Gears of War tips and tricks

Drone

The lower-class citizens of the Locust world can be found in just about every area of the game, usually firing a Hammerburst in your general direction. They're fairly stupid but have strength in numbers. If you find yourself being overrun then sneak around to the side or rear as they're really easy to flank. Close grub holes as soon as possible to limit their numbers.

Grenadier

Grenadiers are basically Drones armed with Frag Grenades. You'll definitely want to keep your distance and take cover whenever grenades are being pinged around the place. Avoid melee attacks because they're also armed with Gnasher shotgun-style weapons which deal out significant damage at close range. Fight fire with fire, or in this case, frags with frags.

Sniper

While Snipers are fairly weak, they're deadly thanks to their sharp-shooting skills. They're often hidden from sight too, making them difficult to pin-point. Hopefully you'll have a sniper rifle of your own in the form of the Longshot. Take cover and methodically pick them off with a long range shot to the skull.

Guard

A clear notch above Drones in the food chain, Theron Guards are far more intelligent and will work together as a team to flank you. They often take cover too, making them difficult to flush out. Tactics aside, they're not much stronger than standard Drones, so once you're face to face they go down really easily. Don't forget to grab the nifty Torquebow weapon they drop.

Boomer

The Boomer is a formidable foe. As the name suggests, they're armed with powerful Boomshot rocket grenades. Somewhat foolishly on their part, they're happy to shout "Boom!" just before firing. This is your cue to dive for cover. It takes them a long time to reload and they move slowly, so use your relative speed in both these areas to defeat them.

Wretch

You'll first spot these four-legged freaks at the very beginning of the game, crawling over the ceiling of the prison cellblock. They're fast, agile and numerous in number, but they possess no firearms and fall incredible easily under Gnasher fire. Look out for the 'dark' variants later in the game - they go out with a bang, so get ready to run!

Kryll

Best described as fat bats with big teeth, Kryll lurk in the dark and will devour any creature (including Locust) who step from the safety of the light. You can't kill them by any conventional means, so just avoid them by staying in light areas. Thankfully, they only appear in a couple of parts of the game.

Seeder

The only way to kill Seeders is with the Hammer of Dawn. Lock onto its bloated body and wait for the satellite to do its magic laser thing. Of course it's not that straightforward, as the Seeder will eject Nemacysts, nasty little airborne baddies that whiz towards you and explode on contact. They're fast and worryingly accurate, so shoot them out of the sky before they can lock onto you.

Berserker

You'll encounter a Berserker on three separate occasions, and each time you need to lure her to a vulnerable spot using only sound (they are completely blind). At the end of Act 1, in the Tomb of the Unknowns, there are three metal doors. Stand by each door and fire a few shots at the Berserker to attract her attention, then quickly dive out of the way as she rips through the metal. Once outside you can use the Hammer of Dawn to rain down on her parade. It's a similar story in Act 4, when you're inside the Academy, only you need to make her smash through the stone pillars. This will cause the roof to collapse, allowing you to use the Hammer of Dawn once more. Finally, in Act 5 on the first section of the Tyro Pillar, you can dispense with the Hammer of Dawn altogether. Instead, dart past the Berserker and make her follow you to the far end of the carriage. Now sneak silently to the other end, pressing the green button on the left as you go. This will cause the carriage to detach and derail. If the Berserker manages to jump free, get her to charge into the gap left by the carriage.

Corpser

Don't be worried about the size of this big ol' crab thing. When you eventually face the Corpser at the conclusion of Act 3, it's surprisingly easy to defeat because it follows traditional boss rules (yes, it has got a blindingly obvious weakness). Circle around to its left, shooting its exposed belly until it opens its mouth in agony. Now shoot its mouth area to inflict damage and make it back up. Eventually it'll move onto a metal platform. Shoot the platform supports to finish it off.

Reaver

These flying beasts carry a couple of Locust Guards on their backs. It's possible to make it crash and burn by shooting the underside of its body, but it's much easier to kill the enemies it carries, thereby instantly ending the threat. If you have a Longshot handy then this is definitely the way to go.

Raam

Standing steadfastly between you and glorious victory is General Raam, leader of the Locust army. As soon as the battle begins, equip your Torquebow and fire at Raam's head. The Kryll should disperse, at which point you need to select your Longshot and pop the boss in the head. If you're lucky with your reloads you may be able to hit him twice. His brutal melee attack will kill you instantly, so when he gets close, throw a Frag Grenade at his feet to slow him down. Quickly run to a new position and repeat the Torquebow/Longshot strategy until Raam falls and the game is complete.

Act 01: Ashes

1. After choosing whether to escape via the guards' quarters or the cellblocks, run forward into the courtyard and look for the Crimson Omen sign. You'll find the first tag lying on the floor below.
2. Regardless of which route you take, you'll arrive in a cellblock with a staircase on the left. Search beneath the staircase to find the second tag.
3. Once you the reach the prison yard, don't head directly to the helicopter. Instead, climb the steps on the left and turn left at the top. There's a tag on the floor.
4. A helpful comrade will draw your attention to this one. It's in the centre of the first courtyard you arrive in. There's only one tag in this section of Embry Square.
5. Having closed the second grub hole, run straight ahead and search the undergrowth to find a tag.
6. As you trudge further into Embry Square, you'll arrive in a room with a fountain and four grub holes. Facing the fountain, search the far left-hand corner of the yard to find the tag.
7. Outside the House of Sovereigns, look for a white van bearing the Crimson Omen mark. The tag is to the left of the van, next to a ruined wall on some steps.
8. When you reach the door that Jack has to cut through, head left and you'll find the tag on the floor next to a large stone slab.
9. In the room beyond the sanctuary, at the bottom of the stairs, have a quick look behind the pillar on the right. Another tag for the collection.
10. At you enter the Tomb of the Unknowns, search the small passage on the left where a recently-deceased soldier lies. Take his tag.
11. The Berserker in the tomb will go mad, smashing down doors. To the left of the third and final door to be smashed is a tag.
12. Once you've exited the tomb and emerged in the courtyard, look over to the left and grab the tag before introducing the Beserker to the Hammer of Dawn.

Act 02: Nightfall

1. When you reach a room with two sets of stairs, go down and you'll find a scrappy old sofa. Shoot the sofa to reveal a tag hidden beneath.
2. After crossing the catwalk, go down the steps to the street and search the rubble-strewn alley on your right.
3. At the far end of the street, have a quick look behind the post box at the top of the steps. Another tag.
4. After a lengthy section with no tags, you'll pass a metal shed with a suspicious looking gas tank nearby. Blast the tank to access the shed where you’ll find a tag.
5. Once Dom has flicked the switch, shine your spotlight over to the left (look for the shell of a car if you're not sure exactly where). There's a tag in otherwise dark corner.
6. This tag is also hidden by dark - shoot the gas tank in the back of the car to reveal it, then run to the right and grab it. You need to be quick.

Act 03: Belly of the Beast

1. Don't enter the Imulsion Facility straight away. To the right of the entrance is a wooden dock, and at the end of which is another tag.
2. Once inside the facility, keep to the far right in the room with the rotten floorboards. The tag is at the far end of the room.
3. As you move deeper into the facility, you'll arrive in an area with some mine carts. Look to the left of the stairs you've just come down to find a tag.
4. When you arrive in the Imulsion Mines, take the small path which branches off to the right. It leads to a tag that's hard to miss.
5. See that building on the right, at the top of the stairs? Before you go inside, look in the area to the right of the stairs.
6. When the two paths join up, search the area that runs alongside the pool. Here you’ll find a narrow ledge which leads to a tag.

Act 04: The Long Road Home

1. From the beginning, head into the campus courtyard and look behind the second staircase on the right.
2. The street to the right looks like a dead end, but see that crappy car? Look behind it to bag another tag.
3. Having entered your father's estate, you'll arrive in a room with four pillars and a desk in the centre. Blast the desk to reveal a well-hidden tag.

Act 05: Desperation

1. Wait for your robo friend Jack to open up the fifth train door. Go inside and it's on the floor to your left.
2. As your progress through the train, you must climb up a ladder onto the roof. Before you do so, take a second to grab a tag from the floor on the right.
3. Near the front of the train, you'll pass a store room on the left. Go inside, backtrack slightly and take the final tag. Providing you’ve found them all, you can now take 30 Achievement Points for your troubles.