Gears 5: Free DLC Maps, No Season Pass, No Random Loot Boxes

Microsoft exclusive Gears 5, which unveiled a haunting cinematic trailer during the company's E3 2019 presentation, is only a few months away. Details about the upcoming third-person shooter continue to emerge with its September release right around the corner, and a new post on the Gears 5 official website provides some enticing information, including free content and the lack of a season pass.

The news post outlines a bunch of the game's details. We get a cinematic glimpse at new Gear Fahz Chutani (played by Rahul Kohli, Rage 2's Garcia the Gregarious). The post also goes over the game's new 3-player co-op mode Escape, which you can check out 10-minutes of gameplay footage above. But the biggest piece of news centers around additional content.

Developer The Coalition touts a "player-first experience," stating some of the game's additional content will be free. According to the post, Gears 5 will feature no season pass, no loot boxes, and free DLC maps for matchmaking and private play. The maps sound similar to Gears of War 4, but where that game required you own the map to play them in private matches after they left the playlist, this game doesn't seem to have that limitation. Though Gears 5 will have microtransactions, the post confirms that "all store purchases are direct," meaning no RNG (random number generator) will play in a role in what you get. An IGN report reveals that Gears 5 will feature seven different types of cosmetics that can be purchased will real money: costumes, weapon skins, banners (emblems with more surface area), expressions (emotes), executions, blood sprays, and marks (to mark targets). "The only random kind of chance you have is that there's a type of content that we essentially give to the player for free just for playing," The Coalition boss Rod Fergusson told IGN during E3 2019.

Gears 5 follows Kat Diaz (played by Laura Bailey, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End's Nadine Ross) as she searches to uncover the truth behind her heritage and her connection to the Locust. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Gears 5 was " looking great" when he visited the Vancouver-based studio in March 2019.

Gears 5 will release on September 10 for PC and Xbox One. A versus technical test is scheduled for Friday, July 19, with Horde Mode getting its own test sometime this August.