Halo: Combat Evolved/Glitches

Backpack reload
An easy and yet invaluable technique for any Halo player, the backpack reload glitch allows the player to reload it's weapon with the other weapon out. This glitch works as follows:
 * Have the weapon that needs reloading current. (This commonly happens when you were attacking with the weapon and the clip is spent.)
 * Quickly hit the reload button twice, and then switch to your other weapon.
 * The reload animation will continue for the 3rd person view, and you will still hear the reload sound effects. You can fire your weapon while the other reloads!
 * When the animation/sounds are finished, your weapon is done reloading, and will be reloaded when you bring out the original weapon. That is, don't make the mistake of switching back to your other weapon expecting it to be reloaded if it's reload sound didn't fully complete.

Using this technique, you can cycle through two different weapons without ever having to pause to reload, which is what makes it such an essential skill. Works great in cliffhanger close-range situations!

Double Melee
Though a particularly advanced glitch, double meleeing is an invaluable glitch in close combat. It is one that you should both use and be aware of it being used against you. You must have a to do this. When you are within melee distance of your opponent (keep in mind that different guns have different hitting distances AND different melee speeds);
 * 1) Press the melee button once.
 * 2) As soon as your melee makes contact with your opponent, throw a grenade.
 * 3) As soon as you hit the grenade button, melee again.

Throwing your grenade too soon will result in your first melee action canceling out before it has a chance to make contact with your opponent. Also keep in mind that if you execute only one melee successfully, you should back up as your grenade will soon explode.

If done correctly, a significant amount of damage may be done in a very short amount of time. If running forward while successfully completing a double melee, this is enough to kill a fully shielded opponent with full health.

This technique may be countered by ducking before your opponent can execute the double melee. This is not foolproof but will often work, giving you more time to shoot your opponent as their gun reloads. Also, if your opponent executes a double melee but does not kill you, move FORWARD because the grenade your opponent threw will soon explode behind you, and you will not have enough time to back away from it. Moving forward may allow you to escape it's blast radius.

Quick invisibility
After picking up an invisibility powerup, quickly fire one bullet from a non-zoomable weapon (minus the Flamethrower, Fuel Rod Gun, or the Needler). Alternatively, you may shoot one bullet from a zoomable weapon, and then switch to a non-zoomable weapon.

This technique can also be used in combat. If you are shot, or if you yourself shoot while holding a zoomable weapon (plus the Flame, FRG, and Needler) the time before you become fully invisible, and thus harder to hit and see, is significantly longer than if you were holding a non-zoomable weapon. It is performed the same as if you had just picked up the invisibility. Simply switch to a non-zoomable weapon and you will become invisible much more quickly than if you were holding a zoomable weapon. The effects of this technique are best used when a player is backpack reloading or trying to make a quick get-away. Turning invisible quickly is a more potent trick on the Xbox version of Halo as reticule magnetism is severely reduced when a player is fully invisible, making it much harder to hit that player.

Reloading quickly
Reload quicker than usual by hitting the melee button or switching weapons after your new clip has been inserted into your gun. This takes practice so experiment to get a better feeling of when it is okay to melee or switch and when it isn't while reloading your weapon.

Shooting quickly after throwing a grenade
Simply melee IMMEDIATELY after throwing a grenade, and you will save time this way. Although this technique shaves only milliseconds, it is very beneficial especially against skilled opponents. It is a glitch that should be made routine, except of course if you choose to backpack reload.

Throwing a grenade while reloading
Quickly press reload reload and throw grenade after shooting. This will allow you to get a grenade off without hindering your reload time.

Silently switching weapons
While switching weapons the weapon being pulled out will produce a noise loud enough for the a listener to pinpoint your location. To combat this melee immediately after switching your weapon. Beware of your melee coming in contact with your environment as this will make noise as well.

Avoid fall damage
Right before your feet make contact with the ground, hold the crouch button for a short period of time. Hitting crouch to early will result in you taking more damage than normal, so it is better to be to late rather than to early in this instance. You may fall a much greater distance and take none or a significantly smaller amount of damage by using this technique.

Grenade jumping
Although not technically a glitch, it should be noted that you may use a grenade's explosion to your advantage. If a player jumps just as a grenade explodes, that player will be catapulted upwards. It can also be done while running and jumping in order to overcome an obstacle. Jumping on a grenade may also surprise many opponents as a vertical climb is not expected. Grenade jumping will also give you a slight height advantage for a short period, making a headshot more likely. You can also use rockets to propel yourself up, but it takes off a lot more health.

The Pillar of Autumn - Space Travel
Go through the level until you reach the part where Cortana says "The Covenant are destroying the lifepods. They really don't want us on that ring." It's right before you enter the first dark tunnel. There are three doors in the room before the entrance to the tunnel. Pick one. Crouch and jump at the top window pane, like you're trying to get through it, and you eventually will. You are now outside. If you have full health, you can fall off and walk around on nothing.

Get into a Pelican in Silent Cartographer
Note: XBOX only, only in Co-op mode.
 * 1) Just when you start the level (when you are able to shoot) turn around and shoot the marines.
 * 2) One needs to stay and watch the Pelicans (as close as possible), the other person goes and kills the Covenant in the area.
 * 3) Foehammer then arrives with the Warthog. The person near the Pelicans jumps into the Pelican closer to the ground.
 * 4) The player with the Warthog nears on the Pelican.
 * 5) You slowly get close to him and push him. (not at full speed into the pelican)
 * 6) You should be able to get inside. Literally. INSIDE. You can touch the medical kits.
 * 7) The person outside kills himself and will appear inside.

Get Past Invisible Walls
Note: XBOX only. Co-op only.
 * 1) Go to The Silent Cartographer.
 * 2) Kill all the enemies at the landing site.
 * 3) After they are all dead, wait for the warthog to be dropped.
 * 4) Get into the warthog with your team mate and drive into the water.
 * 5) Keep driving until you hit the invisible wall.
 * 6) Have one of you two stand as close to the wall as possible.
 * 7) Back the warthog up a little bit.
 * 8) Slowly drive into your friend and push him back.
 * 9) The game should skip for a second, and you can then run past the invisible wall.

If you move the warthog too fast, you will kill your friend. This can be done on any level where there's a warthog and an invisible wall.

Assault On The Control Room Glitch
Note: XBOX only. When you are going back through the Assault On The Control Room stage, your objective is to destroy all the generators. The moment you or your partner gets close to the last generator, the flood will kill you. Instead, exploit the co-op system to your advantage. Notice that on co-op, when one of you is further ahead then the other player, the lagging player is warped ahead. At the hallway before the last generator, spend a moment and practice finding the warp spot, now when you're sure you've located this spot have one player stand a step away from the spot that will cause the other player to warp. Have the player that will warp go deactivate the last generator. Now as soon as the surge occurs, have the player in the hallway cause the warp and both players can leave relatively unscathed.

343 Guilty Spark - Stay in Pelican
As soon as you gain control of the Master Chief, throw a grenade, and you will stay in the Pelican. You can ride it until it stops, and whenever you want to get out, press the button you would normally use to enter or exit a vehicle.

343 Guilty Spark - The Lone Marine
As soon as you gain control of the Master Chief, run to the other side of the Pelican. Hop on the rock there and from there hop on top of the Pelican. Ride it up as it flies and jump onto the ledge. Head left and you'll find a marine without a weapon standing there.

Share a powerup among multiple players
Have each player stand as close as possible to where a powerup spawns, and as it does so, each player will acquire that powerups benefits. This tactic is most lethally used in conjunction with timing powerup spawns, which will be discussed later. This can also be done on the level Rat Race, by standing under where the powerup spawns and then shooting it once.

Vehicle Teleporting
Note: PC/Mac only.


 * 1) Search for servers, and join the one with the worst ping you can find. Make sure that the level supports vehicles. The higher the ping and the more players it has the better your results will be.
 * 2) Find a vehicle and stand near it.
 * 3) When the game starts to suffer from the lag press E when you can enter a vehicle, but immediately pull away and go do something else. If the game puts you inside the vehicle immediately, hop out and repeat until it stops responding to activation. You can then run away and do something else.
 * 4) When the host system catches up with the flow of instructions it remembers that you activated the vehicle and so dutifully puts you in it, regardless of where you currently are in relation to the vehicle.

Depending on lag you may be able to kill someone or even grab a flag before the server catches up with you. Note that if someone else occupies the same seat you activated you won't be teleported. If you keep failing you may need to find a server with more players or an even worse ping. Vehicle teleporting is generally considered to be cheating, but it isn't predictable enough to be very useful. This problem was never patched. It may work with all vehicles, but the Warthog gets the best result.

Getting on Top of Sidewinder
Create a new multiplayer gametype in which your shields and life are the maximum they can reach. After creating this go into the gametype and also go into the level Sidewinder. Whhen you are in the level get a rocket launcher and plasma grenade, and travel to the Blue Tower Base. Go to the top of this base and then go through the teleporter. Wen on the other side keep walking until you are around the bend. When you get to the end of the bend there should be another room with a teleporter in it and from the outside there is a border to the room in which you can jump on (looking at the room from the outside!). It may take a few tries but you will get up there (you can also take a vehicle up there with you for easy access to the top of the border). Once you make it up onto the border go to the end of it and looking down slowly walk backwards and get a grenade caught on your foot. As soon as you get the grenade on your foot shoot the rocket launcher down at your feet. The lift should send you flying pretty high. When you first start flying through the air push both joysticks in the dirrection of the wall that you are attempting to get upon. This may take many tries, although it is very frustrating once you get the hang of it, it can be much fun.