The 10 Most Powerful Weapons In Gears Tactics Ranked

When it comes to tactical options on the battlefield, Gears Tactics is better than XCOM 2 . Both use the AP (action point) system. Soldiers basically have a set number of action points with which to perform actions. Moving a set distance, using a weapon, or activating a special ability typically cost one AP. Sometimes there are restrictions, like not being able to fire a heavy weapon after moving. Gears Tactics gives each soldier three APs, as opposed to XCOM ’s two. The overwatch action is also much, much better in Gears Tacti
Gears Tactics, as a prequel, doesn’t answer any of the questions Gears 5 left us with, but is still a tale worth exploring, whether it be for the new characters or the additional context the game provides to the universe. It will also provide many hours of gameplay. Gears Tactics will last players between 20-30 hours, depending on the difficulty. It's a lengthy campaign with an additional Veteran Mode available upon your first completion. Unfortunately, not all activities in Gears Tactics are created equally. That length is split between main and side missions. Main missions are by far the best with impeccable design that forces players to study the battlefield and make smart decisions. It’s here that the gameplay and design come together to create truly fantastic moments that rival the best encounters in the main series. Boss fights particularly stand out as moments that require players to balance positioning, ability usage and range to stay alive and claim victory. Gears Tactics is at its best when playing these missions.

Gears Tactics rewinds the clock twelve years before the events of Gears of War and centers around a new squad led by Lt. Col. Gabriel Diaz. Sera is overrun with Locust and the threat is only deepening thanks to Ukkon, the Locust scientist responsible for creating monstrosities like the Brumak and Corpser. Out of options and with little time left, Diaz must raise an army of COG and Stranded to track down and assassinate Ukkon before he unleashes new terrors.

Strategic options don’t stop on the battlefield. In addition to extensive skill trees per class, Gears Tactics features a comprehensive gear system. From weapon parts to armor pieces to grenades, there’s plenty of items to consider as you strive to build your squad. There’s even fun, non-gameplay affecting cosmetics such as changing your gunmetals, adding color or throwing on a pattern. While you can’t alter the main character’s looks, you’re free to change the looks and features of your other squad mates. Gears of War will always be known as a third-person shooter, but Splash Damage has perfectly adapted its mechanics to a tactics game. What you expect from a Gears game (chainsaw bayonets, bayonet charges, emergence holes, brutal finishers, etc.) is all here with few compromises. This is a Gears game, and it feels exactly right to play.


There are two ways of getting new soldiers in Gears Tactics : the recruitment pool, which will spawn randomized soldiers, and rescuing soldiers in missions. Soldiers in the recruitment pool are blank slates, so players can make them whatever class they want and give them the skills players want. Those rescued, however, are often pre-made charact


The release of Gears Tactics immediately caused gamers to begin comparing the two franchises in an attempt to declare one better than the other. Did Gears Tactics dethrone the king, or is the XCOM franchise still the best of the sci-fi squad-based, tactical/strategy ge

Gears Tactics’ structure crumbles around the side missions due to a lack of variety. The game features four types of side missions: Rescue, Sabotage, Scavenger Run and Control. In Rescue, you need to save two soldiers from torture pods. Sabotage sees the squad attack a Locust stronghold and destroy its Imulsion supply. Scavenger Run tasks players with grabbing equipment as Nemacyst bombings inch closer each turn. Finally, Control has the squad holding two positions to collect supplies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these types of objectives, but Gears Tactics overly relies on them to its detriment. It regularly sidelines its own story and main missions to task players with these side missions. It’s not bad until you realize that the SLG Game DLC interrupts the flow of the campaign after nearly every main mission and completely throw off the pacing of the entire game. One mission you could be laying a trap for Ukkon, and the next, rather than springing it, you must complete two side quests. In an effort to increase the length, Gears Tactics actively sabotages the pacing of its campaign. Considering the campaign makes up the entirety of the Gears Tactics experience, the amount of required side missions to continue the story is just too much.

The game also, surprisingly, doesn’t have much to do once the credits roll. Outside of Veteran Mode, which does tweak the formula with modifiers, there are no additional multiplayer or co-op modes to jump into. For a franchise that built itself on robust multiplayer and co-op options, Gears Tactics feels light on modes. While it may focus too much on side quests, it makes up for it with solid gameplay. Like a traditional tactics style game, Gears Tactics is played from a top-down perspective with players taking turns to maneuver around the map, attack and set up tactical positions. During your turn, each character gets three actions to move, take cover, fire on enemies, set up overwatch, use abilities or execute downed enemies.