Halo Campaign Evolved Skull Locations — Keyes, The Maw and Operation METEORITE

The final stretch of Halo: Campaign Evolved holds the game's most demanding collectibles. Missions 9-10 (Keyes, The Maw) and the three Operation: METEORITE prequel missions hide 15 skulls — including Catch (the hardest skull in the game, a Heroic+ timed run), Temperamental (a three-part hidden-Elite hunt) and Piñata (beat up a corpse).

Official source: Skulls & Campaign Remix — Halo Waypoint — nine more Skulls to find throughout the new missions set before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Missions 1-4 are on the skulls-1 page and missions 5-8 on the skulls-2 page.

Keyes (3 Skulls)

Catch — the timed gravity lift (Heroic+ only)

Effect: Enemies throw and drop more grenades. Where: this is a speedrun skull. It only appears on Heroic or Legendary difficulty, and it sits at the top of the gravity lift that carries you into the Truth and Reconciliation — but it despawns if you take too long to reach it. The community consensus is that you need to reach the lift in roughly under three minutes from mission start (GameSpot recorded under four minutes with one death — the exact cutoff is unclear, so be fast).

• Sprint and jump past enemies at the start. Pick up the Active Camo near the entry area and the Overshield near the green waterfall before the lift.
• Kill only the Covenant standing on the grav lift plate itself — they must be cleared for the lift to activate.
• The moment the lift starts pulling you up, hold the interact/collect button (X on Xbox, Square on PS, E on PC). You'll grab the skull at the lift's apex before entering the ship.
• If you miss it, reload the checkpoint immediately before it updates — a late save can lock you out.

Blind — the destroyed Wraith corridor

Effect: HUD and weapon models invisible. Where: after entering the ship via the gravity lift, drop into the first major room (with the destroyed Wraith). Head into the side passage, crouch under/jump over a second destroyed Wraith, and push through the Covenant containers to the far end. The skull sits in the corner by the large locked door. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Piñata — beat up Keyes

Effect: Punching enemies makes them drop inert grenades. Where: after the cutscene where Master Chief puts the Flood-consumed Captain Keyes out of his misery, turn around and continuously melee Keyes' body. Eventually the skull spawns and falls to the ground in front of him. Keep repositioning if your swings stop connecting. (Rally Point Charlie.)

The Maw (3 Skulls)

Stowed Reload — the burning cryo room

Effect: Weapons keep reloading while stowed (the classic CE reload exploit, as a skull). Where: on the way to engineering, you pass through the cryo room from the opening of the game. In the back-left corner (lit by fire), jump from the collapsed walkway onto the beam against the back wall; the skull sits there. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Boom — the engine room ledge

Effect: Explosion radius doubled. Where: in the engine room where you destroy the four cores, go to the far back-right corner on the second level. Jump down onto the narrow ledge to the left of the debris (below the corridor you could climb to), and the skull is tucked in the corner. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Thunderstorm — the Warthog run shortcut

Effect: Upgrades the rank of most enemies. Where: during the final Warthog escape, drive through the winding tunnel and take the second shortcut tunnel on your right. Stop halfway through, get out of the Warthog, and grab the skull next to the scorched wall. (Rally Point Charlie.)

Boarding Action — Operation: METEORITE (3 Skulls)

Malfunction — after the twin Hunters

Effect: A random HUD element disappears on each respawn. Where: after defeating the two white-and-gold Hunters partway through the mission, don't follow Johnson up the slope. Instead take the ramping path directly across from where you entered, follow the corridor down and around, pass through the unlocked doors across the bay, and find the skull on the walkway to the right. (Rally Point Alpha.)

Johnny Ammo Seed — the training-room backtrack

Effect: Reloading discards the ammo left in the old magazine. Where: in the large Elite training room with the sand, after clearing the enemies, don't take the tractor beam up to Johnson. Go through the open doors above where you entered, follow the path to emerge on the upper platforms of the previous room, clear the Elites that spawn, and grab the skull on the curved walkway. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Leadhead — left of the gravity lift

Effect: Headshots no longer deal bonus damage. Where: in the room with the large vertical tractor beam (after the bio labs), defeat the waves of Covenant including Brutes, then don't ride the beam up. Go through the door to the left of the lift platform and follow the corridor to the dead end. (Rally Point Delta.)

The Most Dangerous Game — Operation: METEORITE (3 Skulls)

Temperamental — the three-golden-Elite hunt

Effect: Allies turn on you quickly if you kill a friendly. Where: this skull is not sitting around — you must shoot a specific golden Elite with purple accents wielding an Energy Sword three times in a single run of the mission. He is invincible; you just need to break his shield (one shot registering is enough), and he flees each time:

1. First appearance: in the arena with Jackal snipers in the trees, just before the prison facility — he's on the upper right, overlooking the battlefield.
2. Second appearance: in the next arena, far in the back at the entrance to the next area, standing behind the Wraith. Be quick — he leaves if you dawdle.
3. Third appearance: in the outdoor arena right after the prison-break conversation — look up and left (Johnson and the Marines mark him as a high-value target).

Once all three shield-breaks are done, clear every enemy in that final arena and the skull spawns inside the Covenant's purple pylon on the higher ground. Bring a long-range weapon (Battle Rifle or Needle Rifle) — getting close makes him run.

Recession — the brazier secret door

Effect: Every shot expends double ammo. Where: at the entrance to the prison facility (long bridge with a Wraith at the far end), look at the lit braziers on either side of the giant locked door. Shoot the explosive canisters in each flame — the door opens and the skull sits inside, next to an armory of UNSC weapons. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Ghost — the brazier above the gate

Effect: Enemies no longer flinch when shot. Where: after crossing the two successive bridges where Banshees first appear, you pass through a short cave tunnel into an open-air arena. The skull sits in the purple-fire brazier above the far gate, on the left from where you entered. It requires a grenade jump or a co-op partner to stand on (frag grenades are conveniently in the gate). (Rally Point Charlie.)

Heavy Burden — Operation: METEORITE (3 Skulls)

Eye Patch — the side bridge

Effect: All auto-aim disabled. Where: as you cross the suspended walkway toward the Tolerance's bridge, don't cross — go through the unlocked door on the near side first. Follow the narrower side bridge to the locked door at the end; the skull is on the ledge to the right. (Rally Point Alpha.)

Grunt Birthday Party — the rock spire

Effect: Grunt headshots produce confetti and cheers. Where: in the giant open white-and-gold room with multiple levels, you'll see a vertical stone spire with yellow foliage. Drop to the circular platform, hop onto the purple fire brazier closest to the spire, then sprint-jump across to the spire and grab the skull mid-air. (Rally Point Bravo.)

Efficient — the gondola out-of-bounds platform

Effect: Enemies killed while you're at full health drop more ammo. Where: during the gondola ride near the end, after restoring power, the transport enters a section with two side platforms swarming with Covenant. Sprint-jump onto the left platform and rush to the back-right corner — the skull is on the ground. You're "out of bounds," so a Return To Battlefield timer runs; the skull counts even if you die grabbing it. (Rally Point Charlie.)

Collectible Route Tip

These three prequel missions also hold the terminals The Path, Penitent Report and Harmonious Clarity. With these you'll have all 13 terminals and, if you've been following the series, all 39 skulls — which pops Headhunter and, together, Collector's Addition (50G Gold). The terminals guide and the achievements guide have the final checklist; the prequel missions themselves are covered in the Operation METEORITE guide.

FAQ

How do you get the Catch skull in Halo: Campaign Evolved? Play Keyes on Heroic or Legendary, speedrun the opening section to the gravity lift in under ~3 minutes, then hold the interact button while the lift carries you up. The skull despawns if you're slow.

How do you get the Temperamental skull? In The Most Dangerous Game, shoot an invincible golden Elite three times (three separate encounters) in one run, then clear the final arena — the skull spawns in the purple pylon.

Where is the Piñata skull? In Keyes, melee the Flood-consumed Captain Keyes' body repeatedly after the cutscene until the skull drops. It takes many hits.

How do you get the Grunt Birthday Party skull? In Heavy Burden, jump from the purple brazier onto the yellow-foliage rock spire in the multilevel room. Grunt headshots then celebrate with confetti.

Where is the Ghost skull? In The Most Dangerous Game, in the purple-fire brazier above the gate in the cave-tunnel arena — needs a grenade jump or a co-op boost.

Related Guides

• Halo: Campaign Evolved Skulls — All 42 Skulls & Effects
• Halo: Campaign Evolved Skull Locations — Missions 1-4
• Halo: Campaign Evolved Skull Locations — Missions 5-8
• Halo: Campaign Evolved Operation METEORITE Guide
• Halo: Campaign Evolved Missions 8-10 Walkthrough
• Halo: Campaign Evolved Terminals — All 13 Locations

Official resources: Skulls & Campaign Remix (Halo Waypoint) · IGN — All Skull Locations · GameSpot — Every Skull Location · Halopedia — Skulls

Last Updated: August 13, 2026