Halo 3 skulls
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Summary
A Skull in Halo 3 is an easter egg left in by Bungie to make the game more challenging or interesting, or to unlock potentials that would otherwise remain hidden. There is no information text to wield a skull, as there is with a weapon, but it can be picked up just the same, and its effects range from the useless to the terrifying. In Halo 2, these skulls were hidden very far out of the normal path of the level, sometimes even backwards. In Halo 3, it is the same old situation. In addition, the skulls now have some sort of importance to the Halo 3 Meta-game. They multiply the amount of points you receive in the meta-game, meaning that activating them in the lobby will give you point multipliers.
Do note that in order to obtain any of the skulls, you have to begin the level from the beginning, on Normal or higher difficulty. In most cases, you do not have to finish the level after first picking up the skull, so can simply save and quit; nor do you need to carry the skull after picking it up.
List of Known Gold Skulls
Iron
Level: Sierra 117[1]
Directions: This skull is at the end of the level. It is located on the roof of the building to the left of the building where Sergeant Johnson is being held captive, if you're facing Johnson. You can gain access to the roof by jumping onto the pipes. Travel all the way over to the left side of the roof, and the skull is concealed in the corner.
Achievement Icon: A skull marked with a stylized drawing of a hammer
Effect: When playing co-op, if either player dies the game restarts you at your last checkpoint, similar to Halo 2 on Legendary. On solo, it restarts the mission.[2]
Point Multiplier: 3x
Black Eye
Level: Crow's Nest[1]
Directions: It's in the same room you start in. Hanging down from the ceiling is some piping. On top of this piping, on the side nearest to the large display (the one that Hood appears on) lies the “Black Eye Skull”. You can gain access to the pipes a few different ways, one of the easiest however is to jump on the crate like thing, then jumping onto pipes from there.
Achievement Icon: Skull marked with a bruise under one eye.
Effect: Your shield does not charge normally. To charge your shields you must hit an enemy with a melee attack (sans Energy Sword).
Point Multiplier: 1.5x
Tough Luck
Level: Tsavo Highway[1]
Directions: At the point in the level when the huge covenant cruiser flies overhead (after the first shield blocking the road), on your left is some large piping following the road you are walking on. Underneath this piping are some support beams that extend out over a cliff. Jump onto the first of these beams, and travel to the end of it. Look to your left, and the Tough Luck Skull will be sitting on a rock extending from a cliff edge.
Achievement Icon: A skull marked with three clovers.
Effect: Enemies dodge grenades and vehicle assaults with a far greater success rate.
Point Multiplier: 1.5x
Catch
Directions: In the first outdoor area with the one AA Wraith and the Regular wraith, the skull is on top of the silo over by the ramp that leads to the next area of the level. Destroying the Wraiths will cause the skull to disappear. You can use a vehicle to get a boost to the top of the silo or jump on another player's head in Co-op.
Achievement Icon: Skull marked with a stylized drawing of a plasma grenade.
Effect: AI controlled units will throw more grenades, where applicable.
Point Multiplier: 1.5x
Note: There is a glitch in some games where this skull will not appear. In such an event, it should be attempted to beat the entire campaign (including Arrival) on at least Normal difficulty, as this has proven to resolve the problem in most cases.
Fog
Level: Floodgate
Directions: At the very beginning of the level, as you are walking down from the anti-air gun you destroyed in the previous mission, you encounter a ramp with scattered sandbags on it (next to a missile launcher). Around this ramp, you hit a checkpoint. At this point, you should also hear a marine yelling, “There! Over There!” You have a small window of opportunity at this point, but it is fairly easy to get the Fog Skull. Look up, and to the right, directly at the roof of the building next to the missile launcher. There is a single flood combat form (not to be mistaken with the two other flood forms jumping high in front of you) which is holding the skull. Kill him before he jumps, and he will drop the skull down to the ground where you can retrieve it. Too early, and the skull will get stuck on the roof though, so just time it carefully. Also there are some sandbags in the way, don't miss the shot by getting stuck behind them.
Achievement Icon: A skull marked with a swirl of fog
Effect: Your motion sensor is no longer visible.
Point Multiplier: 1.5x
Famine
Directions: The skull is located in the first part of the mission, in the desert. Right after you battle the first group of grunts riding [covenant warthogs] you will head toward a small battle that ends at a dead end. You have battled across a platform to a door that you will not enter but instead will be called to another part of the desert. On your way to the next battle you will pass another unoccupied platform sticking out from the cliffs on your LEFT hand side. You will battle a few ghosts below this platform. In the shade of the platform there are a couple of rocks, a small one and a larger one together. Above them is a hole in the platform. You can hop up the rock, onto the cliff side, through this opening. From the highest point you can jump onto the platform but it can be tricky. Head to your RIGHT to the last support beam before the platform disapears into the rock. Tucked inside this support beam, hanging out over the desert floor, is the Famine skull. You can see it from the platform. One way to reach this skull is to walk to the edge of the platform, drop a sticky grenade at your feet (but not ON your feet) and then jump, letting the explosion push your jump futher, onto the narrow support beam. Then simply walk into the corner and pick up the skull. Besides the grenade method, a Brute Chopper, or deployable cover should have you up there in no time!
You can do this before or after you get the Scorpion as you pass the area twice, the skull spawns there as soon as you reach that area the first time.
Another way to get to the skull involves using both Scorpion tanks, one must be driven up the hill towards the end of the platform with the door-closest to where the Frigate lands, park it facing the door, just level with the platform-filling the gap between the rock/hill and the platform. You can then use this as a ramp to drive another scorpion onto the platform, beside the beam, and then use it to jump inside the Support structure. This method is probably the easiest, because it doesn't require grenade jumping or getting a deployable cover.
A third way to get the skulls is to pick up a deployable cover, there are a few between starting point and rally point alpha (the dawn entering atomosphere). Simply jump up to the platform as u would for grenade jumping, and deploy the cover near the edge. jump on top and walk to claim your prize.
Achievement Icon: A skull marked with a smaller skull
Effect: All weapons that are dropped by enemies or a scripted to spawn on the ground (e.g., near a downed Pelican) will have halved ammunition or charge.
Point Multiplier: 2x
Thunderstorm
Level: The Covenant[1]
Directions: After you take command of one of the Hornet vehicles, fly towards the first force field generator (the one the Arbiter disabled), and land. The skull is waiting at the very top, at the end of the ramp extending over the sea.
Difficulty: Normal, Heroic, Legendary
Achievement Icon: A skull marked with a lightning bolt
Effect: All enemies will be promoted to their next available rank, where applicable.
Point Multiplier: 1.5x
Tilt
Directions: In the circular room where Cortana mentions that she “Likes to play games too…” It’s a bit difficult to get to, as it requires getting on top of the ceiling of the room. It is also very hard to hear, but really it is the first big room with a lot of computers, she will be saying things such as, "Hello" and "How are you?" Just listen carefully when you hear her say a bunch of things in a row. Alas, it wont take you into the Cortana screen, such as when Gravemind will talk to you, and when she talks to you in earlier levels. Upon entering the room, head towards the left side where you will see some mushroom shaped extrusions along the wall. Get on top of these, and then look up and towards the right for another set of extrusions. Jump to these. From here, you should be able to jump on top of the ceiling of the room, where the Tilt Skull lies in the center.
- Note: If you try to get the skull on your second time through the room (after you start the chain reaction) it wont be there.
Achievement Icon:
Effect: Enemy resistances are greatly increased. Where a particular type of weapon normally does slightly reduced damage (e.g., projectiles against Brute armor, or plasma against Brute flesh), it will be reduced greatly with this Skull's effect.
Point Multiplier: 2x
Mythic
Directions: At the beginning of the level start by heading into the canyon, but hug the right wall. Very soon, you will notice that there is a turn to the right that is off the normal trail. Head a bit down this path, and the “Mythic Skull” will be sitting there.
Achievement Icon: Skull marked with a swirl
Effect: All enemies health will double.
Point Multiplier: 2x
List of Known Silver Skulls
Blind
Level: Sierra 117[1]
Directions: Near the first enemy encounter stay to the right. Follow the wall on around past the small building until you reach the cliff edge. The skull is on a rock right just over the edge near the crashed Pelican.
Achievement Icon: No Achievement
Effect: HUD and weapon view are no longer visible.
Grunt Birthday Party
Level: Crow's Nest[1]
Directions: After the first objective, en route to the barracks, you will fall down into a large pipe. There will be smaller pipes coming from the sides and Drones (insect-like enemies) flying out right and left. At the end don't fall off to the floor, look over the edge to see a small ledge a few feet below you. The ledge has a green arrow pointing towards the wall. Your goal is to just drop over the edge and immediately pull back and land under the floor you were just standing on, (on the ledge), or you can try to slide onto it from the edge. Once there, the skull will be at the end in a room. To pick it up you have to press and hold the Right Bumper.
Achievement Icon: No Achievement.
Effect: If a Grunt is shot in the head, confetti will explode out of it (this causes damage), the Grunt will die, and a cheer will be heard.
Cowbell
Directions: Begin by heading all the way to the part of the level where you battle the Scarab. After defeating it, look in the middle of the desert area which you battled it in for a fairly large structure (it’s the building you see if you are at the bottom of the ramp you are supposed to go up, and turn to look in the opposite direction). Inside of this structure are several Gravity Lifts (shown below). Take one of these for later. Next, head up the huge ramp, and head inside of the building (the one with the cartographer inside). Pass through a few of the rooms in this building, and you’ll eventually come to a room with a whole lot of Explosive crates. Right after this room is a Staircase/Hallway that leads to the level below. The Skull is located at the top of the room, at the point where you turn on the staircase to head for the next part of the slope. There are four platforms above you, the Skull is on the uppermost of these platforms. Use the Gravity Lift to jump up to it (try to position the grav lift on the line above the second light spec up the ramp, and try try try again, reverting saves when you fail repeatedly. Alternately, try and get the Grav Lift so that it is half way on and then jump into the stream from below), and there you have it! -But if it's not there, you probably didn't make it to the top. Fall down and look up and you will see one more "level." An alternate method is to take one of the crates from the room before, roll it down the ramp up next to the platforms, and place the grav lift on top of the crate. This will get you just enough height to reach the top platform.
Achievement Icon: No Achievement
Effect: The force of explosions is increased.
I Would Have Been Your Daddy
Level: The Covenant
Directions: After defeating the Scarabs and going inside, get to the location with all 7 Ring Holograms. Continue until after the cutscene in which the Arbiter kills Truth, and kill the Flood(make sure that the Flood music has stopped) before jumping through the ring holograms in a specific order. If you go into the 4th section of the room, where Truth says "How could i have known the Parasite would follow?" on the way in, you will get a checkpoint (and Cortana will say "I'm a thief. But I keep what i steal."). That order is as follows (1 is at the entrance, 7 is closest to Truth): 4 6 5 4 5 3 4.
When you jump through the final halo, the rings will start flashing, and you will be awarded with the spawning of the “I Would Have Been Your Daddy” skull. When you pick it up, the rings will stop flashing, and remain brightly lit. It will be right next to the light bridge that brings you over to the Prophet of Truth.
Achievement Icon: No Achievement
Effect: Unlocks new, and often humorous, dialogue for the AI.
Special Effects (Pictures)
- 2737147-Full.jpg
Grunt Birthday.
- 2778992-Full.jpg
More exploding Grunts.
Close up of an exploding grunt.
- OverkillGrunts.jpg
4 grunts exploding.
Video
Gold Skulls Locations <youtube width="350" height="350>9WrXr4Aa3Bs</youtube>
Silver Skulls 3/4 Locations <youtube width="350" height="350>roXCIh2Rz60&NR</youtube>
Silver Skull IWHBYD Location <youtube width="350" height="350>LLOm7olquhk</youtube>
Guide to all 13 Halo 3 Skulls <youtube width="350" height="350">XIE7I2OPgyA</youtube>
