Gears of War: Act 1 Walkthrough

Part Two

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Chapter Five: Knock Knock

• COG Tag 7: The seventh COG tag is at the very beginning of the chapter, on the left side of the stairs, near the van.
• Troika Number Four: Make your way up the stairs to face the hardest of the Troika battles. Like the others, it's a matter of flanking the gun. Notice the doorways on the right side of the building that open up as the battle begins. Eliminate the nearest enemy and then take cover behind the sandbags in the doorway. Take out the Locust Grenadier in the next doorway. Move inside and slowly make your way through the enemies until you get behind the gunner. Once the first wave of enemies is dead, go back outside. Man the Troika to take out the next wave of enemies.

The pistol is better than you might think.

Chapter Six: Hammer

• COG Tag 8: This tag is conveniently placed at the end of the hallway filled with Wretches.
• COG Tag 9: This tag is in the same area as the mangled body of Rojas.
• Wretch Strategy: Wretches are nimble, shifty, and can attack from the walls and the ceilings, as well as the floor. If you face them one at a time, feel free to rev up your chainsaw and let them kill themselves on it. Otherwise, a single shot from the shotgun at close range will finish them off. Don't worry about aiming carefully at them, stay in the standard view so you can dodge easily and just fire from the hip.
• Seeders: The Hammer chapter is focused mostly on eliminating the giant Locust Seeders that are jamming your team's communications. They can only be killed with the Hammer of Dawn, so don't waste your conventional ammo. If you don't want to keep carrying the Hammer, don't worry, there's one located near each Seeder. The Seeders will fire slow-moving mortar rounds, which can cause massive damage. Shoot them down before they get to you. Take out the Locust soldiers around each Seeder before you focus on it. Then take aim with the Hammer and keep it locked on the Seeder until the energy beam ends. You will have to shoot them more than once to kill them.

Covering fire … don't ignore it.

Chapter Seven: Wrath

• Troika Revenge: There's one last Seeder in this chapter, but the only real fight is the one on the rooftop. There are two Troikas on the roof, so if you're playing co-op, make sure you both grab one. Shoot out the first wave of Seeder mortar fire above you, then aim at the Locusts below. It can be difficult to take out every last enemy. If you can't find the last soldiers, drop the Troika and switch to the assault rifle. Look for your targeting reticule to turn red, and also look for where the other soldiers are firing. When the last enemy dies, a cut scene will begin.

Might want to put some distance between you and the Boomers.

Chapter Eight: China Shop

• COG Tag 10: Right after the Alpha squad member gets torn up by the Berserker, head around the corner after him. The COG tag will be near his body.
• Berserker Strategy: You can only take out the Berserker with the Hammer of Dawn. If you don't have it, look for it in the hallway at the beginning of the chapter. Unfortunately, it only works outdoors, so you have to lure the Berserker outside.
  • After the Berserker bursts through the wall, strafe to the left to avoid the charge, and then run through the door on the right.
  • Move to the far end of this room. You can't get through this door, you need the Berserker to break through it for you. Shoot at her to get her attention, and let her charge you. Time your dodge so that she breaks through the door. If you dive out of the way too early, she'll miss the door, and she may run you over.
  • Repeat the process twice until you break outside, where you can use the Hammer of Dawn. After she charges, she will hold still for a moment. When she does, hit her with the Hammer.
• COG Tag 11: Just to the right of the last door is a COG tag. If you time it right, you can dodge so you land on it and pick it up.
• COG Tag 12: This COG tag is in the courtyard where you kill the Berserker. It's in the far left corner. Make sure you pick it up before you kill the Berserker, however, as when you put her down, the Act is over.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed one-fifth of the epic adventures in Gears of War. It only gets harder from here on, but you a solid foundation of skills to build on as you continue to battle the Locusts. Good luck!

Article by Ryan Treit