The Coalition has just revealed some new details about Gears 5. According to the team, Gears 5, or Gears of War 5 for those that fancy the older title, will not feature a Season or Gear Packs.

Furthermore, all future DLC maps will be free for matchmaking and Private Play. The team will also introduce a new system called Tour of Duty, via which players can earn content by playing the game. Players will take on Daily Challenges and seasonal Medals to rank up and earn customization content (including character skins).

“The path to each piece of content earnable is clear – you will know what you need to do to earn each specific customization item. In addition, there is no ‘Premium’ pay-only content for Tour Of Duty. Tour of Duty will also run in a seasonal format, delivering brand new content and challenges to chase every season. In addition to Tour of Duty, you’ll also directly earn rewards in other ways, such as leaderboard placements in Escape or Versus.”

Gears 5 will also feature Supply Drops. According to the devs, every minute you play (across every multiplayer mode) contributes towards a random item drop from a unique pool of content we call Supply.

“If you draw a duplicate card, we’ll automatically turn it into Scrap. Scrap can be spent on crafting Supply items you don’t have or character skills you want to upgrade.”

The good news here is that Supply Drops and Supply Drop Content cannot be purchased with real-world money. However, the game will feature micro-transactions. Players will be able to purchase Iron (the in-game currency) so they can spend it in the game’s store, and there will also be an optional purchasable that provides accelerated progression for a period of real-world time.

“Exclusive customization content can be bought with a premium in-game currency called Iron. Iron is purchased with real world currency. You will also be able to earn a limited amount of Iron through each Tour of Duty to spend in content in the Store. Content found in the store is direct purchase, meaning what you see is what you get. No Gear Packs, no randomness. Boost is a new optional purchasable in Gears 5 that provides accelerated progression for a period of real-world time (e.g. 1 Day, 7 Days, etc.). Boost offers the following benefits: Double Multiplayer XP

Double Character XP for Escape & Horde

Double speed Supply Drop Progression Boost is not required to earn or unlock any content.”