Don’t be afraid to use special weapons
When you come across the infrequent Dropshot or Torque Bow, temptation may cause you to hang on to that weapon without ever actually using it. However, in Gears of War 4, you shouldn’t be afraid to use those special weapons whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Enemies can soak up a lot of bullets, especially on higher difficulties. Using rare weaponry like the Tri-Shot, Salvo Rocket Launcher, Boomshot, or Buzzkill can make short work of certain enemy types, and can really help you out of a nasty situation.
Since you’ve likely played through the campaign on a lower difficulty before replaying it on Insane, you’ll know where some tougher enemies or small bosses may spawn. Use this knowledge to spare your ammo a bit ahead of time, but don’t necessarily cling onto a weapon specifically for a boss fight. There’s plenty of ammo pick-ups along the way, so use whatever weapon you have at your disposal whenever you feel the need to do so.
Do take note that you shouldn’t waste ammo, however. Blindfiring a Mulcher may make you look like a total badass, but don’t hesitate to pop into cover to score some steady, precise hits. You’re better off using ammunition thoughtfully rather than wasting it all on potential hits, or clinging to it for when the ideal situation arises.
Hit those perfect active reloads
In most shooters, reload animations are set. Returning in Gears of War 4 is the Active Reload mechanic, which lets you reload any type of gun faster by hitting the reload button a second time, timing it when it lands somewhere within the gray area of the reload bar.
Some may trigger Active Reloads automatically, whereas others rarely tend to use it. Whatever the case may be, there’s no denying that Active Reloads can save you some valuable time, giving you an advantage towards the enemy. However, when you hit the small white box on the reload bar, you’re granted a Perfect Active Reload, which provides bonus damage for the portion of the clip you reloaded.
What we’d recommend doing is attempting to hit that Perfect Active Reload upon emptying every clip. That way, you get more bullets that grant you additional damage, as well as seriously speeding up the reload animation. This will not only conserve you ammo in the long run, but it’ll also guarantee you deal the highest possible damage with any type of weapon.
Scavenge enemy weapons…
When situations get a bit feverish, you can blast through ammo surprisingly fast. The best way to stock up on ammo would be to pick up some ammo boxes along the way, but those can be few and far between. Don’t get stuck with your gun going click, but rather prepare yourself for the endless fight by scavenging enemy weapons.
This has two benefits. Obviously, the first one is that there’s a steady stream of ammunition laying around for you on the battlefield. Every time you kill a DeeBee Sheperd, for example, their Enforcers will be dropped, allowing you to pick it up to use it yourself or scavenge the ammo it drops.
The second benefit is that you become experienced with a wider variety of weapons, which will increase your overall skill level in Gears of War 4. If you constantly rely on your basic weapons to make it through the story, you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to experiment with a vast amount of different arms. Each weapon supports a different playstyle, so don’t hesitate to see what tool of gory destruction suits you best.
Do take note that grenades also fall under this category. Ranging from the standard frag to the incendiaries, each grenade has its own effect, and they’re frequently dropped by a variety of enemy types. Grenades can be used to set up defenses, take out large groups of enemies, and can even be stuck to enemies by melee attacking them with the grenade equipped. You might want to take a few steps back if that’s the case, because friendly fire is most definitely enabled.
… But hold on to a (Retro) Lancer
Switching out guns is great, but try to stick to either the original Lancer or the Retro Lancer in one of your two available weapon slots. Your Gnasher shotgun may be powerful, but it can more easily be swapped out for a pretty common Overkill. The Lancer and Retro Lancer have abilities of their own, which makes them incredibly useful in fights and pretty rare to come by in combat.
The standard Lancer has a chainsaw that can be revved up and slice an enemy in half. This conserves ammo and quickly takes out an enemy, whereas the Retro Lancer’s bayonnet lets you charge across the battlefield and impale the opposition.
The best thing? These abilities require no ammo. Even if you’re all out of bullets, you can rely on the undermounted attachment to get some killing done for you. Besides, there’s still one weapon slot you can switch out, so make sure to apply tip #3 for at least one primary weapon. Make sure to diversify your weapons, soldier!
Another major bonus is that these Lancer variants remain effective at any range. The Hammerburst is also a valid alternative for mid-ranged combat, but do remember that this three-round burst rifle can make you run through your ammo at an unexpected pace, as well as providing no passive abilities like the chainsaw or bayonnet.
Stick to cover
This is quite an obvious one. Sticking to cover prevents you from taking enemy fire while allowing you to seemlessly pop out your head and pump some lead into the opposition, all without running the risk of getting gibbed in the process.
With its trademark cover mechanics having received some neat upgrades and additions, Gears of War 4 makes it easier and more fluid to utilize cover. You can now hop over waist-high cover while running or sliding towards it, keeping your momentum high which in turn makes it harder for enemies to hit you. Destructible cover is also a thing, so check your surroundings and deduct how your positioning can be most fruitful.
Kicking an enemy in the kisser while vaulting, or yanking one over by pressing the action button when they’re directly across from the cover in question also leaves them open to brutal combat knife takedowns. These are basically one-hit kills that require a few seconds to execute, but they conserve some ammo and simply look vicious. When you’re not under heavy fire, a combat knife takedown can also be a valid way to save some bullets and make quick work of enemies.
While in cover, be careful when vaulting or reaching over. Failed attempts will leave you exposed, and while it’s rather uncommon, the enemy can counter this move, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Practice in Horde 3.0 and Versus
Usually, it’s the other way around. Playing through the campaign to get familiar with the game’s general mechanics and features comes highly recommended, but when attempting to beat the story on higher difficulties, Horde 3.0 and Versus allow you to explore different playstyles with varying paces.
Versus tests your mettle by facing off against other players, which delivers a challenge unlike anything else Gears of War 4 presents. Skilled series veterans can easily annihilate enemy opposition, quickly sliding between cover to close the distance, confuse you, and ultimately finish you off with a Gnasher shot to the lips or chainsawing their way through your body. This grants you insight into what techniques may work against computer-controlled enemies as well, which will most certainly come in handy.
Horde 3.0, on the other hand, mostly relies on cooperation and careful management if you want to reach the end of wave 50. Every 10th round, a boss wave presents itself, and a modifier gets activated that doubles the enemy’s health, increases their accuracy or boosts the damage you take. This will force you to readjust your strategy, as well as encourage you to make better use of your ammo and coordinate better with your partners.
If the story proves too challenging, don’t be afraid to take a breather with Versus or Horde 3.0. The more linear mission structure can get a tad frustrating when you’re forced to constantly reload a certain checkpoint, so changing up the pace, the premise, and even the overal scenery can be benefitial.
Grab a friend
It’s likely the most obvious advice we can give you, but playing Gears of War 4 with a buddy is pretty much a must if you wish to beat the campaign on Insane difficulty.
Friendly AI can be rather effective in reviving you or providing suppressing fire, but when you’re blown to bits, it’s hard to get you up and running again. Player-controlled teammates can mark enemies, cover more advanced tactics, warn you for incoming hostiles, and the list goes on.
What’s important when looking for a co-op partner is that you’re both on the same page when trying to tackle a challenge as grand as this one. Some may think Insane difficulty is a breeze, but the punishing AI and overall tough enemy types can turn Gears of War 4 from a fun shooter into a die-hard, time-consuming experience.
Don’t have any friends to play Gears with? No worries! You can always play some Horde 3.0 or Versus and send players a friend request when they show potential. The Gears of War community is largely coherent, so it shouldn’t take you long to find a partner.
Another option to look for co-op buddies is by scouting the forums. Tons of Gears fanatics head over there to look for some friendly competition or for a partner, which makes it a great meet-up for a variety of players.
Feel free to leave your gamertag in the comment section of this post, too! We’re certain there will be a few players interested in teaming up with you to take on the ultimate Gears of War 4 challenge.
About the author
