Sword flying

Summary
There are four ways to glitch involving the Energy Sword. In this article, 'R' is shorthand for the right trigger on your controller. 'X', 'Y', 'B' are the blue, yellow, and red buttons respectively.

Note: for those using boxer control, use Left Trigger instead of B.

Sword Cancelling
The first, sword canceling, is the act of lunging at a person without hitting them, by hitting R + X, effectively cancelling your attack. Another form of cancelling is B + X, which is useful for wall climbing (see below).

Rocket Cancelling
The other form, sometimes called rocket jumping or sword flying, is when you have both a Rocket Launcher and a sword, in either hand. First switch to the Rocket Launcher, then aim at a target so the crosshair turns red. Then quickly press X + Y + Right Trigger repeatedly until you "fly" at the target. This is useful for getting to otherwise un-reachable places high on maps, like Zanzibar and Headlong.

To get to really high places, you can use a combination of Sword Flying and at the top of the flight, using the Sword Cancel on an opponent to get to where they are.

In Halo 2 1.1, Halo 2 after the latest auto-update (as of 23/4/2005), Sword Flying has been changed drastically on Xbox Live. Instead of pressing Y, press Y, X, and B at the same time in place. It is much more difficult and will only lunge at other with certain angles. Sword lunging still works. Sword Cancels have not been disabled due to the auto-update.

Sword Climbing
The third form of sword glitching is the sword climb. To sword climb, you need 2 people willing to work together. They stand right next to each other and look at the other person. Then, at the same time, they both hit X+A+B repeatedly. This glitch lets you climb hundreds of feet in the air. It is also called butterflying and "doing the Matrix."

Warthog Variation
Sit in the passenger seat of the Warthog while wielding the sword. Aim at a flying enemy (Phantom, Banshee) until the rectile turns red, and then attempt a lunge. When you exit the Warthog, you should fly torwards the enemy.