The Horde mode originally was introduced in Gears of War 2 and now it’s upgrade version 2.0 has been included in Gears of War 3. It’s opposite of Beast Mode, you kill humans in Beast Mode while fight here is straight with the Locusts. Wave after wave of these monsters will attack and you need stay put and repel their attacks. Your goal is to reach level 50 and that my friends, is not a walk in the park. However, our Gears of War 3 Horde Mode strategy guide should help you walk this walk with ease.
Gears of War 3 Horde Mode Strategy
Your previous experience will obviously help you as the basic concept remains the same but there are few things you should know about before planning your strategy.
Lets discuss them first and then I will turn towards some useful tips.
Command Posts
Each map is divided into 3-5 command posts where you set up your base of operations. You can easily build fortifications close to your command post. First command post is free, but the rest will cost you $2000 each.
The trick is to choose your position wisely – you need adequate cover so try to avoid making your command posts out in open and remember, lesser openings your command post has, easier it is to defend it.
Though, you may find it useful to have a command post in center in certain maps. Like at Old Town, setting your base in the Market will give you more secure cover as Locusts come through remaining small openings and can be dealt with easily.
While in other maps, you may find not find the best spot to make your command post so you will have to make a trade-off. In any case, if your command post is well guarded with spikes and turrets, it should be enough to overcome any tactical disadvantage of placing the command post in an open place.
Fortifications
You can buy five different fortifications for your hard-earned cash. As you spend on a particular fortification, it will level up and become stronger. You will start with Level 1 Spikes, but as you play more of the Horde mode, you will get access to good defenses, which will obviously cost more money too. Once you have unlocked a particular ability, you will keep it for all the future horde games so your first run will most probably be a difficult one.
Barrier
Barriers can be activated to block enemy entrance and protect the area from being flooded with those beats.
Decoy
These are the dummies you plant to draw enemy fire. Locusts will consider them as the real humans and attack them. You can use the opportunity remove the threats.
Sentry
These are the stationary guns one can plant to guard certain sections or entry points. They will automatically target the opponents in range.
Turret
You can plant the turrets and then man them to spray the battle area with bullets. They are useful against bigger enemies specially against the bosses.
Silverback
You are aware of silverbacks, right? These armed mechanical suits can of great help specially at higher levels.
Fortifications Upgrades
These fortifications can be activated first and then upgraded. To build fortifications, all you need to do is to activate the check post. Fortifications will then appear as transparent structures.
Cash in Horde mode can be earned either by killing the locusts or by completing some side objectives that can earn you some resources too like weapons and ammo etc.
Following Upgrades are present for each fortification:
Barrier
Upgrade 1: Small – 500 – Large: 1,000
Upgrade 2: Small – 1,500 – Large: 2,500
Upgrade 3: Small – 2,000 – Large: 4,000
Upgrade 4: Small – 3,000 – Large: 5,000
Decoy
Upgrade 1 – 500
Upgrade 2 – 1,000
Upgrade 3 – 1,500
Upgrade 4 – 2,000
Sentry
Upgrade 1 – 1,000
Upgrade 2 – 1,500
Upgrade 3 – 3,000
Upgrade 4 –
Turret
Upgrade 1 – 1,500
Upgrade 2 – 2,500
Upgrade 3 – 4,000
Upgrade 4 – 5,000
Silverback
Upgrade 1 – 12,500
After these upgrades, level 2 will start that can further be upgraded. Progressively, one can upgrade the fortification up to 7 or may be more levels. Obviously, you will be requiring a lot of cash for that. The good thing is that players can exchange weapons, ammo and cash with their teammates.
Weapons, Boss Waves, and Bonuses
You will start with default load out – read our Weapons Guide for more on that. You will need to spend money to get more weapons and ammo crates on the map. Whatever you buy can only be used for one weapon, and you will have to spend again when you grab your next weapon. Boom Shield is free, while other weapons will cost, not much though. You should be able to buy all these weapons pretty easily, accumulating money on the go.
You can loot Locusts if you by any means come short on supplies. Besides spending money, there will also be bonus waves that will reward you with top dollars and supply drops for completing a particular objective. For example, no of executions, getting set amount of kills in a short time etcetera. You can work together with your team to get these rewards easily.
Then there are Boss Waves unleashing some of the strongest enemies Gears of War 3 has to offer. These can include multiple Berserkers, Brumaks, Gunkers, Reavers, and Corpsers. These are the times when your turrets and Silverbacks will come in handy so always have some cash saved to defend against these bosses.
Strategy Tips
1# The most basic rule in Horde Mode 2.0 is teamwork. Up to 5 players can play this mode together. It’s better that you contact with your partners vocally. If that is not possible, you can chat or use the marking option to mark enemies that will let others know about the imminent danger.
2# Every 10th level in Horde Mode is the boss level. So you need to keep that in mind and stock cash for that battle.
3# There is plenty to upgrade. The more you spend, the better will be your defense against locusts. Silverbacks play an important role in the locust destruction.
4# The side objectives you get during your adventure are not mandatory but if you complete them, you will get more resources in the form weapons, ammo and even cash.
5# If you are dead, you can buy a new life but for that, you need to have enough cash in your pocket.
6# Buy fortifications wisely after predicting the entry of new wave. Sentry plantation at crucial points can make a big difference.
7# Don’t try to beat this mode on higher difficulties. Do it with casual first and if you are successful, you can try other difficulties.
8# If you have reached some level before dying then you can start form the same level. You will lose a medal but you can still grab 10 achievement points.
9# Don’t upgrade fortifications pointlessly. A Razor wire takes just as much damage as Laser Fence, while being more costly to repair. Also, razor wires have tge added bonus of not turning off when you get near them.
10# In case of a Bonus Wave, even if you cannot clear it, do try to make some progress it as you’ll be rewarded on the basis of your efforts.
11# Refrain from buying anything in tge first few waves. It’ll save you enough money to place strategic fortification and save thousands from repair costs.
12# Try to use weapons that are common. Hammerburst is such a weapon that a lot of enemies will drop and you’ll have a good ammo supply. On the contrary, save big boom boom weapons for either Bosses or Strong and larger hordes.
13# Use grenades wisely. They do not disappear between waves when stick to walls so if you see 2 4 grenades lyung around free, feel free to place your current grenades.
14# Reviving teaammates is necessary. But there is no need to rush. Before reviving, make sure tgere are no enemies around and that you are safe enough that you don’t get shot down yourself while reviving.
15# Horde mode on casual with 5 players and good performance takes almost 2 hours. Also, the game saves the progress every 10 waves. So if yoy got to wave 40 on the last run, you can directly skip to wave 41 next time.
16# Overpass map is one of tge easiest map to get a win win. Just setup your base at the stair case in the middle of the city and keep camping off every enemy you see.
I will try to add more content in this guide soon. Till then if you have anything stored in your bag, you can share with us. If you are looking to survive in Beast Mode, then you can refer to our Beast Mode guide for some handy tips. For more help on Gears of War 3, read our Walkthrough.
