As we discussed in our review, we’re more than a little impressed with Gears of War: E-Day. E-Day delivers one of the series’ best campaign experiences and a robust multiplayer suite, and as players prepare to dive into its offerings, here, we’re going to go over a few beginner’s tips and tricks that will make your first steps into the city of Kalona a little bit smoother. With all that out of the way then, let’s get right into it, starting with a few basic pointers for newcomers that returning series fans should be plenty familiar with.
Master the Active Reload
Active reload has been a central gameplay mechanics in Gears titles for as long as they have existed, but its importance cannot be stated to players who’re stepping into the series for the first time. Every time you reload a weapon, you’ll see a moving line and a single stationary bar on your weapon’s UI- hit the reload button a second time at the exact right moment to make the line hit the bar, and not only do you reload your weapon faster, you also get a damage boost for the next little bit. Fail the action, and you jam your weapon, prolonging the reload process by a handful of precious seconds. Of course, you can just ignore the active reload prompt and let your weapon reload at the default pace, but active reload boosts are genuinely useful (and total dopamine rushes), so we heavily recommend those.
Get Rid of Emergence Holes
Again, this is something that Gears of War fans have been doing for as long as Gears of War has been around, but if you’re coming into E-Day cold, make sure that you prioritizing closing any and all Emergence Holes you run into. Essentially respawn points for Locust in a nutshell, Emergence Holes are pretty much going to be the bane of your squad’s existence (especially on harder difficulties and in the more tense firefights, of which there are quite a few), so make sure you shut them down as soon as possible. And how do you do that? Easy- just throw a frag in there.
Chainsaw Executions
One more for the newbies that returning series fans will be more than a little familiar with. Not too long into Gears of War: E-Day’s campaign, you’ll gain access to the iconic chainsaw lancer, which not only shoots much better than the vanilla lancer, but also comes with a chainsaw attachment that significantly revs up your melee threat factor. In fact, using chainsaw executions on enemies who’re up close is recommended not just because of how awesome it is, but also because it provides you with a slight health boost each time. In situations where you’re close to being wiped out, then, a well timed chainsaw execution can be particularly handy.
Be Aware of Different Enemy Types
Gears of War: E-Day throws a lot of different enemy types at you throughout the length of its campaign, and they genuinely do pose significantly different (and formidable) threats. From enemies that hop around like giant frogs and spit acid at your from a distance to those that float in the air like hot air balloons and spawn spikes and airborne mines, to those that come rushing at your in large crowds to overwhelm you through pure numbers, Locust hordes in Gears: E-Day have more than a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to trying to best you, so being aware of what enemies you’re facing and prioritizing which ones to focus your attention on can often be that fine line between life and death.
Collectibles and Hard Cases
Though Gears 5’s larger (and emptier) open world sections don’t return in E-Day, the prequel does still have its own take on a more wide-linear formula (or semi-open world, depending on how you want to put it). Large sections of the campaign let you explore the city of Kalona at your pace, and there’s plenty scattered throughout the map, from collectibles to hard cases, which contain all sorts of mods for players to equip (more on these in a bit). Make sure you grab every one of those you can.
The Undisputed
If there’s one weapon synonymous with Gears Versus throughout its many sequels, it’s the Gnasher. Shotguns in general tend to be strong, but in the right hands, the Gnasher can be straight-up busted, and that’s especially the case in E-Day, especially if you leverage the new Active Reload mechanics for loading one shell at a time. The Coalition has also adjusted how its hip-fire works, so, in their words, “A shot that looks like it should hit, will hit.”
Movement King
Wall bouncing is no longer a thing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t zip around stages and outmaneuver opponents with ease. The basis for all this is quickly entering and exiting cover – press A, then press Up on the Left Stick and A. You can then chain this into a slide or get behind and push off another piece of cover. If that wasn’t enough, you can shoot mid-cover exit or swing around and fire behind you. It takes some work to master, but pull it off, and you’ll be able to take down multiple opponents before they know what hit ’em.
The Hole Picture
As a larger-scale version of the classic co-op mode, Horde Siege leaves room for the Locust to rely on some well-worn tactics. Like Emergence Holes or E-Holes. They’ll spawn every wave, so taking them out is key, but they’re far from random. Learn their locations, and prioritise those closest to objectives because that will give your squads much-needed breathing room. Having them travel farther to reach you lets your Assault and Recon troops take advantage of the longer sightlines.
Explosive Personality
The Boomshot Turret is to Horde Siege what the Gnasher is to Versus: Indispensable. It may seem expensive, but its 27-round explosive goodness pays for itself, one-shotting Drones and even sealing E-Holes with minimal fuss. The best part? You can detach it to use on the go, making it that much more potent if another squad needs backup. Just be careful when dropping it because…
Before It’s Gone
Heavy weapons left on the ground will disappear after some time. It takes roughly 30 seconds, give or take a few, and while it may make sense to drop any weapon without ammo, heavies are too valuable not to keep around and restock when the opportunity arises. So keep that timer in mind if you’re ever forced to juggle weapons around.
Equip the Right Mods and Armor Abilities
Gears of War: E-Day introduces weapon and armour mods as well as abilities to allow for (slightly) more flexibility where build customization is concerned, and there’s quite a few legitimately good options to mull over. From mods that allow deadlier boosts through active reloads to those that grant perfect reloads with melee executions, there’s quite a few different perks to be gained through mods in E-Day, so make sure you’re picking the ones that suit your play style the best.
Keep an Eye Out for Supply Caches
Another thing to keep an eye out for when you’re out exploring the streets of Kalona- supply caches. Scattered throughout the maps are COG supply caches. Interacting with not only completely replenishes ammo for every weapon you have on your person, supply caches also allow you to change your loadout and select different weapons, mods, and abilities. Supply caches, then, can be quite useful, especially when you’re faced with tough encounters of side missions.
Scan Your Surroundings
Like most other games out there that allow for any semblance of exploration (and some that don’t), Gears of War: E-Day lets you scan your environments at a moment’s notice to learn about nearby points of interests. Press and hold the left bumper, and you’ll begin scanning your surroundings, highlighting nearby paths, hard cases, and more on your screen. Anytime the game tells you you’re nearby a hard case, make sure you start scanning.
Use the Verticality
One of Gears of War: E-Day’s biggest new gameplay changes it the new movement mechanics on offer, allowing everything from vaulting and sliding to jumping and more, all of which in turn allows the game to throw players into much more layered, intricately designed, and vertical levels. That allows for more enjoyable and engaging exploration, of course, but it also allows for more tactical freedom during firefights. For the combat arenas that allow it, it’s usually recommended to find a high spot where you can pick enemies off, especially if you have a longshot, a breechshot, or other weapons that are similarly effective at long range. Long story short, there are more than a few ways to make the environments work for you during firefights in Gears: E-Day, so make sure you keep that in mind.
Low Ground Cover
Another relatively more minor new tweak in E-Day is low ground cover, which is exactly what it sounds like- cover that lets you stay blocked from incoming fire while prone or lower than a crouch. These add greater options for players in tense firefights, especially in situations where you might have your back against a wall, so keep an eye out for these. At the same time, low ground cover is also (obviously) less effective at blocking incoming fire, and can also be destroyed by sustained fire from foes, so keep that in mind.
(Ravi Sinha also contributed towards this article.)
