The Coalition has unveiled the new Arcade Mode in Gears 5 which will be part of the Tech Test this weekend. The mode is designed to be easy to jump in and out of while containing character abilities and unique features in comparison to traditional Gears multiplayer.
A full breakdown was posted on the official site here earlier today. Let’s look at the details:
Features and Settings
- Two teams of five race to see which team can get 50 kills first.
- Each hero character has a unique combat style defined by a passive ability, a bounty, a loadout, and a dedicated set of weapon upgrades.
- These traits let you play your way more than ever before, whether you want to get up close and personal, keep at a distance with the Longshot or somewhere in between – we’ve got the character for you.
- Skulls play a critical role in boosting your power and claiming victory on the battlefield. Each Elimination (a kill or assist) puts Skulls in your bank for you to purchase upgrades from your character’s unique weapon tree. Each weapon tree offers weapons of increasing power to pick from– the better the weapon, the more Skulls you’ll need to cash in to equip it.
- Cash in Skulls at any time to upgrade, even in the middle of a fight. And don’t worry, Skulls aren’t streak based, so you’ll keep your unspent Skulls even if you die. If you want to mix it up and change characters mid-match, the skulls transfer over so a new character can even start with their most powerful weapon option.
- Finally, earn Skulls even faster by using each character’s specific bounty that earns you bonus Skulls.
- Headshots are better than ever in Gears 5, and you’ll see them often in the amped up action of Arcade Mode.
- Exclusively in Arcade, headshot damage is boosted to give every weapon a chance to pop heads. This makes Arcade the most fast-paced, visceral experience in Gears Versus. Aim for the head and watch them pop!
- Additionally, to keep the focus on each Hero’s distinctive playstyle, slide cancels in Arcade have a longer cooldown than the standard one-tuning found in the rest of the Versus experience. Without wall bouncing in Arcade, cover to cover action truly shines and we can’t wait for you to try it.
Character and Abilities
Hunter – Kait / Swarm Hunter
- Passive: Increased Movement Speed
- Bounty: Execute for an additional Skull
- Loadout: Hammerburst, Talon Autopistol, Smoke Grenade
- Upgrades: Boltok, Incendiary Grenades, Torque Bow
Kait and the Swarm Hunter are versatile characters thanks to their fast movement and vision-blocking smoke grenades.
Their weapons let them catch enemies off guard at range before relocating to avoid being targeted by opponents, or by executing fast flanks on unsuspecting enemies with Incendiaries and Talon.
Support – JD / Swarm Drone
- Passive: Spot enemies who damage you. Enemies you spot reward health to killer.
- Bounty: Multi-kill for an additional Skull.
- Loadout: Lancer, Snub Pistol, Flashbangs
- Upgrades: 3 Random Weapon upgrade slots of varying quality
JD and the Drone are the backbone of any team, providing critical healing to teammates who kill any opponents you mark while supporting from a distance with his sturdy loadout.
While their weapon upgrades are randomized, this gives JD and the Drone more versatility as they move between supporting fights and taking out enemies. Plus, who doesn’t love a little surprise sometimes? This hero character is recommended for new players to give the best variety of power weapons.
Heavy – Del / Scion
- Passive: Receive Stim(Extra health above the normal maximum) for Kills
- Bounty: Multi-kill for an additional Skull
- Loadout: Hammerburst, Talon Autopistol
- Upgrades: Buzzkill, Mulcher, RL-4 Salvo
If you’re all about the big guns, Del or the Scion is the hero for you.
While Heavy Weapons make this a slower paced hero than others, their passive ability adds additional health (known as Stim) every time they get a kill. This helps them survive when exposing themselves to engage with Heavy Weapons.
CQB – Marcus / Swarm Grenadier
- Passive: Cover slide speed and distance increased
- Bounty: Execute for an additional Skull
- Loadout: Enforcer, Snub Pistol, Smoke Grenade
- Upgrades: Shock Grenades, Gnasher, Breaker Mace
For the bold and the brave, these heroes are all about getting up close and very personal. Their loadout and weapon tree sacrifices range in exchange for some potent close range weaponry.
Without many tools to fight at range, their passive allows them to take cover quickly and close the gap. If you see Marcus or the Grenadier pull out Breaker… run.
Sniper – Fahz / Swarm Sniper
- Passive: Immune to flinching when ADS or fully scoped
- Bounty: Headshot kill for an additional Skull
- Loadout: Lancer, Talon Autopistol, Flashbang
- Upgrades: Boltok, Marzka, Longshot
Fahz and the Swarm Sniper are for players that love to snipe from a distance thanks to their headshot centric weapons of increasing quality.
Both can take hits without flinching while they line up those sweet headshots on opponents that dare to challenge them at range, so keep calm and land your shots to make them truly shine.
Tech Test Dates and Times
- The first Technical Test period will run from July 19th at 10am PDT until July 22nd at 10am PDT.
- The second Technical Test period will run from July 26th at 10am PDT until July 29th at 10am PDT.
- The tech test weighs in at 15gb and will be available to pre-load starting on July 17th.
Our Take
If you couldn’t tell by now, we are incredibly excited for Gears 5 and after seeing The Coalition demo the new Arcade mode today, that excitement has only increased. This will no doubt be the biggest Gears game yet and with the features and tech running it, we feel it could be a major player this fall. We simply cannot wait to jump in on Friday. See you online!