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The Coalition has revealed its multiplayer maps for Gears 5, and has moved the game’s early access date, as announced in its ‘What’s Up’ update post.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers and those who bought the Ultimate Editions of Gears 5 will be able to access the game a little bit earlier, at 9.00pm local time on September 5. In addition, the game can be pre-loaded on all platforms for the especially keen beans. As for the multiplayer modes Escape, Versus, and Horde, the 11 maps available at launch will be the series’ ‘most varied lineup’ to date.
Four hive-style maps are set for the Escape mode. Although there’s not much detail for The Hive, The Descent, The Mines, and The Gauntlet, new Hives will be integrated on an ‘almost weekly’ basis. Players could also make their own Arena and Hive maps to upload and share with others, padding out the pool of multiplayer environments for fans to look forward to.
Seven maps take on the traditional arena-style build for Versus and Horde. These are Asylum, Bunker, District, Exhibit, Icebound, Training Grounds, and Vasgar. Asylum is a ‘classic’ Gears map, Bunker is centred around a chokepoint with valuable resources on offer, and District was first seen in the tech test with its neon shine in a New COG Settlement.
Exhibit is a two-lane map set in a museum with a deadly, diverging laser security system. Icebound will allow players to exploit the precarious conditions and shatter the ice, to freeze their enemies. Training Grounds restricts cover with long and clear sightlines, and Vasgar places players in the crater of sandglass with defensive bases at either end.
Regarding the future of Gears of War 4, Ranked play will be stopped after January 2020 as The Coalition wants to dedicate its ‘focus [is] on Gears 5 to our maximum capabilities’. Instead of Ranked, there will be Core and Competitive playlists with relaxed latency and skill rating requirements as players expectedly transition to Gears 5. The achievements 'Better than Bacon' and 'I Like Them Crispy' will offer their reward skins as craftable items as multiplayer events phase out.
All the information is found in The Coalition’s post, along with extra updates on bonus content and the first Division Rewards. Gears 5 will launch for Xbox One and PC on September 10. Watch the multiplayer maps trailer below.
