Gametypes:

This is the mode of play which MLG uses for competition. It's arguable whether this mode is the best mode suited for competitive play. In Execution, it's similar to Warzone, a basic Team-Deathmatch style of play. However, when a player is downed he can only be killed by being "Executed," which when the player must run up to his downed opponent and kill them in execution style up close. So, downed opponents remain invulnerable to being killed from a long distance when they are in a down state. Also players who are downed in Execution mode can get back on their own without the aid of a teammate.

Warzone

This is the most basic form of play for Gears. It's a simple Team Deathmatch. When an opponent is downed, you can kill them by any means, distance shot, execution, or even from friendly fire.

Focuses on killing the team's leader as the objective of the game. Only the leader can pick up weapons at first; however, players can pick up weapons the leader drops.

Weapons:

Melee:

ALL Melee with ALL Weapons deal half damage.

It's almost ALWAYS a better choice to melee a downed opponent rather than using the Curb Stomp, as the Curb Stomp places you in an animation phase that leaves you vulnerable to attack.

Active Reload:

This is the NUMBER ONE most important thing to learn. Every gun during reload has a "Perfect" Reload timing. There is a white bar in which a cursor travels on and hitting reload again during this time will cause the cursor to stop. On the white bar there are two areas which is your goal for the cursor to stop at, a smaller dark white area or a larger grey white area. If you time it so your cursor stops exactly on the grey white area, you will score an active reload which allows you to reload faster. MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you can time your cursor to stop on the smaller dark white area you will score a "Perfect" Reload and the bullets that you reload will recieve a damage boost.

Damage Boost:

You can tell your bullets have a damage boost when they are flashing. The Damage Boost only stays active for a small period of time, so you have to make the most of it while you have it. The Damage Boost varies for each weapon, but in general you can think of yourself as dealing 2x Damage. Damage Boosts can only be gotten from perfect reloads.

The Lancer Rifle:

This is your starting rifle, it's generally okay at best, but only dishes out sub-par damage. It takes almost a full clip of normal bullets to put an opponent into the down position. You can score a headshot kill sometimes with Damage Boost bullets, but for the most part Damage Boost shots from the Lancer Rifle only cuts the number of bullets in half which are needed to put an opponent into the Down Position.

The better aspect of the Lancer Rifle is the Chainsaw. Using the Chainsaw will always net you an Instant 1 Hit Kill. To use this weapon, simply hit the melee button to rev up your chainsaw, then hit the fire trigger to activate it. Anyone near an active Chainsaw will be killed. However the Chainsaw is a double edged sword. Using the Chainsaw will put you into the "Chainsaw" animation, during which you are invincible; however, the coming out of the "Chainsaw" animation will make you stand there for a second, vulnerable to any attack. So in general, if you Chainsaw someone while another enemy is around, you wil most likely get yourself killed. The Chainsaw itself is also easy to counter, as if you take any damage of any kind while reving up your Chainsaw, you will go into a stun animation and be completely vulnerable to attacks. So be careful when you attempt to use the Chainsaw, as it can score you a quick kill as well as get you killed quickly.