Hack 6. Find Your First Skull

The Unnamed skull tells your enemies that you're looking for trouble.

This skull requires that you advance through the Armory level until you read the mission objective: "Follow Sgt. Johnson to the tramcar." This is the only known skull that does not cause any text to appear onscreen when you pick it up. Make sure that you are playing on the Legendary setting when you search for this Easter egg.

This is the easiest skull to retrieve if you're looking for a "starter skull," this is the one to choose. Although you must be on the Legendary setting for this skull to spawn, you will not need to engage a single enemy to find it.

Since no notification text appears, this skull is referred to as the "Unnamed skull." However, there is a good chance that this skull might actually be called the "Cowbell skull." Since the effect of the Unnamed skull is that it makes enemies more aware of your position, some argue that this is like having a cowbell around your neck.

At the beginning of the Armory level, you are required to test the recharge function of your shields. After this test, Sgt. Johnson arrives on an elevator. Wait in the room until Sgt. Johnson starts berating you, telling you to get into the elevator. You must wait for him to say, "Would it help if I said please?" If you enter the elevator before he says this phrase, the skull will not spawn.

It will take a while for Sgt. Johnson to say this, so be patient. First, he will go on about how you're going to be late and how you need to get your "shiny green posterior" into the elevator. Once he says "please," get in the elevator and go down to the tram. Board the tram and face toward the inside of the building the side with the open atriums. Move right up against the tram's glass doors and hold down the X button. As the tram moves along, you will pick up the skull. It rests on a stack of green crates that are located midway along the ride (see Figure 2-1).

After you collect the skull, the tram will continue and you can use the skull as a clubbing weapon (see Figures 2-2 and 2-3).

Figure 2-1. The Unnamed skull is located on some crates

Figure 2-2. The tram continues after you collect the Unnamed skull

Figure 2-3. This skull arms you in an area where you normally wouldn't be able to attack