OK, so it may not be "impossible" but I'm REALLY struggling so any tactical tips would be much appreciated!

 So basically you have to kill 100 grunts before you get the chance of the skull, now considering that there is only 100 and as soon as you storm the base and finish the last ones off the mission ends before you get the chance to go back for the skull!?!

 Can anyone advise how the best way of getting this skull is?

 Also, I sometimes only get 95 or 96 grunts even though I scour the map looking for them!  Can they "run away" at all or can you lose the chance of killing some?

If you do it on legendry then the wratih doesnt get destroyed by air strike, so you have a chance to kill all grunts, and get the skull. dont worry though, it is quite easy on legendary.

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Bully of Smeg:

OK, so it may not be "impossible" but I'm REALLY struggling so any tactical tips would be much appreciated!

 So basically you have to kill 100 grunts before you get the chance of the skull, now considering that there is only 100 and as soon as you storm the base and finish the last ones off the mission ends before you get the chance to go back for the skull!?!

 Can anyone advise how the best way of getting this skull is?

 Also, I sometimes only get 95 or 96 grunts even though I scour the map looking for them!  Can they "run away" at all or can you lose the chance of killing some?

Ya iv noticed that every time i beat mission i get 96 grunts, i get really mad but i realized what is was doing, its right after you get 3rd group of marines, the marines begin to walk slowing you down, up ahead there is a fight going on but marines make you slow enough to NOT reach them in time, i think that it is 2 squads of grunts giving you a bit of leeway at the end mission so you can leave 1 group alive, then go and find skull. 

I completed it on Normal and Scouted around for more Grunts but only got 96

I did it with a friend on Heroic and noticed there were 3 Turrets occupied by Grunts that weren't originally there on Normal and that gave me 99/100...

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GUIDE FOR FIRST SKULL

This is possible on any difficulty.

As soon as you enter Aplha base, engage the enemy. You will see that there is a lonely grunt squad ( Grunts + one elite) on the west side of the base, behind a barricade. Move all your troops on the east side and kill all the other covenant ecxept that one sqad. Once all the rest of the base is clear, move one marine squad and order them to attack the last surviving covenant. Here comes the tricky part. MAKE SURE THEY KILL JUST THE GRUNTS, BUT NOT THE ELITE. This way, You will have 100 dead grunts, but that one elite will be keeping the mission from ending. Now the skull location will be flashed to you on the mini-map. Move the marines and order them to go take the skull. MAKE SURE NO ONE KILLS THE LAST ELITE WHILE YOU GO FOR THE SKULL. Now that you have the skull, kill the Elite and the mission is over.

The main things you need to focus on are making sure to kill the Grunts before your Marines do while you're making your way to the base and killing as many grunts as possible before the air strike.

There is alot more than 100 Grunts.

I noticed this as well. Play the game on heroic / legendary. And i did it by leaving my weakest squad where i already knew the skull would appear, and when my grunt kills was on 98 i flew over there to make sure they got it in time.

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DA MEXIKNS:

Bully of Smeg:

OK, so it may not be "impossible" but I'm REALLY struggling so any tactical tips would be much appreciated!

 So basically you have to kill 100 grunts before you get the chance of the skull, now considering that there is only 100 and as soon as you storm the base and finish the last ones off the mission ends before you get the chance to go back for the skull!?!

 Can anyone advise how the best way of getting this skull is?

 Also, I sometimes only get 95 or 96 grunts even though I scour the map looking for them!  Can they "run away" at all or can you lose the chance of killing some?

Ya iv noticed that every time i beat mission i get 96 grunts, i get really mad but i realized what is was doing, its right after you get 3rd group of marines, the marines begin to walk slowing you down, up ahead there is a fight going on but marines make you slow enough to NOT reach them in time, i think that it is 2 squads of grunts giving you a bit of leeway at the end mission so you can leave 1 group alive, then go and find skull. 

I struggled with this one as well, that was until you I figured it out.  When you first enter the base, you have the 2 or 3 covenant drop ships bringing in more troops.  If you have your entire force at times they are able to take down the dropship prior to unloading..so what i did is kept the Warhogs and some of the troops back so they can unload the Grunts.  Once this is done, there is usually one group left that I send one group of infantry once I hit the 100 I back off and get the skull.  It took me a few tries to do this.

 

i killed 100 grunts before reaching the detonator on normal.

 

icemanJW:

i killed 100 grunts before reaching the detonator on normal.

 

The detonator is on a different mission.

I had this problem too.  My solution was play the mission co-op.  When the last few units are dead, you can still move for a second or so - enough time to get the skull if you know where it will appear.  Also it counts for both players.

Bully of Smeg:

OK, so it may not be "impossible" but I'm REALLY struggling so any tactical tips would be much appreciated!

 So basically you have to kill 100 grunts before you get the chance of the skull, now considering that there is only 100 and as soon as you storm the base and finish the last ones off the mission ends before you get the chance to go back for the skull!?!

 Can anyone advise how the best way of getting this skull is?

 Also, I sometimes only get 95 or 96 grunts even though I scour the map looking for them!  Can they "run away" at all or can you lose the chance of killing some?

you're stupid. you have no strategy in your brain.

1) You play it on normal.

 2) You leave the first Warthog you encounter behind, only send Forge ahead, he can kill single grunts.

3) leave one grunt squad untouched at Alpha base.

4) Don't kill the Spisits.(spirits=covie dropship, they drop off grunts) 

There. Happy? 

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UnseenGamer:

you're stupid. you have no strategy in your brain.

1) You play it on normal.

 2) You leave the first Warthog you encounter behind, only send Forge ahead, he can kill single grunts.

3) leave one grunt squad untouched at Alpha base.

4) Don't kill the Spisits.(spirits=covie dropship, they drop off grunts) 

There. Happy? 

Hawk269's explanation was better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekoKSEMFKw

nope...

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