The Maw Walkthrough - Halo Campaign Evolved Guide

Mission Overview and Objectives

The Maw is the tenth mission in Halo: Campaign Evolved. Your primary objective is to escape the exploding Pillar of Autumn after 343 Guilty Spark initiates a reactor overload. The mission features three Skulls and one Terminal to collect, with a memorable Warthog escape sequence at the end.

Current launch issue note

The July 29 update improved stability when watching or skipping The Maw introduction cinematic with FSR enabled on AMD driver versions 26.6.2 or 26.6.4. The current official issue list also identifies named NVIDIA RTX 50 driver crashes in Keyes and The Maw.

Use PC known issues and official fixes for driver-specific actions and cinematic stutter and audio-sync fixes for refresh-rate, VRR and pause/resume symptoms. These patch notes do not change the walkthrough route below.

Starting Route and Arrival Terminal

When you begin the mission, follow the objective marker toward the bridge. Your path takes you through a canteen area with a fire at the back. Along the right wall of this canteen, you'll find the Arrival Terminal mounted on the wall. Activate it to receive a lore entry about the Covenant's discovery of Halo.

Bridge Cutscene and Cryo Storage Route

After reaching the bridge, a cutscene plays where 343 Guilty Spark reappears. Your next objective is to reach the cryo storage facility. On your way there, you enter a large room where Sentinels are fighting the Flood. This room has four cryo pods standing in the center.

Stowed Reload Skull

In the four-cryo-pod room where Sentinels and Flood are battling, look to the back-left corner from the doorway you entered. The Stowed Reload Skull sits there on the floor. This Skull modifies weapon reload mechanics when enabled.

Boom Skull Route

The Boom Skull requires a detour during the hangar section. When you reach the Light Fuse checkpoint in the large hangar where the objective is to destroy the cores, follow these steps:

1. From the hangar entrance, take the right-hand ramp.
2. Cross to the unlocked door in the opposite corner.
3. Reach Floor 2, then continue up to Floor 3 where two cores are marked ahead.
4. At the end of the Floor 3 platform, do not use the door marked "exit." Instead, jump to the open door on your right.
5. From that ledge, look down and right, then drop to the narrow path below.
6. The Boom Skull sits at the end of this path.

Thunderstorm Skull During Warthog Escape

During the Warthog escape sequence, watch the main tunnel for smaller side routes. Take the second side path you encounter, which appears just before you see Sentinels fighting the Flood. The Thunderstorm Skull sits in the middle of this path, on top of explosion remains.

Checkpoint Notes

The mission has auto-checkpoints at key moments: after the bridge cutscene, upon entering the hangar (Light Fuse checkpoint), and during the Warthog escape. Manual saving is not available during the escape sequence, so ensure you have the Thunderstorm Skull before proceeding.

Sources

• Official July 29 Update — current The Maw AMD/FSR stability and driver context.
• Official Known Issues — current PC and cinematic issue boundaries.
• Push Square: Halo Campaign Evolved The Maw Walkthrough - Skulls, Terminals