Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Guide: How To Level Up Fast

It’s no secret that Gears of War 3 is the greatest game in the series to date, and with it comes a massive, highly competitive online mode. To compete effectively online, you need to level up fast, and we’re here to show you how it’s done.

Maximise Your XP

The first thing you need to know is that anything you do in Gears of War 3 – campaign, co-op, multiplayer, Horde, Beast mode and arcade – counts towards your online level. This is a great way for those who aren’t so good at deathmatch to level up and explore everything the online arena has to offer.

Across all of the modes, performing well in competitive multiplayer is by far the quickest way to progress, but nipping at its heels is arcade mode. So if you fancy playing through the campaign before hitting the online modes, you might want to play through the story in arcade instead.

Here, every headshot, execution, incapacitation and kill awards you with a score, which counts towards your levelling up. Not bad at all, and what’s better, is that you can also enjoy this mode in co-op for up to four players, meaning everyone can share in the spoils.

The Thrashball Trick

On the multiplayer map Thrashball, there is a sneaky little trick you can do to rack up massive kills. If you run over to the grenade spawn area, you’ll notice that the frags respawn much faster than players, so all you need to do is hunker down in that area, and tag the walls with frag grenades, creating an explosive proximity.

Any players coming into that zone will be fragged, and what’s more, you can repeat the process before they respawn and have a chance to get near you again. It works, but you have to ask yourself; can you live with the guilty conscience afterwards?

Expert Spotting

Another new feature of Gears of War 3 lets players ‘spot’ enemies across all modes. Simply hover over an enemy in the distance with your aiming reticule and click in the left stick. This places an icon over the enemy on the HUD, which all of your teammates can see.

If one of your squad kills the marked enemy before the icon disappears, you will get a share of the XP earned for the kill. It’s a neat tactic that players can use from a distance, so there’s simply no excuse not to spot people constantly.

Check back during Gears of War 3 release week, for our full Gears of War 3 multiplayer guide. Find out all of the multiplayer tips and secrets we’ve uncovered, as well as guides on weapons, Horde, Beast mode and more.