14 years after E-Day ------- Chapter

 
After years of fighting and lots of killing, you (Marcus Fenix) are rudely awoken in your prison cell by friend and squad mate Dominic Santiago. He explains things have changed recently, a new enemy, locust, have appeared and destroyed most of the human race, in a desperate attempt your general Hoffman pardons all the prisoners to help in the war effort except you. How nice.

You are kitted out with the gears uniform and a hammerburst (locust machine gun) and the standard pistol, both with minimal ammo. Go right and Dom will give you an option. First time players should definitely head for the training as it presents little enemies to you and you can get a feel for the cover system with the large number of conviently placed blocks and pillars. Whereas the combat side presents a more difficult challenge. I picked the combat side.

Walk straight ahead and you should see a rather big red mark symboling a Gear has died. Directly underneath this is a COG tag, pick it up and collect 10, 20 and 30 to earn achievements as you go along.

Stay in the big hall for minute then walk left and kick down the door. Pick up the ammo on the left and right and head across the bridge. This is the first time you are introduced to the locusts. Instead of tea and biscuits they shoot at you, so disperse of them quickly and if you wish you can kill the ones on the right hand side bridge.

Grab the grenades and head for the other main hall. Kill the enemy’s there and grab the ammo on the far side as you enter. Take cover and prepare some grenades as the locust cut through the door on the left. After a very dramatic entrance only three appear so should be dealt with quickly, go through the door outside and disperse of the enemys. You should have plenty of time to pick up ammo.

Trial by Fire

A  Corpser digs up the ground but move quickly and you should get on the raven.

A moment to reflect in a cut scene introduces you to your new squad, Kim and carmine. General Hoffman has a rant typically and Anya, your Intel guide, is introduced. General Hoffman outlines his plans for a new plan against the locust. Your squad must go deep into the heart of the locust tunnels and plant a resonator, which maps the tunnels so a lightmass bomb can wipe the locust out. All while being shot at.

You are now playable again and don’t need to worry about the locusts. You get, arguably the most fun weapon, EVER, the lancer, which cuts it’s foes into shreads with it’s attached chainsaw. Run up the stairs and left into a courtyard. After eradicating the locusts your squad will point out a COG tag to you, pick up the ammo and grenades on the right and run up the stairs. A view of the ruins shows off gears graphical superiority (look at those birds!) but inevitably is ruined by the blood hungry locusts splattering blood over your screen.

You can either take the left or flank them, or run down the centre, a quick option is to throw grenades into the emergence holes to stop the locusts. Be sure to watch out for ammo as you go left and onto the bridge. You are greeted by several ripped up bodies resembling those of the alpha squad you are trying to rescue.

Kim will open the door and if you are low on ammo straight ahead over the low wall are some ammo and grenades. A few emergence holes slow you down here. Make your way through the room and go down the stairs.

Fish in a barrel

A cut scene raises questions whether this is alpha. Your next confirmed objective is the house of sovereigns, you become playable again and some locust emerge, one manning a troika, a big machine gun that you shouldn’t stand in the way of. Run across the gap and go down the right side, picking up the ammo in the corner. A archway presents a clear shot for you to take down the gunner and his chum.

Take hold of the troika to quickly eradicate the next wave of locusts and then make your way down that street to emerge in a large, open area with a fountain in the middle. Take cover in this and pick up the grenades and ammo as multiple emergence holes, erm… emerge around you. Try to fill at least one with your grenade, as six or seven locusts appear out these ones, also keep an eye on them, sneaky ones will easily kill you without caution. And finally try not to venture out for ammo until it’s clear.

Fork in the road

The last emergence hole is a gateway to your next destination, cross over it to be stuck between two paths; the right presents fewer enemies but an annoying troika, whereas the left is the opposite. Be sure to look out for chances to help your squad so in turn they can help you. After you capture the troika two locusts will appear behind you.

Reunite into an open area with a piano that tunes when shotJ. The troika pretty much Holts any advancement so as you enter the piano room, go into the rooms in the top right, then make a mad dash for cover behind that big barrel/machinery. When you’re ready roadie to the high balcony and bash the door down (don’t worry you’re safe from fire), and kill the single locust inside. This is a perfect position to fire on the gunner and his chum.

Once they are dead an emergence hole in the piano room presents a lot of enemy’s, so very quickly man the troika and make sure none get through, because you’ll eventually get overrun.

Knock Knock

Locust reinforcements (one guy?!) come through the door opposite the troika, go through there to catch a breather as you walk down the corridor. Bash the door down and make your way up the stairs, if you need ammo the small service building in the centre has a supply of bullets and grenades. As you make your way up seeders (more on that later) rampage on the other side of the big gash in the street. At the top a troika is introduced on the left side so enter the right side to flank.

If you have your wits about you the emergence hole can be quickly filled up by the time you get in. Continue down the corridor and kill the gunner. Now get your tissues. Regroup a few inches from the troika and a cut scene rolls in. Carmine complains about his gun until (nooooooooooooo) he gets gunned by sniper fire and killed instantly. No time to grieve though.

A few waves of locusts, (now carrying shotguns, better than the hammerburst in my opinion) appear and another path opens on the far left facing the building. Be careful not to rush it though, Kim does that for you and one is carrying a shotgun. A few (yes, FEWL) words on carmine then back to the action as Kim opens the far left door.

Hammer

Go right up the stairs to hear someone shouting. It appears to be alpha squad but is indeed one man, the Cole train. Pick up the ammo on the left, and then help him out a bit, killing some enemies. Stairs will become available to the right, go down them to meet the injured Cole. Ammo and grenades straight ahead. Cole is a sports player, rekindling memories of unpaid wagers and memorable plays.

Go up the stairs and right into a long narrow corridor. Here you will encounter wretches, small, monkey like creatures that are very, very annoying. While Jack opens the door, you will have to deal with wave after wave of them.  Many people favour the chainsaw to kill these, but personally I think it is more effective to equip the shotgun and bash them as it is an instant kill and very quick. Remember to look both sides as a few swipes from behind can seriously injure you. Keep moving and hitting and eventually they will stop.

Now the fun bit, as you enter the room straight ahead is some ammo and a new weapon, the hammer of dawn, also a new enemy, seeders. You can kill the seeder from inside the room if you wish. Go outside and deal with the two on the other side of the bridge while Kim lowers it. Once done make your way around the area, ammo is on the docking platform on the river. Enter the room Kim opens and look at the top right hand side for ammo. And on the right side of the second room there are grenades.

You encounter the second seeder in the next area, should be pretty straight forward but while you’re shooting it remember to watch out for the things it spews out and any wretch that might sneak up.

Regroup on the left hand side of the room and move up the stairs. Keep going and you’ll be on the ground floor beside the seeders corpse. Left and you will encounter a few wretches and a locust. Beyond that is (or what is left) of Rojas, Coles old alpha squad team-mate. Further on past some locust is the third and last seeder. When defeated it will become a bit mad and tear down the opposite bridge.

Back into the room a door on the left will become available.  Take it and run past the resulting corridors. Here you will also find the magnum. At the end of these you will find a massive room with a mad locust and a troika at the end. Flank right and make your way down. Once you’ve captured the position man the troika to stop an onslaught of wretches.  

You’ll eventually come across a room with locusts in, go through it and jump over the low wall. You’ll go into Marcus’ trial room, where personality’s conflict. Run up the stairs, take care of the gunner then man the troika and hail fire down on the locusts below. Mind the nemacyst that will fly into you. It’s very fun but distracting killing locusts’ lol.

Kim dies. no big loss. Too bossy…
 
But instead is replaced by Baird!

 
Shop

Berserker

She is your first major boss. Walk through the room, left, and then walk very quietly past to the right when she burst through the wall. Now there are two approaches: you get limited time to use the hammer so choose wisely.

The loud and quick option

Roadie Run past her to get her to follow you, then shoot her to get her to run at the door. The advantages are its quick, but you won’t be able to see her, therefore if you stop she may just run into you lol.

Silent and sneaky

Just gently walk past her, all the time watching her if she makes a move, very effective, but it will decrease your time for killing her at the end, if you even get there at all.

So as you enter the corridors there are big doors that are breakable, either method you need to get her attention so she breaks these doors and you can run through to get outside and drop the hammer. There are then basically four steps to this:

 
 * Get her to run at the door

      
 * Roll out the way

      
 * Get her to run back

      
 * Repeat with next corridor

      
Do this until you are outside, then it’s just a matter of getting the few seconds needed to drop the hammer.

Remember: She shrieks when she is going to run, keep that in mind when you can’t see her.

 
And that concludes Act 1… finally