Gears Tactics, as already pointed out in ours review a few days ago, offers some interesting news in the world of turn-based strategy that make the title practically unique of its kind. The fact that it is based on a well-defined story line does not make it at all obvious and continuously proposes different approaches to the various missions.
Thanks to this guide we try to give you some useful tips to get to Ukkon, the alien scientist who gives life to the Locusts.
- Use the Lookout skill whenever possible
The Lookout skill that your men can use in Gears Tactics can be of great use if used correctly. By sacrificing one or more action points of your soldier you can make him cover a certain area of the map thanks to a visual cone which will be more or less wide depending on the weapon he is using. For example, soldiers equipped with Lancers or Retro Lancers will both provide excellent coverage cones even if the former will favor the accuracy of the shots while the latter will focus more on the amount of damage inflicted. Snipers, in turn, will have a greater firing range but the area they cover will be smaller.
Any enemy that moves within this cone of vision will be hit one or more times by interrupting the action they were taking. The more action points your men have left once in Lookout mode, the more they'll shoot enemies. You can then use this mode for different purposes such as to keep under control a precise point from which the enemies will arrive or to avoid ambushes by the enemies that will appear on the battlefield through the emergence holes.
- Execute enemies whenever possible
Enemies in Gears Tactics can be executed through the use of the skill Execution. Executing an enemy, as well as being very spectacular, will not give bonuses to the executor but will give all the other members of your team an extra action point. Using this skill in sequence will very often prove to be a winning weapon also capable of turning the tide of a battle. Be careful, however, because the Executions can also sometimes prove risky for the character who will perform them, often leaving him without cover and therefore vulnerable to attacks from other enemies.
- Bring allied soldiers back to life as soon as possible
When your soldiers' energy bar it will be reduced to a minimum they will kneel on the ground and be very vulnerable. The attacks of the enemies could kill them definitively with consequent failure of the mission even if, on some occasions where there will be no immediate danger, it will be more convenient to take care of the approaching enemies first. Running to an ally on the ground and reviving them will cost action points but it could prove fundamental in crowded situations where you will need all the active elements of your team. Remember, however, that if your soldier is shot down too many times, he can be definitively killed by enemies more quickly each time he is attacked.
- Use frag grenades
The fragmentation grenades usable in Gears Tactics have a not exactly immediate reload time but can inflict damage over a large area even to fearsome enemies such as Boomers and Kantus. Our advice is to use frag grenades on groups of enemies and to check before launch the point of impact and the amount of damage it will do. Calculating where to throw a grenade could also mean killing 3 or more enemies at the same time on some occasions so make your due considerations before using them. Same goes for the Stim grenades that will be able to restore some more health points to your wounded men.
- Beware of emergence holes
In some missions of Gears Tactics you will find yourself in front of the so-called emergence holes or craters on the ground that will suddenly open and from which waves of enemies will emerge. The opening of the chasm will first be reported and if you are close to it you can place a proximity grenade on it that will explode as soon as the Locusts jump out. To ensure that the emergence holes close once they are opened, you will have to throw a fragmentation grenade inside them.
- Learn to recognize the differences between various soldiers and their primary weapons
In Gears Tactics they are available 5 different classes of soldiers, each with its own primary weapon. It may seem obvious to remind you, for example, that a sniper weapon will be very different from that of an avant-garde but learning to know the potential of each primary weapon and therefore knowing how to assemble the right team of men to complete a mission will be of crucial. While snipers and supports will be the ones that give you more fire coverage over longer distances, the Vanguards or Scouts will fare better in close quarters. So always take into consideration the classes of your men and consequently the weapons they are equipped with.
- Watch out for ammo!
Finding yourself in the middle of a gunfight and suddenly running out of ammo could be the difference between a mission's success or failure. During the fighting then, always try to keep your men's weapons loaded before the next round begins. If some of your men run out of primary weapon ammunition during the game turn, you can always use grenades and guns that could, in some cases, save their life.
- Try to collect the Prize Crates scattered around the map
Each Gears Tactics game map will feature at least a couple of Prize funds scattered around that can be collected by your men. The Prize Crates contain various weapon and armor upgrades that can provide bonuses to your team members. Once you have identified the crates on the game map you will have to act accordingly and do everything possible to recover them by carefully planning the moves given the inevitable presence of the Locusts. The completion of secondary mission objectives may also reward you with Prize Crates so always try to complete them. The Reward Crates will not be of vital importance and if you find yourself in serious trouble with your men we recommend that you give up their recovery and focus on completing the mission.
- Take advantage of the new recruits
Between missions you will have the opportunity to hire your team new recruits even if their availability will not be permanent. Each of them will be available for recruitment only for a certain number of missions so always keep this in mind trying as much as possible to diversify the components of your roster that will still be fired at will.
- Optimize your Barracks to the fullest
In the menu dedicated to the Barracks you will have several things to take care of such as equip your men at best, personalize their appearance and that of their weapons, to recruit new units or spend the skill points earned inSkill Tree. The latter will be a phase of the game on which you will have to focus in order to make each of your men the perfect war machine for the various situations that you will then face.
- Choose your side missions carefully
To access some missions of the main storyline you will have to, in some cases, first participate in one or more side missions. Read their description carefully e the rewards that they will offer because very often, especially in the beginning, you will be tempted to choose only those that will give you Legendary or Epic rewards while our advice is to choose the most suitable missions based on the type of men you will have in your barracks. You will still have the opportunity to abandon the various secondary missions if the situation becomes irremediable and then try again with a different team composition or, in other cases, you can directly face the main mission even if you have not completed the secondary ones.
- Don't rely on Heroes alone
Gabe, Sid and Mikayla will be by far the best units on your team, so you will inevitably be tempted to take them everywhere with you, even in side missions. However, as you progress through the game, in some missions you will not be able to bring some of them and you will necessarily have to rely on the recruits. The support (Gabe's class) and the sniper (Mikayla's class) will be essential in almost all Gears Tactics missions so you need to make sure you have other units of the same class available in case the two heroes are not usable. We therefore recommend that you always have at least a couple of soldiers of the same class on your roster and maybe use them in secondary missions to earn them skill points and allow for adequate leveling.
Gears Tactics on PC delivers a challenge level adaptable to any type of player and we hope that, thanks to our advice, you will not find yourself unprepared for the fearsome Locusts who will try to hinder you in every way. The turn-based strategy of Splash Damage and The Coalition is able to give hours and hours of fun but also needs a good dose of patience to be able to better master all its features.
► Gears Tactics is a Strategy-Tactical game developed by Splash Damage and published by Black Tusk Studios for PC and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 28/04/2020
Gears Tactics is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 88%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Gears Tactics Review
