The player can seek cover to recover their health, but if they take too much damage, they will become incapacitated.

When the player takes damage, the �Crimson Omen�, a red cog representing the player�s health gauge, will fade into the screen, becoming more defined with larger amounts of damage. The player can attempt an �Active Reload� of a weapon to reload it faster and temporarily boost the damage from the gun, but failing to perform the Active Reload correctly will cause the gun to become momentarily jammed while the player�s character fixes it. The game uses a number of weapon archetypes, but predominately featured is the Lancer, an assault rifle that has a mounted chainsaw bayonet that can be used to kill foes at close range. Gears of War is a third-person shooter that places emphasis on using cover to avoid taking damage while moving towards enemy forces.