play through on Easy or Normal until reaching to the level with the desired Skull.

#Play the level on Legendary until they get to a checkpoint just before the Skull.

#Save and quit. Now when they want the Skull they can go back to that profile, pick up the Skull, and exit out. Then just go to another profile and enjoy. This is much more easily done if the player obtains the Envy Skull first. NOTE: If you get a checkpoint after picking up the Skull DO NOT save and quit just turn your Xbox off and try again.

*Rumors initially persisted that activating all Skulls in the original Xbox game simultaneously (also known as [[Mythic (difficulty)|Mythic]] difficulty) would unlock a secret movie at the end of the game, similar to the Legendary cutscene in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. Players who believed the rumor found a fifteen-letter code on the ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack|Halo 2 Soundtrack]]'' and thought this code was a specific order these Skulls needed to be activated to unlock the secrets. All such rumors were ultimately proven false.

*The name of the That's Just... Wrong skull was originally unknown, as no name for the Skull appears in-game. Data for an early version of the skull list in the ''Halo 2'' menu file nicknames the Unnamed skull 'Whuppopotamus', which was used by the community for a while. The version of the list with correct names for other skulls and also got translations lists the skull as "Cow Bell" (referencing how any noise will alert enemies), with "That's Just... Wrong" going unreferenced in the same lists. It was given its now-official name in ''The Master Chief Collection'', likely to avoid confusion with the Halo 3-style Cowbell skull.

*The [[Halo 3 Skulls|''Halo 3'' skull]], Cowbell, practically has the same effect as the Sputnik Skull from ''Halo 2'' (explosive force increased); it has just been renamed. Although it is of note that Cowbell's potential seems to be far less than that Sputnik's, due to different physics, balancing between games, and the fact that there are an exponentially more invisible barriers in Halo 3 than its predecessor.

*A Skull's melee power is a little less than equal to firing a round of an [[M90 Close Assault Weapon System|M90 Shotgun]].

File:HTMCC-H2A Anger.jpg|The Anger Skull floating on the wall surrounding the first Valley of Tears in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Assassin.jpg|thumb|The Assassins Skull flanked by two invisible Sangheili in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Envy.jpg|thumb|The Envy Skull and two invisible Sangheili in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Black Eye.jpg|thumb|The Black Eye Skull on the top of the control room in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Blind.jpg|thumb|The Blind Skull, four grenades, and a spotting scope in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Catch.jpg|thumb|The Catch Skull on a ledge, high above the entrance into the area, in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Envy.jpg|thumb|The Envy Skull and two invisible Sangheili in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Famine.jpg|thumb|The Famine Skull surrounded by dead Flood combat forms in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Ghost.jpg|The Ghost Skull sitting above the doorway in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Grunt Birthday Party Close.jpg|thumb|Heretic Unggoy dancing around Grunt Birthday Party Skull in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A IWHBYD.jpg|thumb|The IWHBYD Skull and the hidden sniper rifle in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Iron.jpg|thumb|The Iron Skull in the middle of the gravity lift in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Mythic.jpg|thumb|The Mythic Skull floating above a dead Flood combat form in a vent in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Sputnik.jpg|thumb|The Sputnik Skull floating in midair in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A That's Just... Wrong.jpg|thumb|The That's Just... Wrong Skull on top of a crate in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HTMCC-H2A Thunderstorm.jpg|thumb|The Thunderstorm Skull and the displaced trashcan in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

{{easter Egg}}

[[Category:Tricks and Cheats|Skulls]]

[[Category:Halo 2 Easter Eggs]]