Gears of War 4‘s Horde 3.0 mode was announced at E3 2016, and now we’ve learned some details from a press release on what the cooperative multiplayer mode will be like in the upcoming shooter.
Horde 3.0 marks the return of five player co-op, where players go up against 50 waves of increasingly difficult enemies. And just like past games, a Boss Wave is triggered every 10 waves. However, there are plenty of new features that players will be able to get their hands on when the game launches in October.
Players can utilize a “Fabricator,” which lets you build things like defenses, turrets, and weapons to help you out against the enemy horde. Additionally, there’s a new class-based system that lets you assign five different roles–Soldier, Sniper, Scout, Heavy, and Engineer. This is supposed to help you optimize your team output and give everyone a specific way to play.
Lastly, we learned that Horde 3.0 will utilize a card system. Gear Cards can be used by players to add buffs such as dealing 10 percent more damage with lancers or carrying 20 percent more explosive ammunition. It’s not confirmed if these specific cards can be purchased through microtransactions. Other parts of the game offer this, and purchasable cosmetic cards can be used in Horde 3.0. We’ve contacted Microsoft for clarification and will update this article as we receive more information.
If you’re at PAX West this weekend from September 2-5, then you’ll have the opportunity to play Horde 3.0. Additionally, a “First to 50″ event will be held at the PAX Arena and will feature teams of Xbox personalities, YouTubers, and professional esports players competing to get to Wave 50.
Gears of War 4 releases on October 7 for Xbox One and PC. If you buy the game digitally on Xbox One, you get a free digital copy on PC and vice-versa. It’s part of Xbox’s Play Anywhere program, which also includes other games like ReCore, Forza Horizon 3, and Halo Wars 2.