Halo Campaign Evolved Heavy Burden is the third and final bonus mission in the game. It is part of Operation: METEORITE — the three-mission prequel arc set one year before the main campaign. Like every mission in the game, it hides 3 Skulls and 1 Terminal. This guide walks you through every single one.
You can grab all four collectibles in one run if you know where to look. Miss them and you will have to replay the whole mission. So let us get into it.
TL;DR — Heavy Burden Collectibles at a Glance
- Skull 1 — Eye Patch: At the bridge near the start of the mission. Go left before crossing. Follow the walkway to the end.
- Terminal — Harmonious Clarity: After the bridge cutscene, head downstairs to the armory through either door. Terminal is on the left.
- Skull 2 — Grunt Birthday Party: In the large gold room after the bridge. Jump from the purple fire pit to the stone pillar.
- Skull 3 — Efficient: On the moving gondola section. Jump to the left platform at the second enemy group. Sprint to the back-right corner fast — you only have 10 seconds.
- Finding all three Skulls and the Terminal here unlocks the Parting Gifts trophy/achievement.
- If Heavy Burden is your last mission, you also unlock Headhunter, Collector’s Addition, and the LASO difficulty.
If you want a full picture of every mission in the game first, check out the Halo Campaign Evolved all missions list. And if you are new to the game, the beginner’s guide is a good place to start before diving into collectible hunting.
You can pick up the game on Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam.
About Heavy Burden
Heavy Burden is Bonus Mission 3. It continues aboard the Covenant vessel from where The Most Dangerous Game left off. You play as Master Chief alongside Sgt. Johnson, working to regroup with UNSC survivors and escape the ship.
The mission has two main sections. The first is a standard ship-interior combat section. The second puts you on a moving gondola platform — and that is where the trickiest skull hides.
This mission sits separately from the main campaign. You access it from the main menu under Bonus Missions. You can play it on any difficulty, and all collectibles count toward your total regardless of difficulty chosen.
For a wider look at all collectibles across the game, see the guides for all Terminal locations and all Skull locations and effects.
Skull 1: Eye Patch Location
The Eye Patch Skull is the first collectible you can grab in Heavy Burden. You will find it during the early bridge section of the mission.
How to Get the Eye Patch Skull
- Follow the mission objectives from the start until you reach a bridge filled with enemies.
- Do not cross the bridge.
- Go through the door on the left side of the bridge instead.
- This takes you to a raised walkway platform running alongside the bridge.
- Kill the Elites on the walkway.
- Follow the walkway to the far end. The Skull is sitting at the right-hand corner of the platform.
Eye Patch Effect: Disables auto-aim on all weapons. This makes aiming significantly harder, especially at range. It is one of the more punishing skulls to run with on higher difficulties.
Terminal: Harmonious Clarity Location
The Harmonious Clarity Terminal comes right after the Eye Patch Skull. It is the easiest collectible in this mission to get — as long as you know to look for it after the bridge cutscene.
How to Find the Harmonious Clarity Terminal
- After getting the Eye Patch Skull, go back and cross the bridge.
- Clear the Covenant enemies on the bridge to trigger a cutscene with Johnson.
- When the cutscene ends, head downstairs to the lower area of the bridge where the hologram is located.
- You will see two doors in front of you. Go through either one — both lead into the armory.
- Walk through the next door in the armory.
- The Harmonious Clarity Terminal is on the left side, behind the cryo pods.
Interact with it to add it to your collectibles. Terminals unlock lore entries that expand the story of the game. They are not missable per se, but you have to actively seek them out — they are easy to walk past.
Skull 2: Grunt Birthday Party Location
The Grunt Birthday Party Skull is one of the most beloved collectibles in all of Halo. It is back in Halo Campaign Evolved, and you will find it in Heavy Burden in a large multi-level gold and white room.
How to Get the Grunt Birthday Party Skull
- Continue following mission objectives after the terminal section.
- You will eventually enter a large golden room with three separate levels. This is the room where you regroup on your way back to the hangar to meet up with Williams.
- You will see stone pillars rising from the ground, with purple fire pits nearby.
- Go through the left doors and drop down to the platform on the right.
- Face the purple fire pit that sits in front of the stone pillar you need to reach.
- Stand on top of the fire pit.
- Jump across to the stone pillar.
- Look up at the Skull on top of the pillar and jump while pressing the interact button to collect it.
The jump is not overly difficult once you are on the fire pit, but the flames can slightly obscure your view. Clear the Grunts in the area first so you are not taking fire while you attempt the jump.
Grunt Birthday Party Effect: When you land a headshot on a Grunt, their head explodes with colourful confetti and a brief jingle plays. It does not change combat difficulty at all — it is purely a fun modifier. A long-running fan favourite in the Halo series.
Skull 3: Efficient Location
The Efficient Skull is the hardest collectible in Heavy Burden. It requires quick movement and good timing. You will find it during the moving gondola section in the second half of the mission.
How to Get the Efficient Skull
- Progress through the mission until you activate a large platform (gondola) that carries you through the level.
- At some point the power will cut out. Leave the platform and restore the power.
- Get back on the platform and continue riding it forward.
- You will pass through a room with a bridge. Watch out for Brutes on the bridge — take them out so they do not board your platform.
- Continue into the second room after the bridge. This is where the Skull is.
- Look to the left side of the platform as you move through this room. You will see a series of side platforms.
- Jump off the gondola onto the left-side platforms.
- Sprint to the back-right corner of that platform area to collect the Skull.
You only have about 10 seconds before you go out of bounds and the game begins killing you with a “Return to the Battlefield” warning. Do not waste time — jump and sprint immediately.
The good news: if you grab the Skull but die before getting back to the platform, it still counts. You do not need to survive to keep it. Collecting it is enough.
Efficient Effect: When you have full health, you gain extra ammo from fallen enemies. This is actually a useful modifier to run with — it rewards playing carefully and staying healthy.
All Heavy Burden Collectibles — Quick Reference Table
- Eye Patch Skull — Left walkway before the first bridge. Effect: Disables auto-aim.
- Harmonious Clarity Terminal — Armory below the bridge, after the cutscene. On the left behind the pods.
- Grunt Birthday Party Skull — Large gold room. Jump from the purple fire pit to the stone pillar. Effect: Grunt headshots cause confetti explosions.
- Efficient Skull — Second room on the moving gondola. Jump left and sprint to the back-right corner within 10 seconds. Effect: Full health gives you more ammo from enemies.
Trophies and Achievements You Unlock
Collecting everything in Heavy Burden rewards you with the Parting Gifts trophy/achievement (Bronze / 20G). This is the per-mission collectible trophy for the final bonus mission.
If Heavy Burden is the last mission where you find collectibles, finishing here also unlocks:
- Headhunter — Collected all 39 Skulls in the game.
- Collector’s Addition (Gold) — Found all 39 Skulls and all 13 Terminals across all missions.
- LASO Difficulty — Unlocks Legendary All Skulls On mode, which you need to complete for the MYTHIC trophy/achievement.
For the full list of every trophy and achievement in the game, check the Halo Campaign Evolved achievement and trophy list.
Tips for Collecting Everything in One Run
- Do not cross the first bridge before grabbing Eye Patch. The left door closes off once you progress too far.
- Clear enemies before going for skulls. Taking fire while making the Grunt Birthday Party jump makes it harder than it needs to be.
- On the gondola section, know your mark point. The second room after the bridge is where the Efficient Skull is. If you go too far, you miss it.
- Skulls are saved at the next checkpoint. If you grab one and quit immediately before a checkpoint saves, it will not register. Keep playing until a checkpoint triggers before quitting.
- You can use chapter select to clean up missed collectibles. Rally Points let you jump back into any section without replaying from the beginning.
Other Bonus Mission Skull and Terminal Guides
If you are working through all three bonus missions, here are the guides for the other two:
Main Campaign Skull and Terminal Guides
Working through the full game? Here are the guides for every main mission:
- Truth and Reconciliation — Skulls & Terminal
- Halo — Skulls & Terminal
- The Silent Cartographer — Skulls & Terminal
- Assault on the Control Room — Skulls & Terminal
- 343 Guilty Spark — Skulls & Terminal
- The Library — Skulls & Terminal
- Two Betrayals — Skulls & Terminal
- Keyes — Skulls & Terminal
- The Maw — Skulls & Terminal
