Ever wanted to truly master Gears of War online? Below are a list of tips and tricks to help you becoming a world renowned Gears player when it is eventually released on September 20th. You’ll read up on how best to tactically over power the opposition, how to use certain weapons and other general multiplayer tips so you can climb the GOW online leaderboards.
Think about your surroundings
Everyone uses cover to try and out maneuver the enemy but you need to make sure you know where your points of cover are if you wish to survive more than one firefight. Also watch what you’re using for cover as many objects can be destroyed with a few well placed Gnasher rounds leaving you exposed to enemy fire. Cover objects have also become all the more tactically important in Gears of War 3 as you can now stun an enemy by jumping over their cover and basically kicking them in the face.
This coupled with a Gnasher round will quite easily kill them, just going to show that cover is both your friend and your foe. To stop this from happening make sure you keep moving, never stay in one spot for too long, this rule applies to the entire multiplayer. If you stay in one place for too long you will end up on the floor lying in a pool of your own blood.
Keep on rollin’ baby
Continuing on from the cover and ‘keep moving’ theme, you need to keep on rolling when firing off rounds. Newer players generally stick to the pre-set (and very slow) button sensitivity, meaning that when they’re looking down their scopes it takes an age to rotate and get a well placed round off. So if you keep bouncing from cover, to wall to roll they’ll be unable to keep up with you and before they know it your standing over them with your foot raised high and as we all know there’s only one outcome. SUCK PAVEMENT!
Memorise the maps
We are not trying to make you ‘suck eggs’ here, it may sound simple but many do not bother to look at the maps and learn the various routes to take, weapon locations and enemy spawn points. All of which can come in handy when in the middle of a firefight. Learning where the weapons are gives you the advantage of knowing what locations to rush and can also give you an opportunity to ambush the enemy, as eventually everyone goes looking for the Torque Bow, Digger Launcher, Boomshot or Longshot.
To add if you know the various routes in a map you know what’s around each corner whether your chasing down a foe trying to kill them, or maybe you’re running away with a giant red circle in the middle of your screen. Knowing where everything is gives you a huge advantage over many players and can be the difference between winning and losing.
Gun Rusher
Going on from learning the maps and weapons locations are, rushing the guns can also be very important if you wish to take control of a map from the off. Getting a hold of the Boomshot and Torque Bow at the same time will give your team the firepower to get some momentum going which will usually dampen the enemy’s morale giving you an easy ride to victory.
Be warned though the other team will all have the same idea, or may use the power weapons as a weapon themselves and ambush you as you arrive, not only leaving your team with one less player, but also leaving the best weapons in the hands of the opposition.
Work as a unit
Hard to do a lot of the time with so many ‘lonewolf’ players online, but working as one unit is far superior to each and every player running off and doing their own thing. Working as a team will not only give you a mass of firepower, but you can usually always pick downed team mates up with imperative ease leaving your teams strength un-tainted throughout a firefight.
You can also out maneuver players with power weapons if you work as a team and flank the enemy. Or you can simply rush them, maybe losing one of your colleagues, which is a worthy sacrifice if it means controlling part of the map and destroying the enemy’s only chance of controlling the game.
Active Reload isn’t always such a good thing
Everyone loves to correctly manage an active reload, not only giving you a quicker reload time, but also a boost of firepower to your next clip. Beware though, it’s sometime better to sacrifice the perfect reload if it means keeping your eye on the game and not losing where the opposition is located.
Unless you learn how to time a perfect reload with each and everyone weapon you will find yourself looking up into the top right of your screen as you’re changing magazines. It may only be a couple of seconds that your eyes have left the screen, but those couple of seconds can give the enemy ample time to kill you.
Watch for the reload
Further to the previous tip, watching for someone reloading can help you to defeat them in a firefight. Going on what was just said you now know that many gamers let their eyes wander as they reload. So when you see the enemy raising their weapon and going through their reload action, you can happily charge them down and put them on the floor before they have a chance to get rounds into the chamber.
Revive your teammate
An obvious tip you may think, but one that even now many players forget to do in the middle of a match. It is a simple action and one that not only gives you an extra weapon when you’re facing off against the enemy, but it also stands you in got stead with your colleague. Hopefully meaning that they will be happy to return the favor if you find yourself on all fours.
Watch out for your allies being used as bait though, what could seem like a downed friend needing a helping hand, can turn out to be an enemy ambush and one Boomshot round later you’ll find yourself painting the walls.
Executions leading to executions
The new variety of executions available in Gears of War 3 will have players wanting to use them at any given opportunity in a match. A lot of the time executions are misplaced and used when in fact a few rounds to the opposing players head is the better option. Executions take time, time enough for that downed enemies comrades to come over and dispatch you with a Gnasher round.
You will even find gamers who will sacrifice a good position and run into a group of enemy players just to execute someone they’ve downed. A bad idea indeed as you’ll become cannon fodder as you go charging in, you’ll no doubt end up dead, the Locust who you were so intent on killing will get a revive and continue battling on.
Smoke ’em out
Smoke grenades play a massive role in Gears online and players are too quick to swap them for Incendiary or Inks. They will not only offer you good cover, but can stun enemy players leaving them wide open for you and your colleagues. With the addition of the Retro Lancer and its bayonets a smoke can be the perfect ‘pre-charge’ grenade. It’s always fun running through a cloud of smoke and lifting an opponent high in the air after impaling them with your Lancer.
You can also use them as an alarm system, putting one behind you will mean if someone tries to flank you all they’ll get is a face full of smoke. What’s more once you hear your grenade go off you can quickly whip round and put a Gnasher round through the enemy’s skull.
Don’t forget your melee
Another aspect of the game forgotten by many players, even when you’re within inches of an opposing player they’ll still opt to fire off misplaced Gnasher rounds. Instead give them a quick elbow to the face and hopefully they’ll already be partiality hurt from the preceding firefight and hit the floor pretty quickly.
This can also be a life saver when you’re using a weapon that is useless at close quarters such as the Torque Bow. A quick hit to the face followed by a limp Torque Bow round is usually still enough to kill the enemy.
Hopefully after reading that a lot of less than stellar Gears players will have the necessary hints and tips to help them improve in the online world of Gears of War 3. Just try to think tactically, if you’re on a team with randoms then just follow one of them even if they don’t wish to be followed. Two guns are better than one at the end of the day and a win is a win however you manage it. Team work is essential if you wish to constantly win so try and get yourself miched up and in contact with your colleagues.
It’s never nice ending games with 4 kills and 27 deaths, hopefully reading this will help you flip those figures and get you truly enjoying Gears of War 3.
If you want to further improve your skill level online or maybe even want to take a look at the new weapons released with the latest Gears of War then Console Monster has got just what you need. If you have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch you can download the new ‘Guide for Gears of War 3’ from the App Store HERE and give yourself a head start come the games full release on September 20th.
