Tactics

Unlike the first Gears of War, Gears of War 2  is much, much easier. It is possible to easily rack 850 points, with the rest of the points being very time consuming and only 40 points allocated to rank matches. 

But if you want to unlock the hard difficulties easy, you will need to play the campaign missions in co-op.  Insane difficulty is much easier to unlock this time around simply because in co-op, you can allocate different difficulties to each player. Having one partner play Casual while the other plays Insane, will still unlock the Insane completion achievement for that Insane player. The player playing Casual does all the hard work, but the enemies and bosses on Casual are pretty lame, and you can burn through the campaign in 6-8 hours, then switch.

Most of the multiplayer and weapon achievements can also be unlocked using a second controller or repeating missions. There is also even an achievement tracker in the game to let you know how much more you need to unlock an achievement.

ACHIEVEMENT GUIDE

Green as Grass  - 10 points

Train the rook (any difficulty)

After the first cut scene, you will get he choice to train or head straight into the campaign. Click RT to train the rook and complete this small side mission for the achievement. I know you are hardcore and while it is tempting to skip this, note there are a couple of collectibles in this mission, so you might as well do it.

It's a Trap  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 2.

You will get all story progressions on any difficulty, in either solo or co-op. 

Escort Service  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 4.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Girl About Town  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 6.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

That Sinking Feeling  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 4.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Freebaird! - 10 points

Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 5.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Heartbroken  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 6.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Longitude and Attitude  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 3.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Tanks for the Memories  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 4.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Water Sports - 10 points

Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 6.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

There's a Time for Us  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 2.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Better Wrapped in Beacon  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 3.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Have Fun Storming the Castle  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 6.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

And the Horse You Rode in On  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 1.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

You Are the Support, Son  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 2.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Brumak Rodeo  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 4.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Does This Look Infected to You?  - 10 points

Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 5.

See "It's a Trap" achievement above.

Tourist of Duty - 25 points

Complete all campaign acts on Casual Difficulty.

Playing Casual, the enemies and bosses are pretty poor, so if you want to breeze through it collecting collectibles, then casual might be the way to go. But if however, you only want to play the campaign two or three times and collect a mountain of points, then play it on Hardcore in co-op. Playing on co-op is much easier than solo and you will unlock the Casual, Normal and Hardcore completion achievements as they are stackable, and the co-op achievements as well. See "Artist at War" achievement below.

Guerilla Tactician - 50 points

Complete all campaign acts on Normal Difficulty.

See "Artist at War" achievement below.

Artist of War - 75 points

Complete all campaign acts on Hardcore Difficulty.

The easiest way to complete Hardcore is play it in co-op. The AI do help and revive you sometimes (which they didn't in the first) especially when you get separated, but your co-op partner can be much faster. Playing in Hardcore co-op will also unlock co-op achievements and Casual and Normal completion achievements.

If you do find it difficult, switch one partner to Casual and complete it that way. However, only one player will get the Hardcore achievement and you will have to play the campaign again to return the favor. 

Suicide Missionary - 150 points

Complete all campaign acts on Insane Difficulty.

To unlock the Insane difficulty, you will need to complete the campaign on any of the lower difficulties first, then it will become available.

If you want to complete Insane really easy, then play it in co-op. Have one partner play on Casual and let them storm through all the enemies, while you hang back in cover. Doing this method, you will be able to complete the campaign in 6 - 8 hours. How "insane" is that? Of course only one of you will unlock Insane and you will have to switch to return the favor.

The only tricky parts will be when you get separated. However there are times when the Casual partner can clear his side first and then clear his partner's enemies from either side or go around and track back. Notably in the chapter "Royal Inquisition" just stand at the start of the separation and defend. Let your partner clear the areas and just wait for that "guitar chord" for area cleared sound.

Collector - 5 points

Recover 5 collectibles (any difficulties)

There are 41 collectibles in the game, but unlike the first Gears cogs, there is no Gears Cog insignia when you are near one. However there is a War Journal in the main menu which breaks the collectibles into chapters, so you can see where you missed. As soon as you pick up one, it saves it into your War Journal. Simply reload any chapters you missed and collect. If you are playing in co-op, you will both get the credit for finding a collectible.

They are not too difficult to find, like in insane places to reach, so you basically just sweep an area before moving on, and you will be fine. There are a couple although, where you have to run to get to them (like underneath a door before it shuts).

See this YouTube Guide if you having difficulties finding them. Credit goes to GruntSoldiers for the video.

Pack Rat - 15 points

Recover 20 collectibles (any difficulty)

See "Collector" achievement above. 

Completionist - 30 points

Recover 20 collectibles (any difficulty)

See "Collector" achievement above. 

One-Night Stand - 10 points

Complete 1 chapter in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom)

Simply complete chapters with a co-op partner. You do not have to be on the same difficulty and they can be done in any order. See "Artist of War" achievement above for more info.

Open Relationship - 30 points

Complete 10 chapters in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom)

See "One-Night Stand" achievement above. 

Friends with Benefits - 30 points

Complete all acts in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom)

See "One-Night Stand" achievement above. 

Once More, With Feeling - 10 points

Perform 30 perfect active reloads (any mode)

To do an active reload, hit RB to reload, then RB again when the white marker reaches the thin bright white strip on your reload bar. Anything outside the white segments will jam your gun. You should be doing this naturally anyway, as this reloads the gun faster and you get a damage bonus.

Takes a Licking - 30 points

Melee 30 Tickers (any mode)

Tickers are the small crab-like creatures that explode. They are quite predictable, compared to say wretches, but not too difficult to melee. Reload Act 1, Chapter 5 (Roadblocks) as there are loads. Play on Casual then melee them by hitting the B button on any gun, except the Lancer. Otherwise you will bring out the chain saw. Just reload the checkpoint to get 30 melees if you need to. 

Organ Grinder  - 10 points

Kill 30 enemies with a cover mounted Mulcher (any mode)

With this and all other weapon achievements, if you don't get them in the campaign, you can use a second controller in a Local Multiplayer match. You can spawn bots or shoot the second controller. All the guns required are available in all of the maps and you can choose by selecting customize weapons. 

With this achievement, you need a Mulcher. It is a big turret gun that shoots very fast damaging rounds. You will need to mount it by pressing LT near a low wall, then RT to shoot. If you use it while moving around, the kills will not count towards the achievement. 

Shock and Awe - 10 points

Kill 30 enemies with the heavy Mortar (any mode)

The heavy Mortar gun is the ground mounted gun that shoots orange mortars into the air, to rain down on the enemy. If you aim for heavy populated areas, getting 30 kills isn't that difficult. You can also get kills by killing bots in a local multiplayer match, if you are finding it hard.

Said the Spider to the Fly - 10 points

Kill 10 enemies with a planted grenade (any mode)

To plant a grenade, select then hold a frag grenade. Go near a wall and hit B. This will mount it onto the wall and kill any coming enemy near it. This achievement can also be done with a second controller in a Local Multiplayer match.  Make sure it is a frag grenade and not the grenade you start with, as they  do nothing when mounted.

Crowd Control - 10 points

Melee 10 enemies down with a Boomshield (any mode)

The Booomshield is carried by these mini-boss-like-Boomers called Maulers. You can't miss them as they are the only ones that carry shields and swing a chain at you. Kill them and then pick up the shield they have dropped by pressing X. Just melee while you have the shield, and the achievement will unlock.

Again, this can be done by spawning bots in a Local Multiplayer match as well.

Smells Like Victory - 10 points

Kill 30 enemies with the Scorcher Flamethrower (any mode)

You first get a Flamethrower in Act 3, in the facility with all those wretches. Rinse and repeat Dirty Little Secret. Or you can also get this achievement in a Local Multiplayer match.

Variety is the Spice of Death - 30 points

Kill an enemy with every weapon in the game (any mode)

There are fifteen weapons you will need to find to unlock this. You can customize the weapon swapping in a Local Multiplayer match and then just shoot the second controller. 

1. Boltok Pistol
2. Boomshot
3. Frag Grenade
4. Gorgon Pistol
5. Hammer of Dawn
6. Ink Grenade
7. Longshot Sniper Rifle
8. Mortar Launcher
9. Mulcher
10. Scorcher Flamethrower
11. Torque Bow
12. Shotgun
13. Lancer
14. Hammerburst
15. Snub Pistol

The Ink Grenade is the most annoying weapon, as enemies keep crawling away and not dying. To overcome this, use two if you can in a corner with your second controller. Or tag your second controller  with one.

Crossed Swords - 10 points

Win 10 chainsaw duels (any mode)

Easier done with a friend in a private match if you can. You will get into a chainsaw duel when you both raise your chainsaws at the same time. Pumping the "B" button icon will appear at the bottom of your screen. You will need to pump the button faster to win. Can also be done in campaign or any multiplayer match.

A Parting Gift - 20 points

Kill 10 enemies with a grenade while down but not out (any mode)

Easiest way is to use a second controller. Find some Frag grenades (as the one you are equipped with at the start won't kill) Then make sure you have the Frag grenades equipped, by pressing up on D-Pad. Get the second controller to knock you down then stand near you. When you see an explosive icon, click the right trigger. Boom. 

Pound of Flesh - 10 points

Use a meatshield to save your life (any mode)

A meatshield is when you see an enemy crawling, press A and you will pick them up, and they become your hostage / shield. This achievement asks you to survive an attack, like an explosive body, that would have killed you if it wasn't for the shield.

Easiest way again, is to use a second controller. You will need to grab some Frag grenades. Knock your second controller down (or shoot them in the leg I found easier) until they are crawling. Tag a grenade on them, then quickly pick them up. They will explode, but you will survive.

Kick 'Em When They're Down - 10 points

Perform all 11 unique executions on a downed enemy.

When you see a crawling enemy, you can perform an execution on them. They are 11 different ones, with some depending on which weapon you are holding. 

1. Meatshield Neck Snap (Pick up a downed enemy, then X to snap their neck)
2. Curb Stomp (press X near a downed enemy, any gun)
3. Beatdown (have any weapon except sniper, boltok pistol or torque bow and press Y near a down enemy)
4. Lancer + B
5. Sniper + B
6. Sniper + Y
7. Torque Bow + Y
8. Torque Bow + B
9. Shotgun + B
10. Boomsheild + Y
11. Boltok Pistol + Y (looks like an old west gun)

Seriously 2.0 - 50 points

Kill 100,000 enemies (any mode)

The good news is that ANY kills count. That is any kill in campaign, multiplayer ranked, unranked, local or horde all count, making this seem attainable. The bad news is that it is still time consuming, to a degree. 

There are two places in the campaign where you can rack up a lot of kills by playing them over and over again, by reloading your checkpoint. 

ACT 1, CHAPTER 4 - The Big Push

As soon as it starts, get on the turret gun and mow down all the Locusts swarming out of the hole in the ground, then reload the checkpoint.

ACT 5, CHAPTER 5 - Closure

Once you start controlling the Brumak, fire rockets into the horde of Locusts heading towards you, then reload the checkpoint.

The game records your kills in real time HOWEVER, make sure you RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU, after you have finished. The game does not SAVE until you do. Otherwise if go online or switch off your Xbox, you will lose your kills.

I managed to get 5,000 kills an hour using the Brumak, so roughly it should take around 18 - 20 hours if you started with around 2 - 3 thousand kills from the campaign.

Back to Basic - 10 points

Successfully complete 5 lessons of multiplayer Training Grounds.

Simply just complete all the five multiplayer training tutorials. You have to win them, but they are not that hard. 

Party Like It's 1999 - 30 points

Play 1999 rounds of multiplayer (any mode)

Another very time consuming achievement, however similar to G.R.A.W, you can set up a Local match and leave it over night to rack up your rounds. You will need a wired controller or one with a plug 'n' play recharge adapter, because a wireless controller will just shut off after 15 minutes of inactivity.

To set up a Match, go Multiplayer and enter these settings.

• Match Type : Local
• Game Type : Execution
• Total Rounds : 15
• Round Limit : 1
• Number of Bots : 1
• Bot Difficulty : Whatever
• Bleed Out time : 60
• Friendly Fire : Off
• Map Selection : Host
• Weapon Spawning : Whatever
• Map : Day One 

Basically you are giving the bot one minute to find you and it is very unlikely to on this map because it is big. When the minute runs out, the round will end in a stalemate. Even if the bot does find you (very very rarely) , there will be still another 14 rounds needed to end the match. 

It takes roughly one minute twenty (1.20) to complete a round and start a new one (20 secs for loading and countdown) so if you add this, you get 48 rounds an hour. So if you started with zero rounds, this method will take just over 41 hours. Yes, like I said, a bit time consuming. However, if you go and do the other mulitplayer achievements, then you would have taken a good chunk of these rounds already.

Around The World, Again - 30 points

Win a multiplayer match on each map (any mode)

Quicker if you do this on Local match with a second controller or Private match with a friend. Just need to win on each of the ten maps available.

• Avalanche
• Blood Drive
• Day One
• Hail
• Jacinto
• Pavilion
• River
• Ruins
• Security
• Stasis

Dirty, Dirty Horde - 20 points

Survive the first 10 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map)

Easier if done on Casual, of course, and a lot easier with more players. 

There is a slight "cheat" used by some to make it it easier to reach 50 waves. Get five friends and organize a Private match. This will ensure you can pick the map. Pick the "Day One" map. On one corner of the map is a section of stairs that leads to a walkway. All five can easily defend this walkway as there is only the stairs to defend. After a few rounds, kill a Mauler and steal their Boomshields. Plant two Boomshields at the bottom of the stairs (LT then X). For some reason, very few enemies can penetrate the shield or move around them. Occasionally you will get one, but it is still rare. 

You do not have to do all 50 in one sitting as you can start at the highest wave you last completed. If you are not sure how many you have completed, just head into Horde and click on Starting Wave. It will scroll down to your last completed wave.

Hoard the Horde - 30 points

Survive the first 50 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map)

See "Dirty. Dirty Horde" achievement above.

Photojournalist - 10 points

Submit a spectator photo.

Just die in any multiplayer match (or even at training ) and you will become spectator. Press B to take a picture. Go to your war journal, select photos, then Y to upload. I have no idea where they go, so don't ask. It's 10 points for nothing.

Because this site is about EASY ACHIEVEMENTS, I am going to just list the last four achievements. They are multiplayer and require you to win in public matches.  They are not impossible by all means, but they are only 40 points altogether and you can't cheat.

Standing Here, Beside Myself  - 10 points

Win 3 matches of Wingman (public)

Beat the Meatflag - 10 points

Capture 10 meatflags in Submission (public)

It's Good to be the King - 10 points

Win 10 rounds of Guardian as the leader (public)

You Go Ahead, I'll Be Fine - 10 points

Win three matches of King of the Hill (public)