Gears of War 4 is all about two things: using cover and employing unique weaponry to dispatch otherworldly foes in a comically gruesome fashion. The “Campaign Arsenal” chapter includes complete stats and tactics for each and every weapon in the game. Similarly, the walkthrough portion of this book introduces advanced tactics on a situation-by-situation basis so you can employ them right away, where most appropriate. Nevertheless, there are several important aspects of the gameplay that need to be covered before you head into battle.
Active Reloads
There are two ways to reload your weapons in the game: you can press the Reload button and wait for the process to conclude or, you can tap the Reload button to start the process, then tap it a second time as the needle moves into the gray area to perform an Active Reload. This results in a much faster reload process and, if done perfectly, generates a small boost to key weapon stats.
The Active Reload meter appears on the upper right-hand corner of the screen. The needle begins to move across the meter from left to right as soon as you press the Reload button (or once the weapon runs out of ammo). Pressing the Reload button a second time while the needle is in the black area results in a failed Active Reload which actually increases the time it takes to reload the weapon. You’ll undoubtedly grumble alongside the character on the screen when this happens.
Stopping the needle inside the gray area of the meter counts as a successful Active Reload in the sense that it speeds up the reload process. There’s still one more option: the perfect Active Reload. Manage to stop the needle in the sliver of white within the success zone to earn a Perfect Active Reload. This not only speeds up your reload time, but also earns you a weapon-specific bonus. Perfect Active Reloads often yield a 20-30% damage bonus for the reloaded rounds, but some weapons benefit in other ways such as a faster firing rate. See the “Campaign Arsenal” for specific bonuses attributed to each weapon.
Performing the Active Reload isn’t hard once you get the hang of it. The meter on each weapon varies along with the width of the Perfect Active Reload zone and the speed of the needle. Monitor the needle’s progress when first getting used to this system. Before long you’ll simply know the pace and be able to do it without looking.
Executions
Not every enemy dies immediately after being drained of health. So long as they aren’t killed with a headshot or explosion, humanoid Swarm drop to their knees in a state often referred to as being DBNO (down-but-not-out). As with the human squad, Swarm that are DBNO will try to crawl toward their allies in hopes of being revived.
It’s possible to finish off a downed opponent from distance by shooting it, but it’s much more fun (although a bit risky) to rush in for an execution. There are multiple types of executions that can be performed. For starters, it’s possible to simply kick a downed enemy to kill it (Melee button). You can also switch to a pistol and line up a true execution-style shot to the head from point-blank range. Another option is the franchise’s famed Curbstomp (tap the 
Button). Another option is to press and hold the 
Button for a weapon-specific execution.
Each and every weapon in the game, including heavy weapons, can be used to perform a special one-of-a-kind execution. Down an enemy, switch to the weapon you wish to use to perform the execution, then press and hold the 
Button while standing next to the enemy. These animations tend to take several seconds and leave you extremely vulnerable as they play out. It’s best to refrain from performing an execution unless you are sure there are no other enemies in the area.
Meatshields
As fun as it may be to perform an execution, it is a terrible waste of a perfectly good bullet sponge. Why kill a downed enemy when you can use it as a meatshield? Press the 
Button while standing next to a downed enemy to take it hostage as a meatshield. Using a meatshield provides a mobile piece of high cover that players can drag around the map. You’ll automatically equip a pistol and shuffle along behind the meatshield. This significantly limits the character’s mobility, but provides good forward-facing protection. Meatshields can soak up the blast from a Torque Bow and even absorb a close-range blast from the Gnasher. The meatshield will eventually disintegrate as it is continuously shot to pieces. You can also drop the meatshield by switching weapons or by pressing the 
Button to have your character snap its neck. Don’t worry about freeing a meatshield, as the enemy technically “dies” as soon as you grab it. It will never get back up, no matter how briefly you use it.
Bag and Tag
One of the best reasons for taking a meatshield is having the ability to plant a grenade in its back and kick it toward a group of enemies. To perform this wonderfully satisfying technique, simply walk in the direction of the enemy with your meatshield until you’re about five steps from them. Tap Up on the D-Pad to plant a grenade in the back of the meat shield. Your character will then instantly kick the meat shield forward toward his enemies in time for the grenade to detonate. As with a lot of these advanced techniques, you can perform a Bag and Tag in both Campaign and multiplayer mode. The Bag and Tag technique tends to play a greater role in Multiplayer, if for no other reason than to humiliate your human opponents.