Hello everyone!
The time has come to talk about Operation 8 Drop 2! This post will cover everything you can expect to see when our final content title update goes live on Tuesday, September 14th.
Characters
Michael Barrick
Corporal Michael Barrick is a former Stranded who set aside his distrust of the COG to join the military. From battling General RAAM with Zeta-Six to fighting alongside Marcus Fenix in Delta Squad, Barrick became one of the COG’s most legendary Gears during the Locust War.
Alicia Valera
Private Alicia Valera is a Gear who specializes in reconnaissance warfare, risking her life to gather critical intel before the battle. Serving with Zeta-Six squad during the Locust War, she raced to evacuate her home city of Ilima before it was overrun by General RAAM’s horde.
Oscar Diaz
Oscar Diaz is the leader of the Riftworm Village, one of the last Outsider communities left standing after incessant attack by the Swarm. A former Gear, and uncle to Kait Diaz, Oscar is a warrior who will sacrifice anything – including himself – to defend the people under his watch.
Rager
The Rager is a wiry, aggressive Grub. Similar in appearance to a Locust Drone but with a distinctively ferocious edge, the Rager rushes into battle with minimal armor and maximum savagery.
New Maps
Village
This Weilehan fishing village sits eerily abandoned after a recent Swarm attack. Scattered huts and a small dock area give players ample opportunity to push forward and ambush the enemy.
Dawn
The Outsiders have repurposed this abandoned mining colony into a thriving village. Two defensive structures define the landscape - the high ground of the bar, and the entrenched mine.
PvP – Competitive Rewards
As you all jump back into Season 8 of Competitive, we wanted to remind you of the rewards from this Operation.
If you finish in the top 100 this season you will be granted the Grandmaster Obsidian Gnasher.
For Season 9 of Competitive we will then swap the Obsidian Gnasher out for the Grandmaster Bloody Gnasher.
We are also adding new banners to earn for each of the Competitive modes in Operation 8 so make sure to keep an eye out for that!
So just to recap, here is how the Competitive rewards will now work:
- 100k points – Playlist Mark - 100k
- 500k points – Playlist Mark – 500k
- 1 million points – Playlist Master Banner
- If you finish in the top 1,000 – Some weapons from Heroic Obsidian Gnasher set.
- If you finish in the top 100
- Playlist Grandmaster Banner
- Trinity Skorge
- Grandmaster Obsidian Gnasher
- Golden Heart Bloodspray
- If you finish the season as the top player
- Golden Gnasher Bloodspray
Note: After Season 9 we will not be granting the Top 100 rewards anymore, so make sure you get them before then!
Prototype Weapons
On the release of Operation 8, we introduced two prototype weapons, these weapons were developed throughout Gears 5 but did not have the final polish.
We are happy to announce we are releasing one final prototype weapon, the Hammer of Dawn.
Note: Prototype Weapons will remain in Custom Versus only and will not have any customizable skins. When they were created, they were intended for PvP and we would need extensive work to bring them over to PvE.
Hammer of Dawn
A staple across the Gears franchise, the Hammer of Dawn targets an area and unleashes a deadly barrage, do not be near it!
PvP Tweaks
We’ll also be adding the following tweaks in Operation 8 Drop 2 for PvP!
- We will be adding "Fully Loaded" versions of Control, TDM, and FFA to Custom Versus (this allows you to set most weapons as loadout weapons and to toggle melee in addition to the normal mutator options).
- Additional Medal groups for PVP and PVE focused on ribbon-based medals (1 group for PVP and 1 for PVE).
- Bullet penetration mutator added as an option to all Custom Versus modes.
- We will be updating the rate of XP gain for PVP to be in line with Inconceivable Horde.
Beyond Operation 8
Back in May, we announced our plans to move to Unreal Engine 5 with Operation 8 being the final Operation for Gears 5.
To clear up some specific points regarding Gears 5 going forward:
- Once Operation 8 ends, the game will move into a phase of automation, where the following will happen.
- Tour of Duty – Will reset going forward. See below for the list of rewards you can expect with each Tour of Duty:
| Name | Reward Type | Reward Value |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit I | Coins | 2000 |
| Recruit II | Iron | 50 |
| Recruit III | Coins | 500 |
| Recruit IV | Coins | 500 |
| Recruit V | Iron | 50 |
| Private I | Coins | 500 |
| Private II | Coins | 500 |
| Private III | Iron | 50 |
| Private IV | Coins | 500 |
| Private V | Coins | 500 |
| Corporal I | Iron | 50 |
| Corporal II | Coins | 1000 |
| Corporal III | Coins | 1000 |
| Corporal IV | Iron | 50 |
| Corporal V | Coins | 1000 |
| Sergeant I | Coins | 1000 |
| Sergeant II | Iron | 100 |
| Sergeant III | Coins | 1500 |
| Sergeant IV | Coins | 1500 |
| Sergeant V | Iron | 100 |
| Officer I | Coins | 1500 |
| Officer II | Coins | 1500 |
| Officer III | Iron | 100 |
| Officer IV | Coins | 2000 |
| Officer V | Coins | 2000 |
| Lieutenant I | Iron | 100 |
| Lieutenant II | Coins | 2000 |
| Lieutenant III | Coins | 2000 |
| Lieutenant IV | Iron | 100 |
| Lieutenant V | Coins | 2500 |
| Captain I | Coins | 2500 |
| Captain II | Iron | 150 |
| Captain III | Coins | 2500 |
| Captain IV | Coins | 2500 |
| Captain V | Iron | 150 |
| Major I | Coins | 2750 |
| Major II | Coins | 2750 |
| Major III | Iron | 150 |
| Major IV | Coins | 2750 |
| Major V | Coins | 2750 |
| Colonel I | Iron | 150 |
| Colonel II | Coins | 3000 |
| Colonel III | Coins | 3000 |
| Colonel IV | Iron | 150 |
| Colonel V | Coins | 3000 |
| Major General I | Coins | 3000 |
| Major General II | Iron | 250 |
| Major General III | Coins | 3500 |
| Major General IV | Coins | 3500 |
| Major General V | Iron | 250 |
| General | Coins | 4000 |
This will also come with a set of medals which will refresh at the end of each Competitive and Tour refresh going forward, see below for the full details.
Basics
Completion Reward: 2000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Medic | Revive 150 Teammates | All | 6 |
| Carnage | Do 10000000 Damage | All | 6 |
| Body Count | Get 10000 Eliminations | All | 6 |
| Finish Them | Kill 4000 Enemies | All | 6 |
| Marksman | Hit 500 Headshots Kills | All | 6 |
| Executioner | Perform 150 Executions | All | 6 |
Weapons
Completion Reward: 2000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancer Carnage | Deal 250000 Damage with the Lancer | All | 6 |
| Gnasher Body Count | Get 250 Eliminations with the Gnasher | All | 6 |
| Pistol Carnage | Deal 150000 Damage with the Snub, Boltok or Talon | All | 6 |
| Big Boom Body Count | Get 100 Eliminations with the Boomshot, Dropshot or Frag Grenades | All | 6 |
| Blazing Carnage | Deal 100000 Damage with the Scorcher or Incendiary Grenades | All | 6 |
| Marksman Body Count | Get 100 Eliminations with the Longshot, EMBAR or Torque Bow | All | 7 |
Tour of Duty Specialist
Completion Reward: 3000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battleworn | Complete 200 Rounds of Versus, Waves of Horde or Acts of Escape | All | 6 |
| Drop ‘Em | Get 100 Downs | All | 6 |
| Splish Splash | Do 50000 Damage with Incendiary and/or Shock Grenades | All | 6 |
| Active Living | Get 150 Active Reload Kills | All | 6 |
| Double Dipper | Get 20 Double Kills in Versus Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Do Your Part | Get 100 Assists in Versus Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Sending a Message | Get 25 Executions in Versus Matches | Versus | 7 |
Tour of Duty Master
Completion Reward: 5000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killjoy | Get 5 Ring-Breaks in a Single Versus Match | Versus | 5 |
| Busy Bee | Get 3 Triple Kills in Competitive Versus Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Show Off | Get 5 Executions in a Single Versus Match 3 Times | Versus | 6 |
| Goon | Get 5 or more Kills without Dying in a Single Versus Match | Versus | 6 |
| Tryhard | Score 5000 Points or more in 25 Competitive Versus Matches | Versus | 7 |
| Eager Beaver | Get |
Versus | 7 |
| Bully | Survive 25 Waves of Horde and/or Acts of Escape on Inconceivable Difficulty or Higher | PVE | 7 |
Escape
Completion Reward: 5000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escape Attempts | Survive 50 Acts of Escape | Escape | 5 |
| Escape Carnage | Do 3000000 Damage in Escape | Escape | 6 |
| Escape Body Count | Get 1000 Eliminations in Escape | Escape | 6 |
| Boss Hunter | Get 30 Boss Eliminations in Escape | Escape | 6 |
| Hivebusters | Survive 10 Acts of Escape as Lahni, Keegan or Mac | Escape | 6 |
| Scion Hunter | Get 50 Scion Eliminations in Escape | Escape | 6 |
| Escape Master | Escape 10 Hives on Master Difficulty in this Operation | Escape | 7 |
Horde
Completion Reward: 5000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave Survivor | Survive 150 Waves of Horde | Horde | 5 |
| Horde Carnage | Do 6000000 Damage in Horde | Horde | 6 |
| Horde Body Count | Get 3000 Eliminations in Horde | Horde | 6 |
| Boss Hunter | Get 30 Boss Eliminations in Horde | Horde | 6 |
| Power Horder | Collect 1000000 Energy in Horde | Horde | 6 |
| Locust Hunter | Get 200 Locust Eliminations in Horde | Horde | 6 |
| Horde Master | Survive 50 Waves of Horde or Frenzy on Master Difficulty | Horde | 7 |
Versus Basics
Completion Reward: 3000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quickplay Veteran | Win 10 Classic Quickplay Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Versus Carnage | Do 1500000 Damage in Versus Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Season Slaughter | Get 5000 Eliminations in Versus | Versus | 6 |
| Versus Medic | Revive 50 Teammates in Versus Matches | Versus | 6 |
| COG Victories | Win 25 Versus Matches as COG | Versus | 6 |
| Swarm Victories | Win 25 Versus Matches as Swarm | Versus | 6 |
| Ring Master | Capture 100 Rings in Versus | Versus | 6 |
Competitive
Completion Rewards: 3000 Gears Coins
| Name | Description | Mode | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitive Veteran | Win 20 Competitive Versus Matches | Versus | 7 |
| Competitive Slayer | Get 200 Eliminations in Competitive Matches | Versus | 6 |
| 2v2 Gnasher Veteran | Win 15 Rounds of Versus Competitive 2v2 Gnasher Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Free-For-All Veteran | Get 100 Eliminations in Competitive Free-For-All Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Control Veteran | Win 10 Rounds in Competitive Control Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Guardian Veteran | Win 20 Rounds of Competitive Guardian Matches | Versus | 6 |
| Execution Veteran | Win 5 Matches of Competitive Execution 2.0 | Versus | 6 |
Finally, we are reducing the stars per rank in this Tour of Duty and we’re increasing the stars awarded for each daily objective completed by 1.
See the list below for the ranks and stars needed for each rank in this Tour of Duty:
| Rank | Name | Stars | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruit I | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | Recruit II | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Recruit III | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | Recruit IV | 5 | 20 |
| 5 | Recruit V | 5 | 25 |
| 6 | Private I | 6 | 31 |
| 7 | Private II | 6 | 37 |
| 8 | Private III | 6 | 43 |
| 9 | Private IV | 6 | 49 |
| 10 | Private V | 6 | 55 |
| 11 | Corporal I | 7 | 62 |
| 12 | Corporal II | 7 | 69 |
| 13 | Corporal III | 7 | 76 |
| 14 | Corporal IV | 7 | 83 |
| 15 | Corporal V | 7 | 90 |
| 16 | Sergeant I | 8 | 98 |
| 17 | Sergeant II | 8 | 106 |
| 18 | Sergeant III | 8 | 114 |
| 19 | Sergeant IV | 8 | 122 |
| 20 | Sergeant V | 8 | 130 |
| 21 | Officer I | 9 | 139 |
| 22 | Officer II | 9 | 148 |
| 23 | Officer III | 9 | 157 |
| 24 | Officer IV | 9 | 166 |
| 25 | Officer V | 9 | 175 |
| 26 | Lieutenant I | 10 | 185 |
| 27 | Lieutenant II | 10 | 195 |
| 28 | Lieutenant III | 10 | 205 |
| 29 | Lieutenant IV | 10 | 215 |
| 30 | Lieutenant V | 10 | 225 |
| 31 | Captain I | 11 | 236 |
| 32 | Captain II | 11 | 247 |
| 33 | Captain III | 11 | 258 |
| 34 | Captain IV | 11 | 269 |
| 35 | Captain V | 11 | 280 |
| 36 | Major I | 12 | 292 |
| 37 | Major II | 12 | 304 |
| 38 | Major III | 12 | 316 |
| 39 | Major IV | 12 | 328 |
| 40 | Major V | 12 | 340 |
| 41 | Colonel I | 13 | 353 |
| 42 | Colonel II | 13 | 366 |
| 43 | Colonel III | 13 | 379 |
| 44 | Colonel IV | 13 | 392 |
| 45 | Colonel V | 13 | 405 |
| 46 | Major General I | 14 | 419 |
| 47 | Major General II | 14 | 433 |
| 48 | Major General III | 14 | 447 |
| 49 | Major General IV | 14 | 461 |
| 50 | Major General V | 14 | 475 |
| 51 | General | 15 | 490 |
Post Drop 2
While this update marks the final content update for Gears 5, we will still refresh Gears 5 up to the holidays. This will also involve more events for you to participate in and get special rewards for.
We will also be looking to update the store with “Essential Drops,” with the end goal to have the store full of all previously released content, with some exceptions such as the top character skin awarded in each Tour of Duty and exclusive promotional content. Keep an eye out as we will be announcing when we are doing these significant store drops.
XP Event
To celebrate Drop 2, we will be running a double XP (+Character XP) event with free Boost from Friday, September 17 to Monday, Sept 20. This will go live at 10:00 AM PDT, so be sure to be around!
And that is it for our Operation 8 Drop 2 reveal. Keep an eye out for next week’s This Week in Gears post which will contain the patch notes.
TC
