Gears of War 4: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Veterans and newcomers alike are getting their first taste of Gears of War 4’s multiplayer over the next few weeks with the closed and open betas taking place. There are three different maps and two different game modes to try out which almost always lead to some chaotic and bloody action. While veterans will find the feel of the game very familiar to previous titles, newcomers to the series may find the online gameplay a little bit different to what they’re normally used to.

Therefore, it’s best to know some of the basic tips and tricks for playing online in Gears of War 4. Even for veterans it can be useful to jog your memory of some of the basics too, so let’s check ’em out.

Power Weapon Locations

Every player will be given the option of choosing from a number of different weapons at the start of each match. The Lancer, Hammmerburst, Gnasher, Snub Pistol, and Smoke Grenades are all available to choose from to create the loadout that best suits your playstyle. While some of these can be perfect for most situations, the players who often sit pretty at the top of the leaderboards are those who take advantage of the power weapons located on each of the maps.

Power weapons are exactly what they say on the tin; powerful weapons that will give you an advantage when on the battlefield. However, in order for you to get them, you’ll need to learn where they’re located on the map and haul ass if you’re going to get there first. A lot of players will study the multiplayer maps and learn the locations of power weapons. Doing so means that they can often dominate the match and pick opponents off from a distance, with many of these weapons being explosive or particularly long-range.

Learn When to Use What Weapon

As you’re playing Gears of War 4’s multiplayer, you’ll find that many people tend to gravitate towards one particular weapon. The Gnasher Shotgun is seriously powerful and, because of that, many people will main this as their weapon of choice. This doesn’t mean that you should go about using it all of the time, however.

In some situations, it’s actually best to sit back from a distance, equip either the Hammerburst or Lancer and pepper the enemy with rounds from far away. This allows you to stay out of danger, while also still laying down quite a bit of damage. Of course, if you turn a corner to find someone in your face, the Gnasher Shotgun is the obvious weapon of choice, but trying to use it from more than a couple feet away and you may well be better off with an alternative weapon.

Use Cover

Gears of War is a cover-based shooter. You can go out all guns blazing in the campaign on the lower difficulties, but try it on Hardcore or Insane difficulties and you’re likely to find yourself seeing that crimson gear omen a lot. Therefore, take note of this and get used to running to and from points of cover as you navigate the multiplayer map.

Running around the map completely out of cover will make you an easy target for someone who may have picked up the Torque Bow, Longshot, or even the new Dropshot weapon. Think about where you’re moving to and make sure that you’re not about to walk right into the line of fire. It may seem tedious taking your time moving around, but you’ll survive for a heck of a lot longer if you do.

Active Reloads

After playing for a couple hours you’ll probably find yourself asking how your opponent’s shot managed to take off so much more damage, or blow you to pieces, and yet yours didn’t seem to put a scratch on them. The secret to this is all about the active reloading of your weapons.

When your weapon runs out of ammo you’ll see a tiny little vertical bar making its way from one end of a progress bar to the other just below your weapon. In this larger progress bar, you should see that there is a greyed out area and then a smaller white area within this. If you hit the RB (reload) button as the tiny vertical bar is in the middle of this white area, you should notice that your ammo in the top right corner begins to flash. This means that you’ve successfully pulled off an active reload and now have increased damage on those rounds.

Get into the habit of utilizing active reloads as often as possible. The best players will effectively active reload just before jumping into the middle of a group of enemies with the Gnasher Shotgun and wreck shop.

In a Group or Solo?

Playing Gears of War 4 online requires a lot of adapting to the way the game is panning out. If you’re getting absolutely crushed, it might be an idea to go in search of the power weapons in order to give yourself a bit of an advantage. However, if you’re dominating, you’ll tend to go scouring the map for the next victim of your demolition. Adapting to the way the game is playing out also applies to whether you should role on your own, or take down the enemy forces in a group.

This will largely come down to what kind of game mode you’re playing. The new Dodgeball game mode in Gears of War 4 would arguably suit running solo, as if an enemy perfectly lands a Boomshot round in the middle of you and a group of your team, it’s going to completely shift the momentum of the game. On the other hand, playing a Team Deathmatch game can suit running as a group if you’re taking a beating. Strength in numbers is great for taking down enemies on their own.

Ultimately, you need to respond to your enemies. If they’re rolling in teams or as one giant group, respond in a similar fashion. There’s no point running off on your own if a group of four enemies is going to slaughter you every time you turn a corner. Think about the game and respond to the flow accordingly.

Play Defensively and Communicate

Falling into a similar vein of advice as using cover, playing defensively will greatly benefit you. Gears of War is no Call of Duty, and many of its game modes will only give you a certain number of respawns for your entire team. A winning team will acknowledge that everyone has to play their part. Running around the map like a madman and always seeking out your enemies isn’t always necessarily the best way to play. Yes, if the opposition has one enemy left send out the search party, but placing some tactically-positioned smoke grenades and hunkering down somewhere can also have its benefits.

Just as we said with using cover, you don’t want to leave yourself open for an attack from an enemy. Sometimes waiting for the enemy to come to you can work out much better than putting yourself out there. Likewise, one of the best ways to success in Gears of War is good communication. Yes, one player can carry a team pretty well, but if the opposition joins forces to rule them out of the game, it’s going to turn into a one-sided affair pretty quickly. Talking with the other members of your team is something that is highly recommended in any multiplayer game, but in order to coordinate yourselves to dominate the map in Gears of War 4, it’s necessary.

Have you got any tips for beginners or even veterans in Gears of War 4’s multiplayer? Share them in the comments below.