New Gears of War 4 Preorder Bonuses Revealed

Microsoft has announced what it will offer for free to those willing to preorder Gears of War 4 ahead of its release later this year.

The Brothers to the End Elite Gear Pack consists of three different characters and two gun skins for use in multiplayer. You'll get access to an older version of Marcus Fenix, a zombie version of Dominic Santiago, and Anya as she looks in a Gears 4 TV commercial. Here's how Microsoft describes them:

• Tomorrow Anya is named after her famous words following the end of the Locust War ("Tomorrow Marcus. We finally have a tomorrow.") Her appearance is based on her look in the Gears of War 4 television commercial, "Tomorrow," where she was introduced as the mother of JD Fenix.
• Old Man Marcus features an older Marcus Fenix as unveiled in the E3 2016 media briefing demo. Twenty-five years after the Locust War, Marcus and the COG have long since parted ways. His facial hair has grown long and his COG regulation kit has been replaced with by civilian clothes.
• Zombie Dom proves there's no keeping a good solider down, at least in the form of this character skin created as tribute to Marcus' dearly departed best friend Dominic Santiago.

As for the guns, you'll receive Gold Wave versions of the Lancer and Gnashers. These are said to be "updated versions of the gold weapon skins awarded to the series’ most-dedicated day one players."

These bonuses come in addition to those previously announced, including the Vintage Del Pack and the various retailer-specific bonuses.

One other bonus was revealed in June, although it doesn't specifically require a preorder. Provided you buy the game by the end of the year, you'll receive digital copies of the four previous Gears of War games. These are the Xbox 360 versions (meaning you don't get the remastered Xbox One version of the first game), all four of which are playable on Xbox One through backward compatibility.

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Gears 4 introduces something called Gear Packs (containing things like characters and weapon skins) that can be purchased with real-world money. Developer The Coalition insists these won't lead to a pay-to-win situation.

Those who reached level 20 in this year's beta test will receive special cosmetic items if they pick up the full game, while a pricier special edition will provide even more items (among other things).