In this article I hope to shed some light on my best strategies for completing all 50 waves of horde mode…

One fore note, I have to say that before you start strategies on how to defeat hordes of Locusts, there is one thing you need to know: how to play the game.  I really suggest that before you try to defeat all 50 waves of horde mode you should play through the campaign once – twice if you haven’t played and beaten GoW 1.  Knowing what you should do is one thing, but you are going to have to be familiar with the weapons, how they fire, their range, and their strengths and weaknesses in order to be any asset to you team.  On top of that, it’s a definite that you should be familiar with the various enemies you may encounter before they are standing right in front you laughing while the rest of your team is lying on the ground crawling to you for help.

Please take note that succeeding and whooping a game’s butt is not necessarily the most fun you might have.  Sometimes it’s downright work and sucks the fun right out of playing.  On the other hand, sometimes it makes it so easy that it isn’t fun when the challenge is gone.  So as a disclaimer let me say that before you implement these strategies in the game, make sure you’ve played enough for enjoyment and are truly ready to knuckle down and just beat it for the achievement or whatever your personal motive for succeeding may be.(ie maybe the Locust kidnapped your wife or child on E-day.)

I would like to say that in a perfect situation you could get a group of 5 of your friends together in order to complete this mode.  This is the best strategy and will aid you remarkably; I would say that each person you have is another 15% added to your chance of success.(meaning that with only one of you, I’d generally give that 1 person a 15% chance to complete each wave, but with 5 that would give you a 75% chance to complete each wave.)  In my strategy I will assume you have accomplished this, and give you recommendations that include 5 players.  I encourage you to play even if you cannot get 5 players, as the experience should not be missed, however be prepared for a challenge unlike any other.  I would say as far as difficulty goes, you should play on “Insane” difficulty if you want to get the most challenge and enjoyment out of the game.(based on the average player, if you have 1-2 players you can do Casual or Normal, if you have 3-4 players you could get a challenge from Hardcore, and with 4-5 I would say only Insane can do the job.  If you are just achievement hunting feel free to go Casual all the way, as it does no matter what difficulty level you beat level 50 with.)   As far as challenge goes it doesn’t really start getting hard until in the 20’s.  The Locust get bonuses every 10 levels.  This means that they will have modifiers that allow them to take more damage, deal more damage, and have better accuracy; so the higher the level number the more crazy its going to get.

So the first strategy: “The Map.”  One of the things that can really help with this is making sure you choose a good map to play on.  When picking a level you obviously need some experience in the layout of the various multiplayer maps, so make sure that you play some of them to get acquainted as well as you can with as many of them as you can.  It is vital for you to know the map inside and out if you want to beat wave 50.  You want to pick an area that only has one entrance, has a lot of cover, has nearby ammo boxes, is some form of high ground(so you don’t become “fish in a barrel”) and preferably has stairs.  The reasons for this, if they are not obvious is because you will need to keep from being flanked or overrun, have a possibility of resupply in between waves ( I will explain the best method later,) and you want to make sure that you can shoot the Locust as easy as possible and prevent the opposite.  This can be impossible on some maps, so simply avoid them.  For example:  I tend to pick “Jacinto,”not only because it reminds me of my favorite planet, “Naboo,”  from “Star Wars: Galaxies,” but also because it has an almost perfect place for horde mode built right in.  There are two “towers” facing each other on this map.  I tend to choose the one that puts the helicopter on your left.  You could choose whichever, as the map is almost symmetrical.  This puts you in an area with high ground, with only one place the enemy can enter(which is also a staircase,) a good view, and lots of good cover.(not to mention an unlimited supply of grenades.)  One bonus feature is that this particular area has a back exit if things get too crazy, not that running wildly around the map with “Bloodmounts” chasing your squad is a very good tactical plan, but if you need it, its there.  Its usually good for the last one out to leave a grenade trap on the vault on his way out as well.  

Strategy Two:  “Don’t get frustrated or impatient.”  It’s going to be hard.  You are going to die.  Knowing that in advance and it can save you from becoming tagged as a jerk or a newb.  Don’t go running off into situations that you aren’t going to come back from.  As much as they hate you, your team will need another hot body to back them up from time to time.  Trying not to be greedy with ammo and knowing your “position” on the team can decide whether you win or lose.  Stay calm and talk to your teammates.  It really helps if everyone knows whats going on the best they can.  I tend to be role-playing a lot when I do horde mode, so there can be a lot of yelling and cursing, but I make sure everyone knows that in advance.  “Dizzy” is not a man soft on the ears or eyes for that matter.  If playing to win, taking a tip from special forces and staying calm and collected, and well informed is a matter of life and death.

Strategy Three:  “Play your position.”  I find it best if everyone has a job, that they know their job, and that it’s something they can do consistently well with.  If you have 5 players, here are my two favorite team set ups; we will call them “Tactical,” and “Up-close and Personal.”  I’m going to start out by saying that everyone should carry a lancer as a backup.  You might not agree with this, but it is the “Energy sword” of Gears of War.  It can kill any normal “Drone” based Locust or “Wretch” with one well-timed rev and should not be underestimated in any situation.   This is to be assumed in either team setup.  Also note that the weapon sets explained are hard to maintain continuously, but the more you play as a team of people with positions, the more ammo will be available for each specific team member.  Remember you will die and you will lose your weapon sometimes, sorry this is just part of life, tough it out.  “Tactical” is a good setup for a group that likes to sit back and be a little farther away from the action. It consists of a “Sniper”(equipped with a sniper rifle and magnum), a “Heavy Weapons”(equipped with a hammer of dawn or boomer gun, and a grinder gun or mortar), 2  players as “Soldier”(equipped with shotgun or flamethrower and ‘machine-gun pistol’, and a “Scout/Medic”(equipped with a torque bow and good supply of grenades.)  In this example, we will assume you are playing on “Jacinto,” and I will explain everyone’s “job.”  These are suggestion, it is always best to come up with your own positions based on the strength of your teammates and the circumstances you are dealing with.  Each of these five people has a specific job, and as long as each of you knows what position you are playing you will have plenty of ammo and can cover each other relatively well.  In this particular scenario the “scout/medic” has a lot to do.  This player’s sole job is to help teammates who are downed immediately, to set up grenade traps that warn other players of approaching Locust, and take note of what is incoming and alert the team.  I will explain in another section why it is so vital that he does his job well in this group.  The “sniper” probably has it the worst.  He’s going to be taking a lot of fire in the tower, so he needs to get revived a lot.  This isn’t necessarily the case, but be prepared.  This player is there to get one shot one kill; almost impossible on higher wave levels of higher difficulties.  I have seen snipers in this position get about 6 or 7 kills a minute if they are incapacitated.  This is probably a mark not easily beaten.  I suggest experienced and good snipers play this part.  The sniper is to take out as many of the “drones” and other bipedal non-”boomer” locusts as he can as fast as he can.  The “soldier” has an interesting part, which sounds easy until you try it yourself.  In this scenario they are to keep anything from coming up the stairs.  They usually take cover behind the fountain unless they have to fall back into the stairs.  They have weapons that slow enemies and make them stagger and if they work together they can down all the “tickers,” “bloodmounts,” and “wretches” that would otherwise overwhelm the team’s position.  Don’t be surprised if they burn through ungodly amounts of ammo; it’s part of their job.  The “Heavy Weapons” player should also be relatively skilled because his shot must count, like the sniper, his ammo will be scarce, and he will be under almost constant fire.  His massive damage dealing ability is super helpful to the team to take out all the slow moving “boomers,” “grinders,” “maulers,” and “butchers” at a distance, keeping the team from massively wasting their ammo on these behemoths.  He should also try to kill or dislodge enemies that have set roots behind impenetrable cover.  

“Up-close and Personal” requires more of a “seek and destroy” play style and consists of 2 “soldier” or “heavy weapons” players which are flanked buy a “sniper” or “medic” and are guarded by 2 players who have picked up shields.  Which brings us to the next strategy…

Strategy Four:  “Use the Shields…..Always.”  This is important above most other advice because a bunker is only as strong as its entrance.  One thing that can get out of hand very quickly is the inbound flow of Locusts.  Tactical use of the shields dropped by “maulers” can mean life or death.  First of all, they stop bullets.  Enemies shoot pretty much dead center mass when you are crouching behind a shield.  This means that when you have the shield deployed you can go toe to toe with “bloodmounts” and even a “grinder” on occasion. You can still be sniped, blown up, and hit with a flail, so keep that in mind.  They are one of the most powerful weapons you can use against the Locust.  What was that old saying, “the best offense is a good defense?”  It’s definitely true.  They provide another functionality; not only do they add another cool stomping animation, but they can also be used as deployable cover by sticking them upright in the ground.  Keep in mind that if they take a big enough explosion or are kicked by a “drone”-type they will fall down.  What does this mean other than that you no longer have to worry about them blowing holes in cement barriers?  It means that you can placed a row of them at the bottom of stair cases and in hallways and doorways to create a barrier that prevents many Locust from sneaking through.  Big guys get hung up on them and become easy targets, “bloodmounts” have a very hard time climbing over them, and if you place them close enough you can even hinder the “drone”-type’s progress.  Since weapons on the ground disappear between rounds make sure that you pick up as many of them as you can for replacement before you kill the last guy each  round.  

Strategy Five:  “Don’t kill the last guy.”  You may in your haste try to kill everyone with the same maniacal fury during each wave and be passing up a great opportunity.  The round is not over until all the locust in the wave are dead.  Basic math says that five vs. one should be no contest.  So what am I getting at?  It only takes one of you to hold the attention of a Locust warrior.  You can kite whatever it is around the map, practically indefinitely, while your buddies go get ammo, pick up shields, and exchange weapons and then have one of them do the same for you at the end of each round.  So by not killing the last enemy, or winging him by shooting him in the legs(as a last resort, since it buys you somewhere between 10 and 50 seconds based on the damage he’s taken,) the practically empty map becomes a candy store and all of you have a corporate AmEx card.  Know what I mean?  Of course, dead men do no shopping.

Strategy Six:  “Don’t be a tool…  Save your teammates.”  I don’t care if they blew up your grenade trap.  It doesn’t matter what weapon they beat you to.  Help them up when they are incapacitated.  Do it immediately, but without stupidity.  This means take your time, but speed it the hell up.  What it comes down to are a couple factors of which you should be forewarned.  First of all, basic math says that 5 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 = 0 and that means you have to start the wave from the beginning, probably on the other side of the map from your bunker, and with no weapons or shields other than the standard outfitting with a handful of ammo.  You can probably figure out how much this slows down you progression.  Secondly, it has to do with the A.I. In the game and how it plays the game.  

Strategy Seven:  “A.I. is still just dumb pre-scripted computer code.”  If you weren’t aware of this, then I am sorry, but there are not little “Reboot” people living in your Xbox 360 console.  The A.I. In most games is lousy, at least thats not the case here in GoW2.  A game wants to give you a challenge, but eventually be beaten.  Use this to your advantage.  First, listen for clues.  The Locusts yell loudly about what their next move s going to be.  If thats not a strategic advantage, then I don’t what what is.  Secondly they only really have a couple strategies.  One, which goes along with strategy six is that when a teammate or two is incapacitated, they tend to rush the remaining group.  Help people up quickly and you will instantly 20% more prepared to deal with this attack.  Secondly they attack in pulses.  They will hit hard then back off, then get ready to come in again.  Different units find you in what seems like attack groups, but I think it’s really just that enemies of the same speed get there at the same time to attack you.  Watching for these behavior patterns and listening for clues should give your group a good advantage over the average newb-squad.  

Impliment these strategies and you should have a better chance of completing wave 50.  Although getting you team to actually use the strategies you throw at them could be harder than playing horde mode on your own…  These are choices for you to make, just my best suggestions based on hours upon hours of playing horde mode.  Hopefully you have as much fun playing as I have.  Best of luck to you and your squad.  See you on Xbox Live…

This entry was posted by Andy on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 1:07 am and is filed under Guides, Video Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.