Overwatch allows players to stay behind cover and hold angles while still opening themselves up to the opportunity to kill enemy units. However, friendly fire is turned on in Tactics , so if a friendly unit moves into the player’s overwatch area they are susceptible to taking damage and possibly being kil
The newest installment in the Gears of War line of games, Gears Tactics _ , is a completely original take on the _Gears franchise. While Gears is known for the over-the-shoulder third-person gunfights and tearing through hordes of enemies in a 3D environment, Gears Tactics keeps that momentum but in a different style. Tactics is similar to games like XCOM where, instead of controlling one character, the player controls a squad of characters while looking at a battlefield with a top-down perspective. This requires players to play Tactics more strategically then they would any other Gears g
Any downed enemy can be executed in Gears Tactics . And this doesn’t just give an appealing animation, it also rewards every soldier in the team with one AP ( Except for the executor). This essentially means more shooting, more moving, more grenades, more over-watch and more abilities. Also, grounding several enemies allows a player to bind executions, giving more bonus action points. Now, although there is a reward for killings, they are usually risky for the individual carrying them out as it exposes them. So be cauti
Lastly, it is important to know your enemy. There are four different classes of enemies in Tactics, and each one has their own abilities and stats. It is important to learn what classes look like and what they do before rushing into battle because some enemies are more dangerous than others. Knowing how to defeat a certain type of enemy before engaging can give the player an upper h
In most squads, the Vanguard is going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. A multipurpose fighter comfortable anywhere from middle to relatively close range, players are likely to keep them on the front lines at all times. Conveniently, Vanguards happen to have a well-rounded skill tree that allows them to adapt to fill in any holes in a team composit
For the series’ first foray into the rapidly evolving turn-based tactics genre, **Gears Tactics ** is an impressively balanced and well constructed strategic experience. Managing to avoid the pitfalls of some other genre-crossing series (for all that is good about it, the first Halo Wars game had some pretty rough edges), Gears Tactics hits many of the right notes for a squad tactics title, including a fairly fleshed out equipm.ent customization system and some very involved soldier skill trees that allow for specialization that is critical to a rounded battle experience. While it is easy to see how these features have lead to comparisons to the likes of XCOM (which is amongst the highest of praises bestowable on a young turn based tactics series), the game manages to retain the unique flavor of its source material, finely portraying the gritty world that plays hosts to the ongoing conflict between mankind and the Locust hordes, with some clever, thematic mechanics to match . As adaptations go, this shifting of the Xbox flagship Gears series to a genre more about careful consideration than frenetic aggression has gone exceptionally smoot
The specialization branches available to the Heavy allow for the building of someone who controls a conflict zone through either stoic, unshakeable defence or sheer force of firepower. For those looking to settle in, picking up Redeploy from the Specialist branch and Dig In from Demolitionist can be incredibly useful. The ability to relocate the Anchor means more freedom on where to set up a defensive line, while the boost to accuracy to all teammates within range with Dig In means that a solid, hard to penetrate firebase can be Rivellon Armor Set bonuses up with relative ease. For those looking for a more forward approach, the combination of Ultra Shot and Heat Up from the Artillery branch all but insure absolute destruction. Heat Up’s 25% boost to damage that stacks with every shot is effective on its own, but pairing it with an ability that literally causes the Heavy to shot a target til either it drops or the gun goes “click” allows for an actual nightmarish amount of firepower to be leveled on an enemy. Regardless of which path the player chooses, an all-important skill is Suppressive fire. It essentially stonewalls a 4 meter cluster of enemies, breaking any overwatch they have in place and preventing them from moving for the entire subsequent turn. Suppressive Fire changes repositioning a team from dangerous legwork to a walk in the p
While getting around is important, it is vital that the player considers not just that they are moving, but where they are moving. Having soldiers sprint around the field at random is more of a risk than anything; chaotic movement just means more opportunities to get caught alone. A solid first use of points is getting some elevated overwatch. Try shifting a soldier into a position that will allow them to watch over the battlefield and throw them into overwatch. Doing so will lower the risk of more mobile soldiers getting surrounded – making the center of the field a danger to cross can make the opponent think twice about getting into a flanking position. For the remaining soldiers, it is worth spending points to form some triangular traps. Use some points to move and create overlapping fields of fire that cover up the enemy deployments before blasting away. This will pay out in forcing enemy movement away from your troops – by threatening multiple sides of a piece of cover, players can force a well defended enemy to displace, often scoring some hits for that well-positioned overwatch soldier. Importantly, save some points to avoid bunching up. While it is entirely possible to take advantage of a good flank with multiple units, be sure to reserve an action point to put some space between the soldiers you have making the hit. More than one solider side by side is a golden opportunity for a grenade, which can be even more catastrophic if the cover itself gets taken out. By using action points to get some overwatch, triangulate on enemy positions, and keep spacey, players can keep a battlefield handily under cont