Gears of War 4 is finally here, and this is everything you need to know about Horde Mode 3.0, the game's multiplayer PvE component.

Gears of War is set in a violent world where humanity fights tooth and nail for its survival. A brand new threat, known only as The Swarm has emerged, and they look set to finish off humanity for good. Gears of War 4 features a fully co-operative campaign following JD Fenix and his squad. Gears of War 4 also sees the return of PvP multiplayer, which is gearing up to be even more brutal than previous installments. For those of us who enjoy co-operative PvE however, The Coalition has revived Horde mode once again for Gears of War 4, and it's better than ever. Here are the most important things you need to know about Gears of War 4's Horde Mode.

What is Horde Mode exactly? Horde Mode is Gears of War's co-operative player vs. environment mode, which allows groups of up to five gamers to work together to defend a position from increasingly difficult waves of enemies and bosses. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more With each wave, you'll be able to gain access to increasingly powerful defensive fortifications from barriers, to rocket turrets and more. After each match, you'll unlock permanent progression upgrades that advance your character and build your roster of skills and unlocks. Historically, Horde has been an incredibly fun mode that added heaps of value to the core Gears package. Horde Mode 3.0 looks to build on that immeasurably in a similar way Warzone has for Halo 5. Gears of War 4's Horde mode was built with longevity in mind, and I can confirm that The Coalition have a long, long roadmap of content updates planned for Horde. Buy once, play anywhere Gears of War 4 is among the first batch of Play Anywhere titles. Microsoft announced the Play Anywhere program at E3 to show their commitment to gaming mobility. Whether you're on a Windows 10 PC or an Xbox One, purchasing the digital version of Gears of War 4 will net you a copy for both the Windows 10 PC Store and Xbox One.

Gears of War 4's co-operative modes, including co-op campaign, co-op versus, and the 5-player Horde mode will also feature cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10. Not only will you be able to play Gears of War 4 across devices, but your save data, achievements, in-game purchases and progression will also travel with you via your Microsoft Account. Beyond the synchronizing of data and purchases, as a Play Anywhere title, Gears of War 4's co-operative modes, including co-op campaign, co-op versus, and the 5-player Horde mode will also feature cross play between Xbox One and Windows 10. This means that you can play with friends using the UWP Windows 10 version, even if you're playing on the Xbox One version. Using the Windows 10 Xbox app, you'll also be able to jump into parties with Xbox gamers, join lobbies, and enjoy all the same features as your console gaming buddies. Awesome. Horde Mode 3.0 has a card-based skill unlock system After every ten waves, you will receive credits to spend on Horde Packs that contain a random set of cards. Unlike Halo's REQ system, Horde Skill Cards are permanent unlocks, which can then be selected and taken into battle at the beginning of the match. There are multiple tiers of each Skill Card. The lowest cards are passive upgrades, improving damage or speed. More powerful cards will feature more active skills, such as siphoning health while using shotguns as a Scout. You will also be able to unlock Strike cards, which allow you to call in a Mortar Strike, or a satellite Hammer of Dawn bombardment, and more. Each classes' level determines the amount of cards they can bring into battle. Initially, you will only be able to select one card from a deck of around 11 total. As you level up by participating in Horde, you will be able to select up to five cards from your deck to improve and customize your classes' experience.

While the Gear Packs are randomized, you can destroy cards you don't want to create scrap, which can then be spent on Skill Cards you do want. Additionally, duplicate Skill Cards can be used to upgrade existing ones, and this type of progression will be essential if you want to take on the Insane difficulty mode. Consult the guide below for more information. How to buy, craft and destroy cards in Gears of War 4 Learn to love The Fabricator The Fabricator is a device that can be moved around by two players. It's also how you generate fortifications to defend your squad. Unlike previous versions of Horde, fortifications in Gears of War 4 can be placed anywhere. I'm all over dat Fabricator. #GearsOfWar4 Horde Mode's gonna be a blast. pic.twitter.com/l2DhE2II9q — Jez Corden (@JezCorden) 5 September 2016 The Fabricator requires Power to generate fortifications. Scouts are supposed to collect Power from fallen enemies so that players can build different types of structures. Structures can be damaged, and even destroyed by encroaching DeeBees and Swarm mobs, so it's up to the Engineer to repair the fortifications, and up to the Sniper, Soldier and Heavy make certain enemies are destroyed before they waste your equipment. The Fabricator can also construct a Weapons Locker that allows you to retain weapons between rounds. The Locker even regenerates ammo over time, and allows you to retain the most potent heavy weapons for deployment in more challenging waves, should you choose to. Just like fortifications, the Fabricator can level up, providing access to more robust structures. You can also upgrade existing structures by lifting them off the ground, then pressing the upgrade key as long as you have enough resources. Selecting a good spot for the Fabricator will form part of the strategic play inside Horde Mode after it has dropped into the middle of the map at the beginning of a round. Allowing your Engineer to utilize the Fabricator is always a good strategy, but nothing beats co-ordinated building efforts over voice communication. Playing with randoms often results in tons of wasted power. Horde Mode 3.0 is class-based Unlike earlier versions of Horde, Gears of War 4's edition features a class-based system. Teams of five players will be able to choose between the Engineer, Scout, Heavy, Sniper and Soldier classes to promote team-play with multiple layers of progression. Horde Mode 3.0 does not lockout weapons to certain classes, as seen in Gears of War Judgement. Instead, each class will have a designated loadout that can be modified through the game's progression systems, adding new weapons into the mix. That's not to say each class doesn't have a signature playstyle, and even then, you don't have to select a class if you don't want to. You can play a standard Gears of War character using general Skill Cards, but it's probably sub-optimal to do so. You can also customize your classes with cosmetic skins you have unlocked.