Halo is one of the most important FPS franchises developed. Halo: Combat Evolved is responsible for modern FPS control schemes and the use of aim-assist in shooters, Halo 2 shook the genre with accessible multiplayer, and Halo 3 gave the community new tools to create content with.
The community has had a much larger impact than just Forge mode, however. Dozens of Easter eggs exist in each game that reference community members, other games, or are just neat secrets. Ranging from singing grunts to a gun that fires Scarab beams, here are the ten coolest Easter eggs in these Halo titles.
10 Skulls (Halo 2 To Halo 5: Guardians)
Every Halo since Halo 2 has included collectibles named Skulls in each of the game's campaign levels. Skulls act as toggleable challenges that make Halo's campaign either harder or stranger. Notable Skulls include the dialogue-changing I Would Have Been Your Daddy (IWHBYD) and the masochistic Iron that makes every player restart from the last checkpoint if any player dies.
9 Secret Grunts (Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, And Halo 5: Guardians)
Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 5: Guardians each have one or multiple hidden Grunts that have unique dialogue when approached. Combat Evolved has a hidden Grunt in the game's final level that describes its thirst over a pile of Flood bodies. Halo 2's Grunt is much more cowardly and covers his head in fear of the player. Halo 3's Grunt can be found at the end of the final level spouting insults at the player. Halo 5 has multiple hidden Grunt encounters that range from a singing Grunt to one that is confused at Halo's sudden art direction shift.
8 Sgt. Johnson Hugs An Elite (Halo: Combat Evolved)
Nearly every Halo game has an additional cutscene that plays after the player completes the game on Legendary difficulty. This tradition was started as far back as Halo: Combat Evolved with the notorious Sgt. Johnson cutscene.
After completing The Maw, players are treated to an alternate view of the Pillar of Autumn's explosion. It turns out that Sgt. Johnson has been fighting the Covenant outside of the ship this entire time. Players see him fight an Elite for an Assault Rifle before both notice the ship exploding. Both decide to stop fighting and hug each other before the ship explodes. The moment is referenced indirectly at the start of Halo 2 when a Gunnery Sergeant asks how he escaped Halo, to which Sgt. Johnson replies "Sorry, Gunns. It's classified." This Easter egg also stores a strange detail. On the original version of Halo, players can see the Elite grab Sgt. Jonson's rear near the end of the cutscene. 343 Industries must have caught this because in the Anniversary version of the game, players can see Sgt. Johnson do the same thing to the Elite.
7 Red Versus Blue Reference (Halo 4)
It is no secret that both Bungie and 343 Industries store community Easter eggs in their games. Halo 4 is no different. Certain Spartan Ops missions have hidden radio towers that, when fired at, will play snippets of the Red Vs. Blue introduction song. Firing at all of them will play iconic lines from the machinima during certain cutscenes.
For those unfamiliar, Red Vs. Blue is a comedic machinima series produced by Rooster Teeth back during Halo: Combat Evolved that spawned a massive following amongst the Halo community. It seems 343 were fans too.
6 Club Errera Rave (Halo: Reach)
During New Alexandria in Halo: Reach, players will need to enter a nightclub to clear out the city of Covenant forces. Instead of heading to the club, head to a hospital south of the largest building, and hit a switch. Fly to Club Errera to see a Brute act as a DJ with Covenant dancing to "Never Surrender." To change the song, head to the top of the building and land on the roof. Look for a switch under the ducts of the building to switch the song to "the Siege of Madrigal" from Halo: Combat Evolved's soundtrack.
5 Scarab Gun (Halo 2)
A hidden Plasma Rifle can be found during either Metropolis or Outskirts. The most popular Scarab Gun is on a platform in Metropolis that can only be reached by hijacking a Banshee and getting it past multiple invisible barriers. Players will need to escort a hostile Banshee to a specific tunnel during the Scorpion section and get it to fit through the tunnel. Hijacking it and clipping off its wings is practically required.
Once it is flown through the load zone, fly towards the bridge that connects two buildings in the skybox together to find the Scarab Gun, a Plasma Rifle that fires Scarab beams with each shot.
4 Flyable Pelican And Phantom (Halo: Reach)
Through an obscure Easter egg in Halo: Reach's New Alexandria mission, players can pilot either a Pelican or Phantom through the city. To do this, proceed with the mission as normal until the final objective appears that requires players to take down the anti-air guns.
Head west of Club Errera till players find a building. On the north side of the building is a switch on the ceiling of an alcove. Press it, then fly into the hoop-shaped building at the edge of the map. Falcons will turn into Pelicans and Banshees will turn into Phantoms, allowing players to fly these iconic vehicles as long as they wish.
3 Destiny Awaits (Halo 3: ODST)
Bungie would go on to work on Destiny after they finished Halo: Reach. While it was officially announced in 2013, Halo fans indirectly knew about the project as early as 2009.
During the Mombasa Streets level in Halo 3: ODST, players can enter a building that has a poster that says "Destiny Awaits" on it. There's a small white ball floating above Eurasia in the photo that looks shockingly similar to Destiny's Traveler. It seems that diehard Bungie fans knew about their next project well before the rest of the world did. Note that this poster has been replaced in The Master Chief Collection and Xbox One versions of ODST.
2 Happy Birthday Lauren (Halo 3)
Halo 3's loading screen has a hidden message that went under the community's nose for over six years! Setting the date to December 25th and holding down both thumbsticks during a campaign loading screen will cause the holographic Halo ring to display "Happy Birthday, Lauren!" Adrian Perez, one of the programmers that worked on Halo 3, made this Easter egg for his wife. It took two hints from Bungie before the community finally discovered the hidden message.
1 Tribute Room (Halo: Reach)
The Package is a campaign mission in Halo: Reach that has not just one Easter egg but an entire room dedicated to them. On Legendary difficulty, players must find a switch that only spawns after Noble Team defends Halsey's Lab from various Covenant waves. When Halsey's door opens, one player must reach the opposite end of the map from Halsey's Lab and look for a building with two oil barrels on it. Glide down the building on the out-of-bounds side and hit the switch, making sure not to touch the ground. Walk right of Halsey's lab to find a newly opened door.
Inside is a compendium of major Halo community jokes that reference Red Vs. Blue, the notorious Halo: Combat Evolved "Warthog Jump" video, and Bungie's "Steps to World Domination" document. It's a room that celebrates the talented community members and developers that poured endless talent into making Halo the FPS icon it is today.