Emergency holes are subterranean pits that continuously spawn enemies until they are closed. However, the player typically has to wait for a wave of Locusts to emerge from these e-holes before they can seal

In addition to these universal options, players can effectively use skills to boost and stretch skill points. Each of the five classes have skills that add much-needed action points. For example, the Sniper's chain Shot skill will award the shooter AP for hits; the Support can use Empower to grant bonus points to a squad-mate get their own points for reviving a friend with the Encourage passive ability; and the Vanguard's Breach skill gives a point to any soldier canny enough to bring down a breached enemy. Spend some time exploring the skill trees to suss out what options will generate the most action points without costing on combat skills, and think about this when setting up team composition - it may be worth having a Support who, while not a damage dealer on their own, Dragon Age Origins replayability can keep every other soldier firing that bit longer with bonus AP. More points means more gunfire - keep the heat up and the battle is the player's to

The weakest part of Tactics is its mid-to-late-game objective variety. I’m looking at you, accursed side missions. Like many strategy games before it, Tactics ends up relying on the same few formulas for a good bit of its meat. This time around, you’ll be getting a whole lotta "hold these supply points," "rescue these two POWs," or "collect these loot crates before you get nemacyst'd in the face." Rinse and rep

The first thing to be prepared for, in any turn-based tactics game and in Gears Tactics specifically, is a lot of repositioning. At the heart of the game is the back and forth of risk and reward that is the flanking system. Getting around enemy cover allows for some juicy opportunity for clean hits and solid damage, so don't be afraid to burn a point or two rounding the field to get an angle on opponents. With that being said, it is equally important to have an exit strategy in mind. Flanking will often come at the cost of wading deeper into the enemy's front lines, meaning an elevated danger of getting swamped and flanked. Be prepared to get in and out in the same breath, or at least be braced to take some damage in exchange for dishing some out. Consider whether the cost is worth it: can you eliminate an enemy with a flank move? What kind of cover can you get behind to mitigate any coming swarming? The key takeaway here is be prepared to burn a point on manoeuvering. Do not get stubborn about planting and shooting - damage and suppression is appealing, but if the cost is losing strategic ground or getting surrounded, it will just not be worth the couple of extra shots staying in place affo

The Paladin skills more or less create a healer-tank of the Vanguard; picking up Rally, which effectively grants passive healing to squad mates for attacking, and Stand Together, a 10 meter revival burst that simultaneously grants a defensive buff, lets the Vanguard pitch in to the healing effort without cutting in on combat versatility. While effective in its own way, the Assault branch is a lot more situational than the other three, granting buffs to the Vanguard for damage received by both them and their squad ma

These missions often have specific parameters, such as a limit on the number of characters that can be deployed, or specific buffs for enemies like increased movement or damage. Also, Gears sent on one mission cannot be sent on anot

Every gun’s bullets can pass through enemies. However, the most effective guns are a heavy’s mulcher or a scout’s shotgun. Even if these guns miss their main target, they can still hit another enemy in range—and they can even hit an ally, if one is not care

Though there are many ways to play the Scout, the class is somewhat unique in how all four of its specialization trees contribute to the making of an expert ambush predator. The skills come together to emphasize speed and stealth, amplifying the cloak while offering a treasure trove of ways to put the hurt on the Locusts. Some particular standouts that can be immensely useful for top tier smash-and-dash approaches are Escape Route, Demolition expert, and Anticipation. Escape Route is ideal for finishing blows that would otherwise be high risk - having cloak pop immediately after executing a downed enemy makes for a scout who can make a dynamic hit with little risk of retaliation. Demolition expert is the trapper's choice, allowing the Scout to plant grenades and proximity mines while remaining hidden. Plant bombs, duck out of dodge, take shots, watch the fireworks - easy money. Using Anticipation can allow these skills, and as many others as the imagination will allow, to be used in fatal unity. Starting the round with five moves allows for some truly complex strategies to be enacted, shifting the challenge from limited resources to the limit of the player's creativity, which is, of course, a great place to be. It is also worthwhile to pick up Ambush and Free Cloak to boost the Cloak and Obfuscate to share its effects with the team. Never hurts to be invisible in a gunfi