Here’s a tip: if taking on a tough boss, injure all the weaker enemies first, but don’t kill them yet. When their health is sufficiently whittled down, unleash a string of executions at once to give a huge boost in action points that can be used on the b


For years now, if a gamer wanted to play a squad-based tactical game with a sci-fi theme involving an alien invasion, the only real option was the games in the XCOM franchise. However, in late April 2020, gamers were given another option – Gears Tactics . This is an offshoot of the Gears of Wars franchise; whose games have been traditionally third-person shoot


Combat ability-wise, Warfare should be taken first to boost Physical damage by a multiplicative amount. Two-Handed will be next as it grants additive damage (of all elements), and as previously mentioned also boosts the critical multiplier. Once those are maxed, consider putting a few points into Scoundrel for even more critical damage, Polymorph for more stat points, and Perseverance to restore ar


If anyone wants to play a new turn-based strategy game that's on the cheaper side, consider looking into Othercide . It has a lot of gothic horror with a lot of style, and it is similar to Gears Tactics in that the game requires players to go on several missions before facing off against a b


Outside of that, Ninja Theory also has the mysterious Project: Mara , a game it announced back in January. The title goes further to explore the real-world and grounded representation of mental terror based on first hand accounts and in-depth research. Not much is known about the game outside of the promises that it's going to be an experimental title attempting to showcase a new storytelling medium for gam

It's a great way to get legendary gear and continue the story of the soldiers (if anyone grows attached to their troops that is). It doesn't have a fixed endpoint , so it can potentially continue fore


Gears Tactics isn’t rogue-like the same way XCOM is, so there’s a more narrative-driven campaign. While there’s perma-death for random soldiers, that’s not the case for the main cast (Gabe, Sid, and Mikay

Speaking of bullet penetration, keep in mind it’s a double-edged sword. Grenades can damage friendly units if they’re too close to the point of impact, but so can every other attack, a fact players might learn the hard way if you have a unit on overwatch and they hit one of your soldiers who’s behind a moving en


A standard in the customization of soldiers for turn-based strategy games, each class has a skill tree that can be upgraded to allow them all to do different things. In Gears Tactics, the skills fall into four different subclasses for each cl


Arguably one of the busiest studios on this list and likely a big reason why Microsoft made the decision to purchase it in the first place is Obsidian Entertainment. Following the launch of the Fallout inspired experience known as The Outer Worlds last year, the studio revealed the first of two planned expansions called Peril on Gorgon . In addition to a new planet and narrative, the trailer showed off new weapons and a level cap increase b


The first thing to be prepared for, in any turn-based tactics game and in Gears Of War villains Tactics specifically, is a lot of repositioning. At the heart of the game is the back and forth of risk and reward that is the flanking system. Getting around enemy cover allows for some juicy opportunity for clean hits and solid damage, so don't be afraid to burn a point or two rounding the field to get an angle on opponents. With that being said, it is equally important to have an exit strategy in mind. Flanking will often come at the cost of wading deeper into the enemy's front lines, meaning an elevated danger of getting swamped and flanked. Be prepared to get in and out in the same breath, or at least be braced to take some damage in exchange for dishing some out. Consider whether the cost is worth it: can you eliminate an enemy with a flank move? What kind of cover can you get behind to mitigate any coming swarming? The key takeaway here is be prepared to burn a point on manoeuvering. Do not get stubborn about planting and shooting - damage and suppression is appealing, but if the cost is losing strategic ground or getting surrounded, it will just not be worth the couple of extra shots staying in place affo


Gears Tactics automatically assigns which characters go in which order. But this is more of a suggestion than a steadfast rule. As long as it’s the player's turn, they can move and use action points for whichever character they w


If there is one aspect of Gears Tactics that is obviously better than the XCOM games, it’s the boss battles. XCOM doesn’t really have boss battles; there is a final engagement against stronger enemies than those normally encountered, but that’s not really a "boss battle". Occasionally, players in Gears Tactics will find themselves facing an enormous creature that towers over the battlefield. Defeating these gigantic boss creatures gives players an immediate sense of accomplishment that is sometimes lacking in the XCOM games. These boss battles also really help break up the monotony of fighting the same alien soldiers over and over – which is a problem from which the XCOM games suffer on occas