It’s bound to go down as one of the highest selling games of this year- millions are probably already playing the game worldwide. And as with the previous games in the series, there’s a lot more going on with Gears of War 4 than you might expect. In this guide, we cover it all. From locations of collectibles (Cog Tags, Pamphlets, Documents, books, magazines, reports,objects and more) to Horde Mode classes, tips and tricks, from leveling up faster and advice about the Multiplayer mode to some of the Achievements and gaining experience points faster (XP), this guide covers everything. Let’s get to it.

Collectibles Locations:

Gears of War 4 may not be a sprawling open world game, but it’s not wanting for collectibles. From Cog Tags to pamphlets, documents, books, magazines (of course), reports, objects, and more, there’s a whole lot for players to collect in this game. This video below shows you just how to get your hands on it all.

How To Level Up Faster And Gain More Experience Points (XP):

You want to level up fast so you can take on any and every threat the game and other players can throw at you. You need more XP to be able to level up fast. While no true shortcut to getting more XP quicker really exists, playing through the mode Arms Race can help you level up a tad faster. The video below shows how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFMo_lkn8Ak

Horde Mode 3.0 Guide:

The signature multiplayer mode of the series, Horde Mode has returned in Gears of War 4, and it’s leveled up. Now known as Horde Mode 3.0, the mode offers a full fledged, fully developed and fleshed out alternate style of game within Gears of War 4. Most players are likely to spend most of their time playing Gears 4 in Horde- that’s why it’s necessary that they understand what they’re doing and how best to deal with the mode’s intricacies. To start with, here are some tips and tricks:

Don’t rush into playing on higher difficulties. Horde Mode can be brutally difficult- it’s best to start on lower difficulties, and work your way up from there.

Always have an Engineer and Scout on your team. Having a balanced team is all well and good, but most of the firepower your squad will have in Horde will come from these two classes. Plan your squad accordingly!

Don’t rush into wiping out a wave! Items and bonuses littered on the ground disappear as soon as a wave is killed- the best thing to do is to leave a couple of weaker enemies around near the end of the wave, and go around picking up all the item and bonus drops, before finishing the wave off. On which note…

Weapon lockers store the items and weapons you pick up. Not only that, but they also restock and refuel their ammunition.

Pay attention to Bonus Objectives! Completing these can net you more supplies and items, which can be handy in a pinch.

Play with your team. For the love of all that is good, don’t try to lone wolf things.

Pay attention to Bounties! Bounty cards are specific cards that you can get from within packs that you purchase with Gold. Once equipped, you can set about completing that Bounty. Bounties are usually along the lines of killing a certain amount of enemies, or completing a certain quantity of Horde Mode waves. Doing so nets a lot of XP and currency- so they’re always useful to keep around.

Horde Mode 3.0 Classes

There are five classes in Horde Mode 3.0, which is a change from before. Each class has a special role to fill in a squad, and each class gains bonuses for weapons that it is good with. In addition, each class is good with the following five General Skills:

• Build Cost – Fabricator items cost reduced by 2% per level.
• Carry Speed – Lets you move faster while carrying fortifications.
• Execution Bonus – Enemies will drop more Power upon being executed.
• Fortification Health – Fabricator items have more health.
• Team Revive – While equipped, the Fabricator has a new Team Revive option.

In addition, the five classes:

Engineer: Arguably the most important class in Horde Mode, Engineers’ true value is not in the kills that they rack up, but in their ability to fix things using the Repair Tool, and keep others alive. Without an Engineer, you would be forced to buy a Repair Tool, which is very expensive, and risk losing out on the extra firepower you could otherwise be investing in.

Scout: Also essential, especially on higher difficulties, Scouts increase the amount of Power you earn during a round. They’re basically a combination of Tank and DPS classes, making them ideal for Horde mode.

Soldier: The basic class, Soldiers specialize with Grenades and Assault Rifles. Used mostly to dish out damage to enemy waves, their primary focus is on attack and damage, not on supporting the team.

Heavy: This is the class you want to use if you’d rather use bigger, heavier weapons. Heavy classes are especially great at higher levels- on lower levels, their bonuses can be rather useless or negligible. If you decide to play Heavy, make sure you level the character up, because on higher levels, the Heavy class is lethal.

Sniper: Snipers are snipers- great at picking off enemies effectively from a distance. Like the Heavy class, it can be a while before their true usefulness is revealed.

Multiplayer Guide: Tips And Tricks

Horde Mode is all well and good, but for a lot of players, multiplayer Gears of War is where it’s at. The good news is that multiplayer in Gears 4 is as great as ever- arguably, it’s better, actually. It’s more nuanced, and far better balanced, than Gears multiplayer ever has been before.

If you’re going to jump into multiplayer, then you need to know what you are doing. Whether you are a newcomer to the multiplayer mode, or a veteran of the series, these videos below, covering everything from beginner tips and tricks, to more advanced strategies, and beyond, are going to help you find your footing in Gears of War 4‘s multiplayer.

Achievements Guide:

Zen and the Art of Reloading

Perform 25 perfect active reloads

Level 10 

Reached level 10

Level 50

Reached level 50

Seriously 4.0

Completed Insane Campaign, ribbons, rank placements, Horde maps, re-ups, classes and five skills (3)

Gone With The Windflare

Killed 15 enemies using the environment during a windflare

Drop the Beat…down

Got 3 Dropshot headshots

The Sound Of Silence

Carried the Customized Lancer Marcus gave you to the end of Act V Chapter 2

But You Can’t Pick Your Family

Found 5 weapons in snot bubbles

Ready for More

Completed all Campaign Acts

Learned the Hard Way

Completed all Campaign Acts on Hardcore or Insane difficulty

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors

Completed all Campaign Acts on Insane difficulty

Collector

Recovered 5 Campaign collectibles

Pack Rat 

Recovered 10 Campaign collectibles

Completist 

Recovered all Campaign collectibles

Remember the Fallen 

Recovered all COG Tags in Campaign

Brothers Till The End

Completed all Campaign Acts in Co-op (any difficulty)

I Have a Very Particular Set of Skills 

Upgraded a Skill Card to maximum level

At First I Was Afraid, I Was Petrified

Survived the first 10 consecutive waves of Horde in a squad

Stay Classy

Reached level 10 in every launch Horde class

Gold Digger

Spent 100,000 power in the Fabricator (across all sessions)

Rollin’ With the Homies 

Earned the maximum Consecutive Match Bonus in Versus

Triple Play 

Killed 3 enemies with a single Buzzkill shot

I Live. I Die. I Live Again!

Rescued someone from inside a Snatcher

Stop Hitting Yourself 

Killed a Guardian with a Guardian weapon

Come And Knock on My Door

Completed one Act in Co-op Campaign

Classy Move 

Reached level 10 in one Horde class

Chest Candy

Earned one of each launch Ribbon

Custom Made

Won a Match using a non-Starter Character and non-default Weapon Skin

Ranked and Filed

Achieved a rank in all launch Core and Competitive game modes

Whoomp, There It Is!

They Yanked, you Shanked

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. 

Upgraded Fabricator to maximum level

Master Craftsman 

Crafted a Legendary card

Craftsman 

Crafted a card

Pounsus Interruptus

Killed a Pouncer mid-pounce with Shotgun or Chainsaw

Call a Dr. If Lasting More than 4 Teammates 

Resurrected 4 teammates using the Fabricator

Thank You, Sir. May I Have Another? 

Re-upped once

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Re-upped ten times

Sugar Daddy 

Deposited 1,000,000 power in the Fabricator lifetime

It’s a Start 

Earned 1000 Credits lifetime

Moving on up! 

Earned 10000 Credits lifetime.

I’m Drumpf 

Earned 100000 Credits lifetime

Skills That Make Me a Nightmare

Upgraded 5 Skill cards to maximum level

I’ve Killed Things, Seen Places

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde in a squad on every Launch Series map

Bilford Bogin! 

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde in a squad

Big Ol Hero 

Got the “Big Ol Hero” Ribbon ten times

Say Hello to My Little Friend 

Got the final winning kill in Arms Race

Now That’s a Knife! 

Killed 10 enemies with combat knife after yanking or kicking

Look out! Uh… Never Mind 

Killed 25 enemies by dropping pods on them

Killdozer

Ran over 15 enemies with the Loader

Bounty Hunter

Completed 20 Bounties

How’s it Going to Work? Teamwork!

Won a Casual Co-op Versus match

Talent Gets Kills, Teamwork Wins Games!

Won a Hardcore Co-op Versus match

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

Won a Normal Co-op Versus match

To Go Fast, Go Alone. To Go Far, Go Together

Won an Insane Co-op Versus match

Give a Name. Any Name

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde as Sniper on Insane in a squad (any map)

I Have Approximate Knowledge of Many Things

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde as Scout on Insane in a squad (any map)

Oh What a Day! What a Lovely Day!

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde as Soldier on Insane in a squad (any map)

Job’s Done 

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde as Engineer on Insane in a squad (any map)

I Choose Violence 

Completed 50 consecutive waves of Horde as Heavy on Insane in a squad (any map)

And We’re Back 

Completed the Prologue and watched opening credits

And You Said We Couldn’t Fly 

Rode the ore transporter counterweight cable

As If Snatchers Weren’t Bad Enough 

Survived the Pouncer ambush outside of the tram station

Betty’s My Kind of Girl 

Fought your way to the Dam using Jack Jr. and Second Betty

Broadcast This! 

Defeated the Speaker and his Swarmak mount

Jinn’s Overreaction 

Defeated the Vulture while riding on a Track Mule

Long Enough We’ll Need This 

Defended the Speyer Radio Tower while waiting for backup

Looks Like an Elevator to Hell 

Rode the ore transporter to the bottom of the mine

Not Going to Stop Us, Right? 

Defeated the Hive Boss

One Hell of an Exhibit 

Survived the onslaught of Swarm while holding up in the museum

Raiding is what Outsiders Do 

Liberated a Fabricator from Settlement 5

Still Not Ironic 

Restored power to the Dam by resetting the generators

Warriors, Kings….Wizards

Survived the King’s chamber and discovered a way out of the catacombs

Welcome Home 

Escaped from your childhood home

When it Leads to War 

Defended your Outsider Village from the COG

You Smell Bad 

Rescued Marcus from the Snatcher pod