10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting Gears Tactics

Messing around with customization between missions sucked up way too much of my time – and that’s not particularly a bad thing. The equipment menus could’ve been redesigned for more convenient loadout swaps, sure, but the high volume of tweakables was pleasantly surpris

It may sound like a given, but Tactics truly impresses in its presentation as another quintessential Gears entry. All of the smells and flavors that helped characterize the series are seamlessly translated over. Cinematic cutscenes are smartly interwoven throughout the story, filled with plenty of tension created by the cast of fantastic voice talent. Low, brassy orchestral lines to add to the gritty, dark atmosphere – it’s all th

The weapon applications are similarly impressive. Torque Bows, Longshot Snipers, Gnashers – they all hurt just as much as they did in the originals. Even the unique Active Reload mechanic is (somewhat) emulated via the "fast fingers" perk for the Sniper class. Seeing the wide array of Gears weapons in action from a birds-eye view is pretty fr

Overwatch is a term used in similar tactical games to describe when a player looks out from cover during the enemy's turn in hopes that an enemy will walk into the player's line of sight . If this happens the player will have the opportunity to attack the enemy during the enemy's turn. In other strategy games, this can be useful, but it is especially useful in tactics because of the number of enemies a player faces in a single round. While players do have a variety of moves at their disposal each round its crucial to deal as much damage as possible while also staying out of harm's

Performance issues are not uncommon in high-octane games, and Gears Tactics is not an exception. Although the game is highly optimized, some players experience stuttering and the infamous GT102 error code problems. The error issues are mainly related to the player's graphics card. It appears when the card fails to l

Unfortunately, this is where Tactics becomes a bit dull. The recruiting system and side characters are mostly forgettable. The tactical variety isn’t the largest either, leaving the player with a handful of options. It isn’t dry by any means, yet after the first 15 hours of the roughly 25-hour campaign, you essentially get the gist of it. This would’ve been negligible in the wake of diverse mission designs, but sadly – this isn’t the c

The first act of Gears Tactics will be very compelling for fans of the franchise. Not only does it give them a chance to meet Gabe Diaz, and therefore learn a bit more about Kait's history, but it also shines more light on the origins of the Locust creatures. There are some pretty interesting twists and turns, and the story of each mission bleeds into the next in a way that gives it a lot of momentum. And while Gabe and Sid aren't exactly the most complex or deep characters, they're a nice change of pace from games constantly revolving around Marcus Fe

One good example, according to players, comes as a result of closing emergency holes using grenades. The game freezes and crashes in some cases. To avoid this, players have come with weird solutions like not touching anything for a few seconds when it starts hang

Checkpoints are so plentiful that, to be frank, they are a bit ludicrous. The player can even get checkpoints in the middle of a boss fight, which means they can use all the outlandish strategies they can think of until they defeat a b

It is also important to note that not all cover is the same. Some cover is made out of wood or other destructible material which means if that cover takes enough damage it will break and Dendro Archon quests leave your unit vulnerable. Metal cover and other indestructible covers are preferred as players can safely hide behind them without the enemy being able to break thro

Gears Tactics has polished, stable gameplay. Nothing in the spinoff is going to make your head explode – though you will be exploding plenty of Locust heads. And that’s part of the fun, all things considered. Combat has a respectable amount of variance, but you can pretty much bulldoze your way through the Intermediate campaign like a bull in a china shop. Loading all your units up with Fragmentation Grenades and tossing them off as often as possible is an extremely viable strategy. Flanks are important, yes, and the Scout class can cloak, sure – but you really can explode, chainsaw, and Bayonet Charge your way to victory in most ca

Something that may be disappointing to players as they play through Gears Tactics , though, is the repetitive level design. There are some levels that almost feel like replicas of one another, and there isn't a ton of visual variety in the stages, either - an issue that is exacerbated by the forced side missi

For starting stats go with +3 in either Strength or Finesse, +1 Warfare, +1 Scoundrel, and a Civil Ability that fits your character, like Thievery for Fane or Persuasion for Red Prince. Initial skills should include Crippling Blow for strong close-range damage, Battle Stomp to clear out areas and knockdown enemies, and Adrenaline to get bonus AP on your first action. Because the main Knight weapon is two-handed, they will have access to All In, which deals additional damage for 3 AP. If playing a human Knight, use Encourage at the start of a turn before attacks, not after as a means of spending unused AP. The same should be done for elf Knights and Flesh Sacrif