The Coalition dropped several new details for Gears of War: E-Day ahead of its multiplayer beta, which begins on August 6th for pre-orders and includes Versus and Horde Siege. However, there’s some interesting new information on its weapons and how they’ve changed for the prequel, including how several familiar weapons function.
For instance, the ballistics on all weapons are now simulated and have travel time, making this the most realistic – at least, as much as a post-apocalyptic setting with monsters allows – entry in the series. “The visuals of the tracers and hit effects are true to the simulation for the first time in the franchise. This also creates more interesting gameplay scenarios, where shooting outside of a weapon’s range requires leading your target,” said The Coalition.
Besides tuning the recoil on certain automatic weapons, first-person scopes for weapons like sniper rifles have sway for “additional realism and aiming challenge.” Shoulder-swapping, a classic mechanic, can also now be performed while aiming down sights.
The E-Day Direct showcased several mechanics, including the ability to Active Reload round-by-round on the Gnasher and Breechshot. Because this offers new possibilities for survival, the Gnasher’s ammo capacity has gone from 8 to 6 shells. There’s also the Prototype Lancer, which offers a larger magazine and faster rate of fire than other versions, and the Hammerburst channels the classic six-round burst of the first Gears.
The Snub also works more like in the older titles, and Smoke Grenades create volumetric smoke for more realistic sight-blocking. Interestingly, the Prototype Boomshot occupies the Heavy Boomshot’s spot, providing “a hefty kick while keeping it balanced.” There’s a lot more to go through, including how the team balanced movement, including sprinting, and entering cover that’s worth diving into.
Gears of War: E-Day is out on October 6th for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and besides revamping multiplayer, it’s also ditching the Tour of Duty system from Gears 5. Almost every cosmetic is unlockable by playing the game with no battle passes. Head here for more details.
