Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Deep Dive

The squad has always been at the heart of Gears of War. Whether you’re holding the line with your friends in Horde Siege or battling against another team in Versus – multiplayer in Gears of War: E-Day is built around fighting together.

Go deeper into today’s Multiplayer Reveal to find out everything you need to know for launch across modes, progression, and customization.

Horde Siege is our new 12-player evolution of the iconic Gears wave-based survival mode. For the first time ever, multiple squads fight together on all new maps set within the city of Kalona.

Each squad deploys with their own mission, joining a battle in progress, crisscrossing with other squads and tackling emergent challenges before facing an intense final fight and extraction.

The combination of three COG squads, larger Horde maps and a mix of mission types create a more dynamic PvE experience where threats, objectives, and opportunities are constantly shifting. The core objective of Horde Siege is still fundamentally Gears: survive the Locust, support your squad, and use every bit of firepower you can to come out on top.

In Horde Siege, the map itself is part of the battle- providing depth and variety mission after mission. Built within the sprawling districts of Kalona, each map features multiple city blocks, with more detail, more space, and more combat opportunities than any Horde map we’ve ever made.

These larger maps allow for more movement and freedom in how you and your squad decide to tackle your mission. Squads move across the battlefield, respond to changing objectives, collect Energy, and make tactical decisions as a team about where to invest, and how to approach each fight. That means every match, even when played on the same map, can play differently depending on mission, difficulty, modifiers, and how other squads are shaping the battle around you.

That last point is important: Horde Siege is not just about surviving a single encounter. It is about fighting through a rolling, persistent battleground where the aftermath of one squad’s last stand can become another squad’s opportunity. You may come across equipment or fortifications left behind by other squads who have extracted, then use those remains to help turn the tide in your own fight.

The Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Beta will feature the “Golden Quarter” Horde Siege map, set in the aftermath of the battle for Kalona’s historic district, featuring iconic landmarks and architecture inspired by classic Gears of War locations. At launch, we’ll offer three Horde Siege maps in total, showcasing other districts from across the city, with more coming in post-launch.

Before every mission, you’ll need to pick your preferred class. Horde Siege features distinct classes, each defined by its own unique starting loadout, combat bonus, unlock progression, and Tactical Gear - a powerful piece of combat equipment with a timed cooldown. Classes can be combined with any skin you want, so you’re able to combine your favorite character and playstyle. During the beta and at launch, we’ll have four classes with more coming in our seasonal updates:

• Assault: Focused on midrange weapons and flexibility in many situations, the Assault Class can deploy a Sonic Disruptor to stun waves of incoming enemies, particularly useful when defending an objective. This class also receives a damage boost when in cover.

• Breacher: Built to push hard into the frontline, the Breacher’s loadout focuses on close-range damage, paired with an Adrenaline Injector to refill health and reduce damage, allowing them to rush into high-risk areas for a clutch play. The Breacher Class also gets improved resistance to status effects and melee damage.

• Marksman: Able to take advantage of Horde Siege’s longer sightlines, this class is built around precision damage, using a Pulse Drone to tag Locust units for you and your squad. The Marksman Class also gets improved damage on critical hits.

• Medic: A mid-range revive specialist, the Medic Class is versatile and can hold its own in a fight, while deploying a Stim Vaporizer to heal and revive any Gear within range, even downed soldiers from other squads. This class also benefits from a faster health regen.

While our classes are meant to complement one another; there is no “right” way to set up a squad. If you want to drop into a mission with four Breachers… that’s up to you! Mix, match and experiment mission-to-mission to find the class build and squad composition that matches your style of play.

Once you’ve selected your class, it’s time to choose your mission type. Horde Siege missions are organized into three main playlists that offer matches of differing lengths and objectives:

• Blitz: Short, intense missions that feature 1-2 objectives, perfect for when you only have time for a quick run, usually around 15 – 20 minutes in length

• Siege: Standard-length missions that can contain multiple objectives with more opportunity to traverse across the map. Missions range from 20 – 40 minutes

• Horde: For when you want a tougher grind, these missions will ask your squad to hunker down in one spot, setting up defenses against 10 grueling waves with limited support. These missions can last up to 50 - 60 minutes

When you select a mission playlist, you’ll also need to choose your difficulty level. Horde Siege difficulty levels work a bit differently than in the Campaign since they scale with your class level; the higher your class level, the higher level of difficulty you’ll be able to take on. As you tackle more difficult missions, you’ll earn increased rewards. Horde Siege will always suggest a difficulty based on your class level, but the final choice is up to you and your squad:

• Rookie: Intended for players who are familiar with the Campaign or fighting the Locust Horde. Recommended for Class levels 1 -10.

• Infantry: Meant for experienced players who are ready for a challenge. Recommended for Class levels 10 – 20.

• Commander: Reserved for the most elite combatants with many successful completed missions. Recommended for Class levels 20 – 30.

• Allfather: Missions with a slim chance of survival, regardless of your combat record. Recommended for max level classes only.

No matter what playlist and difficulty you choose, most missions center around R.I.G.s (short for Resonation Imaging Geographer); COG scanning equipment originally used by mining companies for locating underground pockets of Imulsion, now repurposed for short-range mapping of the Locust tunnels beneath the streets of Kalona. These devices are critical to the defense of the city and the mission objectives you are assigned:

• Secure: Locust forces are occupying an area critical to the COG’s defense of Kalona; push into the enemy’s position and drive them out.

• Calibrate: A R.I.G. requires calibration before it can be used; defend a series of zones near the R.I.G. so it can accurately map Locust territory.

• Repair: The Locust have attacked a R.I.G., scattering key components; collect and reinstall all the parts to get the R.I.G. back online.

• Defend: An active R.I.G. is attracting the attention of nearby Locust; defend the R.I.G. until it finishes its mapping sequence.

• Horde: Get ready to dig-in and defend; survive 10 waves of incoming Locust with increasing difficulty as they try to destroy a single R.I.G.

Missions combine these objective archetypes with difficulty, modifiers, and in-match events to ensure you and your squad have a thrilling, unique match experience every time. We’ll have five objective types available at launch with more coming in post-launch.

As you navigate the map completing your mission’s main objectives, you’ll come across Secondary Objectives. These are shorter, optional tasks your squad can attempt to earn bonus rewards such as Weapon Parts, free equipment, and Squad Perks- shared, in-session squad buffs that can be upgraded at Supply Caches.

While Squad Perks expire at the end of a mission, any Weapon Parts you collect during the match can be used to unlock new Weapon Mods for your loadout. However, to keep any Weapon Parts you earn, at least one player in your squad must successfully extract to complete your mission.

Secondary Objectives will ask your squad to go the extra mile, completing critical tasks such as defusing Locust explosives, eliminating High Value Targets, collecting vital COG intel, or even delivering a Power Core to another Squad’s R.I.G. for a mid-wave boost.

As you complete objectives and defeat enemies in Horde Siege, you and your squad will collect a shared pool of Energy.

Energy can be used at Supply Caches, scattered across the map, to buy equipment, upgrade Squad Perks, or purchase a new weapon on the fly. While energy collection is shared across the squad, spending is individualized. While earning is easy, deciding what each player invests in is where squad strategy gets interesting.

When you open a Supply Cache, you’ll see your own personal options based on your class and progression. Equipment and Grenades now occupy the same inventory slot. You can pocket defensive equipment like a sentry or decoy to carry with you or choose to go offensive with a variety of grenade types like Frags and Incendiaries. What appears for purchase grows over time as your class progresses and reflects any mods or upgrades you’ve invested in.

In addition to the Supply Cache, Energy can also be used at specific defensive positions to purchase and upgrade turret installations. Plus, since turrets can now be detached, it’s a great way to get your hands on a Heavy Weapon that might be a critical tool.

Energy provides your squad with the means to determine the direction of the fight: do you build up a defensible position, shift your loadout for the next objective, or scavenge what another squad left behind and use it to survive the next wave? The more Energy you earn the more options you have, and all the Energy you earn contributes to your mission score, so tackling a few secondary objectives and events is often worth the effort as long as it doesn’t get you KIA!

Every match can be augmented by a mix of gameplay conditions like Mission Modifiers, Poisons, Invasion Events, and more. These variables combine to create unexpected challenges, keeping your squad on its toes and ensuring that no mission ever plays exactly the same.

• Mission Modifiers: Depending on the mission difficulty you’ve selected, your mission may feature modifiers that put an additional twist on combat. Mission Modifiers augment your combat experience with things like only Perfect Active Reloads, regenerating health only when you’re in cover, or even enemies exploding on their death!

• Poisons: Poisons are back! Whenever you complete a boss wave in your main objectives, the Locust get stronger as their health and damage increase. Poisons are squad-specific, so only the enemies you face are affected. This means deciding to tackle an extra Secondary Objective to build investment in energy and Squad Perks becomes an important strategic discussion.

• Invasion Events: When an Invasion Event starts, all squads on the map are notified about impending arrival of large Locust units. These are iconic Gears bosses; like a Corpser erupting out of the ground, or a Brumak crushing its way onto the battlefield. While an Invasion Event is active, all squads are affected by a temporary modifier. These have major impacts on the entire match, blocking extractions or disabling Supply Caches. These enemies also come with their own supporting units, presenting a tough challenge best taken-on when all three squads are working together to bring them down and secure the area. Of course, any squad that joins the fight gets a portion of the rewards.

COG Resupply: COG Resupplies are free rewards that occasionally pop up on the map. They come in three different varieties: Supply Drops, Perk Caches, and Weapon Part Stockpiles.

• Supply Drops contain free equipment and modded weapons that any player can grab.

• Perk Caches have three squad perks with the best perk going to the squad that interacts with it first.

• Weapon Part Stockpiles will reward various amounts of weapon parts, but only if you can coordinate with other squads.

All COG Resupplies have the negative side effect of attracting Locust forces, so approach with caution and watch your squad’s back.

Extraction: One thing that doesn’t change with each mission is your squad’s final objective: get out alive. After you’ve completed your mission’s main objectives, you’ll be asked to clear a landing zone and survive until your Raven arrives. While it’s always best to get everyone out together, technically only one member of your squad needs to make it out alive to complete the mission. So, stay on your feet, and watch the clock. If you fail to clear the area and board the chopper in time, you’ll lose your ride!

In Horde Siege, death isn’t always the end. If you’re killed in action, you’ll drop your COG tags. Your tags can then be collected by your squadmates and delivered to any Supply Cache to revive you. Players from other squads can even pick up your COG tags to instantly revive you in a clutch!  

However, if your entire squad is killed, you’ll lose a squad life. If your squad consumes all its Squad Lives, then you’ll fail the mission (with partial XP) and be returned to the Horde Siege lobby to try again.

When you hit a particularly hard objective, it’s always a good idea to regroup and talk strategy. There may be a solution in changing tactics or even building some squad power through Secondary Objectives or COG Resupplies.

Every completed mission will earn you Class XP, advancing your Class’s level. At launch, each class features 30 levels of progression. Advancing through each level unlocks new loadout weapons and equipment, Armor Mods, Tactical Gear Mods and unique Weapon Mods. At key milestones, your class will also receive base health and damage increases.

Armor Mods upgrade your soldier- tweaking things like; health, ammo reserves or weapon swap speeds, or adding unique benefits like gaining Perfect Active ammo from executions.

Tactical Gear mods improve your class’s unique equipment, decreasing cooldowns, increasing range and adding additional effects.

Through Weapon Mods, for the first time in a mainline Gears game, you can modify our iconic guns to suit your playstyle. Some mods are subtle, gently nudging the weapon in a tactical direction, while other mods can change its functionality. If you want to go nuts, you can even attach a bayonet to your Gnasher!  

Once unlocked on your class’s level track, each Weapon Mod must be purchased with Weapon Parts before it can be equipped. While you’ll earn some Weapon Parts by simply progressing your Class level, the best way to earn Weapon Parts and unlock new mods is through earning and extracting with them in Horde Siege missions. But, to keep any Weapon Parts you’ve collected during a mission, your squad must successfully extract and complete the mission.

In Horde Siege, weapon customization is shared across all classes. In other words, if you customize a Prototype Lancer for your Assault class, those same mods and cosmetics will be used if you equip the Prototype Lancer to another class.

The combination of Armor Mods, Tactical Gear Mods and Weapon Mods creates a deep range of opportunities to customize your gameplay. Finding the connections between them to maximize your impact in the heat of battle is key to your success at higher difficulty levels.

After launch, Horde Siege will be updated with new classes, maps, missions, modifiers, and seasonal content, like limited time events, as part of our broader E-Day post-launch support. We’ll have more to share on our entire seasonal roadmap as we get closer to launch, but needless to say, we’re just getting started.

Versus returns in Gears of War: E-Day, refined and rebuilt from the ground-up. Our goal with Versus was to preserve the tension, skill, and teamplay that define Gears PvP while delivering a new experience through E-Day’s new movement mechanics and updated combat sandbox.

All of our Versus modes are 4 v 4, designed around fair starts and balanced gameplay. All players begin each match with the same loadout weapons and equipment, keeping the focus on skill, teamwork and decision-making. There are no weapon mods in Versus, so every weapon and player starts on the same playing field.

Teams vie for a competitive edge by grabbing on-map Power Weapons. Each mode requires a different combination of individual player skill and team strategy around Power Weapons and map locations to lock in a win.

At launch, Versus will feature four core modes accompanied by rotating, featured experiences. Some modes will be familiar experiences for Gears fans, with some great new tweaks and updates, while other modes are all-new, but still distinctly and unmistakably Gears:

• Team Deathmatch: In E-Day, Team Deathmatch returns with some improvements, including a dynamic respawn system to move spawn locations in response to where the fight is playing out. As in previous iterations, TDM centers around eliminating enemy lives as opposed to hitting a winning score, setting the stage for classic clutch Gears PvP moments, like watching one last player hold the line against the enemy team.

• Conquest: This mode offers an exciting twist on the classic King of the Hill experience. The main objective of the mode still hinges on occupying and defending specified zones around the map. However, rather than rotating on a set interval like in King of the Hill, zones in Conquest stay active until one team successfully accrues enough time spent in the zone to score. With close coordination and effective teamwork, your squad can turn the tide and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at the last possible second.

• Demolition: In Demolition, teams battle for control of a neutral bomb that must be delivered and planted at one of two enemy bombsites. Once armed, the planting team must defend the bomb until it detonates while fighting without respawns. Three successful detonations wins the match, so the combat and tactics around where to plant and how to defend get intense!

• Crucible: Debuting as a new Versus mode, Crucible centers around the Power Core, a heavy piece of COG equipment that can be picked up and carried. If your team holds the Power Core inside the zone, you’ll accrue progress toward scoring, but as the round progresses the zone will move and shrink. Inside the zone, you’ll need to fend off attackers from the opposing team trying to claim the Power Core for themselves. Thankfully, the Power Core also stores an electrical charge that can blast the enemy’s flesh right off their bones- giving you and your team one last line of defense to hold the zone and win.

Limited Time Modes: After launch, we'll also feature regular additions of limited time modes. Sometimes, they will be supporting an in-game seasonal event, like our Trick or Treat mode during our Halloween Event. Other times, we’ll feature limited time modes to keep things fresh throughout a season, including the return of some favorite modes from Gears’ past, updated for E-Day.

We’re launching with six brand-new Versus maps, set in and around the war-torn city of Kalona. They are rooted in classic Gears map design, with symmetrical structure and a focus on cover positions, fronts and lanes. Of course, our maps are also built around E-Day’s new gameplay sandbox, and each layout includes a variety of risk-reward opportunities that use our new movement mechanics.

• Outpost - An abandoned military camp overlooking Downtown Kalona, featuring bunkers, rolling terrain and an elevated bridge that connects a well‑trodden training facility. Multiple traversal routes, shifting elevation and long sightlines create opportunities for both aggressive pushes and tactical positioning.

• Battleship - A colossal wartime vessel in the middle of post‑war deconstruction. Fight across the ship's exposed decks, contested bridge crossings and smoldering docks, where control of key pathways can dictate the pace of battle.

• Park - Nestled along the coast of Downtown Kalona, battle in the bloody ruins of a zoo gone feral. Open sightlines converge on the iconic central fountain while winding pathways and surrounding exhibits offer alternative routes through the battlefield.

• Precinct - Prepare to clash in the close confines of the Kalona Police Department the day after it was decimated. Tight interiors, breached walls and improvised cover create constant opportunities for flanks and close-quarters engagements.

• Market - Battle through a once‑thriving seaside market now shattered by invasion. Long streets, elevated balconies and densely packed interiors create layered engagements across every corner of the marketplace.

• Skyward - Fight on interconnected rooftops linked by perilous jumps and narrow pathways. Verticality, exposed crossings and commanding overlook positions reward players willing to risk the high ground.

Each map was designed with our 4 v 4 modes in mind, with Power Weapon and equipment placements, strategic areas and sightlines that require tactical teamwork and skillful execution to master.

In Versus, playlists are divided into Ranked and Social.

Ranked focuses on competitive structure and progression. Each mode-specific playlist features its own rank and skill rating system, while tight matchmaking and strict penalties for quitting help ensure every match is fought on even footing.

After completing your placement matches, you'll be assigned a Skill Division and Rank. Your Skill Division is based on the skill-based rating used for matchmaking and reflects your perceived skill relative to the other players on the playlist. Since it's relative, it can fluctuate over time regardless of how you're playing.

Your rank is based on your Rank Rating and tracks your progression through that playlist's ladder. While your Skill Division reflects the competition you're expected to face, your rank reflects the progress you've earned. Rank Rating is earned and lost through match outcomes and performance - you can only gain points in victory and only lose points in defeat. The amount of points you stand to win or lose is based on your Skill Division, with the stakes increasing as the competition elevates.

Social playlists offer the widest range of Versus experiences. From 4v4 Quickplay and Player vs Bot playlists to limited-time modes and special events. At the end of each match, players vote on what they'll play next, allowing lobbies to stay together and keep the action going.

Player vs Bot playlists are set up based on bot difficulty and provide a great, accessible way to get comfortable with E-day's maps and modes while practicing tactics and honing your skills.

Before you jump into any mode, E-Day offers two great places to start. Our Boot Camp is a short training course, set in a COG military facility where new and returning Gears players can get familiar with our new controls and mechanics.

If you want to spend more time getting comfortable, the Combat Training mode expands the training space to include a Multiplayer map with varying opportunities to try out weapons and even spawn some short Locust encounters. Combat Training also supports 4 player co-op so you and your squad can take as long as you want finding your favorite control scheme and weapon combinations.

Cosmetic items in E-Day are designed to feel gritty, grounded or inspired by the spirit and vibe of our brand. We love this universe and wanted to expand on it in exciting ways, so we skipped promotional cross-overs and IP partnerships for skins to focus on our own characters, world elements, and design. In the rare cases where we have partnered with another brand or artist, we’ve tried to be thoughtful and consider what would be the coolest way to experience that brand in-game. While our multiplayer cosmetics are not always considered canon, a lot of our character skins are inspired by the lore, themes, and events of the Gears universe. Our Legendary tier of skins can be a bit more over-the-top and imaginative, occasionally pushing into designs that build on the imagery and symbolism surrounding the Gears franchise.

• Characters: At launch, E-Day will feature over 60 character skins across an array of COG and Locust Characters. What’s more, every major character and skin that appears in Campaign is available to unlock on day 1, with new characters and additional skins added every season.

• Weapon Skin Sets: In E-Day, every weapon skin you unlock or purchase includes the full set. In other words, you’ll never have to re-acquire the same skin for each individual weapon. Once you’ve added a skin to your inventory, you can apply it to any customizable weapon that you like.

• Poses: Poses are stances you can apply to your character and are featured in the Horde Siege and Versus lobbies, as well as match into and outro screens.  Note that poses are not emotes, meaning they are not able to be triggered or used in gameplay.

• Banners: Banners return, but with a twist. While they are still featured alongside your character in match intro and outro screens, they also appear in-game during Horde Siege missions, marking the location where you and your squad have completed an objective and claimed a reward.

• Emblems: Emblems are the background graphic that appear behind your gamertag or Steam name in multiplayer lobbies, intros/outros and scoreboards

• Icons: Icons are simple, unicolor graphics that appear in two key places. First, in multiplayer lobbies displayed on top of your player emblem. Second, whatever Icon you have equipped also serves as the icon displayed when you mark an enemy or object in multiplayer.

• Titles: Titles are equippable, short text strings that appear below your gamertag or Steam name on your player emblem in multiplayer lobbies. Titles are earn-only and a great way to show off the completion of difficult challenges.

• Menu Music: As the name suggests, these are equippable tracks or playlists that change the music you’ll hear in the main menu as well as in Horde Siege and Versus lobbies. We’ll have four pieces of Menu Music for you to choose from at launch, including a special instrumental version of Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, with more coming in post-launch.

Remember the good ol’ days when you bought a game and you could unlock all the customization items just by playing because you already bought the game? Us too! So, when it comes to growing your own collection of customization items in E-Day, we’ve taken a more old-school inspired approach.

Nearly every single item in Gears of War: E-Day can be earned by simply playing the game. That means no battle pass, no tour of duty, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Whether it’s a Legendary Character Skin, an Epic Weapon Skin Set or a Rare Pose, almost all of it can be earned through gameplay. There are two primary paths to acquiring new customization items:

• Direct: You can unlock new items directly through completing seasonal and event challenges, unlocking achievements and by earning medals from our Gears 3-inspired medals system.

• Indirect: Everything else can be obtained by completing matches and earning Coins, which can then be spent to unlock specific items of your choosing in the Barracks.

Now, there are a few exceptions where an item is pay-only, but those are limited to three types of items:

• Premium Edition Content: Items included in the Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade, including the contents of all five Seasonal Customization Packs, must be purchased.

• Charity Offers: E-Day will feature pay-only Charity bundles in our in-game shop, like our upcoming 2026 Never Fight Alone bundle. All proceeds from these offers go directly to our charity partner Crisis Text Line to aid in their suicide prevention efforts.

• Partnership Items: We’ll have more to share as we get closer to launch, but we’ve collaborated with a couple of brands we think are rad to make a handful of exclusive partnership items that must either be acquired through the partnership or purchased, like our Legendary Ride the Lightning Weapon Skin Set we’ve made in partnership with Metallica.

Crucially, items that can be obtained directly via a challenge or achievement can only be earned through that acquisition method so long as the challenge is active. In other words, you can’t bypass an achievement or challenge by opening your wallet. You also can’t bypass an active challenge with Coins. We respect the time and skill it takes for players to earn those items.

Don’t worry though, if you miss a limited time reward you’ll have another opportunity to earn it! Once a limited time moment like a Seasonal or Event challenge expires, the corresponding reward will enter the Barracks after a cooldown period where it can be acquired for Coins or Iron. This allows the players who successfully completed the challenge in-time to flaunt their rewards while still allowing players who miss out an opportunity to earn the rewards at a later date.

Coins are E-Day’s free to earn grind currency that can be spent in the Barracks on specific, individual items. There are three ways to earn Coins:

• Playing: You’ll earn Coins by playing your preferred multiplayer modes in Versus or  Horde Siege. At the end of the match, you’ll receive Coins based off your performance and score.

• Leveling Up: Every ten Player Levels, we’ll award you a batch of Coins to commemorate your progression milestone.

• Earning Medals: Unlocking many of the medals from our Gears 3-inspired medal system will award you with Coins. As you progress and unlock higher level medals, we’ll reward you with more Coins.  

While Coins earned from match completion do include a weekly cap, the cap is more than enough to acquire a Legendary Character skin with Coins to spare. In addition, Coins earned from medals or Player Level are not subject to the weekly cap.

Now to address the Brumak in the room, earning Coins is not intended to be painstaking or provide the player with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Earning Coins shouldn’t be an arduous grind. Chasing your favorite skin and unlocking new items should be fun. As such, we’ve carefully tuned the rate you earn Coins with this principle in-mind and we’ll pay close attention to player feedback to adjust as necessary in post-launch.

While nearly every single item can be earned through direct unlocks or purchased with our grind currency, Coins, instant gratification isn’t a bad thing either. That’s where Iron, E-Day’s premium currency, comes in.

Iron can be purchased and spent on individual items in the Barracks or on featured offers in the shop. Purchasing and spending Iron is an optional, expedited way to quickly acquire specific customization items, allowing you to bank and save your Coins for another purchase.

E-Day’s shop features weekly, rotating offers. Each week, we’ll showcase a high-value bundle alongside a handful of individual discounted items.

Because items are available at a discount, offers featured in the shop are available for Iron-only. However, our shop includes two unique features meant to better respect the player’s time and investment in E-Day:

• No Shop Exclusives: Unlike other games, we don’t use our shop to introduce exclusive, limited time offers that disappear only to be brought back months or years later. Rather, our weekly shop deals “feature” discounted items that are already individually available in the Barracks for Coins or Iron. Once a bundle rotates out of the shop, its contents remain available for you to acquire in the Barracks.

• Complete-the-Set Pricing: If you already own one or more items that are featured in a weekly shop bundle, we’ll dynamically reduce the price of the bundle based on how many items you own. In E-Day, we respect your time investment and won’t charge you twice.

We’ve extended our “return to old school” approach to our progression in E-Day, blending elements of classic Gears systems with thoughtful improvements to create an experience that feels comfortably familiar while still being fresh and new.

• Medals: Inspired by the iconic system from Gears of War 3, medals are back in E-Day. Medals are earned for mastering specific aspects of the game, with progressive tiers for completing harder versions of each challenge. At launch, we’ll feature over 80 unique medal series with more coming each season. As you unlock each medal, you’ll earn additional rewards such as Coins as well as exclusive banners and emblems. While medals still feature the original Bronze, Silver, Gold and Onyx hierarchy, we’ve also added a “Diamond” level that awards an exclusive Player Title to cap each medal series. Once you earn a medal, you can equip it to your Emblem where you can highlight up to three medals of your choosing.

• Player Level: You’ll earn Player XP by playing multiplayer matches and completing weekly challenges in Horde Siege and Versus. Earning Player XP advances your level, capping at level 100. Once you hit level 100, you’ll have the option to Re-Up, earning you an exclusive reward and resetting your Player Level to 1.  Players can Re-Up a total of four times, representing 500 total levels of player progression. Once you reach level 100 on your last Re-Up, we’ll award you with a set of Gears 2 inspired “wings” that are displayed alongside your gamertag or Steam name in multiplayer lobbies.

E-Day features a set of permanent and updating challenges.  Completing these specific gameplay tasks will reward you with customization items and accelerate your progression. The scope and scale of the challenge, as well as its corresponding reward, varies depending on the challenge type:

• Weekly Challenges: Every week, you’ll receive 12 challenges; half of them must be completed in Horde Siege while the other half must be completed in Versus. These challenges expire at the end of every week and award Player XP. Weekly Challenges are meant to help boost your progression without making players feel like they’re falling behind if they miss a week or don’t want to play a certain mode.

• Seasonal Challenges: Each Season, we’ll drop 20 seasonal challenges that span across Versus and Horde Siege. Once completed, these challenges unlock customization items such as poses, weapon skin sets, banners, emblems, icons and even new base characters. While these challenges expire at the end of a season, their associated rewards will eventually re-enter the Barracks to be unlocked with Coins or Iron.

• Event Challenges: During limited time events, we’ll offer a set of five challenges that award unique, themed customization items tying to the event.

• Foundations Challenges: A handful of non-expiring tutorial challenges to teach players the basics of multiplayer combat in E-Day. These challenges mainly award base characters.

• Achievements: In E-Day, all of our achievements unlock Player Titles for use in multiplayer. Some achievements also award additional customization items, such as our achievements for completing parts of the Campaign. Each of those achievements unlock base characters. Most notably, E-Day features four Mastery achievements that each award a Legendary Character Skin, including an updated version of Gears’ most notorious achievement; Seriously? (which we’ve called Dead Serious for E-Day).

We’re committed to delivering 5 themed post-launch multiplayer seasons, kicking off with our launch season, Season 1: Emergence.  These updates are packed with kick-ass content including new maps, modes, characters, skins, Horde Siege classes, limited time events and so much more.

We’ll share more detail on our entire roadmap, including the theme of each season, as we get closer to launch. Stay tuned!

Whether you are holding the line in Horde Siege, or honing your skills in Versus, E-Day offers a brand-new way to experience the intensity combat and unique camaraderie that Gears of War is known for. It’s time grab your favorite Gears character, squad up and join the fight!

Pre-purchase now to get Early Access to the Open Beta on August 6th and be among the first to get your hands on Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer.