New to Gears? Haven’t played in a while and need to brush up on your skills? With Gears of War 4 quickly approaching, here are a few tips to help get you off to a successful start when fighting the new threats lingering on Old Sera.
Take Cover
The Gears franchise basically perfected the cover shooter formula early in the years of the Xbox 360, so it’s essential that you play by these rules in Gears of War 4. You’ll take damage very, very quickly if you don’t, and combat is focused on popping out, taking well-timed shots, and ducking down again while planning out strategy. This isn’t the time for you to rampage across the battlefield in a mad onslaught, unless you want to die again, and again, and again.
Pay Attention While Reloading
Gears utilizes an active reload system, meaning you have the option of playing a little minigame to speed up the reload process while in combat.
While reloading, be on the lookout for this:
The small marker will move automatically across the bar, and a well-timed button tap will be required to successfully achieve a reload option. There are three results to get out of active reload: Perfect Reload, when the marker is accurately lined up in the white block; Quick Reload, when the marker winds up in the grey; and Failed Reload, where the marker will wind up in the black.
Share Ammo With Your Friends
When you see ammunition drops out in the field, don’t automatically run up and claim them all for yourself in co-op. What you see is what you get, and if you take up everything, there will be nothing left for your friend to use. In the heat of the moment, this might seem like a fun way to troll your cooperative buddy, but it will only backfire once you realize you have to take on the hordes all by yourself.
Note: NPCs don’t have to collect ammunition. So, if you’re playing alone, feel free to completely hoard all of the ammunition.
Listen to NPCs
Whenever you see characters chatting out in the world, it’s worth your time to eavesdrop a bit on their conversations. They’ll often drop you small hints, including methods you may need to eventually defeat bosses.
Be Patient
As much as you might want to rush into combat and chainsaw the faces of everything around you, it’s wise to take your time in enemy encounters. Get to cover, keep your head down, pay attention to enemy movements, communicate with your co-op partners, and try to place well-timed shots to fully capitalize on the enemy’s mistakes.
For our complete thoughts, read our official Gears of War 4 review-in-progress, and visit our Gears of War 4 guide for helpful tips on completing missions, getting cross play set up on PC, and picking up collectibles.
