Blackout

Blackout is the second chapter of the fifth act of Gears of War 3.

Walkthrough

After going up the lift, the Locust cut the power supply in an attempt to stop you. There are four paths, although two of them lead back to the elevator while the other two lead you to a service ladder to get up. Pick the path, and if you reach the correct area, Palace Guards will begin attacking. Always watch the area carefully as there are a few Flame Grenadiers around with a large number of Wretches. Once you find the service ladder, leave your Silverback if you still have it, and go up the ladder. As you leave the facility, Palace Guards and Reavers begin to attack you again. Clear them out until you reach Maelstrom facility.

After the mini cutscene, Palace Guards appear outside, and later on, an Armored Kantus comes out. Kill them all, then get in the elevator. Fight your way through the Locust until you reach a room where Adam Fenix briefs you on the Maelstrom facility. As you leave, a few Flame Grenadiers and Palace Guards ambush you. After this, you reach the generator room, where you need to turn off the three generators to shut down the Maelstrom. Only Wretches and Flame Grenadiers attack you in this area. There's a supply closet of Boomshots which can come in handy. Once the three generators are down, the Maelstrom is still working; Adam thinks that there's another backup supply, but tells you to turn off the cooling valves on the Maelstrom instead.

As you turn off the valves on the Maelstrom, Palace Guards and Grinders attack initially. Turn off the first valve, which is on the level you're currently on. Go down to the level below, where there are two valves and one Armored Kantus. After the Kantus is defeated and the valves are off, go down to the final level, where there are two Armored Kantus this time and the final two valves. Once all valves are off, the facility begins to have a meltdown, and you have a minute and thirty seconds to escape. There are no enemies throughout the escape, apart from a Grinder at the end, which gets killed by an explosion. Once in the last room, you escape as the facility blows up, and the next part begins after a lengthy cutscene.

Collectibles

• Recovered Cog Tags #13: After the elevator fails and the lights go out, go down the hallway marked "3". In one of the cells on the left, there's a door that requires a Silverback to kick down. The COG Tags are inside.
• Schematics: After riding the second elevator up, look behind the desk in the middle of the room to find a button. This will open a wall-safe containing the schematics.

Achievements

• Upon completing this chapter, you will unlock the "Look at That, Instant Summer." achievement.