Gears of War multiplayer can be intimidating. You have players who have been there since the beginning, who have mastered every aspect of the game, and who will happily mess you up with their shotgun. Then there are new players who are curious to get into the game but find the learning curve too steep or the community too toxic.
This thread is designed to help you avoid frustration in versus multiplayer - whether that be through setting proper goals when playing, learning to shrug/laugh off deaths in the moment, or improving your fundamentals. As you're playing, think of every moment and encounter as an opportunity to try out something new to outthink your opponent.
Don’t worry about dying. Like I said, people have been grinding this game for 10 years at this point, and there are some savage players out there who will seem untouchable. There’s really nothing you can do about it other than focus on how that player beat you and how you can go about avoiding it in the future. The less you let dying affect your mood, the more fun you'll end up having in the long run.
The gnasher shotgun is by far the most important weapon to learn in Gears. Depending on who you ask, this is either the greatest thing about the game or the reason they've never gotten into it. Gears multiplayer often gets (incorrectly) reduced to being all about "rolling around with shotguns." While there's some truth to that, there's much more skill required to move effectively around the map. In fact, rolling is the the last thing you'll see a veteran player do in most situations as it makes you an easy target. Mastering the gnasher and combining it with your "wall bounce" and other movement abilities is where Gears truly shines. I’ve linked some videos below that give tutorials for improving your gnasher gameplay and movement.
So much of the game revolves around angles and positioning. Each map is designed for flanking routes, power positions, and team fire. Use the Tac/Com (LB) to locate your teammates and power weapons on the map, and always be sure to mark enemy targets (click Left Stick while aiming). Sticking with your teammates and supporting them either through rifle fire or a coordinated push with your shotgun is a great way to avoid being left all by yourself and fed to the sharks.
This first set of videos is from the officials Gears YT channel and I think it offers a comprehensive overview that is good for newer players:
Gears of War UE Tips and Tricks:
Now that the game is out, I will be updating this article to include Gears 4-specific material. First up we have a video series by Twitch streamer Dutchy that introduces some common techniques you'll see players using and ways to improve your game:
Next up I've included a series by former Gears pro players Skyllus and Arctyc who used to upload videos for the Gears community. I remember watching these when I first decided I wanted to get competent at the game and they were super helpful. Most of these will pertain to Gears 3 but the majority of the concepts will transfer over to 4.
Gears of War Lesson Series:
Lastly, be sure to add your gamertag to this thread or search for the "Giant Bomb Gears" group on Xbox if you want to get into some shenanigans with other GB community members. If you have any questions about the game or if there are any Gears veterans out there that have anything else to add, please feel free to do so here.
Good Luck, Have Batman!
Log in to comment