The fourth of this series of articles for the achievements of the Halo Master Chief Collection brings us to Halo 3. At the bottom will be links for the other parts to this simple guide.

This is just a guideline of course. You may find other ways to get these achievements. It’s just my way of helping you through this massive list.

HFFL Community Friend ‘Tetrahedrite’ wrote up his own guideline and shared it with me. We talk and agreed to share in this guide. I’ll do my best to make mention of his specific contributions.

Now on with part 4 of the guide:

Halo 3 Achievements 76, gamerscore 695

10G Mind the Gap Halo 3: 4 vehicles, 1 gap on Legendary using Cowbell, Catch, Thunderstorm, Mythic, and Tough Luck.

10G Begins with a Single Step Halo 3: On Tsavo Highway, complete the level without entering a vehicle.
This can be done, it’s just going to take more time. Since there is no difficulty requirement, go for the EASY route.

10G Who Needs Them? Halo 3: On The Ark, complete the level without entering a vehicle on Legendary.
Same as above, but you MUST do this on Legendary. Get used to the level first and see how and where to go when you’re NOT in a vehicle.

10G Phantom Hunter Halo 3: Destroy 3 total Phantoms on The Covenant.
This is easy enough. You’ll encounter them and can destroy them with relative ease. No difficulty requirement, so go for EASY if you’re looking for the easiest way to get it, but really, it can be done on any difficulty level.

The next 9 are simply done by completing each mission. Not difficulty requirement. You should get these easily during normal gameplay.
10G Landfall Halo 3: Complete Sierra 117.
10G Holdout Halo 3: Complete Crow’s Nest.
10G The Road Halo 3: Complete Tsavo Highway.
10G Assault Halo 3: Complete The Storm.
10G Cleansing Halo 3: Complete Floodgate.
10G Refuge Halo 3: Complete The Ark.
10G Last Stand Halo 3: Complete The Covenant.
10G The Key Halo 3: Complete Cortana.
10G Return Halo 3: Complete Halo.

As with the other campaigns, these stack so if you play through on Heroic for example, you’ll get the achievements for Easy, Normal, and Heroic.
10G Training Wheels Halo 3: Complete every level of the game on Easy difficulty.
10G Prophet’s Bane Halo 3: Complete every level of the game on Normal difficulty.
20G With Your Shield or On It Halo 3: Complete every level of the game on Heroic difficulty.
30G Finished the Fight Halo 3: Complete every level of the game on Legendary difficulty.

The next 14 are for finding the skulls in Halo 3. Where to find each will be described below each entry.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Blind Halo 3: Find and claim the Blind Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Sierra 117’. Just after you face off against your first group of enemies, go to the right just beyond the human structures. There will be a small outcropping below the ledge overlooking the lake. There you will find the skull.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Iron Halo 3: Find and claim the Iron Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Sierra 117’. This one is at the end of the level. Cledar out all of the enemies at the water station, but don’t yet get Sgt. Johnson. (This just makes it easier for you so you don’t have to fight enemies while getting the skull.) There is a small ledge you can walk on about midway up on the very back building. You can get there by going back to the bridge, jumping on top of the cement wall just beyond the bridge going towards the back building. Then just up and left to the ledge. Follow this ledge all the way to end. The skull will be in a tiny nook at the end of that ledge.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Black Eye Halo 3: Find and claim the Black Eye Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Crow’s Nest’. In the base (Where Sgt. Johnson is), you’ll have to make a series of jumps to get to the big pipe above. Once you get there, simply go to the end of the pipe and the skull will be there for you. The jumps are: Jump on top of the weapons rack, jump onto the rusted framework, then finally jump on to the pipe.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Grunt Birthday Party Halo 3: Find and claim the Grunt Birthday Party Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Crow’s Nest’. At the end of the semi-circular corridor where you fight Drones, you drop down. To get the skull however, go to the edge, turn around facing the corridor you just walked through. SLOWLY back up until you just start to drop. As soon as that happens, push forward. You should land on a small ledge just under the walkway. Walk to the end of the under-passage. You’ll find the skull there.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Tough Luck Halo 3: Find and claim the Tough Luck Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Tsavo Highway’. This one can be tricky, so watch your jumps. When you get to the first bridge that has a pipeline running along side it, stop. Go to the left. You’ll see a yellow ladder going up, so you know you’re in the right place. Don’t go up, but rather, walk down just below the bridge. Keep heading left. You’ll have to make a series of small jumps all going towards the left. The first couple are part of the pipeline framework, while the last one is on to a rocky outcropping. The skull will be there for you.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Catch Halo 3: Find and claim the Catch Skull.
Found in the mission ‘The Storm’. Okay, this one requires VERY specific instructions. If you mess up, revert to last checkpoint or start the mission over. Don’t damage or destroy the regular wraith. If you do, the skull disappears. You can take out the gunner though, but why chance it… This is easiest had by getting the troop warthog in the area where the anti-air wraith is. Drive to a cylindrical structure. If you can get the hog to drive up it a little then this is easier. You can do that at the side of the structure that faces away from the map. You can also get there from the opposite side, but the wraith will be shooting at you. Once you park the hog, jump on top of it. Then jump on top of the structure. The skull is waiting for you there.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Fog Halo 3: Find and claim the Fog Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Floodgate’. At the very beginning of the level, there will be a flood who will jump from right to left on the rooftops. SHOOT IT before it gets to the other side. If you are successful in killing it while it’s in mid-air, it will drop the skull for you. If you miss it, simply restart the mission and try again.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Famine Halo 3: Find and claim the Famine Skull.
Found in the mission ‘The Ark’. This one is found on one of the Forerunner structures. You’ll have to jump up a hill and on to the Forerunner platform. Go to the last angled piece of the structure. It will be pointing to the left as you go towards it. You’ll have to grenade jump to the flat part of that to find it. OR, if you have co-op partners, you can shoulder jump to it as well.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Cowbell Halo 3: Find and claim the Cowbell Skull.
Found in the mission ‘The Ark’. After you destroy the Scarab, use a grav lift (found in the structure off the main one where you fight the Scarab). Go past a squarish room with Plasma Coils. In the hallway after this at the end is the skull. HOWEVER, it’s way up high. This is where the placement of the grav lift is important. Too far down the ramp and you won’t make the jump, to far up and you can’t get there either. Stay to the right of the ramp. Toss the lift out just to your left about a step down the ramp. Back up then run over the grav lift. If you place it right and jump right, you’ll get to the highest ledge where the skull is at. This will likely take some practice. Thankfully, if you don’t get it right, you can revert to last checkpoint, so don’t get discouraged.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: IWHBYD Halo 3: Find and claim the IWHBYD Skull.
Found in the mission ‘The Covenant’. This one requires a VERY specific set of jumping so take your time here. Once the Arbiter kills the Prophet of Truth, you’ll have to go back the way you came and kill all of the Flood. Do NOT drop down at the end of the level. Turn around and jump through the ‘rings’ in this order: 4-6-5-4-5-3-4. The one closest to you when you turned around after killing all the flood is considered to be ring 1. The first one you jump through is the ‘broken ring’. That’s ring 4. The rings will FLASH. That is how you know if you’ve done the sequence correctly. Go back to the last bridge where Truth was. It should be there just before you would cross the bridge. Yes…this is a tricky one, indeed.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Thunderstorm Halo 3: Find and claim the Thunderstorm Skull.
Found in the mission ‘The Covenant’. While in your Hornet, go to the second tower. The shouldn’t be any enemies there. Land on one of the flat-ish parts. Walk up the highest ramp. It will be there at the end of the walkway.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Tilt Halo 3: Find and claim the Tilt Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Cortana’. Okay, first things first, kill all the flood in the area, otherwise, this is going to be a real pain in the arse to get. This requires a series of jumps. Go to a small cylindrical Covenant post. From there jump to your left to a small flood ledge. Then, turn more to your left and look up. There will be another flood ledge to jump up to partly to your right. Turn around and find yet another small ledge. This one is just about exactly above the previous small ledge you just jumped from. Jump on top of the higher ledge. There is a thin flood bridge that goes over to a Covenant section. Walk over to that and the skull is there. Whew…if you made all of those jumps on your first try and have NEVER done this before, kudos to you. It’s not that simple your first time. So be patient and try again if you miss any jumps.
5G Skulltaker Halo 3: Mythic Halo 3: Find and claim the Mythic Skull.
Found in the mission ‘Halo’. Stay to your right at the beginning of the level. You’ll find a cave. Go to the end of that there by a couple of rocks is the skull.
20G Witch Doctor Halo 3: Find and claim all Skulls in 3.

Well damnit…after I wrote all of this up, I found a vid online that SHOWS the locations and says what each skull does. So if you don’t want to read all of that again, then just watch this vid:

Okay instead of me writing all of this out, I search for a video. (Gaw, should have done that for the skulls first…) Anway, check the vid at the end of this section to find the Terminals in order.
5G Rising Waters Halo 3: Activate Terminal 1 on The Ark.
5G Inundation Halo 3: Activate Terminal 2 on The Ark.
5G Before the Fire Halo 3: Activate Terminal 3 on The Ark.
5G Tipping Point Halo 3: Activate Terminal 4 on The Covenant.
5G Unto Dust Halo 3: Activate Terminal 5 on The Covenant.
5G Babbling Dead Halo 3: Activate Terminal 6 on The Covenant.
5G Sword and Shield Halo 3: Activate Terminal 7 on Halo.
5G The Coin’s Fault Halo 3: Activate Cortana’s Terminal on Cortana.
5G Whispers Across the Galaxy Halo 3: View the communique from Mendicant Bias.
On the last terminal, stay through to the end of it to see Mendicant Bias’s message. If you’ve view all the other Terminals, you’ll unlock this one too.
20G No Stone Unturned Halo 3: Activate all Halo 3 Terminals.

The next 10 are for par score. I”ll update with the scores when I have them. You’re going to have to turn skulls on for sure.
10G Guerilla* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Sierra 117.
10G King of the Crows* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Crow’s Nest.
10G Cavalier* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Tsavo Highway.
10G Askar* Halo 3: Beat the par score on The Storm.
10G Exterminator* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Floodgate.
10G Ranger* Halo 3: Beat the par score on The Ark.
10G Vanguard* Halo 3: Beat the par score on The Covenant.
10G Orpheus* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Cortana.
10G Torchbearer* Halo 3: Beat the par score on Halo.
20G Better With Age* Halo 3: Beat the par score on every Halo 3 level.

The next 10 are for par time. I”ll update with the times when I have them. Suffice to say speed running is your best best here and do it on EASY.
10G Speedy One One Seven* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Sierra 117.
10G Time Shift* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Crow’s Nest.
10G Highway Robbery* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Tsavo Highway.
10G Lightning Strike* Halo 3: Beat the par time on The Storm.
10G Dambuster* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Floodgate.
10G Waypoint* Halo 3: Beat the par time on The Ark.
10G Scarab Slide* Halo 3: Beat the par time on The Covenant.
10G Making History* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Cortana.
10G Go, Chief! Gun It!* Halo 3: Beat the par time on Halo.
20G Speed Demon* Halo 3: Beat par time on all Halo 3 levels.

This next one is a classic to be sure! Have 3 other players with you. Have those skulls active, be on Legendary difficulty and find the four Ghosts. They are found just before the top of the Forerunner structure after you’ve killed off all the flood in that section. Get those Ghosts and speed to the end of the mission. You will ALL need to stick fairly close together here. If someone is lagging behind, you have to wait for them. Otherwise, you’re going to trigger portions of the Halo blowing up that the lagging player won’t be able to get across. This will likely take you a couple of tries if you’ve never done it before. Have someone who HAS done it take the lead and you just follow them to the end.
10G Annual Halo 3: Complete Halo on 4-player Legendary co-op, with Iron Skull, and everyone in Ghosts.
I’ve done this achievement for people SO many time I can practically do it in my sleep.

You find this in the Covenant mission.
5G Dirge of Madrigal Halo 3: Listen to a hidden music cue in Halo 3.
Take a Hornet to the back left of the large Forerunner structure (the one where you defeated the two Scarabs). Near the end is a ledge. Get off of the Hornet and walk along and up that. Stand right next to the wall at the end of the ledge and the music will play.

5G Primate Halo 3: Find your first missing links.
This one is kind of funny and strange at the same time. There is a small group of subhumans to find. It’s basically a picture within some foliage. One is holding a teddy bear.

5G Haplorrhini Halo 3: Find a lonely missing link.
Hmm, not sure about this one. I’ll have to update this later.

5G Can’t Keep Him Down Halo 3: Fight alongside and listen to The Man. The Legend. Chips Dubbo.
Once again find the Aussie Marine. Perhaps in the Crow’s Nest mission….

5G Flipyap Halo 3: Listen to the tale of a young Grunt named Flipyap.
During the final run in the final mission, Flipyap is on a ledge. This is a little before you make the jump to the Forward Unto Dawn at the end of the mission. Go towards the right to find the ledge.

For the next 4, I’m going to have to update these when found. Apologies…
5G Heading to his Destiny Halo 3: Destined for greatness.
5G Sounds Familiar Halo 3: This stuff is your history!
5G Milk Carton Halo 3: Find the poster of the missing man.
5G Cool Story Bro Halo 3: Listen to the story of the Final Grunt.
Not sure if this is the same as the Flipyap Achievement from above.

5G Third Time’s A Charm Halo 3: Play a game of Halo 3 on the 25th of any month.
Simple enough, play on Nov 25 or Christmas…or any 35th of any month.

5G Missing Link Halo 3: Watching. Waiting. Plotting.
I’ll update this when found.

The next three are straight forward playlist achievements. I’ll take a pass on the LASO one. I’m in it for fun, NOT for ‘work’. 
30G A Preference for Pain Halo 3: Complete the Halo 3 LASO Campaign playlist.
20G Afficiando Halo 3: Complete three Halo 3 playlists.
10G Boot Camp Hero Halo 3: Complete a Halo 3 playlist.

I hope this helps you on your goal to becoming a Halo Achievement Master!
As stated achievements for which I do not as yet have locations/times/scores, etc., will be updated when they become available.

A special thank you to all of those above who posted vids on youtube for some of the achievements.

Other parts to this series:
Part 1: Overall Achievements
Part 2: Halo CE Anniversary Achievements
Part 3: Halo 2 Anniversary Achievements
Part 5: Halo 4 Achievements
Part 6: Those NEW last 50 Achievements

If these have helped you, please reply below or drop me an e-mail at [email protected].

-Sal