Editing Flood carrier form

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Species infobox
|variant=Flood
|name=Carrier Form
|image=[[File:Flood Carrier Form.png|300px]]
|caption=The ubiquitous carrier form, created from infected hosts
|latin=
|classification=Carrier form
|species=[[Flood]]
|subspecies=
|diet=
|height={{Convert|203.9|cm|ftin|sp=us}} to {{Convert|220.1|cm|ftin|sp=us}}{{Ref/Game|Id=Library|HCEA|Library (feature)|Library|Detail=Carrier Form}}
|weight={{Convert|146.5|kg|lb}} to {{Convert|241|kg|lb}}{{Ref/Reuse|Library}}
|distinctions=Large, bloated with two tentacles and short, stubby legs
|lifespan=
|homeworld=
|techlevel=
|notable-person=
|othernames=
|languages=
}}
{{Quote|...this thing contained four of the infection forms you saw earlier, and when it popped the resulting explosion had enough force to knock Sergeant [[Lister (Marine)|Lister]] on his can.|[[Melissa McKay]] on the remains of a carrier form.{{Ref/Novel|TF|10}}}}
The '''carrier form''' is a classification of various [[Flood]] forms that incubate and spread [[infection form]]s.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P409|Enc22|Page=409}} 

The ubiquitous carrier form is transformed from older [[Flood combat form|combat forms]],{{Ref/Novel|Id=fs6|FS|6|Quote=The Infection Forms rewrite a victim's cellular structure and convert him into a Combat Form, then later a Carrier Form—an incubator for  more Infection Forms.}} or from infected bodies that are unsuitable for combat;{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=165}}{{Ref/Book|OSFM|Page=174}} however, the carrier form also has a variety of specialized forms, such as the [[Flood burster|burster]],{{Ref/Game|Id=PLBursters|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Bursters}} the [[Flood bomber form|bomber form]],{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} and the [[Flood spawner form|spawner form]].{{Ref/Game|Id=PLSpawners|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Spawners}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P410|Enc22|Page=410}} 

==Overview==
{{Quote|The infection forms rewrite a victim's cellular structure and convert him into a combat form, then later a carrier form—an incubator for more infection forms.|[[Cortana]]{{Ref/Reuse|fs6}}}}
While there are subtypes of carrier forms, they are characterized by the ability to incubate and release Flood infection forms from their bulbous and bloated bodies. Carrier forms perpetuate the Flood species by acting as mobile incubators for newly created Pod infectors. If potential hosts are detected, the carrier form will attempt to close in and release its infection forms.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}}

During the [[Battle of Installation 05]], carrier forms were utilized as "[[Naval boarding|boarding]] parties" by the Flood. They were ejected from an [[airlock]] of an infected ship towards an uninfected ship.{{Ref/Novel|GoO|22|Quote=It touched one of its brother ships, energy shields shimmered, frequencies matched, and the Flood-infected ship released a swarm of bulbous carrier forms.}} The spawner form can release infection forms anywhere it wishes without killing itself in the process,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} while the burster spawns a variety of Flood forms once its internal pressure has reached a certain point.{{Ref/Level|Id=LTF|HW2|Section=Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|SectionLinkText=Awakening the Nightmare|Light the Fuse}} The bomber form floats using its gas bladders, dropping [[Flood blister|blister]]s full of pod infectors and [[Flood spore|spore]]s onto enemies below.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}}

==Types of carrier forms==
===Carrier===
[[File:Carrier1.png|thumb|175px|The standard carrier form.]]
Serving as the final stage of an infected host's transformation process,{{Ref/Reuse|Library}} the most common type of the Flood carrier form has two types: converted and demoted. The converted carrier forms are hosts with little offensive capabilities,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} lacking the calcium mass to serve as combat forms,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} and transformed into carrier forms immediately.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} The demoted carrier forms are combat forms that have outlived their usefulness or become too damaged to fight.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} In both cases, the carrier form will begin to spontaneously generate Pod infectors within their host bodies.{{Ref/Reuse|Library}}{{Ref/Reuse|fs6}} Upper body swells to grotesque proportions to hold infection forms,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} the limbs wither away into stumpy legs and flailing tentacle-like appendages. While unable to attack with conventional methods, the carrier form retains enough mobility to move toward potential hosts.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}} If its sacs are not already perforated, it will expand its incubation sac with gases until it explodes.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} This detonation scatters the Pod infectors and can injure or kill potential hosts.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}}

===Specialized carrier forms===
*'''[[Flood burster]]''': Flood bursters burrow underground and travel via subterranean means; as they approach a target, they erupt from the ground, simultaneously releasing their cache of parasites and spores.{{Ref/Reuse|PLBursters}}
*'''[[Flood bomber form]]''': With an non-sapient airborne pseudo-[[Wikipedia:Cephalopod|cephalodpod]] serving as its original host, the bomber form uses its host's gas bladders to stay aloft and incubate blisters within its body before dropping them onto victims below.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P409}}
*'''[[Flood spawner form]]''': Unlike other carrier forms, the spawner form is a pure form — created solely with Flood biomass — rather than being an infected host. A brood sac hanging down from its body can be used to grow infection forms of all kinds.{{Ref/Reuse|PLSpawners}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P410}}
<gallery class=center>
File:HW2-Burster.png|Burster.
File:HW FloodBomber 1.png|Bomber.
File:Enc22 Spawner.png|Spawner.
</gallery>

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==Gameplay==
Carrier forms are usually considered slow and of little threat unless they are close to the player. However, one particularly dangerous trait of exploding Carrier Forms is the explosive chain reactions they can cause. A Carrier explosion will cause any other Carrier Forms close enough to explode also. They also cause any nearby explosives or objects to explode. This means a single Carrier can cause a massive explosion through a chain reaction filling much of a small area. This can be used to a soldier's advantage if there are Combat or Pod infectors surrounding the Carrier(s). They are sometimes considered a "Flood grenade".

Any direct explosion eliminates the threat of the Carrier, as well as any Pod infectors that were incubating inside of it. This means that enough needles from a [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|Needler]] will kill it, or one can throw a grenade at it.

Carrier forms are one of the easiest enemies to take down. One shot from any weapon, say the [[Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol|Plasma Pistol]], will force it to explode. However, there is not a single weapon that can actually blow it up, not even a direct [[M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon|Rocket Launcher]]. Therefore, this has to be taken into account, strategically. For example, when confronting a large number of Flood, one may wish to destroy the carrier forms, which in turn will kill all nearby Flood. First, allow the Combat forms and other to get reasonably close. Then, use any weapon - preferably one which has ample ammunition - to kill it.

It is not recommended to use sniper rifles against the Flood; it is simply a waste of valuable ammo. In any case, sniper bullets simply pass through carrier forms, dealing virtually no damage.

In ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' a good tactic is to hook one with a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|Plasma Grenade]] and shoot it with the [[M90 Close Assault Weapon System|Shotgun]]; this will kill the Pod infectors inside. Another good tactic is to splatter it with vehicles since it does not explode directly upon contact. If there are several Flood Combat Form nearby, taking down the Carrier Form should eliminate most of the threat. Players often call it ''Flood Grenade'' due to the explosion function similar to a grenade that can harm anyone nearby.

In ''[[Halo 3]]'' it is a good idea to individually lure a carrier form away from the rest of the Flood forms and '''then''' shoot it down, if its done right one can take down a carrier form with an assault rifle and the Pod infectors inside just needs accuracy and very good timing. The luring bit needing patience as its quite tricky to lure them out as if one gets too close they'll explode, if one gets too far they'll just walk away. A [[M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle|Spartan Laser]] beam can only penetrate two carrier forms. In turn, this will make the carrier forms explode without releasing any Pod infectors at all, similar to sticking a carrier form with a grenade or killing it with a Needler supercombine explosion. A [[M7057 flamethrower|Flamethrower]] has a chance to kill the carrier form along with the Pod Infector if aimed and used correctly with just one shot. Flame Grenade is also useful since burning the carrier form can result in instant kill due to heavy damage over time.

Running over carrier forms by a vehicle, on the other hand, is a very bad idea. Their explosions will easily flip the vehicle, wasting precious time, especially on a level like Halo 3's final level.
-->
==Production notes==
*The Flood carrier form is the [[List of Marathon references in the Halo series|successor]] of the [[marathongame:Simulacrums|Simulacrums]] from the ''[[Marathon]]'' series. The Simulacrums were cybernetic humans made to look like the crew of the UESC ''Marathon'', the only flaw was that they all wore green jump suits, making it easy to distinguish which humans were actually Simulacrums. As soon as the player was three meters away from them, the Simulacrum would explode, heavily damaging or killing the player.
*[[Cut Halo 2 enemies#Shielded carrier form|A variant of the carrier form]] using the [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet]] was cut from ''[[Halo 2]]'', but can still be found in the game files.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive24.pl?read=724753|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Shileded Flood Carrier Form! OH SHI-|D=31|M=10|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Site|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive24.pl?read=724861|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=RE: Interesting.|D=31|M=10|Y=2021}}
*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 2'', carrier forms release between four-to-six pod infectors when they explode, whereas carrier forms would release dozens of pod infectors in ''Halo 3''; this is leveled out by a smaller damage radius.
*In ''Halo 3'', the [[Orgudam Workshop firebomb|firebomb]] kills both the carrier form and the pod infectors inside of it; however, when killed by the [[M7057 flamethrower|flamethrower]], the carrier form will explode and release the pod infectors, which have apparently survived the fire damage.

==Gallery==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of Flood carrier forms}}
===Concept art and illustrations===
<gallery>
File:HCE_EarliestFlood_Concept.jpg|Earliest known concept art of the Flood, depicting what later became the carrier form.
File:HCE EarlyCarrierForm Concept.png|Concept art of the carrier form for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''
File:HCE_CarrierForm_Concept.png|Concept art of the carrier form in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:HW CarrierForm_Model.jpg|Carrier form artwork from ''Halo Wars''.
File:Anniversary, The Flood.jpg|A carrier form in the ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' [[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]].
File:HCEA-Concept-Chief-Flood.jpg|John-117 comes across dead, but unperforated, carriers in a piece of concept art for ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:TFS-Likeafrog.png|A human infected carrier form from ''Halo: Tales from Slipspace''.
File:HW2 ATN- Flood unleashed concept art.jpg|A carrier form alongside other Flood forms in a piece of concept art for ''[[Halo Wars 2]] [[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|Awakening the Nightmare]]''.
</gallery>

===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:HCE FloodCarriers.jpg|Two carrier forms in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:HTMCC-HCE TheMaw FloodArmy.png|Two carrier forms following attacker forms in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_FloodCarrierForm_2.jpg|A carrier form in ''Halo 2''.
File:H2_FloodCarrierForm_1.png|An idle carrier form in ''Halo 2''.
File:1216051145 Carrier form.jpg|A carrier form in ''[[Halo 3]]''.
File:H3 Flood Carrier Form.jpg|A carrier form in ''Halo 3''.
File:Flood carrier in Halo Wars.jpg|A carrier form in ''Halo Wars''.
File:CEACarrier.png|A carrier form in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:H2ACarrierForm.png|A carrier form in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' {{MCCo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[The Mona Lisa]]'' {{c|Motion comic only}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]''
**''[[Something Has Happened]]''
*''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Flood}}

[[Category:Flood forms]]