by Greg on Aug 19, 2015
Gears of War Ultimate Edition is the largest collection of CoGs to ever be assembled in one package. If you’re new to the Gears of War franchise things can get hectic fast as you’ll soon be swarmed with nightmare inducing Locust while trying to hide behind cover using a guy that takes up the same amount of space as a small truck. To keep you from immediately becoming Locust chow, here are our top tips for surviving Gears of War Ultimate Edition.
If there was a game mechanic that Gears of War is most known for, it’s probably the cover system. Almost anything can be used for cover, just hit the cover button (explained in the tutorial) when near a wall, crate or most other objects and you will sidle right up to it for protection.
Just remember, cover only protects you from one direction. If the enemy comes from behind quickly reposition yourself or be fragged.
Melee attacks and especially the Lancer chainsaw are deadly if you can get close enough. Use your rush/ sprint to close the distance quickly before spamming the melee button. If you can catch them from behind it’s all the better as it is possible to counter a chainsaw attack with one of your own.
Snipers are deadly in PVP and in the campaign. Bows and rifles are capable of inflicting heavy damage, sometimes even one shotting their target. Cover is your best friend when dealing with snipers. Move from cover to cover (rolling in between) to avoid exposing yourself too long.
Gears of War has a wide variety of weaponry, some of which is extremely alien in appearance and function. Get some hands on time with each of them before you head off to serious battles.
In multiplayer there will also be special weapons located in specific points on the map, such as the Mortar and the Mulcher. Learn these positions and either cover them (waiting to ambush someone coming to use the weapon), or chance it and pick up the weapon for yourself.
In multiplayer communication is key. Even if you don’t like talking to other players you can still be helpful by marking enemy locations. When you spot an enemy press down on the left analog stick and they will be marked. That unity will then have an indicator over them on all of your teammate’s screens showing them where they are.
The mark will wear off after a few seconds, so be sure and reapply it if you haven’t managed to take them out when it does.
Gears of war has a very unique reloading mechanic that when mastered, can provide a large benefit to the player. When you go to reload there will be a small indicator moving rapidly along different colored bars. When you press reload a second time the indicator will stop, whichever colored bar it is on will determine the quality of the reload. Land on the medium sized grey bar and you’ll get a good reload. Land on the smallest bar and you’ll get an extremely rapid reload along with a damage bonus to all of the bullets added in that reload. Miss both bars and you’ll jam your weapon, resulting in a very slow reload.
Players who practice their reloads not only put more rounds on target faster, their bullets do more damage than those who don’t, a massive advantage in multiplayer.