Weapons

Gears of War 2 Guide

Weapons

SNUB PISTOL
This is the basic pistol you start off with. You'll begin each multiplayer match with one. Not particularly effective, but good for a quick switch to finish off an enemy rather than reloading your current weapon.

BOLTOK PISTOL
Essentially a magnum. The Boltok Pistol is more effective than the Snub Pistol that you are initially equipped with. Good for killing Wretches if you shoot from the hip. It's also quite easy to pull off a headshot with the Boltok Pistol.

GORGON PISTOL
A burst fire pistol effective at close to medium range. The kickback is somewhat cumbersome, so aim at the at the lower-portion of your target. Kantus use these.

LANCER ASSAULT RIFLE
Standard COG weaponry. The Lancer deals a decent amount of damage at close to medium range. The Lancer also features a chainsaw bayonet. To use the Lancer's chainsaw bayonet, hold down the B button to start the chainsaw. Get close enough to an enemy and if they don't notice you, they're in pieces. You're immune to damage while cutting through an enemy with the chainsaw, making it the perfect weapon to use against the melee-oriented Sires.

A new feature introduced in Gears of War 2 is the chainsaw duel, which is initiated when two characters equipped with Lancer Assault Rifles are facing each other and both press the B button in quick succession. Mash the B button during the duel and the faster tapper will come out on top.

HAMMERBURST
The Hammerburst works a bit differently than it did in Gears of War 1. Now instead of firing in short bursts, its rate of fire is determined by how fast RT is pulled. Not a bad weapon, but given the choice between a Hammerburst and a Lancer, choose the latter.

GNASHER SHOTGUN
The Gnasher is quite powerful at close range, but you'll more than likely want to drop it in favour of a more effective weapon when playing on any difficulty level higher than Normal. For the Gnasher to be truly effective you must be pretty close to your target. While Gears of War isn't really that type of shooter, the Gnasher can be a saviour in certain situations.

LONGSHOT SNIPER RIFLE
This is a truly awesome weapon. Once you get your hands on one, never let it go. To look through the Longshot's Scope use LT, and use the Right Thumbstick to zoom in and out.

The Longshot is noticeably less effective than its Gears of War 1 counterpart, however it is still a powerful weapon. A headshot still instantly kills most of the Drone-type enemies on the Hardcore difficulty setting, save for the Palace Guard.

FRAG GRENADE
The standard Frag Grenade returns in Gears of War 2 with a new proximity mode setting. You can stick a Frag Grenade on walls or other surfaces by equipping one and pressing the B button while facing a surface. When an enemy gets too close, the grenade will explode, hopefully netting you an easy kill.

Of course, the Frag Grenade can still be thrown. While readying a Frag, a visible arc shows the grenade's trajectory, making trying to use one effectively less of a guessing game. Instead of simply throwing this grenade, it is attached to a chain and swung and thrown.

Another feature introduced in Gears of War 2 is the “parting gift,” which can be particularly effective during multiplayer matches. When you're down but not out, select the Frag Grenade and press the B button to detonate yourself when an unwitting foe ventures too close.

SMOKE GRENADE
Only available in the multiplayer mode. Thrown in the same way as a Frag Grenade, but releases a cloud of smoke upon detonation. As with the Frag Grenade, Smoke Grenades can also be stuck to walls, acting like proximity mines.

The Smoke Grenade has been largely upgraded in Gears of War 2 in that it will now knock down characters caught in its blast. This feature can be used quite effectively, as a grounded character is left vulnerable to gunfire, chainsaws, and Frag Grenades.

INK GRENADE
A brand new addition to the game; the Ink Grenade is thrown just like a Frag or Smoke Grenade, but it emits a cloud of poisonous gas when it explodes. Ink Grenades can be stuck to walls and other surfaces, too.

Remaining in the poisonous cloud will lead to a quick death, so if one lands nearby you'll want to quickly clear the area. Kantus carry these.

HAMMER OF DAWN
The Hammer remains unchanged from its predecessor in Gears of War 1. You'll only come across this weapon once in the single-player campaign this time around.

To use this weapon, hold down the Left Trigger to aim and the laser will show you where the beam will strike. You cannot move around too much while the beam is charging or it will cancel. Once it is deployed, however, you are free to move the beam with the Right Thumbstick. This weapon is primarily used in the single player campaign for killing Seeders and Berserkers.

TORQUE BOW
The Torque Bow is used by Theron and some Palace Guards. The bolt sticks into flesh and on many surfaces and explodes a few seconds after impact.

To use the Torque Bow, hold the Right Trigger to charge the bolt, point the laser guide at a target, and release to fire. You can do charge a shot while behind cover, too. You have to hold RT for a long enough time because if you don't, the bolt will simply bounce off the target and not stick. You can't keep the bolt charged forever, either. If you hold down the RT button for too long, the Torque Bow will simply launch the bolt by itself.

BOOMSHOT
All in all, this weapon is not too impressive, even still in Gears of War 2. Splash damage is practically non-existent; nothing short of a straight-on shot will be effective. Your best bet would be to leave this weapon on the ground. The Torque Bow is a much better option.

SCORCHER FLAMETHROWER
This a devastating close-range weapon carried by Flamers and Flame Boomers. Though this is primarily a close-range weapon, it can be used effectively from behind cover to keep rushing enemies at bay. It can be blind-fired like other weapons, making it particularly useful when you're pinned down by enemy fire. Though it has a fairly limited range, achieving a perfect reload will greatly improve it.

MULCHER
This mini-gun is wielded by the Grinder class of Boomer. It is essentially a portable turret and can tear a target to pieces in a matter of seconds. As with the Chain Gun and Troika, the Mulcher eventually overheats when it's fired for an extended period of time. The bar in the top-right corner of the screen indicates the gun's temperature; it rises when the Mulcher fires, and lowers while it's inactive. Holding the RB button will quickly cool down the gun.

The Mulcher can be picked up without having to discard either of your weapons, and can be mounted on the ground or behind a piece of cover (hold LT while behind cover).

MORTAR
Like the Mulcher, the Mortar can be picked up without having to discard either of your weapons, and can be mounted on the ground or behind a piece of cover (hold LT while behind cover). This is a long-range weapon, useful for decimating large groups of enemies in the distance.

To use this weapon, point towards your target and hold RT to start it up. You'll notice a meter that rises as you hold RT. This meter indicates how far the mortar strike will travel. It goes up to 150m, and can be launched at as low as 25m. Occasionally, two white markers will appear on the meter; this indicates how far you must aim to clear your target. These markers don't always appear, so using the Mortar  can sometimes be a bit of a guessing game.

BOOM SHIELD
The Boom Shield essentially acts as a piece of deployable cover; it can be set down by pressing the A button while holding LT. The shield can be used to block off narrow stairways and other passages to prevent the big Locust (Bloodmounts, Boomers, etc.) from moving past it. The Drone-type enemies can kick the shield down, however, so setting it down won't keep you completely safe. While carrying the Boom Shield, you only have access to your pistol and melee attacks.

Maulers carry Boom Shields and use them to ward off gunfire, thus requiring a team effort to bring one down.