Alert carry

It has been suggested that Lowering weapon glitch be merged into this article or section.

The alert carry, sometimes mistakenly called "ceasing fire", "standing down", or "gun down", is a feature introduced in Halo 2 for machinima purposes, and has since appeared in Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite and Halo: Campaign Evolved. The feature allows gamers to holster or lower their in-game weapons; it is commonly used when making machinima. The exact execution of the alert carry has changed between games and requires different button combinations for different game controller layouts.

Halo: Combat Evolved

A player has to keep looking down while he's performing an alert carry.

The alert carry can be performed in Halo: Combat Evolved by simply looking down. Although the player is looking at the ground, others will see their head looking forward with their arms and weapons pointed at the ground. Generally, using a Pistol or a Plasma Pistol resulted in a more relaxed effect; using a Needler or an Assault Rifle tended to bend the left arm inwards.

Halo 2

Noticing that Red vs Blue, which frequently used the alert carry effect, helped the Halo franchise, Bungie made it easier to perform the technique in Halo 2 by assigning it its own input action system.

Instructions

1st person view

Unlike later titles, a weapon doesn't disappear
on the screen after performing an alert carry.

Legs & shadow

Version	Input device	Button
Original Xbox	Controller	Press "↓ D-Pad"
Vista	N/A	N/A
Halo MCC PC	Controller (Xinput)	Press "↓ D-Pad"
	Mouse and keyboard	It's not possible to alert carry with M&K.

What prevents it from working?

Game Mode

Game Mode	Original Xbox	Vista	Halo MCC PC
Campaign	Yes	N/A	Yes
Matchmaking	N/A	N/A	N/A
Custom Games	Yes	N/A	Yes

Unsupported weapons

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Input action

Input actions that end the alert carry mode.

Input action	End the alert carry Mode
Melee	Always
Fire	Always
Throw Grenade	Always
Alert carry	Always

The alert carry is shown by looking down at the player's legs, they will not be as bent as normal. Other players will see it as your weapon being lowered. Shooting, throwing grenades, meleeing, reloading, entering vehicles, dying, or pressing the D-Pad again will end the effect. On Xbox Live, the trick can also be performed by exhausting all grenades and holding L (Left Trigger).

In Halo 2, not all weapons can be put into ready position, such as dual-wield weapons, Rocket Launchers, and Energy Swords. The trick seems to work on two-handed rifle type weapons, as when the Brute Shot is lowered, but on closer inspection, the player's arm is bent slightly and the Brute Shot itself is slightly tilted.

Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST

Note: This does not work on Xbox Live due to the possibility of exploits, according to Bungie.

The Halo 3 alert carry was first performed in public by Red vs Blue cast members. In Halo 3, the feature is activated with a button combination. The player can cease fire by pressing and holding the following in any order (different according to button layout):

Halo 3

Instructions

Version	Input device	Combination
Xbox 360	Controller	Hold "Jump" + "Crouch" + "Reload/Swap Left Weapon" + "Action/Reload Right Weapon" + "↓ D-Pad" for 3 seconds.
Halo MCC PC	Controller (Xinput)	Hold "Jump" + "Crouch" + "Action" + "Reload" + "Reload Left Weapon" + "↓ D-Pad" for 3 seconds.
	Mouse and keyboard	It's not possible to alert carry with M&K.

Depending on your button layout, your layout might be:

Xbox 360

Default

Button	Input actions
A Button	Jump
Left Bumper	Reload/Swap Left Weapon
Right Bumper	Action/Reload Right Weapon
Left Analog Click	Crouch
↓ D-Pad

Southpaw

Button	Input actions
A Button	Jump
Left Bumper	Reload/Swap Left Weapon
Right Bumper	Action/Reload Right Weapon
Left Analog Click	Crouch
↓ D-Pad

Boxer

Button	Input actions
A Button	Jump
Left Bumper	Reload/Swap Left Weapon
Right Bumper	Action/Reload Right Weapon
Left Analog Click	Crouch
↓ D-Pad

Green Thumb

Button	Input actions
A Button	Jump
Left Bumper	Reload/Swap Left Weapon
Right Bumper	Action/Reload Right Weapon
Left Analog Click	Crouch
↓ D-Pad

Bumper Jumper

</

Button	Input actions
A Buttom	Reload/Swap Left Weapon
B Buttom	Action/Reload Right Weapon
Left Bumper	Jump
Left Analog Click	Crouch
↓ D-Pad