Beat the horde on Pavillion

A random group and I beat all 50 horde waves on pavillion last night.  We had to restart a lot of times, but eventually beat all 50 waves.  We had to use two strategies to make it through all 50 waves.

Our main strategy was to stay in the hallway where the ammo spawns (in front of the room where the shield spawns).  Every wave we grabbed the shield that spawned and placed it in the doorway at the end of the hallway.  At the end of every wave 2 or 3 players would reset the shields.  One or two players would run for grenades in the halls on the side of the map.  The last player would run for the mulcher in the gazebo.  We would all take turns grabbing the ammo box as soon as it spawned to make sure we all had max ammo at all times.

We shot over the shields on both ends of the hall to keep the horde back.  When the horde got past the shields we would all focus on the side that was breached, eventually falling back in the shield room and defending the small hallway to that room.

We were all beaten at wave 40 and restarted at that level.  We did not have any shields.  We kept trying to defend the shield room, but the bloodmounts were too fast and that room was too small to beat wave 40.  Finally we tried a different strategy which was to go to the lowest part of the map (down the stairs on either side of the gazebo).  From there we spread out so it was harder for the bloodmounts to take us all out.  There is a small corridor between the two sides on the lower part of the map where the mortar spawns. We made sure to grab the mortar whenever it was available and kept firing rounds at the stairs to the lower areas (whether we saw an enemy or not). If a bloodmount did make it to the lower area, we would run through the corridor to the other side and fire back through the corridor at the bloodmounts who had a harder time making it through the narrow corridor.

We had to try that strategy a few times before beating wave 40. Once we beat that wave, we went back to our original strategy of defending the hall and we were able to do that without much trouble once we have a few waves to get our shield defenses built back up.

Beating Bloodmounts without Shields

Lately I have played in a few games where we forgot to replant key shields or they get knocked down and the bloodmounts are able to come at us without anything to stop them – and we make it through the wave.  I think this is due to a new strategy we have started using.   I like to call it – “Let the newb die”. 

I must admit not everyone I was playing with knew about this strategy, but it has been working.  When a bloodmount attacks the newbs try to go toe-to-toe with the bloodmount.  This is bad for them, but good for you.  This allows the rest of the team to fall back.  Everyone needs to shoot at the bloodmount (in the head!  always in the head!) and ignore the rider until the bloodmount is dead.  The newb might get knocked down before you kill the bloodmount, but the bloodmount will usually leave that player and come after the rest of the team (at least in the earlier waves 10, 20, 30).  By that time the bloodmount is pretty much ready to die and only makes it a few steps before it is downed.  Right when the bloodmount is ready to die, or when it dies, the rider falls off and it stunned for a little bit.  Use this time to run up on the rider and saw him down.  This saves your ammo to use on the next bloodmount.  One person can be sawing down the rider while the others revive the downed teammate.  Since you can only go down three times before you die, you might have to take turns going toe-to-toe with the bloodmounts.

I only recommend this strategy if you don’t have shields.  Also make sure you have plenty of room to back away from the bloodmount.  This strategy doesn’t work well if you can only back up a couple steps.  You need to have plenty of distance between you, the newb and the bloodmount.  You also need a team that works together to bring down the bloodmount by shooting it in the head.  If the newb can stand in a doorway while fighting the bloodmount toe-to-toe it also prevents other enemies from making it past them so you only have to fight one at a time.

Why do the Kantus turn white?

The kantus turn white when they are reviving their teammates.  If you look around, you will see other teammates that are down coming back to life.  They will also be white.  Don’t waste your time shooting at the guys that are coming back to life, instead concentrate your fire at the kantus and call its position out to your teammates so you can take it out faster.  You don’t want to waste too much time re-killing the locust horde.  That is about as much fun as taking calculus twice (not that i’ve done that (lately)).

Gears of War 2 Overhead Maps and Spawn Points

These maps show where the weapons spawn on each map.  They also show the enemy spawn points on each map.  Very nice!

http://www.infektedmedia.com/gears_of_war_2_overhead_multiplayer_maps/gears_of_war_maps.php

Double Experience – Labor Day Weekend

I made it to wave 48 on Day One last night playing horde. It is a double experience event and every 10th wave is only Sires. It was pretty awesome. Too bad we couldn’t beat it all the way to wave 50 in one shot. We started over on wave 48 and made it to wave 50 without any trouble.

Our strategy was to have 4 guys below the regency stairs. They protected the stairway and had plenty of boomshields. I was above the regency balcony running the heavy weapons. I didn’t have to get ammo once during all 50 waves because I used the Hammer of Dawn and the mortar. I also used the Magnum and the Lancer which regenerate ammo every wave.

Every 10th wave was strictly sires. It was pretty easy to chainsaw them all down even on wave 50. I think those waves were the easiest waves. It was definitely fun.

More info on the Horde Labor Day Event.

Fighting a Kantus

A kantus in GOW2 can make the later waves very difficult to beat. A kantus can throw ink which can wear you down very fast and wipe out your entire group if you aren’t careful. Here are some strategies for beating a Kantus.
If you are going to snipe a kantus, always aim for the head (although in the later rounds, it can take still take multiple shots to the head to take them down).
The best time to snipe a kantus is when it is ready to throw ink. A well timed shot will stop them from throwing ink.   If they do throw ink, immediately run for cover somewhere else.  In the early rounds you can stick it out through an ink cloud without dying, but rounds over 30, you won’t be able to tough it out.  Where ever you take cover, expect to have to run from time to time because of ink, so pick a spot that leaves you options for running and taking cover.
A kantus can revive its downed friends so it is important to take them out before they can start reviving their buddies.  When they revive their horde friends, the enemy being revived briefly turns white and “rises” back to life.  If you look around, you will see the kantus bringing that enemy to life.
Yes, you can chainsaw a kantus.  Roadie run up behind a kantus that is preoccupied with someone else.  They may turn around and shout which will knock you down.  You can usually get back up before they are done shouting.  The second you get back up, run at them with the chainsaw flying and you can take them down.  If you don’t get up fast enough, they can knock you down again with another scream.  You have to be very careful to get up behind them when you are trying this.  Chainsawing from the front doesn’t work too good.
A kantus usually carries around a gorgon pistol which is my favorite handgun in the game.  It fires 5 shots every time you pull the trigger.  After you take out a kantus, you may be able to find one on the ground where it fell.
When a kantus is getting shot at, it usually won’t hold still long.  Firing a lancer at it will usually only let you get a few rounds into it before it does a diving roll after which it immediately stands again.  Fire at a kantus until it rolls and stop shooting.  Anticipate where it is going to stand up again and start shooting as soon as it starts standing up.
Always communicate with your teammates to call out the location of enemies, especially a kantus, and concentrate your fire on them one at a time until you take them out.
To spice up GOW2 challenge your teammates to tag a kantus with a grenade or chainsaw them.  Anybody can snipe a kantus, its takes a real gamer to saw em down.

Beating Bloodmounts

Here is the best strategy I have seen for beating bloodmounts…

- Do not count on sandbags or short walls to stop a bloodmount, they can jump over them.
- Bloodmounts cannot jump over a planted shield so make sure you have plenty of them.
- Always aim for the rider first. If he is dismounted he can kick your shield down to let the bloodmount through. Then your dead.
- Always aim for humanoid locust before shooting a bloodmount because they can knock down your shields.
- When your team is shooting, have everyone shoot at the same bloodmount rider and kill all the riders one by one before the bloodmounts themselves. The riders can shoot over your shields so take them out ASAP.
- Let tickers get next to bloodmounts before shooting them. Their explosion damages the bloodmounts (or any other enemy).
- Flame boomers cannot kick down a shield but flamers can. Shoot down flamers before they get to your shields, but let flame boomers get next to the shields by the bloodmounts before shooting their tanks. They explode like tickers once thier tank starts spewing fire.
- Holding shields a few steps behind shields planted in doorways is a good way of protecting yourself. Magnums and gorgons can take out the riders easily. People not holding shields can stand behind the shield holders with shotguns, lancers or hammerbursts to take out the riders.
- Once you take out a rider, leave the bloodmount until all other riders or humanoid type locusts are dead (assuming you have shields planted to keep them out).
- Bloodmounts only come out in waves 10, 20, 30, 40, 50.
- Make sure to get ammo at the end of wave 9, 19, 29, 39, 49.
- Never run for ammo in wave 10, 20, 30… you won’t make it back 90% of the time.
- Never run to save a teammate in wave 10, 20, 30… let them try to make it back to safety where you can revive them, otherwise you won’t make it back 90% of the time.
- Grenades, sniper rifles, mortars and the hammer of dawn are difficult to use against a bloodmount because they move so fast.
- Don’t waste ammo on bloodmounts when they are far away, let them come up to your shields before firing. You’ll need all of your ammo.