Halo: The Master Chief Collection has tons of collectibles and unlocks that are just waiting to be found. In this guide, the locations of every skull in Halo: Combat Evolved will be revealed. Obtaining all of the skulls will unlock the 20 Gamerscore ‘Headhunter’ achievement (Halo: Find and claim all Skulls in Halo: Combat Evolved.) Each and every skull has an achievement to earn when picked up. Reminder, the Halo: Combat Evolved skulls are only available while playing the Remastered mode (Default). For other Halo: The Master Chief Collection guides, stick with Twinfinite!
After Chief gets his vitals checked, leave the cryo-tube and immediately head to the right. Towards the back of the room there will be two blue and grey cylinders right next to one another. Look behind these two blue cylinders and voila! Your first skull out of the way, nabbing you 5 gamerscore.
In the beginning of the mission, exit the crashed ‘life boat’ and head towards the waterfall on the right. The Mythic skull can be found behind the largest boulder nearest to the waterfall, floating in the water between the boulder and the mountain.
The second skull in this mission can be located in the same area where you’re supposed to fight off waves of the Covenant while protecting the human marines. This is when a Warthog will be dropped off for your disposal, hop in the Warthog and yet again, head to the right. If you’ve gone into the underground tunnel, you’ve gone too far. Get yourself onto the ledge of the canyon and continue to pass two trees. Almost directly after the second tree is the Boom skull.
Okay, for this skull you’ve have to get through a bit of the mission first. Once you get inside the Covenant’s ship and have the objective ‘Find the ship’s brig and rescue Captain Keyes’ as your primary objective, you’ll enter a large hangar like room that allows Covenant ships to drop off enemies. When you walk into the room, you’ll see the two hangar doors on your left. Pass the doors and you’ll see an unmanned Wraith in the center of the floor. Head behind the Wraith towards the locked (red light) door. Wait for the two Hunters to come out of the door, once they do, rush in before the door shuts again, and the skull will be on your left.
When you first are dropped off from your Pelican onto the beach, turn around and follow the beach the opposite way of the enemies. Next to the water will be a small hill with a nature-made hill with trees and bushes atop of it. Head up the ramp all the way up and then follow the small hill’s winding grassy top. The Famine skull will be among three small bushes at the end.
This is going to require you to grenade jump. So have a plasma grenade ready. And possibly an overshield if you’re playing on a harder difficulty. Further in the mission you’ll have to fight two hunters; this is where you can retrieve the overshield. Head into the Covenant base, go down the ramp and through the door on the left. You’ll enter a room with two more Hunters, kill them and head down the hallway until you get to the room with the control panel. To the left of the control panel is an open door frame with a platform beyond it. Toss your plasma grenade at the ground, jump and crouch when it explodes to put yourself onto the top of the platform. It might take you a few tries, but once you complete it, walk towards the end of the platform and the Bandanna skull will be right next to the wall.
With your primary objective being ‘Reach the Transition to the Second Chasm’ kill your way through the level, until you get to your first elevator ride. The larger room with the many sleeping Grunts is the room with the skull. You’ll have to grenade jump to reach this one as well. Get to the highest elevated part of the floor, toss a grenade down, and have it bounce you onto the tallest platform. Then simply jump from the platform to the opening and the skull will be directly in front of you.
After obtaining the Scorpion tank and entering the Covenant’s underground facility, hop out of the tank quick and walk towards the edge of the platform. You’ll see the Malfunction skull propped on a pipe. Jump down and grab it and the achievement is yours.
Literally in the beginning of the mission, turn around and head through the swamp. Go towards the right, when you find the three trees with vines attached to them, you’ve found the general area of the skull. Go towards the biggest tree and look down, the Recession skull is behind a plant, in between the two trees.
In the beginning of the mission walk to the section where there are two raised platforms and a door on the right. You’ll want to grenade jump onto the raised platform to the left. From there, hop into the open frame in the wall, turn your flashlight on, walk up the vent, and the skull will be right in front of you.
Once you’re on the fourth floor, right at the end of the mission, follow the giant hallway to the right. Directly on the ground between two elevated platforms is the Eye Patch skull.
Late in the mission you’ll basically be in a war zone between the Flood and the Covenant. Once you have to locate and destroy Pulse Generator #2, you have to run through the snowy battlegrounds until you get to the two grounded Banshees directly next to one another. Climb in one of the Banshees and fly back through the snowy canyon. The skull is found on top of the tunnel you had previously come out of.
While driving the Warthog you’ll come across a bridge. On the right side of the bridge is a ledge with the skull on it. You’ll have to park the Warthog in front of the ledge, jump on top of the Warthog and then onto the ledge. Walk across it and bam. Grunt Birthday Party skull achieved.