Ascension

Gears of War 2 Guide - Act 3: Gathering Storm

Chapter 4: Ascension

You're both driving the Centaur and manning the guns. Make sure you're familiar with the control scheme before proceeding.

Drive down the path until you reach the first gate. Stop moving forward a few feet from the gate and blast the Boomers and Drones out front, and then destroy the gate. There is a Troika mounted on the small building on the right side of this encampment, so zoom in by holding LT and take out the gunner. You'll also encounter a Reaver here, so blast it with the Centaur's cannon before it can fire any missiles off. Getting a perfect reload with the cannon allows for rapid fire and increased damage, allowing you to down Reavers in no time.

If the Centaur becomes damaged, stop moving forward and Baird will repair it. You'll know that the Centaur is in need of repair when fire is visible. Plow through the camp when the Reaver and Troika are out of the way and continue down the road. You'll come to another gate shortly. There's a Troika mounted at the left end of the archway here, so blast the gunner before he spots you.

Continue through the next archway and you'll then come to another outpost that contains a Reaver, a couple of Boomers, and another Troika gun emplacement on the building to the right. Don't just barrel through the outpost;  stay just outside of the entrance and try to blast the Troika and Reaver from there. The Centaur can't sustain a whole lot of damage, especially from Troikas, so you definitely have to take it slow here.

When the way is clear, head through the next archway and about midway down this road, press and hold the A button to activate the turbo and hit the ramp. The next obstacle in your path is a frozen lake. Nemacyst will blast holes in the ice as you cross, so don't just speed to the other side. Drive slowly and steer clear of the holes in the ice as they appear. You'll be greeted by a pair of Reavers when you make it to the other side. The next frozen lake is a bit more treacherous than the last. Make sure that you've taken care of the two Reavers before continuing on to the ice.

This section requires even greater caution. When you spot the Reaver in the distance, stop where you are and kill it before proceeding. If there are still Reavers in the area firing at you, stop what you're doing, determine where the missiles are coming from, and take them out. When you reach the end of the frozen lake, allow Baird to repair the Centaur before moving on.

Blast the Boomers by the outpost up ahead and then drive over the ramp and through the next archway. Continue driving through the next few archways, blasting the Reavers and Boomers in your path, and stop at the archway before the next outpost. Take out the Troika gunner on the smaller building to the right before moving on. You'll meet a couple more Reavers further down the road.

Slow down after reaching the checkpoint. There are a couple of Seeders on the ridge in the distance. They fire Nemacyst which can severely damage the Centaur, so you'll want to keep your distance. Look for a short, round boulder along the left side of the road and position yourself there. Here you'll have a clear view of the Seeders on the ridge, while remaining out of their range. Blast the two Seeders until they fall from the ridge, and then continue down the road.

Position yourself here.

Seeders

You'll meet a pair of Reavers through the next archway, so slow down and blast them before moving on. When you come to the bombed out bridge, drive off to the right of it to spot a natural ramp. Back up to the building across from the ramp, then hold the A button to activate turbo boost and hit the ramp to cross the chasm.

Continue up the slope and three Reavers will appear to block your path. Take them out from afar and then continue down the road to reach the final stretch. Remain on the ridge overlooking the final outpost and blast the Reaver and Boomers below. A Reaver and some Drones will likely be coming up from the slope leading down to the outpost..

There's only one Troika here, which is on the roof below the tower on the left end of the gate, but that's not the major obstacle here. As you go down the slope towards the outpost, you'll start being hit by machine gun fire and missiles from the tower and adjacent building. Unfortunately the only way to silence this fire is to bring the tower down, and doing so is a pain on any difficulty higher than Normal. Furthermore, the tower can only be damaged after Baird yells “Dom, hit the tower!” at which point you'll begin to be hit by gunfire.

Before starting down the slope, first make sure there that are no Reavers or Drones left in the area. When you're ready, slowly descend until you hear Baird yell, and then quickly reverse back up the slope and out of range of the gunfire from the tower. Wait for the Centaur to be repaired and ready a full perfect reload with the cannon. With Centaur fully repaired, move ahead just enough to see the tower, and then blast its base until it falls. Afterwards, proceed down the slope and through the gate to reach the next checkpoint.

Make your way through the cave and you'll eventually hit a ramp, after which the Centaur breaks down momentarily. Once power is restored to the vehicle, you'll be faced with three Corpsers. All you have to do is blast each one when it raises its claws. First the one on the right will raise its claws, then the one in the middle, and finally the one on the left. The Centaur will be crushed if one of the Corpsers manages to bring its claws down, so you mustS act fast.

Continue off to the right once the Corpsers have been dealt with and you'll soon meet three Brumaks. Keep your distance and try to dodge any missiles they send your way. Bring down the three Brumaks to complete the chapter.