GEARS OF WAR 2 - INSANE MODE GUIDE WRITTEN BY DIONISIOS KAKOLYRIS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS *SEARCH CODES* 1) INTRODUCTION *QWERTY1* 2) GENERAL TIPS *QWERTY2* 3) ENEMIES *QWERTY3* 4) GUIDE 4A) ACT 1 *QWERTY4* 4B) ACT 2 *QwERTY5* 4C) ACT 3 *QWERTY6* 4D) ACT 4 *QWERTY7* 4E) ACT 5 *QWERTY8* 5) LEGAL STUFF *QWERTY9* 6) CONTACT *QWERTY10* SECTION 1) INTRODUCTION *QWERTY1* Gears of War 2 is a fantastic game, but as you are probably already aware, can be very difficult on insane. During my first playthrough on insane, I had alot of difficulties in many different situations, and the lack of a good guide was really annoying, so I decided I would make one to help all those out there who need it. This is my first guide, so feel free to email me suggestions and or feedback. A few things to note: 1) I wrote this guide playing through the game single player, co op with a buddy will obviously make things easier. 2) If you're going strictly for the achievement and not the challenge, play co op with a buddy on an easier difficulty setting, this will make your playthrough MUCH easier. 3) This is not a strict walkthrough of the game; it assumes you have played through the campaign at least once so you know where to go and what to do. This is a more of a battle strategy guide for the tougher fights. 4) Active reloads will make your life much easier SECTION 2) GENERAL TIPS *QWERTY2* - Firstly, the weapons you will want to keep for the entire game (or as much of it as possible) are the lancer, the long shot and the gorgan pistol. The later 2 only show up in the second act of the game, so until then it doesn't really matter what weapons you choose. - Head shots are important, especially with the long shot, as most enemies will go down with one direct headshot. - Don't stay out of cover for more than a second or two while in the middle of a gun fight, you will more than likely die. SECTION 3) ENEMIES *QWERTY3* Drones - the most common enemy, easily taken down with a headshot, or a good few hits with the lancer. Tickers - annoying as hell, but easily taken out with a shot or two from the lancer. Try to take them out before they get close, otherwise you will quickly have to roll out of the way. Wretches - Easily taken down with a shotgun shell, a melee attack, a few shots from the lancer etc. When you're swarmed by these guys, the easiest thing to do is back away while shooting. Theron guards - tougher version of the drones, they usually carry torque bows which will one hit KO you if they hit. Stay in cover and blind fire with the lancer, after they have shot their arrow, jump up and head shot them with the long shot. Boomer - Big dudes with the boomshot. These guys are tough and take a whole bunch of hits, but it's quite easy to avoid their fire. You can use grenades if you have any spare. Grinder - Same big dudes as the boomers, but they carry a mulcher. If you stay out of cover for more than half a second these guys will destroy you. Blind fire, or use grenades. Boom shield Boomer - These guys will hide under their shield when fired upon, making them difficult to take out.Grenades work well, but may not always hit their target. When in cover, you can still shoot their feet, so take advantage of this. If there are not many other enemies in the area, you can back away while shooting. Reavers - These guys take around three full rounds from the lancer to take down. More often than not, they will approach you and try to crush you (which they are quite good at, by the way). The best way to take them down is to stay in cover while blind firing until they reach you, then to roll away just as the leg is aboout to come down, head back into the same cover position and repeat. Also note that the locust riding on the reaver will shoot you, so it's a good idea to take him out first. The gorgan pistol works nicely on these guys. Bloodmount - These guys are quick and take alot of damage, if they reach you, they will one hit kill you. The best way to take these down is to use the gorgan pistol. Suprisingly, it seems the most effective weapon against these guys. If these things get too close, it's probably game over. Take out the rider as well, to avoid cheap deaths. Also note shooting them in the head will stun them (very useful). Kantus - This guy apears several times throughout the game. He carries a gorgan pistol and so can be deadly at close range. The best way to take him out is to head shot him with the long shot. He's quick and moves alot, so try to take him down when he's reloading. Sires - Chainsaw. The little dudes inside the worm - Shoot them with your lancer, it only takes a few shots. SECTION 4) GUIDE *NOTE - Some sections are quite brief, as there is either not much to say about them, or they are really not very difficult. If you need any further descriptions, tips, or you have a better strategy, please email me ([email protected]) with gears 2 guide in the subject box. 4A) ACT 1 *QWERTY4* Chapter 1 - Welcome to Delta Skip the training. Chapter 2 - Desperation This level is very linear, when you're above the room with the locust, wait till they're near the barrels, then shoot. Follow the paths through the hospital, taking cover, shooting the enemies. If you're getting pounded, blind fire from cover. When you reach the courtyard, a reaver will drop down. Keep your distance and blind fire from cover, and he will fly away pretty quickly. Continue through the kitchen killing the drones. When you reach the room with stairs on your left, quickly run up them before the locust upstairs get a chance to shoot you. Continue on to a large room where Jack will have to rip the door. Two waves will come, but they are quite easy to take down. Just make sure you stay in cover, and get to appropriate cover for the second wave. The next battle on the street is a little tougher, the key is to keep your position near the doors till you and your squad has taken down the visible enemies. There will be a reaver here, but your chopper will take it down. Continue across the street through the building, take cover on the other side and take out the drones from this position. Slowly move up the street taking cover as necessary. Chapter 3 - Rolling Thunder You have to shoot down the incoming mortars, and you can only miss one. Use the shotgun if you're having trouble, it's easier to hit them. Use the Troika to take on the reaver. RB to cool when necessary. This part can be very annoying, but accuracy will get you through it. The next battle on the ground can be a litte tricky, theres ammo and grenades to the left. You want to use the grenades on the e holes if you can, however if you die trying, don't bother, just stay in cover and take out who you can. When they flank you to the right, you'll have to reposition yourself in cover, there is a piece of rock or whatever it is that is in an L position that will cover you from both sides, but it is quite close to the e holes. Alternatively, stay back as far as you can in cover, a fellow rig will come and help you out. When its clear, or close to it, roady run back to your rig. Chapter 4 - The Big Push You have two options, stay in cover and blind fire, or take the troika. If you take the troika, you have to be careful of locust who jump on to your rig. If your team mates don't take them down, they will kill you. I'd recommend taking the troika, as it will be alot easier to take out the driver when you need to. You need to man the troika in the next section, shoot the brumaks while making sure no graplers get on, or live long enough to do any damage. Chapter 5 - RoadBlocks Again this section is very linear, and you have to take on alot of tickers. They are quite simple to take down, the lancer should be your weapon of choice. If they get too close, roll out of the way. When you reach the next battle near the gas station, take cover quickly as there are two troikas in the area. The one directly in front of you should be your priority, along with the drones below. Note that the gas pumps can be destroyed so shoot them if the drones are near. When you've taken out all of those guys, cole will take out the second troika. The tunnel is not difficult, you just have to be very careful, and take it slow. A reaver will appear at the end, but luckily will just stand there. Stay in cover and blind fire. Take the rooftops. Use the mortar when you have to, keep an eye out as Jack opens the door. The next fight on the rooftop is not difficult, just stay in cover as usual. Pick up the mortar, and stay right next to the left wall (you should be quite close to the tunnel where the brumak comes from). When he's about to exit the tunnel you only need to tap the trigger to send off the mortar. Several of these should take it out. Note you may need to change your direction slightly as the brumak moves. The next fight can be a bit tricky, as theres alot of enemies shooting up at you. Man the troika to start with, take down as many drones as you can until you're prompted to shoot the mortar crew, which you should do quickly (they're on the right side of the battle field). After this your troika will get destroyed, so you should pick up a mortar, stand behind the ramp that leads to the troika, and fire away at around 100m, both slighly to the left and to the right. This should take out the boomers and deal with the reaver when it arrives. You may have to shoot a little further to hit the reaver. You should be fine, but occasionally a drone will grapple it's way up to your rig, watch out for this. SECTION 4B) ACT 2 *QWERTY5* Chapter 1 - Scattered Again this level is very linear, so you shouldn't have any problem making your way around. The first battle is not too tough, stay in cover, pop up only to shoot, if you're taking heavy fire, stay in cover and blind fire, the usual. When you reach Carmine, a much tougher battle will start. Use the usual strategy, however this time you will be taking alot more fire, so you will have to be much more careful. In addition watch for grenades, you will get pounded by several, and mid way through, a whole bunch of tickers will come. You need to shoot them before they reach you or it's game over. The next battle is quite similar, except you're on more level ground, meaning blind firing will be more useful. Tickers will come half way through, make them your priority. The last enemies will be boomers. You want to concentrate your fire on these guys one at a time, as they will one hit KO you if they hit you. You can take the boomshot for the next section if you like, but it's not a necesity. On the dark path there are alot of wretches. Keep your distance and take them out. If they get to close, back up and shoot with your lancer. Chapter 2 - Indigenous Creatures Follow the path, shoot the fruit. I'd suggest taking the left path. A fight will begin. If you kept the boomshot heres the place to use it, if not, you're going to need to take the drone manning the troika out first. The rest of the battle will go much smoother if you do. You can approach and take cover at the worm if you like, just be aware it can be tricky getting down there. After 10 or so drones go down climb the ladder. Watch for stray tickers along the path. The next battle is not too tough, if you have a grenade spare it may be worth trying to close the grub hole, if not, take them out as usual. You'll come across a long shot on the path, I'd very strongly recommend picking it up at this point. There will be half a dozen or so snipers and a troika on the right, you can take these down from a distance with the long shot or you can get closer by taking cover on the rockworm. There are some explosives that will... explode if you shoot them on the platform where the drones are. This will take out a good number of them. On the path upwards, you can see a patrol below, if you manage to take out five of them Marcus will get quite excited. Anyway, continue up, a tough battle awaits. Your first priority should be to take out the troikas (there are two), this should be much easier now that you have a long shot. Take out as many drones as you can from a distance, watch for incoming grenades. When they're all dead, quickly move around the cover towards your left. A reaver will jump up on the right hand side. Being your first real battle with a reaver, you may get killed a few times trying to take it out. The trick is to blind fire from in cover (aim for the rider first if possible) until the reaver is right on top of you. As it is about to stomp you, quickly move back wards (roll if necessary) and find a new cover point. This can be tricky esspecially if the rider is shooting at you. Note that the reaver also sends rockets of some kind in your direction. These will one hit KO you if they land anywhere near you, so cover is essential. if you're low on ammo after that fight, quickly find some, and pick up any grenades if you can, and take cover on the oposite side to the large door. Shortly after this the door will burst open and another battle begins. Grenades will be effective here against the boomers. Stay in cover, and if you can, move around to the left a little to avoid taking the boomers head on. Concentrate on taking them down first, and once they're dead the rest should be easy. The next battle is quite easy, as you approach the locust from behind. Take out the drone in the troika first, then the rest. You can then use either the troika or a mortar to assist the alpha team below. Chapter 3 - Disturbing Revelations The first battle here is not as difficult as it seems, the key is to take out the Kantus as quickly as possible, as when you do it will trigger another to come through the door in the middle, once the second is killed, the remaining locust will flea. Do watch for stray tickers during this section. It doesn't really matter which path you take, I took the left. If you go left, you need to shoot the red fruits, then take on around half a dozen wretches. Use your lancer and run backwards, rolling when necessary. After pulling the lever, Dom will take out the drone on the troika. Head down to start another fight. You want to stay in cover in front of the large rock, this way the drone on the troika can't hit you. Concentrate on the Kantus, he will lob poison grenades at you if you get too close, so be careful. He can be hard to hit from this distance, but try to take him down with the long shot. Once he's gone, take out the troika, then the remaining drones. A boomer will approach lastly, but his shots are easy to avoid if you've kept your distance. Chapter 4 - Sinking Feeling Bloodmounts! But we have a secret weapon, the gorgon pistol! Suprising as it is, this weapon is quite effective against the Bloodmounts and I'd recommend using it. Take cover though, as there are other enemies in the area as well. Concentrate your fire on the Bloodmount, and keep your distance as much as possible. Aim for the rider, if you can, that way if the Bloodmount gets too close to you you can roll out of the way without fear of getting shot. As you progress a second Bloodmount will approach. RUN BACK! You need distance or you will get destroyed! Some deal here, you just need to be careful as there will be plenty of other drones in the area. Once you take him down, slowly progress. Eventually Dom will scream Reaver! This is your cue to once again get as much distance as possible while keeping cover. This can be difficult, but is possible. There should be a mortar on the left (strangely it didn't always appear for me) but it can be very difficult to use against the reaver at such a close range. Either way you'll need to take him down. Once dead slowly progress, until Dom yells Snipers! If you roady run forward you can flank them for an easy kill. The next battle comes quickly, and you should take cover immediately. A reaver will quickly fly in, but if you're closer to the right side of the cover, he doesn't seem to approach, which makes for an easy kill. Take the rest of them out from a distance. As Marcus suggests, get back inside the building. As far as I'm aware, you don't have to make a number oof kills to trigger the scene with Cole, rather you have to last a certain amount of time. It's not very long so just stay in cover. Another reaver battle, you should know how to take them out by now, a Kantus will follow shortly after as well as some drones. You'll want to take the Kantus out first from a distance, use your long shot. Watch for stray tickers, and if you're too close, poison grenades. Once Kantus goes down the rest of the battle is simple. Chapter 5 - Captivity The first battle here isn't too difficult, but you'll want to take the boomer out before he gets close, those boomshots are deadly. The rest of the battle should be simple enough. Watch for the grinder, take him out when he'd reloading. Continue on, watch for the drones on top of the barge. Once the barge is moving stay in cover, the first troika wont be able to hit you. You'll need to move around and take cover on the oposite side of the second troika. When you stop, take the troika out first, then the remaining drones, and board the second barge. Not too much of a fight up ahead, take out the grinder before he can get close, then deal with the drones. Use your position to do as much damage to the Bloodmounts as you can before they loop around and approach. If you're accurate, you can take them both out before they get close to you, but again, this can be very difficult. If you're having trouble, try backing up as far as possible to get alot of distance between yourself and the Bloodmounts, this may make things a bit easier. Once they're dead, take out the Kantus, then the rest of the drones. Another Bloodmount to take on, as well as a grinder. Not a huge battle. The next battle has you take on a reaver, as well as a whole lot of drones. Thankfully, once you take care of the reaver, the rest is not too difficult. The key once again is to keep your distance and take as many locust out as possible from that position. To defend the extraction zone, you'll want to take cover in the upper right most area against a doorway (you should be facing the completely destroyed wall) the drones don't seem to be able to hit you from this position, and you simply have to wait it out. Chapter 6 - Intestinal Fortitude One of my personal favourite levels in the game, it also happens to be one of the easiest, so I'll be very brief. Roady run to avoid the digestive teeth. The little creepy dudes can easily be taken out with the lancer. Roady run to avoid the rubbish. Shoot the green things to avoid the acid. When you reach the final heart, clear the room of the little critters before going for the arteries. SECTION 4C) ACT 3 *QWERTY6* Chapter 1 - Dirty Little Secret When you hit the wretches, you have two options, retreat, and try to take them out from a distance, or simply try and shoot them down as quickly as possible. The first option worked better for me, but you'll have to be accurate to avoid them getting too close. The next section is quite simple, shoot as many wretches as you can, but if they get too close melee them. One hit should do. Chapter 2 - Origins The next few sections are very straight forward, just wretches and the security system to deal with, and the secuirty system will take out most of the wretches too. When you reach the section where you have to power down a whole bunch of security systems, choose the left path, its much easier. Chapter 3 - Rude Awakening Chainsaw. That is all. Seriously, there are alot of sires, but they come at you one at a time and they have no ranged attack, so use your chainsaw and you should be fine. The next battle has you up against flamethrower weilding locust. Deadly at short range, but useless at long range, so keep your distance. Shoot the tank on their back and they will run around for a few seconds and explode. Easy. There will be three of these guys, as well as some regular enemies, so be careful, and stay in cover for as much of the fight as possible. The cover on the left side of the room may prove useful if you're having problems with the flamethrowers. Continue on and you will continue the fight, however this time it is far easier, as the locusts will not be able to cross over and get close. Blind fire as necessary and take the rest of them out. Be carefull around the next few corridors, as there is a few more flamethrowers in addition to some regular drones. Again, remain in cover, and go for the tank of the flamethrowers first, then take out the remaining drones. The next battle is simple. Stay in cover and blind fire till the roof collapses, the razor hail will take out all the locust in the middle. Do be careful, there is a grinder in here. Kill the locust on the train. On the train ride you simply need to stay in cover and you wont get hit. When you get off the train you have two options. Take out the locust from a distant with your long shot, or flank them to the right. Either way, you'll need to be careful and stay in cover for much of the fight. When you approach the next fight you'll need to quickly run into the room and take cover otherwise you will get drilled from inside. Take the two guys out and unwind the first garage door. From this exact position, you can take out the locust on the left (there is an tank that will explode upon shooting) and long shot the guys on the right. When in cover here neither group can hit you. Once they're taken care of, continue past the second garage door. Unfortunately the next train ride is far less forgiving than the first and if you die, you will be taken back about three battles. Yes, very frustrating. The best way to survive this train trip is to take cover and move over to the right side of the train. This way the first boomer wont be able to hit you. A grinder however, will be on the oposite side of the tracks and will be waiting to destroy you, so you will have to quickly move while remaining in cover to avoid his fire. As soon as the train doors open run out. Be careful there will be locust on your right. You will need to run left and climb the ladder. A grub hole will open, if you have a grenade, plug it straight away. If not, take them out with your long shot from a distance. As you advance another e hole will open, but this one will be much tougher to plug with a grenade. If you do have any spare, you might consider keeping them for the next fight anyway. Distance and the long shot are your friends here, so take advantage of them both. As you procede, you will want to keep your distance as two maulers will appear. If you have some distance, use your long shot and take headshots on them both. If they get too close your only choice is to run backwards, but be careful of the hail. The next fight can be extremely tough. You'll have to deal with several reavers while Baird fixes your vehicle. It's key to take down the riders first, as if they're still alive when the reaver gets close you to, it's game over. Use the usual method for taking them down, use any spare grenades you have here. Chapter 4 - Ascention This chapter only has one difficult part, so I'll just give you some tips. You should always try to take out troikas first, for some reason they can take you down in a couple of seconds. Reavers should be your next priority, then groups of enemies and boomers. When you come to the entrance where you have to shoot the tower, be very careful, the troika will take you out within two seconds. This part can be very frustrating, but the best way I found was to reverse (yes!) down until you trigger the words "shoot the tower!" then quickly boost (A) back up the mountain and take cover. Slowly edge forward and hit the tower, it should have a few shots then it goes and letting you pass. Inside is straight forward, be careful when you reach the three corpsers, they will destroy your tank in one hit. The brumaks are not too tough to kill, but do try and avoid their rockets. Chapter 5 - Displacement Theron! They are basically upgraded drones with torque bows, which will one hit KO you so watch out. This guy is by himself though... The next battle is tough, you will have drones and therons in the first wave as well as a gunboat to deal with. While it is possible to take down the gunboat from a distance, it is tough due to the trokia and drones on board. Your best bet is to take out the closer threats first (long shot works the best) while taking cover when the gun ship comes close. Slowly move forwards when its clear. The second wave will see wretches, as well as more drones (maybe a theron) and a flamethrower. Take down the flamethrower first (hit his tank), then the theron. At this point you may be able to take down the locust on the gunboat. You'll know when they're all dead as they go crashing into the shore. Something to note here is that Dom is quite aggressive and will move forward alot, meaning that if he dies, you will have to run into the open to revive him. This will more than likely kill you, so be careful. The second battle here will throw two Kantus', a Bloodmount, and some drones at you. Also watch for stray tickers. Again, keep your distance, and go for the first Kantus (the Bloodmount seems to spawn as you move further along). Keep your distance, and remember to use the gorgan pistol on the Bloodmount if you're having trouble. As you approach the pier, another gun boat will come unloading more locust. Take cover as far back as possible and use your long shot to take them out (go for the grinder first). When you're on the raft, take cover on the appropriate side and blind fire. Theres not much else you can really do, and popping up will probably get you killed. Just before you have to jump across, you'll have to deal with a rather nasty flamethrower, but the theory is still the same, shoot his tank. In the next section you have to alternate which side you take cover on to avoid getting killed. Once again the best way to handle this situation is to stick to cover and not do anything silly. It's really not too hard. Chapter 6 - Breakish Waters The boss strategy will be the same as always, you will have to grenade it three times though. Good luck. SECTION 4D) ACT 4 *QWERTY7* Chapter 1 - Priorities First battle here is quite simple. You have to take out the drone trying to open the flud gates first, use the long shot, then take out the rest of them. The next battle has a few waves. Firstly, a mauler boomer and some wretches. The mauler should be your priority, but don't let the wretches get too close either. As you move forward you will trigger a troika, a theron, and a whole bunch of drones. I don't know what effect shooting the light has, other than perhaps making the enemies easier to see. Either way, take out the troika, then the theron, then the drones. The longshot will be most effective. Note some of the drones are snipers. Chapter 2 - Answers Try to avoid the patrol if you can. Once you reach Maria it's time for one of the toughest battles yet. Four waves. The first comes from straight on and consists of a Bloodmount and wretches. The difficult part is the fact that it doesn't take very long for the Bloodmount to reach you, and if it does it's a one hit kill. Gorgon pistol to the head of the Bloodmount is the best bet, as it will stun it giving you extra time. The second wave is identical, but comes from the left. This is a little trickier as the cover is not as good. Same tactics. The third wave again comes from in front of you, and consists of a grinder and some drones (and maybe a wretch). Take down the grinder before he gets close to you or its game over. You will then be flanked left again this time by a theron and some drones. Take the theron out first. Note that this battle can be extremely difficult and will require patience to get through. Chapter 3 - Hornets' Nest Take cover where you hit the checkpoint for the next battle, its the best place to get an advantage on your enemy. From here take down the two drones on the bridge, they will be your biggest threat. Long shot is the weapon of choice. Take down the theron in the tower next, then any other enemies left. Once they're down, slowly head forward and you will encounter another wave. This time they will come from the room down to the left, as well as the bridge above. Again, the best tactic is to keep your distance and take down who you can while keeping yourself in cover as much as possible. You'll know when theres no enemies left as you will be prompted to the switch in the tower. However, BEFORE you go and hit the switch, theres a nice little trick you can do to make the next fight much easier. Plant two grenades (press B to melee against a wall) the first on the wall right outside where the door opens (below the bridge, next to the tower) and the second and the foot of the stairs leading towards the tower. This will take out most of the enemies before they even reach you. This will probably kill the flamethrowers, but you may need to take out some therons. Do so from the top of the steps, or the bridge, your choice, just don't let them get close! The next battle has you against a Bloodmount and some drones. Gorgon the Bloodmount (in the head where possible) as he is your main threat. The rest of the enemies shouldn't be much of a problem. Watch for the single drone who tries to ambush you at the bottom. The next battle will be tough. You can pull the lever for extra cover, but be aware that if you do so a drone will try to take them down by pulling another lever on the upper right ledge. A reaver will soon attack. As usual, this thing is a pain in the arse to take down, but use the tried and true methods you've been using thus far and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Stay in cover and use the long shot on the rest of the enemies. Eventually two grinders will join the fight at the far doors. Take them out before they can get close. Next you'll have to take out some maulers. These guys don't have the boomsheilds though, so they are much easier to take down. Just make sure they don't get too close. Either lancer or gorgan them. Take cover at a nearby crate and you will have to take down a whole lot of other locust from this position, you can try to advance if you like, just be aware there are alot of enemies here so it will be difficult. Flamethrowers will advance on you quickly if you get too close, so take them out from a distance. More maulers. Watch for the flamethrower and the drones on the bridge above, they can be deadly. There are more drones across the way who will be asking for it. As long as you can take care of the flamethrower quickly this battle is not very hard. A small battle here, you'll have to take out a few drones in the circular cover in the middle of the area. Once they're gone, get prepared for the real fight. I'd recommend planting some grenades (like we did before) around where you entered the area, perhaps on the cover. Immediately after the checkpoint pull the lever to give yourself cover. Now you'll want to take out as many drones as quickly as possible to give yourself a chance when the reavers come. This is crucial to your survival. When the first reaver comes, you'll want to stay in cover closest to where the drones were and blind fire until he's about to stomp you. Quickly back away and take cover on the other side of the circle (so the camera is still facing the reaver). After the first one goes down take cover on the oposite side (this is why we had to take out the drones quickly) and repeat the process. If there are drones left on this side it is going to be very difficult to pull this off, this is why I suggest planting some grenades first. When the second reaver goes down, quickly run towards the far end (oposite side of where you entered) and take down the mortar before he gets a chance to kill you. This is a really tough battle and don't be suprised if you die many times trying. Good luck. The next part CAN be very difficult, but there is a nice little tactic you can use to make it very simple. Firstly take cover, don't bother with the lever. Using your long shot take out the mortar before he gets a chance to get one off. Take out the rest of the guys as usual. Immediately after they are all dead run straight and then to the right where the next cover stop is. Repeat the same process, take out the mortar, followed by the rest of the drones. Now when they're dead, slowly move forwards until you trigger the grindlifts, now run back quickly to the previous cover spot. The next mortar cannot reach you here, so you can take a bit more time. Still, you will want to take the mortar out quickly so you can concentrate on the grinders. I have tried many other ways but this one works like a charm. Also, you may want to take a mulcher for the next section. Chapter 4 - No Turning Back The mulcher will help you take down the reavers, but even if you don't have it, it's still possible to take them down with just your lancer. Do be aware though, that if you miss one, just one, you will die and have to repeat. This is annoying as its quite easy to miss them. The next battle has you taking on a Kantus and a bunch of drones. Take the Kantus down first as usual, and watch for tickers and poison grenades. When you have the choice, take the stairwell. Dom will kill practically all the enemies making this section quite easy. The only real way to take on the next battle is to move down to the right. There are alot of enemies, including boomers, a Kantus, drones, and plenty of tickers. The Kantus and boomers are your priority, and if you need, use some grenades to help quicken things up. Your squad mates do a good job here, so don't risk your life for nothing. Watch for tickers, they seem to spawn behind you sometimes. Grinders will come through at the bottom. Quickly find cover (the collumn on the left is probably the best) and take these guys out quickly. A stray drone will try and ambush you again. There seems to be a battle already raging, and since your squad mates will probably get down there before you, there wont be much left to do. You'll want to go around the big rock thing on your left and flank the boom shield guys, they will generally go for your squad if you do this, giving you a chance. If this doesn't work for you, try and take the other enemies on the platform out first (therons and drones) then keep your distance from the boomshielders and take them out. Chapter 5 - The Best Laid Plans There is a glitch in the next battle (where the drones appear in the windows) you can take advantage of. As soon as the battle starts, quickly run as far back the direction you came from, this will trigger the next checkpoint. Of course, if you want to do it the honest way, you're in for a tough battle, as they come from both sides! Either way. The next few sections are quite easy and linear, do watch for any Bloodmounts though. And be careful at the lift, there is a Kantus and a fancy looking drone (I'm not sure if these guys actually have a name). Take the left path, and take down the grinder from across the archway. Support the guys below, but don't risk your life entirely, they're quite capable. The staricase down is not very difficult, but you'll have to be careful as theres plenty of the fancy drones, as well as therons. Or maybe they're just fancy drones with torque bows, I'm really not sure. Either way when you reach the bottom you'll want to stay in cover at the door and take out as many locuts as you can with your long shot. Go for the Kantus first. Be careful as there is a theron on the right side of the room who likes to end your life right before the checkpoint. Chapter 6 - Royal Inquisition I chose left, as far as I'm aware theres not a huge difference. If you need to plant a grenade to help you take down the first boomshielder. I'd recommend picking his shield up and using the gorgon throughout this section. It makes things slower, but easier. There are lots of enemies, but nothing you haven't faced before. Just remember you can shoot the feet of the boomshielders when their shields are up. Watch for tickers and torque bows. An epic three wave fight here, the key is again to use your long shot to take them out from a distance. Most of the enemies (if not all) are the fancy drones. Theres not much else to say, except stay in cover and use the long shot where possible. After you get the checkpoint, take the time to go up the stairs on your right and grab the grenades. You will need them. The next battle is quite large and quite difficult. You'll want to get a grenade ready and lob it in when the doors open. If you're a good shot you can take out a few drones this way. You'll want to take out the torque bow weilding drone first (he is usually on the left). Stay in cover and blind fire. If you pop up here you will most certainly get killed. Move along in cover to your right and to the corner. The next wave of enemies come from this direction. Same tactics, but be careful as there might be some drones from the first wave left. The last wave comes from two doors at the same time. You'll need to position yourself on the corner inbetween the two doors to avoid getting surrounded. This battle is tough, but with some practise you will get it. The strategy against Skorge has not changed. Do be aware you will need to avoid lots of tickers, poison grenades, stalactites, and Skorge shooting at you. SECTION 4E) ACT 5 Chapter 1 - Escape Take out the anti air units first, then any other locust you can see. You can dodge with the left thumbstick. Assist the gears. This is not difficult, but go for the boomers first. You'll need to take down a brumak as well. The hydra battle can be annoying, but if you know what to do it shouldn't take you long. When he approaches and is shooting you, you must aim for his guns. When he approaches with his mouth open, aim for the orange thing inside. Try to avoid the rockets (left thumbstick) and you'll need to repeat. The next section has you up against a whole bunch of drones on reavers. However, this part is quite easy so I wont go into detail. When the hydra returns, you'll want too shoot it (obviously). When it latches on to your reaver, aim at the arm (or tentacle?) thats holding onto you. When it zooms out in front of you, you'll need to hit it with a few rockets. Use the left thumbstick to avoid any rockets it fires at you. After a few repeats, its done for. Chapter 2 - Desperate Stand You've got five gears in your squad now, so the next few battles should be pretty easy. Firstly, you'll need to take out a reaver. You should be able to kill it before it gets close. The landing platform is again not too difficult, take your time and stay in cover, use the longshot to take out as many locusts as possible. The second platform is much the same. Watch out for reavers! When you enter the car park you'll want to stay in cover for most of this battle. It's a long one, there are somewhere in the range of twenty enemies, including boomers and reavers, but you have the advantage as none of the enemies can get close to you. You'll get through this one with a bit of patience. The next section feels kinda broken. You need to take down 6 reavers, sometimes they will land making them easy targets, sometimes they wont. I'm not sure what governs this, or why it happens sometimes and not others. Either way, if they don't land, you're in for a very tough minute or so. You need to be quick and accurate, unfortunately there is not much else I can suggest. If you're desperate, get a buddy to play co op with you for this section. The next battle is big, but you are given a mulcher, a mortar and a spare long shot (downstairs) though you should already have one of those. Take out the smaller guys from a distance with your long shot (or the mulcher if you're feeling game). Pick up the mortar and position yourself behind a collumn so any rocket fire wont hit you. You can take out the rest of the locust from here (reavers, and two brumaks to end the fight). This battle is quite large, but again you have the advantage in your position, so it should not be too difficult. Chapter 3 - Free Parking Save your grenades! You will need them soon. The first fight of this chapter is tough. You'll want to stay in cover and take the snipers out with your longshot first. They are in the top windows of the building straight ahead. Once they're down the rest of the enemies should be much easier to deal with. Two flamethrowers and some more drones will spawn, quickly take them out (remember to hit their tanks). It doesn't really matter which way you go, but I went in the left door as Dom usually goes right. Make your way slowly through the corridors, watch for another flamethrower and some other drones, theres only a few of them so this shouldn't pose much of a problem. When you come to the large room, you'll want to take out the Kantus as quickly as you can, he usually hangs around the top of the stairs on the right. Watch for tickers here, they don't always come though, if you take out the Kantus quickly. When they're down, a grinder will burst through. Retreat, if you're quick enough the grinder wont actually see you and you can slowly take him out from behind cover (if you can't see him, you'll need to move closer). Note: Pick up the gorgon pistol the Kantus dropped if you don't already have one equiped. The next battle is, in my opinion, the toughest in the whole game. As you begin you'll need to quickly take cover on the left side. Use your long shot to take out the troika first, then concentrate on taking down the Kantus. Once he's dead, you'll have to worry about a whole bunch of drones and wretches. The key is to stay in cover, and take them out from a distance. Two mauler boomers will spawn, one from each side. When this happens you'll want to plant a grenade on each stairwell leading up to your position. If you can't take out the boomshielders before they reach you, the grenades will hopefully help. If they get past your grenades you will have to run, and this usually means suicide, you want to keep your position here. If you manage to take down both the boomshielders, two Bloodmounts will spawn and approach you at the same time. This is generally the part where you will die, as these guys are deadly, and two at once is extremely difficult to deal with. If you have any more grenades, plant them on the stairwells again, and use your gorgon on the Bloodmounts. Head shots will stun them giving you a little more time. Try not to get frustrated if you keep dying, take a break. This battle is difficult, and will probably take you many attempts. The battle on the street is not too hard compared to what you've just been through, but you'll still want to be careful. Flank left if it helps, this should give you a better angle on the enemies here. Use your long shot or lancer if they get close. I chose to go on the street, but you may like to go in the building instead. Either way, you can shoot the flammable tanks to give yourself a head start. Procede with caution, as a reaver will show up. You should know how to take these guys out by now, but still be careful. As you continue you will come to the hammer of dawn. Pick it up, but only use it on the bigger enemies (the reaver, the grinder and so on) as if you try and use it on the smaller enemies you will get destroyed. Chapter 4 - Tenuous Footing Now that you have the hammer of dawn you are practically indestructible! Well, not really, but it should make the rest of the game easy, so I wont go into too much detail. Take out the drones from a distance and use the crain to get across. Keep going, it's very linear and you shouldn't have any trouble with the rest of this chapter. Chapter 5 - Closure NOW you are practically indestructible, so enjoy! Yay! You've beaten Gears of War 2 on Insane! Congrats SECTION 5) LEGAL STUFF *QWERTY9* This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. If you wish to use my guide on another website, please ask me for permission first. Websites authorised to use this guide: GameFaqs.com SECTION 6) CONTACT *QWERTY10* If for whatever reason you want to contact me, please do so via email at [email protected] and put "gears 2 guide" in the subject box. Feel free to contact me if you need any other advice, tips, or if you have any other stategies for any part of the game.