The second act of Gears 5 ends with a fight against the imposing boss of the Matriarch. While the strategy to take down the Matriarch is relatively straightforward, the struggle can be uphill. The Matriarch can take you down in one or two hits while you only have a small window to repair the damage, which means it can be a never-ending battle that ends in just one misstep.
How to Kill Matriarch Gears 5
You will meet the Matriarch in a frozen underground laboratory, which you can use to your advantage. The only weakness of the matriarch is her vulnerability to frost. If you're playing co-op, this weakness is extremely easy to exploit, as one player can use the Cryo Gun to freeze the Matriarch while the other distracts them. In single player mode you will have to use a different strategy.
Freeze Gear Matriarch 5
Due to the Matriarch's natural armor, the only way to damage her is to shoot the obvious orange dot on her back. To access it, you must first freeze the beast. You can use the Cryo Gun to freeze the Matriarch, even in single player mode, but the Matriarch can attack faster than you can freeze it, making this strategy riskier than it is worth. It is much safer to use your surroundings by dipping the matriarch in ice to freeze it.
You will get a free kick to the Matriarch as soon as the fight starts. It starts with the boss already frozen, so run to the back and shoot him before he thaws. From that point on, getting hits won't be so easy. You'll need to shoot the Matriarch to charge it up, then shoot the ice directly in its path to smash it, sending the Matriarch into the icy water below. Alternatively, you can dodge and shoot the ice under the Matriarch after the charge is complete. This will give you a few extra seconds to do some damage before doing the whole sequence again.
Dodge the Matriarch's attacks in Gears 5
Unfortunately, the matriarch is not so easy to remove. Throughout the fight, the boss will break this pattern to rip a spike from their own body and throw it at you. If you hit one, you will take a lot of damage and be momentarily knocked out while you pull it out. Make sure you keep an eye out for this attack and don't get hit. The Matriarch will use this attack more often as the fight progresses, and sometimes even throw multiple spikes at once. So remember to keep your distance to avoid it.
Another complication comes from Kait herself. For spoiler reasons, Kait will be weakened by visions at certain points in the fight. When this happens, your screen darkens and becomes blurry, making it very difficult to see the area around you. When this happens, try to get away from the matriarch and avoid her until your vision is clear, but be prepared to quickly pull away or shoot at the ice below if she charges.
Once you master the Matriarch's attacks, that fight isn't much. Repeat the process until the boss collapses and enter Act 3 Gears 5.
