Gears of War 2 Enemies: Strategy Guide

Gears of War 2 Enemies: Strategy Guide
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Face Your Enemies in Gears of War 2

The Locust Horde never seems to give up. Just when you thought you’d beat them in the original Gears of War, they rise again, bringing with them new types of foes to fight along with all of the original foes which were found in Gears of War 2.

This guide provides information one all of the enemies in Gears of War 2. If you’re finding a particular type of opponent very difficult to defeat you should find the tips in this guide helpful.

Drones

These basic opponents are the most common foe that you’ll find in Gears of War 2. They are (relatively) human-like. In most cases, Drones will follow a simple pop-shot-duck routine. In order to respond to this, you’ll need to become familiar with the most basic mechanic in Gears of War 2 - getting a bead on an enemy and killing it quickly so that you don’t take too much incoming fire.

Drones generally aren’t too intelligent in most encounters, but in encounters that take place in larger spaces they do try to flank you. Fighting drones in these situations requires a lot of caution and careful attention to the battlefield. Try to find cover which will protect you from fire coming in from multiple directions rather than just fire coming from in front of you.

Most Drones use Hammerburst and Lancers, but there are a few variants. The Grenadiers use grenades and are very dangerous in close quarters. Snipers, which are encountered occasionally, will attack at very long distances with sniper rifles. Bolters use Boltok Pistols and will charge you. The Cyclops has distinctive head armor and will try to use the chainsaw as much as possible in close quarters. Flamers use flamethrowers which are deadly in close quarters, but you can puncture their fuel tanks to make them explode and take out a whole group of drones. And finally we have Gunners, who made the mounted Troika gun emplacements. A well placed grenade can take care of them.

Wretch

The Wretch is a tiny, fast melee opponent. They are only dangerous when they attack in a swarm - so of course, you’ll find swarms of them many times in the game. Wretches are best killed with a short range weapon. The Gnasher is best, but you can also use pistols if you want to conserve ammo. Finally, Wretchs can be easily killed with melee attacks on most difficulty levels.

Ticker

The Ticker is an opponent which tries to explode in your face. They’re best dealt with at range using a fairly accurate weapon like the Lancer. If you can’t kill them at range, use a melee attack in order to knock them away. Do not chainsaw them or melee them while they are down, as they will explode and most likely kill you.

Boomer

Gears of War 2 Enemies

The Boomer is not a new enemy for Gears of War 2, but the Boomer does have some new variations. The normal Boomer still uses a Boomshot, still says Boom before attacking, and still will kill you with one shot on most difficulty levels, so take cover!

The Grinder uses a chaingun and has a square helmet. The Grinder isn’t going to kill you in one shot, but he is very though and can still kill you quickly. You’re usually best off dealing with him at long to medium range with heavy weapons.

Flamer Boomers are basically the same as Flamer Drones but bigger and tougher. Like the Flamer Drones they can be killed quickly if you manage to puncture the fuel tank on their back.

Maulers use a big flail which has an AOE attack and they also have a shield to protect them from gunfire. You can use grenades against them or you can spread out your squad in order to flank them. Just don’t get too close because getting hit with the flail means lights out.

Another melee Boomer is the Butcher. He has a big cleaver. These guys are actually pretty easy to deal with. Just pour fire into him and he will go down, and he is too slow to catch up to you.

Seeders

Seeders are a sort of artillery opponent. They fire Nemacysts, flying creatures which home in on you and explode when they make contact. These are fairly easy to counter with an accurate mid-range weapon and a steady trigger finger.

Kantus

Gears of War 2 Kantus

The Kantus is a lanky Locust opponent which acts as a sort of super-elite. He is very, very adapt at dodging your gunfire, moves quickly, and will generally just ruin your day. There isn’t really any trick to these guys. They are tough opponents, and you’ll need to focus your fire on them to take them down. If you have heavy weapons, now is a good time to use them.

Theron Guard

The old elite opponents from the original Gears of War, the Theron Guards are tougher than normal Drones, although in terms of their AI they act very similar. They try and pop-shoot-duck and flank you whenever possible. What you need to watch for with these guys are Torque Bows, because those will kill you in one shot if they hit. Of course, you can see when a Torque Bow is charging by the bright glow of the weapon. When you see this, move behind cover and wait until the bolt is fired, then pop back up and kill the Theron while it is vulnerable. You’ll also encounter Palace Guards, which are like Theron Guards but a bit tougher and with a larger variety of weapons.

Reavers

Gears of War 2 Reavers

These flying Locust were found a few times in the original Gears of War and are more common in the sequel. They usually carry Boomers and can now land on the ground and attack you with melee. Generally you should defeat these by first killing the Boomer in order to reduce the Reaver’s firepower and then kill the Reaver from the distance by shooting it in the head (of course!)

Brumaks

The massive Brumak is like a Locust tank. It has a massive gun which can put out significant firepower. In order to kill it your best bet is usually to destroy the gun first and then go for the head.

Corpsers

These insect-like Locust creatures are used to create tunnels for the Locust. You encountered them in the first Gears of War as well. They use their legs as a shield for their torso, which is their weak spot. Attacking their legs will cause them to eventually un-shield their torso, at which point you will have a brief chance to pour fire into the torso. Repeat these a few times and the Corpser will be no more.