Gears of War 3 multiplayer weapons and maps guide

Gears of War 3 is upon us, and with it, the most polished and varied Gears multiplayer experience to date. So it only makes sense that this is the game you should get halfway decent at, right? Well, that’s where we come in. We’ve got analysis of the weapons, layouts of every map, and general tips on how to make online play less intimidating. Together we shall overcome our fears and rise up against the roly-poly shotty fiends that haunt our nightmares! Or, you know, learn to become one of them... 

Skip straight to the Maps Guide

Skip straight to the General Tips

Weapons

For reference, players have 600 hit points. Headshots do more damage than listed for certain weapons, but for others (like the Hammerburst & Retro Lancer) there is no bonus damage for headshots.

General Tips

- Weapons lose their bite at longer ranges. Sometimes it’s just not efficient to try to kill someone from across the map using only a Lancer. Either grab a longer range weapon, close the gap, or simply spot and move on to another enemy/objective. 

- Spotting is new to Gears 3. Click the left stick when your crosshairs are over an opponent and a marker will appear above their head for your whole team to see. You can only mark one opponent at a time, and the mark only lasts for a few seconds. Still, spotting is a very useful tactic that nets you exp (if the spotted opponent is killed) and helps your team, so you should learn to do it reflexively.

- At a certain point we get tired of telling people to work and move as a team during team multiplayer games, but it still has to be said. Going lone wolf in Gears is different than in first person shooters simply because the third person perspective allows players to see around walls and over cover, mostly negating stealthy movement. As a result, it is much easier for a group of two or three to lie in wait while that lone moron enemy dashes for some power weapon bait. Traveling as a team also increases the number of targets your opponent(s) have to engage at once, increasing your chance of individual survival.

- Cover is not quite as useful during multiplayer as it is in the campaign. It should be used more as a place to catch your breath and heal than a place to hold out. Enemies can easily see you when you’re in cover, and can even damage you with some precise shooting. Not to mention they may be waiting eagerly for you to pop your head up for a brief moment so they can remove it with a Longshot.

- Mantle kicking is when you hop over a piece of cover right into someone who is hunkered down on the other side. This action knocks the enemy away and stuns them for a couple of seconds, which is more than enough time to vaporize them with a shotgun or saw them in half with a Lancer.  

- Gnashers and Sawed-Offs play a crucial role in Gears multiplayer whether you like it or not. Even if you think the weapons are unbalanced and/or overpowered, you’ll need to learn how to use them and how to avoid them if you want to have consistent results in this game. Read the tips for each in our weapons section, then simply go out and practice until you feel comfortable using shotguns.

- If you still refuse to use shotguns, the Retro Lancer is your best bet for short-range combat. This weapon is incredibly powerful at this range.

- The best time to move on an enemy or enemies that are holding the high ground is when they are distracted by your teammates. Use this opportunity to flank from a side or back route.

- Know when to run, and how. Rolling around and snapping in and out of cover allows you to move way faster than a 300-pound dude in 100 pounds of armor should rightfully be able to, and will make you a very difficult target. Usually falling back to where your teammates are hanging out is good enough, as any pursuing enemies will have to deal with them while you catch your breath behind some cover.

 - Don’t forget about Tac/Com (left bumper). Not only does this show the location of your teammates, but it also tells you where the weapons spawn. Just know that this will not tell you if the weapons have been picked up yet, and you cannot fire while in this mode.

- Before rounding a corner it is better to turn the camera to take a look as opposed to snapping to cover. The latter would make you visible to any enemies approaching, ruining your chance at an ambush.

- Perfect active reloading is essential for high-level play. For most weapons, it increases the power of the reloaded bullets. At the very least it gets you ready for action much more quickly. Since the timing varies for each weapon, practice during the campaign or during quiet spells, even if that means just reloading a single round.  

- Don’t shrug off powerful handguns like the Boltok or the Gorgon SMG. While they’re definitely not as good as an assault rifle or shotgun, they are very useful for when you grab a downed enemy as a meat shield and have only one hand to spare.

- That brings us to meatshields. Grabbing a downed enemy by pressing x is such an effective yet underutilized technique. The meatshield renders you nearly invincible from the front (until the shield turns into sloppy hamburger), and if you can time things right, press up on the d-pad just before your shield disintegrates to slap a grenade onto your foe and kick him/her forward, further increasing the effectiveness of this concept.  

- Press B with a grenade equipped to tag it to a wall or the ground. This is a great way to set traps when you need to defend an area, or to catch someone off guard by hiding an explosive right underneath a power weapon. You can also tag chickens, essentially turning them into exploding roombas.

- A smoke grenade detonation will destroy any grenade traps nearby. It’s a good way to start an assault on a defensive position, even if you don’t know for sure if there’s a grenade trap or not. You can also simply shoot grenade traps if you can see them.  

Maps

Below you’ll find overhead views of each map that show spawn points and weapon locations. Weapons cycle every other round - the first map refers to the first round, and the second map refers to the second round. After the second round the weapons cycle back to round one and so on.

After a minute or two, the scoreboard hanging above the center of the map will lower and start dangling precariously. When it does, you can bring it down to earth by shooting the support cables. Do this only when you need to give your team some cover or when you can squish an enemy or two.

The balcony that holds the Mulcher/Mortar is one of the best places to control as a team. Just make sure to cover the stairs leading back inside as well as the paths that are blocked by rubble on either side. Enemies can’t hop over that rubble, but they can certainly shoot over it.

Always be careful when entering or exiting the concession stand area, using the camera to check for enemies. The stairs are a bad place to be caught with your pants down, since there is no cover nearby.

Stay away from the center of the field if you can help it. Yes there is a lot of cover here, but the map’s side paths allow enemies to sneak up behind you in a flash.

It’s a tough task since the line of sight is blocked, but you can chuck grenades from the barricaded sections along the side of the hill and light up enemies who are camping in the nest.

During the sandstorms, don’t be afraid to charge randomly with your Retro Lancer or walk around with your chainsaw up. You never know when you might run into that special someone.

Keep your eyes on the bunkers located at each side of the hill whenever you are going up or coming down. These bunkers are right near the spawn points and contain grenades, so players who’ve just died and are looking to pick up some grenades will have a clear shot at anyone on the hill.

Despite being in a very dangerous spot, the Mortar is valuable weapon in this map. If you manage to grab it, target the high-traffic paths leading from the spawn points to the center of the map. You can also clear the hill and/or nest if necessary. 

Checkout is a tight map, so short-range weapons like Retro Lancers and shotguns really dominate the action.

The checkout aisle area is where you’ll find either the Digger or the Longshot. Because of that, many players will make a rush for it. If you and your team can take over this area, use the long aisles as cover and hold out as long as possible. Controlling the Digger for long periods of time can turn the entire match in your favor!

Don’t be tempted into using the Mulcher in the exact same place where you find it unless you have a teammate or two to protect your flanks. You’re better off bringing it around to one of the entrances to the electronics section and catching enemies who are trying to come in.

Try hiding behind the tall shelves found at the spawn points. They’re usually safe areas, and you can catch people coming around the perimeter of the map if you’re patient.

The Boomshot/Digger spawn location in the alley is a highly contested area at the start of the match. We always enjoy mopping up the enemies around these power weapons as opposed to trying to pick the guns up ourselves. As the match continues, make sure to check this area often. If you’re working as a team, consider controlling this alley as long as possible.

The bell tower area that features the Torque Bow or Longshot is usually where intense shotgun battles take place. Since the large columns provide cover, you’re mostly safe from long range weapons, but you had better be ready to fire from the hip if you want to hang out in this area.

The grenades located at the center of the market are enticing, but be aware that this spot is open to fire from four different directions (players in the alley or bell tower areas can fire on you).

It’s a great idea to use the Scorchers to defend or attack the nearby alley.

The first thing you need to know about this map is that there’s a turret on the bridge! The second thing you need to know is that the turret kinda sucks. It has poor accuracy, is out in the open, and has multiple blind spots due to its lack of 360 degree mobility. The only effective use of this turret we found is in providing suppressive fire to disrupt an enemy charge on the steps.

The steps are where you and your team want to hold out. You have a good view of most of the map, and if you get swamped from both sides you can simply fall back up the steps and force your rushing opponents into a bottleneck.

The Hammer of Dawn spawns every other round near the "collapse" section of the map. It’s great for clearing the street. On the rounds where the Hammer doesn’t spawn, you’ll find the Mortar, which can serve a similar purpose.

The Boomshield is there for a reason. Don’t just leave it alone - use it to fortify your position on the stairs.

Hotel is nice and varied since you can fight both outside and inside. However, most of the action revolves around the struggle to control the indoors area, so don’t waste a lot of time on the street.

Be very careful entering and exiting the hotel through the front. This area is fairly wide open and can be very hard to escape if you’re in trouble.

Don’t forget about the Digger/Boomshot located on the street in front of the hotel’s main entrance. Like we mentioned, most of the action takes place inside, with many players rushing in after their spawns in a frantic effort to continue the battle. These weapons really come in handy when used indoors, so go grab ‘em!

The area where the Torque Bow/Longshot spawns is the sweetspot of this map. You can see all three entrances from this slightly raised area and there is decent cover, granted you aren’t hanging out here all alone. 

Sandbar is the biggest Gears multiplayer map ever. With lots of winding routes, it’s important to know where you’re going. There are several false paths that lead to dead ends or invisible walls. Study the map carefully to make sure you’re not running in the wrong direction. Also, try to learn quickly where you can and cannot step into the water. It’s not always clear, and a mistake during an escape could cost you your life.

If you find yourself at the overlook without a decent weapon and you have not yet been spotted, try to focus on helping your team by marking opponents instead of shooting them. Shooting will give you away and shorten your life expectancy, and from this distance you can’t do much damage with an assault rifle anyway.

The Longshots and the Digger/Boomshot are fairly close to the overlook. Try taking one of these weapons up there.

Even though it’s the low ground, the cargo ship is a great place to hold out with your team. There is lots of good cover, easily defendable entrances, and of course, the Hammer of Dawn/Oneshot spawns there. Just watch out for grenades and the Boomshot, as the area is small and can be cleared out with these weapons.

The Mortar, found on the balcony every other round, is especially valuable on this map given how much open space there is.

The sanctuary where the Digger/Boomshot spawns is one of the most easily defendable areas you’ll find on a Gears map with only two small entrances. You can shoot and even throw grenades through the front gate. Be wary on rounds where the Mortar spawns though, as the roof to the sanctuary is missing.

The foliage can make players hard to see in the middle of the map. Watch out for hiders just waiting to smear you with a shotgun.

Because it’s close to the spawn points, a lot of the action goes down right in front of the sanctuary. Try not to get goaded into fighting here, and instead make for the balcony or go inside the sanctuary.

The area with the Longshot is usually the most contested spot on the map, with one team trying to hold out the tiny area at the top of the stairs and the other team assaulting them from below.

If you are defending this area, we recommend sending one scout to either the Bank or the Restaurant (whichever is closer to the enemy spawn) that can mark approaching enemies and fire on enemies in cover that are trying to assault the Longshot position. Make sure this scout is good with the shotgun though, because eventually the opposing team will be onto this scheme and send someone to take out the scout.

Don’t forget about the grenades in the middle of the road just below the Longshot spawn. If you’re trying to assault the stairs, these will obviously be a big help.

If you are holding the Longshot spawn area, make sure to always plant any grenades you have at the bottom of the stairs.

Drydock is all about controlling the central high ground. If your team can hold out there, you’ll have a relatively clear view of the enemy as they try and make their way from the spawn points to your location. This strategy can turn Drydock into a nightmare for lone wolves.

Alternatively, to take over the high ground from an entrenched team, you’ll want to coordinate pincer attacks by flanking from different routes and ramps as opposed to assaulting one ramp. It will be harder for the enemy to defend themselves when you’re attacking from all sides.

The I-beams on both sides of the central bridge that run parallel to it can be climbed onto. This is a great way to sneak around to the other end of the bridge if the enemy has it locked down.

You can shoot through the central bridge’s floor grates. If you’re using something like the Lancer, not every bullet will go through, but still enough to distract enemies above/below you.  

Sept 27, 2011