The setting for Gears of War: Judgment is a wealthy city that the Locust targeted shortly after Emergence Day. Halvo Bay is home tot the Onyx Guard academy, a school responsible for training the COG’s elite soldiers. “Halvo Bay is the San Diego of current times or the San Francisco of World War II,” says Epic director production Rod Fergusson. “It’s a city that has a strong military base influence on it”
Judgment begins 15 years before Gears of War, with Baird and the rest of Kilo Squad standing trial for transgressions against the Coalition of Governments.
The missions are set a short time after E-day, when the Locust first emerged from underground. The Pendulum Wars were only over a short time before the Locust made their move topside, so Baird and the rest of the COGs are frantically adjusted to the new monstrous threat. Because the gameplay segments of Judment take place early on in humanity’s fight against the Locust, you face more enemies onscreen than ever before. Lieutenant Baird and the rest of Kilo Squad narrate their versions of the events as players relive them via flashbacks.
Judgment is even more focused on nonstop action than Gears of War 3, which included over 90 minutes of cinematics. Epic still plans to use short, essential cinematics to break up the intense gameplay, but the plot is primarily delivered via narration so the player never has to stop moving.
Meet Kilo Squad:
Damon Baird:
Before this sarcastic, genius mechanic went on to help Marcus Fenix save the world, Baird worked his way through the Gears ranks. He’s always quick to joke, but Judgment suggests there’s more to his character than being a comedian.
Augustus Cole:
A former Thrash Ball player turned soldier the "Cole Train" became famous in Sera for his on-feild performance and boisterous demeanour. Cole met Baird soon after enlisting, and the two quickly became best friends.
Garron Paduk:
A miltia refuge from the Union of Independent Republics. Garron comes from the other side of The Pendulum Wars. He brings a new perspective and brush personality to Kilo. Garron is the devil on Baird's shoulder that say's "Let's blow stuff up."
Sophia Hendricks:
A cadet from the onyx guard academy, she is more in line with colonel loomis by the book approach to combat. E-day halted her path to graduation from the academy, but she is still worth the soldier. She is the opposite of Garron, ready to suggest informing superior officers of every deviation from protocol.
OverRun mode:
Gears of War: Judgment takes the next logical step for the series: mergin Beast and Horde into a new mode called OverRun, which also adds classbased combat, retooled Locust monstrosities, progression, and a stronger demand for teamwork and strategy.
Overrun consists of two-timed five vs. five rounds, each team taking turns as the COG and the Locust. The COGs must defend three key objectives from the rampaging Locust: Two sealed E-holes and a generator. Epic says it plans on replacing the generator with a Hammer of Down beacon in the final game which will decimate the Locust with space lasers if successfully defended. Each time the Locust liberate a sealed E-hole, Kryll flood the map and reduce the COG to bloody puddles, and the hole becomes the new Locust spawn point. If both teams break past the COG and destroy the generator as the Locust, overall victory is determined by whoever did it the quickest.
Defending your territory from homicidal dirt dwellers as the COG begins with selecting a balanced team. Epic doesn’t want five medics running into the fray at once, so players can see which classes their teammates are selecting, and can reselect after each death to shore up a team weakness. The four classes all have unique abilities and weapon loadouts.
Cog classes:
Engineer / Baird:
Weapons: Gnasher and blowtorch
Special abilities: Sentry Turret
Tip: Bowtorch repairs damaged fortifications
Soldier / Cole:
Weapons: Lancer and boomshot
Special abilities: Deploy ammo crates,
Tip: Toss ammo to Engineer to give him infinite Blowtorch ammo
Medic / Sofia:
Weapons: Lancer and Snub Pistol
Special Ability: Stim-gas gernade
Tip: Toss stim-gas at downed allies to revive them
Scout / Garron:
Weapons: Longshot and Snub Pistol
Special Ability: Beacon gernade
Tip: Climb perches for better sniping leverage
Meet the Locust:
Wretch
Role: Leap over hazards, clim perches.
Special Ability: Stunning scream.
Tip: Travel in packs and stagger screams for maximum stunnig power.
Ticker
Role: Eat fortifications, eat grenades, detonate.
Special Ability: Speed boost.
Tip: Can be kicked over barriers by grenadiers.
Kantus
Role: Hammerburst rifle, heal friendly units, ride bloodmounts.
Special Ability: Chain heal.
Tip: Support valuable units like Corpser and Mauler with healing.
Grenadier
Role: Lancer rifle, ride Bloodmounts.
Special Ability: Frag Grenade.
Tip: Throw grenade at COG turret to cause deadly explosion near enemies.
Bloodmount
Role: Melee enemies/fortifications, be ridden by Grenadier and Kantus.
Special Ability: Halve the cooldown time on rider's special ability (passive)
Tip: Carry a mounted Kantus behind cover while his heal recharges.
Mauler
Role: Devastate fortifications and COG soldiers with flail and shield.
Special Ability: Spinning spike shield.
Tip: Aim the reticle at enemies while shield spins to deflect bullets back at COGs.
Serapede
Role: Eat through barriers, destory COGs, ranged support.
Special Ability: Spit poison.
Tip: Have two Serapedes overlap to protect one another's vulnerable rears.
Corpser
Role: Demolish fortifications and COGs with heavy melee.
Special Ability: Burrow and move underground.
Tip: Armored legs reduce damage from the front.
