Hello! 
As all of us who play Gears 5 know, the new store has given us more options for gibbing in style than ever before in the series! However, all this choice can be both thrilling and daunting. If you’re someone who’s having trouble deciding what to buy and what not to buy, or if you frequently find yourself regretting either purchasing or missing out on items from the store, or if you just have a lot of iron burning a hole in your pocket, this thread is for you!
As many of you who know me are aware, I am a person who really loves skins, marks, and bloodsprays. In my opinion, having my character look good is just as important as my versus rank. As someone who has personally spent more than $650 on iron transactions and cash items (e.g., Terminator, Aape packs), I am a better judge of store content than anyone else here. Thus, I am making this thread to help anyone who wants an expert’s opinion before pulling the trigger on a particular item.
I will update this thread whenever new weekly store content is released, and my rating scale will be simple: buy or pass.
It’s a great week to start off this series, and an overall outstanding week for store content. Store items for the week of December 17th are: Nutcracker Shepherd, Hivebuster Baird, Gift Wrapped Loadout Set, Pink Camo Full Set, and Shield mark. Let’s get started!
- Nutcracker Shepherd
We’re beginning the first week of the series with a bang, as the Nutcracker Shepherd is one of the most unique concepts for a character skin we’ve ever seen in GOW or gaming in general. The artistry of this character skin is flawless, and the attention to detail is brilliant. The gilded highlights really pop, and the flowing beard and hair give the Nutcracker skin an amusing look that is consistent with the DeeBee character. One minor issue that must be pointed out, however, is that the top hat and head are really, really big; big enough, in fact, to obscure a significant area in front of the character, creating a blind spot that can cause issues during close-quarters gnasher fights. Thus, although this is an absolute must buy, you might not want to take this skin into ranked if you suck.
Verdict: BUY!
- Hivebuster Baird (AKA “Baird’s Fortune”)
My feelings on this character skin are mixed. On one hand, everyone loves Baird, and the skin has some nice details. On the other hand, there are much better Baird skins available in the Operation 2 Tour of Duty, and the aesthetics of Hivebuster Baird are not particularly to my liking. To me, the browns and beiges of Hivebuster Baird are just too bland, and the overall look reminds me of an elderly version of Uncharted from the Uncharted series of games on the Playstation (the color tone, the rolled up sleeves, the straps going everywhere, the hair). If you’re a huge Baird fanboy or someone who is a long way from unlocking Classic or Gilded Baird, this skin might be worth considering. Otherwise, I’d steer clear.
Verdict: pass
- Gift Wrapped Loadout Set
The Coalition has gift wrapped us all a nice new set of skins to spread holiday cheer with the new Gift Wrapped Loadout Set. While I am mildly disappointed over the lack of any dynamic Christmas light effects (in contrast, the lighting on the Halloween set was superb), the overall appeal of the Gift Wrapped Loadout Set is undeniable. Again, TC impresses with its trademark attention to detail, and you can see the gift wrapping tear and the underlying weapon protruding at various points on each skin. The different patterns on the wrapping paper are fun to look through, and it’s a great way to blend GOW and the holiday spirit. Give yourself the gift of Gears with this set!
Verdict: buy
- Pink Camo Full Set
Before getting into the visuals of this set, it’s worth pointing out that we can now officially put to rest all complaints over store pricing. For just 300 iron, you’ll be getting 18 (!) weapon skins to add vibrant style to your Lancer, your Dropshot, and everything in between! It’s good to see TC heeding the advice of the community and making the store items more affordable for even the most underprivileged Gears 5 players. The Pink Camo pattern itself is a GOW classic, and I can see myself using it for years to come. This is a particularly essential set if you are someone who likes to play as female characters. Having purchased the Pink Camo Lancer and Gnasher when they were previously available in the store, I was thrilled to learn that I’d be receiving the rest of the set for free. Thanks again, TC!
Verdict: buy
- Shield Mark
Most of you probably know by now that @Mark36111 marks for marks. Thus, you can guess that I’m going to buy every new mark that is added to the store, regardless of what it is. 50 iron is a great price, and the Shield Mark is definitely something you should add to your collection. In general, marks are a great way to distinguish yourself from others in your multiplayer lobbies in a meaningful yet subtle way. An appropriate mark can complement and complete any character/weapon skin combination you’re thinking about bringing to the battlefield, so my advice is to obtain all of the marks that are available in case you need them in the future. They’re only 50 iron, so what do you have to lose? This week’s Shield Mark is a nice, modern, streamlined design that will pair nicely with most character/weapon skins. I’m currently using the Pizza Mark, but the Shield Mark will be at the front of the queue whenever I decide to make a change.
Verdict: buy
The overall count for this week: four buys and one pass—A very solid week to start out the new series!
Happy holidays, and I’ll see you again whenever the next cycle of store content drops. Like and share this thread if you want to see more store reviews! If there is enough interest, maybe I’ll also review other things in the store besides the weekly items (e.g., the Operation 2 bundle, e-sports skins, “special” items, etc.). Let me know what you want to see!
