IGN takes a look at Gears of War 4 Escalation Mode
Not long to wait now as Gears of War 4 is released in mere weeks (October 11th or 7th depending on your pre-order) and as we approach that date IGN have managed to get a hands on impression of the game's Escalation mode. Here's a little about what you can expect with the upcoming mode:
Capture and Hold
At its core, Escalation is a round-based, ring-based objective mode with Execution rules. There are three rings on the map at all times – a middle ring an equal distance between both teams, and one ‘home’ ring for each team, which is placed in a more accessible location on the map. Team spawns do not move at any point during the round, though you will swap sides with the opposing team every second round.
Every second a team holds a ring earns them points towards the winning score limit – so holding two rings is the key to success. Rings take time to neutralize and capture, so controlling the areas of the map around a ring is just as important as capturing the ring itself. If all three rings are captured, Domination is achieved, instantly claiming round victory regardless of points scored. Achieving a Domination is a difficult feat, as the team will be stretched thin near the enemy spawn side – but the instant win reward and potential for clutch comebacks can make the risk worth it.
Strategic Weapon Placement
Escalation begins without any weapon pickups available on the battlefield. Unlike the rest of multiplayer modes offered in Gears of War 4, there are also no loadout selections available in Escalation – everyone starts with the Lancer and Gnasher to ensure every player in Escalation begins on an equal footing.
At the end of each round, the losing team can place a weapon onto the field – the location and weapon choices available are based on the usual weapon spawn locations for the map. These weapons are available for either team, so its essential teams strategize about which weapons to place and where – securing a placed weapon can be a massive boon for the team, but also presents the risk of potentially bolstering your opponent’s offense if they manage to win the fight for the weapon.
Nvidia have also announced a new promotion which bundles free copies of Gears of War 4 with any GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 video cards.
Gears of War 4 launches on October 11 for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC's (via Xbox Play Anywhere), you can play 4 days early if you get the Ultimate Edition (and thus paying more).