The multiplayer in the past Gears of War games have a reputation of consisting of only hardcore players that roll around decimating the weak with shotguns. I was one of those crazy people who stayed with the game's multiplayer and I won't deny that the shotgun accusations are true. With that said, Gears of War 3 has finally provided the tools necessary for people to be able to even the playing field with something other than a shotgun. I aim to provide some info and strategies to help those who are unfamiliar with the game be better prepared and stay competitive in the multiplayer.

THE WEAPONS

Let's start out by talking about the weapons that you can spawn with.

LANCER

Ah yes, the classic Lancer. In Gears 3, the Lancer now has a larger magazine than ever before and can shoot with very little recoil. This gun is great for giving cover fire and forcing the enemy to take cover. The chainsaw has even been slightly tweaked so that once it is fully revved up, the only way to shut off the chainsaw is to either die or let go of the B button. If you manage to chainsaw a guy you can still continue to hold down B and continue to chainsaw any nearby enemies without ever having to turn off the chainsaw. It can get pretty crazy if no one is able to put you down. This is a great weapon for beginners.

RETRO LANCER

Now this gun is supposed to be the older version of the Lancer and has a knife bayonet attached to the gun instead of a chainsaw. This rifle is the most powerful out of the three you can get, but it is also the one with the most recoil. The gun has been tweaked since the beta and now has even more recoil but when controlled right, it can destroy your enemies with small controlled bursts. This has become my go-to weapon and my #1 choice in countering the guys who still wish to continue their shotgunning habits from the past Gears games. The stopping power on this gun is ridiculous and will stop any charger in their tracks. If you're feeling lucky you can try out the charge ability by holding down B which makes you charge forward with your bayonet out. I suggest this gun for those who wish to fight in a medium to close range.

HAMMERBURST

This gun has seen the most revisions in all of the games. The Hammerburst has come a long way since Gears 1 and in Gears 3 it's actually not too bad. This gun gives you the ability to go into first-person and allows you to be more accurate than any of the other rifles. People who favor fighting from a long distance will get the most mileage out of this semi-automatic gun.

GNASHER

Oh yes, the Gnasher. This is the infamous shotgun that is responsible for nearly all of the kills in the past Gears games. It's versatile, can shoot many times before reloading, and can cause havoc from a medium range. One of the key skills that veteran Gears players have with this shotgun is being able to blindly shoot this thing accurately. You can save a lot of time by shooting this thing from the hip instead of actually aiming the gun, it's how people usually used the gun when in fights with multiple players. The Gnasher retains most of its dangerous capabilities from the past games, but thanks to EPIC’s choice to rebalance the other weapons and introduce some newcomers, the Gnasher will no longer be the only answer to every gunfight.

SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN

This is a new addition which I completely love. I traded in my Gnasher for this monster mainly because I decided to move away from always fighting with shotguns. This gun can only shoot one round, but that one round is more than enough to get the job done...at the right range. The range on this thing is shit, mainly because it is intended to be used in up close and personal situations. Don't expect to be fighting waves of people with this gun because you also have to worry about the reload time, which is ridiculous. Those of you who like to use ‘hit and run’ tactics and/or camp around corners will probably like this thing a whole lot.

TRAVERSING THE BATTLEFIELD

Gear of War 3 is a faster game. People who are new to the series won’t notice it but when compared to the past games, you are able to haul ass now. Here are some tips on how to move efficiently through the warzone in hopes of extending your lifespan.

STAY ALERT

This may be obvious advice for any competitive game but it goes double for here. Guys can move faster now and they tend to be able to run without making a whole lot of noise. Don’t be surprised to find yourself exploding from the random shotgun blast to the back. Avoid this nuisance by always looking over your shoulder and keep tabs on any nearby enemies. Oh and be sure to be cautious when approaching a corner, there is a good chance that there is a guy waiting to shoot their sawed-off and kill you in one hit.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!

By pressing the back button and then B, you are able to access the map. This shows the location of every weapon spawn point and also displays the location of your teammates. This is helpful when you want to know were you are, where you might want to go, where the shortcuts are, and just how far you are from allies.

GET TACTICAL!

There is a neat little feature called the Tac-Com, which can be accessed by holding down LB. This gives you a new perspective of the battlefield with an aesthetic that is similar to Arkham Asylum's detective vision. Your teammate's locations will be highlighted and can be seen even through walls while the Tac-Com is active. It is also really useful in finding out where potential objectives are located when playing different game modes. Another neat trick is that you can use the Tac-Com to see right through smoke.

KEEP TABS ON YOUR TEAMMATES

Even though most games may consist of people with no mics, or maybe you just don’t want to talk, always know where your teammates are. You don’t want to find yourself surrounded by the wrong people. It is important that you stick close to another teammate so you can help avoid overwhelming gun fights. This doesn’t mean that you should never venture out by yourself, but if you do plan to go out scouting, make sure you’re at least in short running distance from a teammate.

TAG YOU'RE IT!

While aiming the gun, you can point at enemies and click in the left stick to highlight them with a symbol. This can be seen by any ally and it's a great to provide information without having to use a mic. Get used to tagging enemies with this icon and you'll be grateful for it because you may be able to notice that there was a guy stalking you.

KEEP MOVING

There are few spots in the maps where you can entrench yourself and hold off opposition, this becomes even harder when trying to accomplish this alone. You’re better off staying mobile which helps to reduce the chance of being flanked. You are also more likely to find some unsuspecting enemies by staying on the move.

GET FRIENDLY WITH THE 'A' BUTTON

Not only can this thing be used for taking cover, it allows you to roll. It’s not hard to figure this out but when used the right way it can be a life saver. One thing players should avoid is running in a straight line, you’re asking to be downed by gunfire faster. When taking fire while running, be sure to roll out of the way and try running in a new direction. Keep rolling in different directions if you still need to shake off that gunfire.

IT'S GETTING SMOKEY IN HERE

The smoke grenade is no longer a useless thing to have like in past games. The smoke grenade actually provides effective cover when trying to charge into contentious areas. Another cool feature is that the smoke grenade can momentarily stun people who are near enough to the grenade's explosion, but be warned, you can also end up stunning yourself.

KICK FOOLS!

In Gears 3, players can now perform a mantle kick. If you see a guy taking cover, you can chose to take cover on the opposite side and then jump over that cover to kick them out of the way. This will then stun the guy and give you enough time to eliminate him/her. This can also work in reverse where you can kick the guy that is going to take cover in front of you.

LET'S GET SENSITIVE!

Some people may not like the feel of it but I strongly suggest for people to increase the sensitivity of your controller. I chose to max out the sensitivity for every option available and I am now able to turn more easily and even have an easier time of taming the recoil of the Retro Lancer because of it. This may not be for some players but I suggest you try boosting up the sensitivity a tad and see how things go.

Hopefully some of this stuff will help you guys out. Feel free to post some other tips and tricks that can help people become better Gears players. Now go out there and have some fun!

DON'T FIGHT ALONE

If there's one huge negative to playing Gears 3 MP, it's playing by yourself. Unfortunately playing with randoms will most likely result in you getting your kills stolen and not being revived.

So, check out Atomasist's list of Giant Bomb Gears 3 players. Here