Good news for anyone who hates a grind: from the series' November 7 anniversary, you log in to Gears of War: E-Day and RAAM is yours.
The Coalition is giving the Locust general to every E-Day player as a free multiplayer character to mark 20 years of Gears of War. The studio laid it out on Xbox Wire on November 6, saying the next day was the exact anniversary. Its instruction is short: "Just login to claim him instantly." Pure Xbox reports the same deal, describing RAAM as a free multiplayer skin that only needs a login.
There's no challenge attached in either report. No playlist to grind, no rank to hit. If you've drifted away from E-Day since it launched, this is a free reason to boot it up once.
Two modes worth a look while they last
RAAM lands alongside a two-week anniversary event that started this week, according to Xbox Wire, and the two limited-time modes are the more interesting part if you actually want to practise.
In Versus, Guardian is back. The Xbox Wire description is one line: "only one leader makes it out alive." Pure Xbox calls the return a callback to the mode's debut in Gears of War 2, so long-time players will know the deal. If you're newer, here's my suggestion: treat the leader as the objective. Keep an eye on where yours is, and don't get so busy chasing kills that you forget who the mode is built around.
Horde Siege gets For the Queen, and this one changes how you prepare. The supply cache is disabled, leaving squads, in the post's words, to "rely on your loadouts." That shifts the work to before the match. With no cache to fall back on, the kit you bring is the kit you've got, so sort out what your four-player squad is carrying as a team before you drop in.
Both modes are limited-time. The Coalition hasn't given an exact end date in the post beyond calling the event two weeks long, so don't leave them too late.
What Season 2 has promised so far
The bigger date is December 1, when Season 2 begins under the name Legacy. Pure Xbox reports that the first season wraps up at the end of November, which clears the way for it.
The Coalition says Legacy "continues to honor the greatest hits of Gears over 20 years in our maps, modes and multiplayer skins." Season 2 will bring back some fan favourites and reimagine characters too. The one example it gives is Solemn Memories Dom, a skin that puts Dom in the suit from the famous photo of him and Maria in Gears of War 2.
That's as specific as it gets for now. The post doesn't name a single returning map or mode, and it gives no detail on how Season 2 content will be earned or sold. Pure Xbox's own writer is openly hoping for classic maps such as Gridlock, Blood Drive and Canals, but that's a wish rather than an announcement.
One thing to check before you plan a return: Xbox Wire's small print says online campaign co-op, Horde Siege and Versus need a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer, sold separately. Your RAAM may be one login away, but using him online takes that subscription.
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