Hi, complete Newbie here needing some advice with the fabricator and fortifications. I’ve just started playing Horde and different characters. I’m interested in supporting my team with fortifications. Now I’ve read I can use the Mechanic or Robotics Expert character which is no problem, however I can’t seem to use the fabricator and fortifications. How do I setup and move the fabricator? Sometimes a fortification goes red - what does this mean? How do I move fortifications such as turrets to better positions? Thanks for any advice.
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Press right stick to pick up the fabricator or fortifications when close to them. Press right stick again when holding to place fabricator or fortification down where you are. A fortification that is red means it is in an invalid spot, and means it won’t have any effect on the enemies but won’t take any damage either. Sometimes intentionally moving fortifications to invalid spots may be a valid strategy to prevent them taking damage and being destroyed by bosses for example.
Edit: And since you are new I will take the oppurtunity to impart some wisdom which sadly eludes many seasoned engineers still to this day: Ammo lockers are the most important thing to build, make sure you prioritize them before turrets so all your damage dealers have the ammo they need first, otherwise you will lose the match. Build barriers to slow down enemies and keep them out of your base. Level 1 barriers are great, level 2 can take more damage but be very mindful that they are taller than level 1 and may obscure sightlines.Level 3 and 4 barriers are brittle and for the most part a waste of money, outside of a few specialized cases. Depending on your team some sentries may be needed towards the later part of the match, and by then you should have barriers and plenty of ammo lockers to last the whole team up, so you can afford them. Shock sentries are great, MG sentries mostly not so much. If you use sentries, make sure to not put them out in front where they obscure sightlines, try to instead place them behind or beside teammates where they are out of the way. Shocks have enough range, MG:s are more limited in range but should be used more as insurance against enemies breaching the base IMO.
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You will find many informations, strategy discussion , cards build and so on here in this forum (searching correct key words)
There are also some great tutorials done by some great players on YT for all horde maps and also escape hive.
And if you play engineer start with barriers and weapon locker first before any sentries …
Everything you need to know (and even more) is here.
Have fun with this game
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Hi there, @C_FORCE_77 Welcome to Horde!!
In addition of the great advice here, I’d also be sure mention to your team that you’re new to the class and would like to have some help from them. Just to manage expectations 
At this stage of the game the smart/efficient engineers usually limit purchases in most cases to Level 1 Barriers and Weapon Lockers.
Certain maps can benefit from higher level Barriers in specific places but someone on the team that has played a lot more should point that out. The level 1 Barrier made by a Mechanic with the Reinforced Fabrication card leveled up is really tough enough. If you have coin, I’d recommend you level that up to 5 or 6 pronto.
Weapons Locker purchases depend on the class makeup of your team. Most often those classes that use a locker hope that the locker gets upgraded to Level 4 as soon as possible, as at that level it gets the fastest ammo regen.
Engineering Guide Compilation - General Discussion - Gears Forums (gearsofwar.com)
Here’s a discussion on Classes, Perking, and who usually warrants a Locker. It would behoove you to know this discussion if you enjoy Engineering
Which classes don’t have perks or skill cards to regenerate ammo and most of the time need lockers? - Gears 5 - Gears Forums (gearsofwar.com)
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Also try to be respectful to engineers when you yourself are not playing the engineer. Don’t move fortifications unless absolutely necessary - e.g.: a barrier placed in an area which you are covering specifically. It can be seen as undermining the engineer. Try to communicate - ask the engineer and explain why. I know typing can be hard and slow if you don’t have a keyboard accessory etc, but it’s about good etiquette and being polite. Making small changes with moving things is normally fine - I’ve never had any issues with this e.g.: adjusting the angle of a barrier or sentry so it covers a slightly better angle by turning the fortification a bit rather than outright moving it.
Also on later waves once you’ve perked up and fortifications are mostly built, get into the habit of giving your power directly to the engineer so they can perk up too. The engineer can’t perk up using power deposited in the fabricator - just build.
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One thing I rarely seen in a regular/frenzy horde game is when engineer doesn’t move fabricator during the wave and drops it in a specific location so he/she could build so many barriers. It makes everything so much easier by doing this. I normally do this when last 5 enemies are remaining, drop my fab (to a specific location) and start to build lots of barriers.
Oh, also just make sure you get the fabricator back on time, otherwise you’ll see boomshot scions in your base and before you know it… “Firing” 
.
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My advice would be, don’t bother.
Given the power of the classes and the need/desire for early perking in 1-12 Frenzy an engineer isn’t really needed.
In 1-50 Horde, every man and his dog will think they know better than you do and will pick up and place the Fabrictator, buy their own fortifications (and expect you to repair them) and move and upgrade the fortifications you build and expect you to repair them. On top of that players won’t deposit and will perk instead leaving you no power to build with.
Engineer is one of the most difficult classes to play well given the required knowledge of all the maps, all the classes and their requirements and balancing power resource requirements with perking.
It’s one of the most undervalued, despised and ridiculed classes in the game. Players will not value your input regardless of what you do.
Gears 5 has destroyed the role of Engineer to the point of insignificance.
Don’t bother wasting your time with it.
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Ha that’s kind of true. There’s a lot of misinformation and I think a lot comes from engineers. Nobody should be giving any money to engineer on Frenzy before like Wave 8. It just doesn’t make sense. If you’re playing Combat Medic or maybe Jack, sure, but otherwise it’s hurting the team if Demo or Pilot or whoever is giving money away that’s better spent on perks.
Anyway, having mastered every map on Frenzy, I can tell you a lot of our best and easiest runs were done WITHOUT an engineer. Having one usually means everyone else must do more damage, which is a lot of pressure. It’s typically not too much pressure for say 2-3 of the other 4, but too much for 1-2.
We failed Pahanu a bunch with engineers, then finally succeeded when we just didn’t have one and we built a couple of barriers but everyone there could murder.
I personally appreciate a great engineer, no doubt about it, but playing the 3 at least when it comes to Frenzy, I only enjoy Robotics Expert. I don’t have to run around repairing and I can actually help a little bit and do some damage. Plus the way my friends play, they far prefer that amazing locker speed and can make use of it.
What everyone else wrote here is good stuff. Sentries basically suck, except the shock ones can be useful, don’t be selfish engineer trying to waste money on stupid sentries. If your team is good, lockers make all of the difference in the world. Give me a level 3 locker as Pilot and I’ll melt all wave, either drop shot or Silverback.
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Don’t be like those weird people who build a sentry then try to use it a barrier. Don’t put sentries right in front a barriers either it screws around with the line of sight of the sentry. Enemies that are about as tall as the Barrier or shorter are ignored by the sentry if they are in it most times.
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