Halo 2: Metropolis — Catch and the command-post terminal

Halo 2: Metropolis — Catch and the command-post terminal **Halo 2: Anniversary in The Master Chief Collection.** The Catch skull is one of those collectibles you can pass directly underneath without realizing there's a route up to it. The terminal is much easier to reach, but Perez is trying to lead you upstairs when you need to stop and look around downstairs. There are two separate stops here: **Catch in the outdoor plaza after the tunnels**, then **Terminal 3 inside the Marine command post before the Scarab fight**. Neither requires bringing a Banshee through the tunnel or finding the Scarab Gun. **Set up for the collectible you actually need** **Catch requires Legendary.** Start Metropolis from the beginning on that difficulty for this route. Keep some grenades for the climb instead of using your last one on an enemy you could finish with the battle rifle. **Examiner**, the terminal achievement, can be earned on **any difficulty**. If Catch is already recorded and you're only missing the terminal, Easy is a perfectly reasonable choice. Use Anniversary graphics when searching for the terminal. For the skull climb, switching to classic graphics can make the original edges easier to judge. Picking up a skull in MCC does not automatically activate its gameplay modifier: those settings are chosen before the mission. **Catch: find the curved beam, not a statue** Progress across the bridge and through the highway tunnel. After leaving the enclosed passage, you'll emerge into an open plaza with elevated walkways, Covenant forces and a friendly Warthog. This is the area to search, before the later Wraith battle outside the command post. Clear the immediate threats before attempting the climb. Look up for Jackal snipers as well as checking the ground. Being safe beside a wall doesn't mean you're safe once you start jumping above it. In the central area, find the large **curved architectural beam** that rises from a platform toward the buildings. You're using that beam as a ramp. The skull isn't sitting at its base: the beam gets you up to a narrow ledge near the top. Go to its low end and face up the curve. The initial lip is the awkward part. Once you've landed on the beam, you can walk up it rather than performing a whole series of explosive jumps. **Making the grenade jump** Start with full shields and enough space to aim your landing. Use a single grenade to boost your jump onto the low end of the beam: place the explosion beneath/behind your jump, move toward the beam and jump just before the blast. Crouching near the top of the jump can help clear the lip. The timing changes with grenade type. Don't switch between frag and plasma attempts while assuming the same delay will work. If you miss but survive, wait for your shields to recharge before trying again. Throwing a second grenade immediately while your shields are empty usually just trades a positioning problem for a death. **Sputnik is an optional aid**, not a requirement for the skull to appear. MCC achievement guides recommend it because it makes the grenade boost easier. Enable it before starting if you want that setup; you don't need to collect the physical Sputnik skull first to select MCC's modifier. It also changes how far the blast sends you, so aim for the beam rather than simply trying to get as much height as possible. Don't add a pile of unrelated modifiers and expect every jump to behave like a standard guide. **Finish the climb** Walk carefully up the beam. At the top, move onto the ledge of the **left-hand tower/building, viewed while climbing toward it**. Follow the wall around along that narrow ledge to its end. Catch is tucked up there. Use the pickup button to claim it for **Skulltaker Halo 2: Catch**. Looking at the skull or walking alongside it isn't enough. For the return, retrace the ledge and beam rather than throwing yourself off the top. If a fall or failed jump sends you back to a checkpoint, check whether the pickup achievement actually registered before repeating the collection. Don't assume an on-screen notification will always arrive immediately. If grenades are giving you trouble, another documented approach is to reverse a Warthog partly onto the bottom of the beam and use the vehicle as a step. That is a positioning alternative, not a requirement to launch the Warthog or drive it to the roof. Leave room to get out and stand on it; a vehicle wedged at a bad angle can make the jump less convenient, not more. **Terminal 3: stop downstairs when Perez meets you** Continue toward the Marine command post and help deal with the Covenant vehicles outside. Enter the building when the route opens. **Corporal Perez** greets you and offers to show you where Sergeant Banks is upstairs. Before following him up, stay on the **ground/entry floor**. Check the **left wall behind the crates near the stairs**. The terminal is the monitor displaying **INCOMING MESSAGE**. Switch to Anniversary graphics if you're looking at the classic environment, approach the screen and interact with it. Activating this recording earns **Examiner**. The landmark matters more than floor numbering: some guides call this the first floor, others the ground floor. They mean the entry level where you meet Perez, **not one flight upstairs with Banks**. If you've already started climbing, turn back while you're still in the command-post stairwell. Don't carry on through the rooftop Scarab sequence expecting another terminal screen later. If you've completed the mission, revisit it from an available appropriate starting point. Before moving on, check the two entries separately: **Skulltaker Halo 2: Catch** and **Examiner**. The skull pickup, terminal interaction and mission completion are different achievements; finishing Metropolis doesn't collect the other two for you.