Halo Campaign Evolved: All Terminal Locations

TL;DR

• There are 13 terminals in Halo Campaign Evolved — one in every mission, including all three bonus missions.
• Each terminal unlocks a named lore entry you can read in the Collectibles menu from the main menu.
• Terminals look like computer screens with a glowing red light. The light turns green after you interact.
• They produce an audible sound when you are nearby — listen for it to help track them down.
• None are permanently missable — use mission select or chapter select to return at any time.
• Collecting all 13 terminals unlocks the Lore Have Mercy achievement.
• You need all 13 terminals and all 39 skulls to unlock the Collector’s Addition achievement (Platinum).

Halo Campaign Evolved All Terminal Locations covers every single terminal hidden across the game’s 13 missions. Terminals are one of the two main collectible types in the game alongside skulls, and unlike skulls they give you something story-focused in return — each one unlocks a named lore entry that fills in details about the Halo universe, the events happening around the campaign, and the prequel timeline.

This guide covers all 13 terminals in mission order, from The Pillar of Autumn through to the three bonus prequel missions. Available on PC via Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation — this guide works across all platforms.

How Terminals Work in Halo Campaign Evolved

Terminals are small UNSC computer stations found off the main path in each mission. They have a screen and a glowing red light on the side. When you walk near one, you will hear a faint electronic hum or beep. Once activated, the light turns green and the terminal is logged as collected in your save file.

To interact with a terminal, press X on Xbox, Square on PS5, or E on PC when standing in front of the screen. You do not need to read anything on the spot — the lore entry unlocks in the Collectibles menu on the main screen and you can read it any time after.

Terminals are generally easier to find than skulls. They are larger objects and have that glowing red light that stands out against most environments. That said, most require you to leave the critical path and explore a side room or detour, so they are easy to walk past if you are following the objective marker too closely.

None of the 13 terminals are permanently missable. If you complete a mission without grabbing it, just load back in via mission select and use the closest rally point checkpoint. Finding all 13 gives you the Lore Have Mercy achievement. For everything you need on the other half of collectibles, see the full Halo Campaign Evolved all skull locations & effects guide.

All Terminal Locations: Quick Reference

The Pillar of Autumn Terminal: Approach

The Approach terminal is one of the easier ones in the game. Progress through the mission following the main objective markers until you reach the control room — this is the same area where Master Chief was first thawed out of the cryo pod at the very start of the game. You are revisiting it later in the mission as you work to evacuate the ship.

When you reach this control room, head through the first door on the left instead of continuing forward. The Approach terminal is in that small room, right in front of you at the back wall.

For the full collectible breakdown including all three skulls in this mission, see the individual skull and terminal guides linked at the bottom of this article.

Halo Terminal: Forgotten

The Forgotten terminal is inside the underground cave tunnel system. Once you get your first Warthog, drive down the hill and enter the building that Cortana notes is not a natural formation — it is the cave-like structure that leads underground.

Drive through the tunnel but keep your eyes on the right wall as you go down the ramp. Before you reach the first large underground room, you will see a gap or window in the right wall. Stop the Warthog, get out, and jump through the window. There is a ledge on the other side just below. Drop down to it and you will find the Forgotten terminal sitting behind you on the ledge.

For the full Halo mission collectible guide, see the Halo mission skulls & terminal locations guide.

Truth and Reconciliation Terminal: Inquisitor

The Inquisitor terminal is found inside the Covenant ship’s prison block, in the area where the mission tasks you with finding and freeing Captain Keyes.

You will enter a central connecting room with a railing running along your left side and prison cells branching off from it. Walk forward with the railing on your left and find the cell release mechanisms. Deactivate the cells one by one. The terminal is inside the middle cell of the block — just walk in and interact with it.

You can grab this either before or after freeing Keyes — it does not affect the mission flow either way. See the Truth and Reconciliation skulls & terminal guide for the full mission collectible walkthrough.

The Silent Cartographer Terminal: Status Update

The Status Update terminal is inside the facility that houses the system security override substation — the building you enter and get ambushed in the dark by two Hunters.

Kill both Hunters and enter the next room. You will see the override substation ahead of you, which is the mission objective. Do not interact with it yet. Instead, walk forward and go past the substation. Behind it is a metal table and the Status Update terminal is sitting on the wall behind it.

Full collectible details for this level are in the The Silent Cartographer skulls & terminal guide.

Assault on the Control Room Terminal: Tangent I

The Tangent I terminal is found during the Scorpion Tank section of the mission. Your objective at this point is to head toward the Control Center Ziggurat. Drive the tank up a steep snowy hill where a Covenant dropship is waiting. After clearing that area, continue along the path until you reach a fork in the road.

At the fork, take the left route — but immediately watch the right side of the path as you do. You will see a pair of doors set into the hillside on your right. Stop, get out of the tank, and enter those doors. Go up the stairs inside and the Tangent I terminal is to your right at the top.

See the full Assault on the Control Room skulls & terminal guide for step-by-step detail on all collectibles in this mission.

343 Guilty Spark Terminal: Tangent II

The Tangent II terminal is found toward the end of the mission when you are tasked with escaping the Flood.

You will enter a large room that has two sets of doors on the left and right walls, each door marked with symbols on either side. Head through the door on the right. Once inside, immediately look to your left. You will see the bodies of dead Marines with shotguns scattered on the ground. Follow the trail of corpses to the right and the Tangent II terminal is waiting at the end of that path.

For all collectibles in this mission, see the 343 Guilty Spark skulls & terminal guide.

The Library Terminal: Tangent III

The Tangent III terminal requires a small detour during one of the mission’s more hectic Flood sections.

Progress through the mission until you hit the checkpoint called “Wait, It Gets Worse.” You will eventually reach a locked door that needs Guilty Spark 343 to open. Clear out the Flood around you and wait for Guilty Spark to unlock the door. Go through.

Once inside, you will see two terminals. The objective marker points you to the one on the right — ignore it for now. Use the terminal on the left first. This opens another door nearby that is blocked by Flood structures. Push through those structures and enter the room on the right inside. The Tangent III terminal is in that room.

After grabbing the terminal, return and interact with the objective terminal on the right to continue the mission. Full details are in the The Library skulls & terminal guide.

Two Betrayals Terminal: Alone

The Alone terminal is one of the easiest in the whole game to grab — it is right at the very start of the mission.

As soon as the mission begins and you destroy the Sentinel drones in the opening room, immediately turn around. In the center of the room is a large holographic display of a planet. Walk around the walkway to the back of the hologram structure. The Alone terminal is right there behind it.

This takes less than a minute from the mission start. Grab it before pushing forward. See the Two Betrayals skulls & terminal guide for the full mission.

Keyes Terminal: Consumed

The Consumed terminal is found in the shuttle bay section of the Keyes mission, in a room that branches off the main path.

When your objective sends you to reach the shuttle bay, you will arrive in a large docking area. Take the first door on your left upon entering. Follow that hallway and deal with the enemies inside. You will encounter two Hunters. Kill them. After they are down, check the room on the right — the room they spawned from. The Consumed terminal is in that room.

Full collectible details for this mission, including the tricky Catch skull, are in the Keyes skulls & terminal guide.

The Maw Terminal: Arrival

The Arrival terminal is found in the cafeteria area — also known as the mess room — of the Pillar of Autumn as you work through the mission objectives early on.

Follow the main objective markers from the start of the mission. You will eventually enter a room that functions as the ship’s cafeteria. As soon as you step through the entrance door, hug the right wall. The Arrival terminal is right there on your right, just inside the room. You will likely see fire burning nearby — that is your landmark. Turn right when you see the fire and you will find it immediately.

For all The Maw collectibles, see the The Maw skulls & terminal guide.

Boarding Action Terminal: The Path

The Path terminal is in the first bonus prequel mission. It is found near the end of the mission after you ride the grav lift up to the Triumph of Tolerance’s upper decks.

First, clear all the Covenant in the grav lift room so that Sgt. Johnson can activate it. Once the grav lift is running, go up. As soon as you land on the upper deck, immediately turn around. Do not follow the objective marker. Look for the door in the back-right corner of this circular room. Enter it. The Path terminal is just inside on your right.

For the full Boarding Action collectible guide covering all three skulls and this terminal, see the Boarding Action skulls & terminal locations guide.

The Most Dangerous Game Terminal: Penitent Report

The Penitent Report terminal is inside the prison block section of the second bonus mission.

After you free the UNSC soldiers from their cells and pass through the armory to restock, continue following the main objective until you reach a door that leads to a room with a large upward ramp. Go up the ramp. At the top you enter a room with a row of windows running along the left wall.

When you are standing in this windowed room, do not follow the objective. Look to the right side of the room and go through the door on the right. The Penitent Report terminal is right there inside that side room on your right as you enter. It has the standard red glowing light.

For the full breakdown of this mission’s collectibles including the multi-step Temperamental skull, see the The Most Dangerous Game skulls & terminal locations guide.

Heavy Burden Terminal: Harmonious Clarity

The Harmonious Clarity terminal is in the final bonus prequel mission, found after a key bridge moment with Johnson.

Progress through the mission until you reach a bridge and clear it of Covenant enemies alongside Johnson. A cutscene will play after the fight. Once it ends, drop down to the bottom floor of the area. You will see two unlocked doors in front of you. Either door works — they both lead to the same place. Go through one and follow the path into the armory. Go through the next set of doors on the left inside the armory. The Harmonious Clarity terminal is in the final room.

If this is your 13th and final terminal, the Lore Have Mercy achievement unlocks as soon as you interact with it.

Tips for Finding All Terminals Efficiently

Terminals are easier to collect than skulls as a general rule, but a few of them are easy to walk straight past if you are locked onto the objective marker. Here are some quick tips to keep the run clean.

• Listen for the audio cue. Each terminal emits a faint electronic sound when you are nearby. If you hear something that sounds like a quiet hum or beep off the main path, investigate it.
• Look for the red light. In darker rooms especially, the red glow of an unactivated terminal stands out clearly. Scan walls and side rooms whenever you have a moment.
• Always grab the terminal before finishing the mission. Most missions end in a scripted sequence or objective completion. If you know a terminal is still uncollected, get it before triggering the final objective.
• Use mission select to clean up. If you miss one, load the mission from the main menu, pick the closest rally point checkpoint, and grab it. It saves instantly on pickup — you can quit right after.
• The Two Betrayals terminal is right at the start. It is the easiest terminal in the game and takes under a minute. Never leave it for later — grab it the moment you spawn.
• The Library terminal needs a two-step door trick. Use the left terminal first to open a hidden door, then find the actual collectible terminal in the room behind it. Do not just interact with the right terminal and move on.

If you are going for 100% completion and hunting skulls at the same time, check the full achievement and trophy list so you can track both collectible types on the same playthrough and nothing slips through.

What Happens When You Collect All 13 Terminals?

Collecting all 13 terminals unlocks the Lore Have Mercy achievement. This is one of the bigger collectible achievements in the game and confirms you have engaged with all of the story content the terminals offer.

Each terminal also adds its named lore entry to the Collectibles section in the main menu. You can read all of them at any point after unlocking them. They cover Covenant intelligence reports, UNSC communications, AI logs, and prequel timeline events — some of the most interesting story context in the whole game sits inside these entries.

For full completion — the Collector’s Addition achievement — you also need all 39 manually collected skulls. That requires hunting down three skulls per mission across all 13 levels. The complete skull locations & effects guide covers every single one.

Mission-by-Mission Skull & Terminal Guides

Each of these guides covers all three skulls and the terminal for that specific mission, in the order you encounter them during a natural playthrough.

• Halo mission skulls & terminal locations
• Truth and Reconciliation skulls & terminal locations
• The Silent Cartographer skulls & terminal locations
• Assault on the Control Room skulls & terminal locations
• 343 Guilty Spark skulls & terminal locations
• The Library skulls & terminal locations
• Two Betrayals skulls & terminal locations
• Keyes skulls & terminal locations
• The Maw skulls & terminal locations
• Boarding Action skulls & terminal locations
• The Most Dangerous Game skulls & terminal locations

More helpful guides for working through the full game:

• All skull locations & effects
• Full achievement and trophy list
• All missions list
• Beginner’s guide
• Difficulty differences explained
• How many players does co-op support
• How to unlock armor skins
• How to fly in Halo Campaign Evolved
• How to play in third person
• How to use Machinima Mode
• PC system requirements
• Steam artbook fix guide
• Pre-order bonuses explained
• Full review guide