Insane / Inconceivable Campaign Survival Guide

A guide full of tips to take note of to help your playthrough of the Gears 5 Campaign on Insane.

Introduction

Gears 5 on Insane / Inconceivable is a smoother experience compared to the other games in the series. I wouldn't say it's as easy as Gears 1 on Insane, but the use of Jack and Relic weapons can make this Insane / Inconceivable play through a cake walk, especially compared to Gears 4. There are still regular enemies that can one hit you easily, but there are multiple gadgets and tricks you can use to put the odds more in your favour.

EDIT 29/11/20 - New Game Plus Cheese for Inconceivable + Insane (RECOMMENDED FOR INCONCEIVABLE)

Looking to do the game on Insane / Inconceivable on New Game Plus? Well now you can absolutely cheese it further with Mutators.

Mutators do NOT stop you from getting achievements for finishing the game on Inconceivable and Insane. So go nuts and use them to your advantage

MUTATORS I RECOMMEND

• Active Reload - Refills clip - Allows for almost infinite ammo
  
• Headshot Explosion - Grenade - Will help kill grouped up enemies on a headshot
  
• Total Ammo - Double - Get even more ammo on the lancer GL, up to 6 Rockets
  
• Jack Cool Downs - Fast (IMPORTANT) - Allows you to spam all of Jacks abilities such as Stun and Cloak (Which helps a lot for instant kills + getting out of a bad fight)

BE SURE TO ALSO CARRY ON JACK'S PROGRESSION FROM YOUR PREVIOUS PLAY THROUGH

Before starting your game

There are a couple of accessibility options you can take advantage of to make the game easier in some aspects. The one option you should take advantage of is Campaign Camera Shake.


Turning this off actually removes any kind of recoil on all guns, making stronger weapons such as the Retro Lancer and Lancer GL laser beams, and removing the big kick given by the Boltok, which is a weapon you will want to keep throughout your playthrough.

I also recommend turning your Omen type from Immersive to Simple. This is way less distracting, and makes enemies easier to see when you are near death.

OPTIONAL - Second Player on Beginner

This is an optional choice, but you can setup splitscreen on your game, and make sure Player 2 has their difficulty set to Beginner. You can also do this online with a friend.

This would allow you to move player 1 to a safe area, as the player on Insane / Inconceivable will die quicker and instantly, while Player 2 can easily clear out enemies before moving forward. This has always been an option in past Gears games, and still works towards your progress towards the Insane Achievement, and Seriously 5.0 part 1.0

Upgrade Jack

Do not ignore Jack during your Playthrough. I recommend doing all the optional missions in both Acts 2 and 3 to fully upgrade him, as his abilities can help you take on difficult situations.

I recommend following guides on Act 2 and 3 to earn some abilities for Jack, such as being able to stay cloaked while shooting, and being able to freeze enemies with his Flash ability. These two make certain bosses easier, such as the Matriarch in Act 2.

Grab as many components as you can during the playthrough, but always remember you can respec Jack at any time if you have no gotten everything unlocked, allowing you to quickly change jack for the situation you're in.

General Loadout

You generally want two weapons that is easy to get ammo for, and 1 strong weapon for clearing out most group of enemies. The Lancer, while iconic, is not a good weapon for insane. It usually takes more than 1 clip to take down an enemy, and it's too risky to get close enough to use the chainsaw.

The Gnasher is also a weapon you want to switch out as soon as possible, as for it to be effective you will be too close to the Swarm, and can either be 1 hit Melee'd or melted pretty fast.

First weapon you need to get your hands on is the Boltok. This gun on Insane can headshot most enemies in 1 to 2 hits, and is more useful than it ever was in previous campaigns.


Another great weapon to use is the Lancer GL. Its high rate of fire and Grenade Launcher can help clear out a group of enemies, and the weapon is usually pretty easy to get throughout the campaign. The grenades are usually a little more on the scarce side, so make sure to use that when enemies are huddled up, or a big enemy like the Snatcher is around you.


The Longshot is also a good weapon to grab when possible. It's good for chipping away damage on strong enemies like Scions, but also instant killing general trash mobs that can take you out in a few hits like Drones + Elite Drones.

The Hammerburst is a decent weapon at medium ranges, with good stopping power. The ammo for this weapon is widely available, and it isn't a bad idea to exchange for this weapon if you're out of ammo and options.


The Dropshot is a good weapon to have has a secondary, as a lot of Scions use this against you, making the ammo not too hard to find. While it can only carry a few drops, it's not too ammo efficient. But it is a good weapon to pick up if no ammo is around for your existing guns.


Heavy Weapons
While Heavy Weapons such as the Trishot, Mulcher, and Buzzkill are powerful weapons to melting enemies, they also make your character very slow, making you more prone to getting damaged. While they might help turn the situation around for you, they can be more of a hindrance and might get you killed.

Relic Weapons
Relic Weapons are secret versions of the existing Arsenal hidden around Act 2 and 3. These can be very powerful as they each have special abilities that can have some form of crowd control. There are guides to help find these weapons, but they are more difficult to bring with you between Acts, and enemies do not drop ammo for these.

If you are to get any, I'd recommend the Relic Retro Lancer, as shots fired can cause splash damage. It's not a bad idea to give this to your AI Partner to make them more effective. But, they are all mostly worth sorting after.

Grenades
Each Grenade type can be useful for the campaign, and are dropped by regular enemies. The game has four gernades, Frags, Incendiary, Flashes, and Shocks. These are the two utility grenades you want to keep your eyes out for.

Flashbangs stun a group of enemies, and allow them to be executed with a button prompt. Can make you vulnerable to damage, but can be used to take out charging enemies easier such as Grenadiers

Shock grenades can stun enemies in place with its initial landing, and then slowly damage enemies overtime that walk over its AOE.

[Yoshimura]

That explains why I never noticed them before, guide is really in-depth, you can tell alot of time went into creating it, thanks

[Terry]

@Yoshiaki Mutators were added last November :D

[Yoshimura]

I may be nearly 2 years too late, but good guide, I didn't even realise the game had mutators

[Nero]

Wow awesome guide

[Terry]

For anybody who wants to do this now or inconceivable, just do new game plus and use the mutators to make jack recharge faster, give yourself more ammo etc. Achievements still count

[gammaky]

@Terry Yeah I agree retro is much better than regular

[Olga 1987]

I've finished Insane campaign using Lancer GL, Longshot (Relic in Act 2) and Boltok. Best weapons IMHO.

[Terry]

@gammakyson Retro is a lot stronger and melts when u turn off screen shake, since it removes all the recoil. At least that's my opinion:)

[gammaky]

The lancer is good on insane tho. Just aim for the head, also if theres one left or if one guy strays from his team you get a free insta-kill.

Other than that, great guide keep it up