_      _     ____      _       ____      _____
| |    | |   / /\ \    | |     /  _ \    / ___ \
| |____| |  / /  \ \   | |     | | | |   |_|  \ |
| |____| | | /____\ |  | |     | | | |        / |
| |    | | | |____| |  | |___  | |_| |       /  |
|_|    |_| |_|    |_|  |_____|  \____/      /  /___
                                           |_______| 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Halo 2 Guide to Secret Skulls
Version 2.5
Screenname: UltimateGamer5000
Email: [email protected]
� Copyright 2004 UltimateGamer5000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_________________
Table of Content:
�����������������
1. Introduction
2. Version History
3. Skulls - Location and Effect
4. Credits/Special Thanks
5. Authorized Hosting Sites
6. Legal Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone!

This is UG5000 here.  Just a few things before we get started.  Keep your 
arms and feet inside the vehicle at all times!  No, I'm just kidding.  But
seriously, this is my first guide here.  Also my first ASCII, hence the 
horrible "Halo 2" ASCII at the top >_>.
  
Anyways, if you see anything wrong/missing, feel free to email me and tell
me about it.  I'll try to check my email a bit more often once this FAQ 
gets posted.  Try to title it something related...like "Halo FAQ Corrections"
or something like that.  

Please, and I repeat, PLEASE tell me if any information is wrong, or if 
you have any MORE information to add.

I'll try to update this as soon as I get word of a new skull being found.
If you notice one that's not in here already, PLEASE tell me!  I'm trying 
to keep an eye out on the message boards for any new skulls.  Ok, that's 
about it!  Off to the guide!

- UG5000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Version History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(MM/DD/YY)

Version 1.0 (11/14/04)

This is the original version.  Most skulls are up, but many are missing names
and effects.  This is just a fairly crude outline of the guide.  More info 
is needed.

Version 1.1 (11/15/04)

Fixing some of the skulls.  Finishing up the last things. Added the last two 
sections.  Submitting it to GFaqs.

Version 1.2 (11/15/04)

Lines are too long.  Fixed line problem to resubmit to GFaqs.

Version 1.3 (11/15/04)

Asking around the message boards for more information.  Thunderstorm effect 
added.  Also, a few more skulls and effects added.

Version 1.4 (11/17/04)

Found a forum full of confirmed skull information.  Used it to double-check
and edit some of the skull information, including using it to add some new
information as well.  Guide is still not up on GameFaqs yet...so I've still
got my fingers crossed...

Version 1.5 (11/18/04)

Still no word on if this is getting accepted or not...I'm still updating it.
Found another thread on the boards with a big list of skulls.  Used it to 
double-check some things.  Fixed up some other things, such as the little
speech just before the list of skulls.

Version 1.6 (11/22/04)

The FAQ has finally gone on-line!  Ok, I fixed/added some things based on a
few emails I received.  Added the location of the Armor skull.  Also added a
section for sites with permission to host this FAQ.  I'm hoping to add some
more sites to that list ;-).  Also merged Credits with Special Thanks.  It 
makes a bit more sense this way.

Version 1.7 (11/23/04)

Fixed some spacing and confirmed and edited a few more skulls.

Version 1.8 (11/23/04)

I was directed to a post on the Bungie forums, and I used that site to double
check and edit/add some more info on the skulls.  Most of the info is staying
consistent, but it appears that some items keep changing...

Version 1.9 (11/25/04)

Happy Thanksgiving :-p.  Anyways, I fixed the location of the Ghost skull, 
and I started adding if the skulls were confirmed or not.  Also, thanks to a
few emails, I corrected some things including the mythic, armory, catch, and
iron skulls.

Version 2.0 (11/25/04)

Many more things fixed.  Confirmation list is complete now.

Version 2.1 (11/26/04)

Added the effect of the Anger skull.

Version 2.2 (11/27/04)

Added another site that can host my guide.

Version 2.3 (11/28/04)

Added a little more on the Blind Skull.  Fixed Black-eye Skull's effect, and
added the IWHBYD Skull.  Removed infinate skull.

Version 2.4 (11/29/04)

Added a note on Assassin's skull.  Also fixed Envy skull method (crouch jump
instead of grenade jump).

Version 2.5 (11/30/04)

Added some more notes as an intro to the skulls.  Fixed assassins skull note.
Also added the Mythic skull effect.

Version 2.6 (11/30/04)

Fixed GPB Skull.

Version 2.7 (12/01/04)

Ok, I'm updating very frequently.  I think I'll start updating a bit less 
often, but still frequently.  I added another site that is allowed to host
my FAQ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Skulls - Location and Effect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's where we get serious, hmm?

Ah, but before we start, one last thing to add, and this is important so
LISTEN UP!!  Not all of these skulls are confirmed.  MOST APPEAR LEGIT, but
there are still some we aren't sure about.  If you can confirm the legitimacy
of any of these skulls, PLEASE TELL ME.  Thanks in advance.

Please note that the only way to reactivate the skulls is to go find them
again.  There is no menu or anything to reactivate it easier.

The skulls themselves can be used as an extremely powerful melee weapon.

Alright, Happy Skull Hunting, everyone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ N/A

Level: The Heretic (Confirmed)

Location: N/A

Effect: N/A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ No Name Skull (Confirmed) (EFFECT NOT CONFIRMED)

Level: Armory (Legendary difficulty)

Location: After the 
marine in the armory tests your shields, and Johnsons comes, just wait. 
Johnson will say different things, wanting you to get in. After he says 
'Would it help if I said please?', get in the elevator. When you go to get 
in the tram, do a crouch jump and land on the left seat of the tram. While 
on the tram seat, move forward so you're touching the window facing Earth. 
Hold X. After you pass a pile of crates, which the skull is on, you will 
have picked up the skull.

Effect: This skull will cause the covenant to know your location, even when
you have active camo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Thunderstorm Skull (Confirmed)

Level: Cairo Station (Legendary difficulty)

Location: After you take out the second room of covenant boarding the ship,
the game says "Priority Shift". Shortly after this you will go to the armory
where you will have to take out a couple of Elites. The next room is "Commons
B.01" ( a large room with trees and a window at the end on the second floor
that has a plasma turret. The skull is on the highest ledge behind you, above
the doorway where you enter this room. Take out all the baddies and proceed
to the window with the turret. jump to the left onto the ledge from the
window. you will notice several diagonal supports that lead up to two thin
rails that run the length of the room. Make a well timed jump/duck from one
of the diagonal beams to the rails. Follow the rails all the way to the other
end of the room and you will see a ledge on the left with a trashcan. In
between the trashcan and the wall is another cigar! Knock over the trashcan
to reveal the "Thunderstorm" skull. 


Effect: This skull will cause all Grunts and Elites to have white-armor, and
the stats of their white-armored counterparts. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Blind Mode (Confirmed) (PLEASE READ NOTE)

Level: Outskirts (Any difficulty)

Location: Right when you start out the level, after your vision clears, head 
into the door straight ahead.  If you look up, you'll see a rectangular light
right across from you.  Using the crouch jump, jump up and then crouch jump
up to the roof to your left.  When you get out, turn left and you'll see a 
long, dark hallway.  Go down and you will see a skull, some grenades, and a 
camera.  Pick up the skull by holding 'X.' Once you pick it up, your screen 
will flash and the word "Blind" will appear in the corner of the screen.

Effect: This skull will cause your hud and weapons to become invisible.  The 
camera right behind the skull might possibly indicate that this skull is used
to take screenshots or something.

NOTE: The Blind skull might actually effect other profiles on your XBOX.
To turn off blind mode, Turn off your XBOX or Save and Quit.  Go to Campaign
and select level and choose Cairo Station.  Skip the cinematics and then
Save and Quit.  Choose Outskirts and your HUD will be back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ I Would Have Been Your Daddy Skull (Confirmed) (EFFECT UNKNOWN)

Level: Outskirts (Legendary difficulty)

Location: Take Johnson's rifle. Get 7 checkpoints and make sure sarge gets
in the pelican Get on top of the level one way or another and after the part
where there are like millions of snipers, there will be two balconies opposite
each other with laundry hanging on them. In the righthand one there will be
a sniper rifle, ammo, and a pool of blood. Shine your flashlight on the blood
and it will appear. When you pick it up you are teleported to ground level
and have to face off 6 waves of elies, they go like 1 elite, then 2 elites,
3 elites, 4 elites, 5 elites, and finally 6 elites, when you kill all of
them the skull will take effect and it will say "I would have been your 
daddy."


Effect: ???
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Catch Skull (Confirmed) (EFFECT NOT CONFIRMED)

Level: Metropolis (Legendary difficulty)

Location: When you come to the Large semi-domed area with the scarab in the 
background and the 8-10 snipers, go to the middle of the area and grenade 
jump and walk up the big structure to where the two towers connect, go to
the left tower, and walk around it. you will find a skull at the end of the
walkway.

Effect: This skull will cause your enemies to throw many more grenades, as 
well as drop more upon dieing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Grunts Birthday Party Mode (Confirmed)

Level: Arbiter (Legendary difficulty)

Location: Progress normally untill you reach the banshees. As soon as you are
in one fly straight down to the bottom of the station. You will see 3 massive
cylindrical thrusters.  Fly down to the middle one and circle the upper 
portion of the cylinder until you see some grunts dancing in a circle. The
grunts are in an area where the cylinder connects to the horizontal support 
beam so they are somewhat hidden under the support. Once found land near the
grunts and pick up the GBP Skull.

Effect: This skull causes every enemy that you headshot with a projectile
weapon (ex. hand gun, BR, SR) they will explode like a Plasma grenade,
damaging everything around them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Famine Skull (Confirmed)

Level: Oracle (Legendary difficulty)

Location: After you've killed your first few flood, you'll come to a room
where there is brakeable glass seperating you from a battle between the Flood
and the Heretics. You have to go down there to continue through the level, 
as after a set amount of flood are killed here, the heretics open a door so 
you can continue. Then, if you stay at the bottom floor of the 'glass room' 
and stand on the lower part of the pillars that hold the glass on the second
floor, and shoot the glass, you can crouch jump up to the OPPOSITE side that
you first entered the room. Up here, there is the skull, surrounded by three
mutating flood.

Effect: This skull causes all preset human weapons that are picked up to start
at half ammo, like the ones that fall from the sky in those pods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Envy Mode (Confirmed)

Level: Delta Halo (Legendary difficulty)

Location: Progress until you reach the area during the "Push through the 
Covenant held ruins" where you have to clear a Landing Zone for the Pelican
to drop weapons. You'll know you are in the right area when Cortana tells you
"they're pouring out of the center building". That area has Plasma turrets 
along its borders. A little bit after the left side turret you will see the 
outline of a door in a wall, but the door has a solid rock slab in it and a
rock in front of it. Jump on the rock then jump to the ledge above the door 
then jump on the ledge to the left. Now jump onto the building with the 
sealed door using a crouch jump. Atop the building you will find two dancing
elites and the "Envy Skull." 

Effect: This skull will enable you to use Active Camoflage like the Arbiter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Assassins Skull (Confirmed) (PLEASE READ NOTE)

Level: Regret (Legendary difficulty)

Location: Immediately after the gondola ride following the battle with the 
hunters, there will be a building with two turrets on it.  Enter the building
and turn to your left. There will be a box. Jump on it. From there, jump to 
the adjacent light fixture, then to the ledge. The ledge leads to the area
with the two turrets. Once there use a grenade jump to get onto the roof area, 
then, using croutch jumps and 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, on Legendary, two cloaked dancing elites and the 
Assassins skull.

Effect: This skull will cause all enemies to have active camoflage.

NOTE: It's possible to find this skull on Easy difficulty, but there will be
no elites, nor will the skull have any effect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Mythic Skull (Confirmed)

Level: Sacred Icon (Legendary difficulty)

Location: There is a semi outdoor area which has the same type of area right
next to it. There is a large sentinal 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 6 or 7 boxs as you enter the room, use them to jump
up to the right ledge that is floating above a dead Human flood in a vent. 

Effect: This skull will make human vehicles stronger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Sputnik Skull (Confirmed)

Level: Quarantine Zone (Legendary difficulty)

Location: From the start of the level, look to your left for an Elite. To 
the left of the elite there is a tunnel. Head into the tunnel and go 
straight until you reach a cliff. Now turn left and follow the cliff till 
you reach a rock wall. To the right of the wall and the cliff is a narrow 
passage, skull is at the end of that passage.


NOTE: I haven't been able to find a solid effect for this one.  The effects
listed on various sites vary from site to site.  I'm including the most 
up-to-date ones i can find.

Effect: Effect: Causes explosives (such as rockets, tank missiles, and
grenades) to do more damage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Anger Skull (Confirmed) (EFFECT NOT CONFIRMED)

Level: Gravemind (Legendary difficulty)

Location: Fight all the way through the Covenant city until you reach the 
outdoors. As soon as you are outside, stick to the right-hand side and walk
along the wall. You should see a Covenant wall thingy with a red rail on it.
Jump up to it (crouch jump helps) and at the end there is the Anger skull 
in a small grav-lift.

Effect: This skull will cause the enemies to fire at a faster rate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Ghost Skull (Confirmed) (EFFECT UNKNOWN)

Level: Uprising (Legendary difficulty)

Location: After the outdoor area with all the ghosts, there is an L-Shaped
room that is seen throughout the level. It is right after the "armory" 
room. Grenade jump up to the rafters and it should be up there. 

Effect: ???
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Iron Mode (Confirmed) (EFFECT NOT CONFIRMED)

Level: High Charity (Legendary difficulty)

Location: When you enter the final Gravity Lift, look up. A skull will pass
through you extemely quickly so you must start holding "X" a bit before you
actually pass it to grab hold of it. Once you grab the Iron Skull, "Iron 
Mode" will be activated.

Effect: This skull causes your allies immune to vehicles.  Makes human 
vehicles more resiliant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Blackeye Mode (Confirmed)

Level: The Great Journey (Legendary difficulty)

Location: When you get a banshee and defend the scarab to the place that he
blows up the door, fly above it and onto a railing, don't go too far on it
or it will send the banshee flying, now jump out. You should be on the 
railing which if you look up is aiming towards the middle of the big 
facility. now go down a rail and head onto the spherical structure part and
head to the pillar opposite of the one you were on, you can just walk on up
and it is there.

Effect: This skull will stop your shield from regeneratomg.  When you melee
someone and kill them, you get energy power back, so if you melee someone to
death, you get a little bit of shield. So you can get a bit at a time all
the way to overshield!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Credits/Special Thanks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This being my first guide, I'd like to thank a number of people.  So, in no
specific order:

- GameFaqs and the Halo 2 board for insipiring to compose this guide
- All the sites that are hosting my FAQ
- The Cheats & Codes section for a little double-checking and how to remove
  Blind Mode
- invertmylateralus, hyperegg, and red roy for contributing to Ghurhgs
  compilation
- Ghurhgs and MediaThrall for compiling the skulls into big topics
- IGN.com and Highimpacthalo.org for tons of info and confirmation
- Gravityman for a ton of information
- Cardin for the location of the Armory skull.
- SayYouWontCare for the info on the IWHBYD skull.
- http://www.freewebs.com/menaceskulls/skullinfo.htm 
  ~ AND ~
  http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=1156052&postRepeater1-p=1
  for lots of confirmations and info on the skulls.
- Everyone who submitted feedback through email.  You know who you are.
- All of the countless people who contributed to the people who helped me out
- Guide format based on Cool Z's guide (thanks :-p)
- Legal Info from dhwk's Weapons FAQ (since I really had no idea what should
  be in one in the first place :-p)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Authorized Hosting Sites
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sites that have my permission to host this FAQ include:

- http://www.gamefaqs.com
- http://www.neoseeker.com
- http://www.wogaming.com
- http://www.gamehelp.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Legal Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for 
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide
on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly 
prohibited, and a violation of copyright.