Guide for Gears of War 2

Horde is new to the Gears of War franchise. You’ll be stuck in a map of your choice as you battle against wave after wave of the Locust horde. Each wave will consist of a certain amount of enemies which you have to defeat to advance to the next wave. As each wave progresses the horde will get larger and stronger. You’ll have a total number of 50 waves to try and conquer. At waves 10, 20, 30 and 40 the horde will gain a multiplier to their stats (health, accuracy and damage), dependant on which wave you’re currently at. For example, wave 10 will see the horde’s stats boosted to x2 their normal stats, wave 20 sees them incurring a x3 multiplier etc. etc. If you grab a couple of friends it makes for a stimulating, yet fun, experience.

What I found to be the easiest map to get to wave 50 on, for the 2 achievements below, is “Security” because you have the help of the lasers on this level. It is more than possible to do solo, but I would recommend grabbing a buddy or two to make things that little bit easier.

The method: First thing you’ll need to do is set yourself up in between the lasers in the middle of the map, so go and shut down the lasers (in the building, on the balcony) and then run as quickly as you can, back outside and towards where the lasers were. You’ll know you’re in the correct place because there will be a bank of sandbags with either a Mortar or a Mulcher in amongst them. This is the place you’ll be staying for the majority of the game. The lasers should eventually activate which will trap you in this area. What this does is protect you from the assault of the horde, which is particularly useful as you won’t have any enemies within melee range. The horde does have the ability to shut off the lasers, so just be wary when they do. If you can grab a Boomshield that’ll make life even easier as you can use them to block the left and right entrances when the lasers get shut off. Just stick the shields into the ground. Sometimes the horde will even run into the lasers themselves, making this a little easier. If you find yourself running out of ammo, you can always duck out in between waves to gather more. There is a button in this area which will deactivate the lasers, but use this carefully as you’ll be susceptible to an attack. This does take a good couple of hours to complete if done correctly. If you die you can just restart from the current wave, or if you don’t want to do this in one go you can always come back to it at a later date, just make sure you keep an eye on which wave number you've got to.

Flashback Map Pack DLC

You’ll now need to complete a horde game up to wave 10 on each of the flashback maps. This can easily be done solo, although again, it’s probably much easier with a friend or two. It shouldn't be too difficult, just make sure to take your time and take advantage of the cover system, especially when the Bloodmounts arrive on wave 10. The maps you need to complete are:

Canals
Gridlock
Mansion
Subway
Tyro Station

Combustible Map Pack DLC

You’ll need to complete the Flood, Fuel Station and Gold Rush maps up to wave 10 on each of them to net you:

Snowblind Map Pack DLC

Now you'll need to complete the following maps up to wave 10 using the same method as you did for the "Skeletons in your Closet" above.

Courtyard
Fuel Depot
Grind Yard
Under Hill

Now you'll want to tackle another time consuming Horde achievement. You need to complete all 50 waves on any Snowblind Map. The easier method for this is playing on the map Under Hill. In the centre of the map, in the building, is a room with a car and a Scorcher in. It has a small entrance that can be accessed by going through the building on either side. You can also access it through the metal door that opens upwards. There are 2 buttons for this door, on the outside it is right beside it and on the inside there is a control panel to the left as you look at the door. This is the room where you’ll be spending the majority, if not all, of your time. The good thing about this room is that once you have the correct setup, the horde cannot enter. Opposite the entrance to this room, but still in the main building, is a Boomshield. Pick this up and erect it in the entrance to your room, obviously make sure you’re in the room before you plant it. There you have it. The entrance is now blocked. Only the humanoid horde can kick down your shield (Drones, Grenadiers, Snipers etc.) so if you see them lurking around near your shield, concentrate your fire on them. If you see a Mauler, try and get his shield too. The more shields you have planted by the entrance, the better your defence will be. Just remember that the shield will disappear at the end of each wave, so make sure you pick them before the current wave ends and re-plant it at the beginning of the next wave.

Dark Corners Map Pack DLC

Below are some quick methods for completing the remaining achievements from the Dark Corners Map Pack DLC. Obviously you can use your own methods but just make sure you read the achievement description as it will tell you which map to play on, which waves to play up to and which level you need to reach in multiplayer. For example, the below achievement “Be Careful What You Wish For” requires you to play waves 1-10 on the map War Machine and be at least a level 8 in multiplayer. The achievements will unlock as soon as you've satisfied all of the criteria. It doesn’t matter which order you do them in, so you can play the Horde first, then achieve a rank 8 in multiplayer or vice versa.

Load up War Machine and survive up to, and including, wave 10. Fairly simple. The best place to go on War Machine is up the top of the stairs as there’s plenty of cover and it has the benefit of having a Mulcher surrounded by sandbags.

Once you’ve got to level 10 in multiplayer you’ll be able to go for waves 1-10 on the Highway map. Again, not terribly difficult. There are 2 roofless alleyways or corridors where at the end of them will be a Longshot or Torque Bow. You’ll find these towards the middle of the map, near where the grenades spawn. You’re best bet is hold on in one of these as it offers a little cover and spawns useful weapons. You can whack down a Boomshield to guard you from incoming attack.

It gets a little harder from this point onwards. You’ll now need to achieve rank 15 in multiplayer and survive waves 1-20 on the map Sanctuary. There are a few points you can hold on in. If you go straight up the stairs from the spawn, and look left or right (depending on which end of the map you spawn) you’ll see more stairs leading up. Go up them and follow the path until you come to a small square. Here there will be either a Mulcher or a Boomshot which can be extremely useful. The only downfall to this point is you are vulnerable from 2 points of attack. Try and grab a friend to make life a bit easier. Failing this tactic, right in the centre of the map, in what I think is a Church, you can hold up here as a Torque Bow spawns in the middle of this room. Again, you’ll have to defend 2 entrances, but if you can get a couple of Boomshields up by the entrances it’ll be a lot easier. It’s personal preference to which tactic you use, so use some trial and error. Don’t forget that after wave 10 the horde get stronger.

Once you done all of the above, you’ll need to gain another 5 levels in multiplayer to get you up to level 20. Then you can tackle waves 1-20 on the map Way Station. If you run straight to the back of the map there will be 2 room either side of the Lava stream. In these rooms will spawn some useful weapons, them being a Torque Bow or a Longshot. I would recommend camping in here, with the view to getting a Boomshield set up in the entrance and on the stairs. Once you have them planted, it should be plain sailing.

Allfathers Garden is probably the hardest map for Horde as it’s very open and doesn’t offer any decent defence points. If you go into the middle of the map you’ll find the Torque Bow or Boomshot. You could hold up here but it doesn’t offer a lot of cover. Personally, I found the spawn points the best places to defend as it offers a small corridor in which to plant your Boomshields. The only downside to this is that sometimes the Horde will spawn right next to you. You could use the run-and-gun tactic and just move from place to place, but this is risky. Perseverance is definitely the key on this map.

We’re almost done. Only 2 maps left to go. Once you’ve managed to get to level 40, you’ll need to complete waves 1-40 on the map Memorial. This map is very kind on cover positions and there is an abundance of decent places to defend. The easiest place to defend is right at the very back of the map and upstairs. You’ll have the pleasure of having a Torque Bow or a Longshot spawning next to you or if you run down the stairs you’ll find a Scorcher or a Boomshot. These can provide extremely useful, so use them. If you set up your Boomshields on either sets of stairs to the left and right of you, it should be a piece of cake.

The last one, waves 1-50 on the Nowhere map. This can be very time consuming if attempting to do it solo, so grab a friend or 2 to help you out. This is a very open map so don’t get caught out in the open on the latter waves, otherwise you’ll find yourself dying often, especially the Horde on waves 40 to 50 are extremely accurate and powerful. Unlike when playing multiplayer on this map, you can actually enter the Gas Station on Horde mode which can be very useful. You have a few windows to shoot out from and you’ll only have to defend the main doors at the front. If you stick a couple of Boomshields by this entrance, the jobs a good one. Failing this, there are 2 “cafe” type buildings which are easily defendable if using the Boomshield tactic. Just be wary of the big windows as the enemy can jump through them. I’d recommend staying off the roof of the Gas Station. If caught up there on the later waves you will be brown bread. Not forgetting of course, you’ll also need to get to rank 50 in multiplayer.

7. Miscellaneous5. MultiplayerFind anything you think is wrong with this walkthrough? Help us fix it by posting in its Walkthrough Thread.

This walkthrough is the property of TrueAchievements.com. This walkthrough and any content included may not be reproduced without written permission. TrueAchievements.com and its users have no affiliation with any of this game's creators or copyright holders and any trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners.