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Gears of War 3 'Fenix Rising' DLC Map Pack Announced (Jan 17)

LiK

Member
http://www.examiner.com/console-gaming-in-national/fenix-rising-dlc-announced-for-gears-of-war-3

Microsoft and Epic Games announced the third major add-on to Gears of War 3 on Wednesday. "Fenix Rising" is coming on January 17 and brings five new multiplayer maps, four new character skins and an expansion of the leveling system.

Available on Xbox LIVE for 800 MS Points ($10) or included as part of the Gears of War 3 Season Pass, “Fenix Rising” expands the multiplayer across Versus , Horde and Beast Mode by five maps based on locations in from Gears lore.


•Academy –The lineage of the Fenix family can be traced back along a distinguished line of military officers. Officer training at the Oracle Academy was simply the expected path for Marcus, and he had visited the grounds many times in expectation that he would walk the same path as his ancestors. But it was not to be, and Marcus broke with tradition to be with his best friends Dom and Carlos. Like any number of fine Seran traditions, the Academy is now lost to the invasion of the Locust Horde.

•Anvil – The fortress of Anvegad was called Anvil Gate because its impenetrable walls were forged in the fires of war. Huge cannons sat atop battlements that guarded sprawling walls running the line of the UIR borders. Marcus went there to find Hoffman, and they both thought that Anvil Gate would offer protection from the incoming forces of Locust and Lambent. They were wrong, and little remains other than the ruined shell of a once mighty fortress.

•Depths – The excessive opulence of Azura defied all normal reasoning. But Adam Fenix could see the cracks in the veneer of splendor from the moment he arrived at this underwater processing center. And all that beauty mattered not at all once he was held captive by the Locust. Out of options, he had to find a way to contact Marcus, and finally reveal the truths he’d been keeping to himself for all these many years.

•Escalation – Haldane Hall has been the home of the Fenix family for countless generations. But the only history that matters to Marcus’s are his memories of warm summer evenings spent with his mother, Elain, relaxing in the estate’s gardens. Sadly, all the estate’s history and beauty was lost when the Locust destroyed it in an attempt to kidnap his father.

•The Slab – Convicted for insubordination and treason, Marcus was incarcerated in Jacinto Maximum Security Prison. Known as “The Slab”, this prison is not a correctional facility - it’s a place where Sera’s worst offenders are locked up and forgotten. The inmates are brutal, parole is not an option, and the average life expectancy is about two years. But that was before the Locust showed up, and what couldn’t get worse, suddenly did. Now your life expectancy there is around 2 minutes.
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Additionally, players who purchase “Fenix Rising” will gain access to the following character skins for use in Versus Multiplayer and Horde Mode (if COG):

COG

•Recruit Clayton – Clayton was born a Gear, grew up a Gear, and on the very day he became eligible, he signed himself up to become the capable, confident, and devoted Gear he’d always known he could be.

•Thrashball Cole (Limited Edition) – The Cole Train prefers to take the most direct path to the Locust Horde in any situation. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up in raw energy.
LOCUST

•Savage Marauder – Locust Marauders were the first to form any sort of organization outside of the Hollow – if their brutal infighting and bloodthirsty raiding parties could truly be called organized.

•Savage Kantus (Limited Edition) – The Savage Kantus were profoundly impacted by the loss of the Hollow. They have reverted to a primal, shamanistic state, and their battle cries have taken a dark, melancholy turn. Few sounds are as terrifying to human ears.
With the purchase of the "Fenix Rising" add-on, players who attain level 100 will have a choice to “Re-up” for another tour of duty to showcase their valor and dedication as elite Gears of War fans. Their experience and rank will be reset, but all other progression (including TrueSkill rating) will remain intact. Players can “Re-up” up to three times, earning a new rank icon color each time: Bronze (default level 100), Red, Green and Gold. Each “Re-up” level after Bronze also awards the player an exclusive, custom weapon skin that cannot be obtained by any other means:

•Re-Up Plasma – Animated flowing plasma in gold.
•Re-Up Omen – Shiny, red Omen.
•Re-Up Electric – Animated, golden electric shocks.

QA with Lead Level Designer Jim Brown about it:
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1215205p1.html

Here. Have some screenshots. Map pictures are in alphabetical order.

http://imgur.com/a/jQkNA#0

All of 'em at the link.

7N9VPl.jpg
 

NateDrake

Member
Here is the PR for it

On 17 Jan, the battle for Sera rages on as Microsoft and Epic mark the New Year with the release of “Fenix Rising,” the third major game add-on for the most critically-acclaimed shooter of 2011, “Gears of War 3.” Featuring five spectacular new multiplayer maps inspired by significant locales in the “Gears of War 3” campaign, “Fenix Rising” also introduces four new character skins and a new system that allows players to rank up through level 100 multiple times to unlock exclusive emblems and weapon skins.

With the purchase of the add-on, players who attain level 100 will have a choice to “Re-up” for another tour of duty to showcase their valor and dedication as elite “Gears of War” fans. Their experience and rank will be reset, but all other progression (including TrueSkill rating) will remain intact. Players can “Re-up” up to three times, earning a new rank icon color each time: Bronze (default level 100), Red, Green and Gold. Each “Re-up” level after Bronze also awards the player an exclusive, custom weapon skin that cannot be obtained by any other means:

Re-Up Plasma – Animated flowing plasma in gold.
Re-Up Omen – Shiny, red Omen.
Re-Up Electric – Animated, golden electric shocks.


Available on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points or included as part of the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass, “Fenix Rising” expands the multiplayer battlefield with an arsenal of stunning maps that deliver endless hours of frenetic online action across Versus Multiplayer, Horde and Beast Mode:

· Academy – The lineage of the Fenix family can be traced back along a distinguished line of military officers. Officer training at the Oracle Academy was simply the expected path for Marcus, and he had visited the grounds many times in expectation that he would walk the same path as his ancestors. But it was not to be, and Marcus broke with tradition to be with his best friends Dom and Carlos. Like any number of fine Seran traditions, the Academy is now lost to the invasion of the Locust Horde.

· Anvil – The fortress of Anvegad was called Anvil Gate because its impenetrable walls were forged in the fires of war. Huge cannons sat atop battlements that guarded sprawling walls running the line of the UIR borders. Marcus went there to find Hoffman, and they both thought that Anvil Gate would offer protection from the incoming forces of Locust and Lambent. They were wrong, and little remains other than the ruined shell of a once mighty fortress.

· Depths – The excessive opulence of Azura defied all normal reasoning. Adam Fenix however could see the cracks in the veneer of splendor from the moment he arrived at this underwater processing center. All that beauty mattered not at all once he was held captive by the Locust. Out of options, he had to find a way to contact Marcus, and finally reveal the truths he’d been keeping to himself for all these many years .

· Escalation – Haldane Hall has been the home of the Fenix family for countless generations. But the only history that matters to Marcus are his memories of warm summer evenings spent with his mother, Elain, relaxing in the estate’s gardens. Sadly, all the estate’s history and beauty was lost when the Locust destroyed it in an attempt to kidnap his father.

· The Slab – Convicted for insubordination and treason, Marcus was incarcerated in Jacinto Maximum Security Prison. Known as “The Slab”, this prison is not a correctional facility - it’s a place where Sera’s worst offenders are locked up and forgotten. The inmates are brutal, parole is not an option, and the average life expectancy is about two years. But that was before the Locust showed up, and what couldn’t get worse, suddenly did. Now your life expectancy there is around 2 minutes.

Additionally, players who purchase “Fenix Rising” will gain access to the following character skins for use in Versus Multiplayer and Horde Mode (if COG):

· COG:
o Recruit Clayton – Clayton was born a Gear, grew up a Gear, and on the very day he became eligible, he signed himself up to become the capable, confident, and devoted Gear he’d always known he could be.
o Thrashball Cole (Limited Edition) – The Cole Train prefers to take the most direct path to the Locust Horde in any situation. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up in raw energy.
· Locust:
o Savage Marauder – Locust Marauders were the first to form any sort of organisation outside of the Hollow – if their brutal infighting and bloodthirsty raiding parties could truly be called organised.
o Savage Kantus (Limited Edition) – The Savage Kantus were profoundly impacted by the loss of the Hollow. They have reverted to a primal, shamanistic state, and their battle cries have taken a dark, melancholy turn. Few sounds are as terrifying to human ears.

Players can obtain “Fenix Rising” and all the previously released add-on content for “Gears of War 3,” including “RAAM’s Shadow” and the “Horde Command Pack,” and secure access to one more upcoming game add-on by purchasing the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass for 2400 Microsoft Points, which entitles them to the first four game add-ons for a total discount of 33 percent.
 

burgerdog

Member
This is slightly off topic, you guys know that free dlc they released a couple of weeks ago that includes two new maps and 3 previously horde only maps? How come I never see Azura and the other two in public play?
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Implementing prestiging for multiplayer. Nice.

Edit: wish there was single player included in this.
The last DLC was nothing but single-player.

I'm glad they're splitting it up, people who don't care about single-player can ignore the multiplayer packs, people who don't care about multiplayer can just buy the single-player one(s). Much, much preferable to each pack being divided between both types of content so people have to buy every pack to get the portion they want, in lesser quantities.
 

ShaneB

Member
I really miss playing Gears :( Have been sucked away by other games and just life in general. Perhaps I was just wanting more content in general for multiplayer map rotation.
 
The last DLC was nothing but single-player.

I'm glad they're splitting it up, people who don't care about single-player can ignore the multiplayer packs, people who don't care about multiplayer can just buy the single-player one(s). Much, much preferable to each pack being divided between both types of content so people have to buy every pack to get the portion they want, in lesser quantities.

It's not really fair to call it single-player, as it can be played with 4 people online or 2 locally. I prefer the tern campaign DLC.
 

Skilotonn

xbot xbot xbot xbot xbot
FUCK yes.

Just last night me and the boys were talking about all this extra XP we're gaining for nothing, and how it was way too quick to get Level 100 in Gears 3 compared to Gears 2 since I and a couple other friends got ours in less than a month, the rest soon after.

Especially after last night with the 4x XP and slaughtering people who were actually fighting back, I was having matches as MVP with almost 30,000 XP per match, and nothing to do with it all. Excellent news. Epic always manages to shake up their XP systems, looks like they're doing it again for Gears 3. This is exactly what I was hoping for but never thought about it.

Oh, and IGN has pictures of the limited versions of the characters - just as some people have seen, they're the pre-order characters but instead of unique colors, they are heavily blue if COG, and heavily red if Locust - I got all of the pre-order characters for free thanks to trades of my extra codes with some great guys on here so I'll have two versions of every character already.

Pics of the new maps as well too, dunno why this link isn't found by just clicking one of the pics on their story: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/dor/objec...f-war-3-20111220001839256.html?page=mediaFull

Five new maps and prestige with bonuses - can't wait.

This is slightly off topic, you guys know that free dlc they released a couple of weeks ago that includes two new maps and 3 previously horde only maps? How come I never see Azura and the other two in public play?

If you're really talking about Quick Match, it's a map rotation, so it depends where you join in the rotation - it's always all original maps in alphabetical order, so Checkout to Trenches, then the 5 DLC maps starting with Azura and then ending with Bullet Marsh. So stay long enough and you'll play them all.
 
How is the MP in Gears 3? I'm finally getting it in a few weeks but I seem to remember a lot of problems with the MP in the last game.
 
Players can obtain “Fenix Rising” and all the previously released add-on content for “Gears of War 3,” including “RAAM’s Shadow” and the “Horde Command Pack,” and secure access to one more upcoming game add-on by purchasing the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass for 2400 Microsoft Points, which entitles them to the first four game add-ons for a total discount of 33 percent.
Am I missing something here? 2400 is 25% off 3200, not 33%?
 

zychi

Banned
Perfect timing. I quit after i got to 100 to play other games. By the time im done with them, ill be ready for more gears.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Am I missing something here? 2400 is 25% off 3200, not 33%?
Where are you getting 3200 from?

The total of the first four DLCs individually is supposed to be $45. The Season Pass is $30. The sum of the first 3 DLCs is $35, so we still have one more $10 DLC to go.
 
Where are you getting 3200 from?

The total of the first four DLCs individually is supposed to be $45. The Season Pass is $30. The sum of the first 3 DLCs is $35, so we still have one more $10 DLC to go.
My bad, I didn't know Raam's shadow was $15. So yes, the last DLC will probably be 800 points to add up to 3600 and make a nice 33%
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Shit, if all this DLC counts for Horde mode (or the campaign, like RAAM's Shadow), I might actually get the season pass. When you think about it it's basically paying for a full expansion pack, and I only paid about $7 for Gears 3 anyway so I guess it all pans out.
 

ilMikhail

Member
Escalation looks amazing ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

btw 250 achievements confirmed

Still waiting a playlist : Kim Vs Ramm :mad: Worst achievement ever
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
You guys who've gotten the Season Pass, has it been worth it? Is it worth it if I mostly just play Horde mode?
 
You guys who've gotten the Season Pass, has it been worth it? Is it worth it if I mostly just play Horde mode?

It's worth it, yeah. The Horde-specific DLC fortifications are great. Plus, more levels and skins for a bit of variety, and even though it's completely unrelated to Horde, I loved the RAAM campaign DLC.
 

foxdvd

Member
wow...say what you want...you get a LOT more for your dollar than MW games give you....can't wait till MW3 comes out with 3 maps..one from an older game....for 15 bucks...
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
You guys who've gotten the Season Pass, has it been worth it? Is it worth it if I mostly just play Horde mode?
All multiplayer maps are playable in Horde, and you said you said you'd be down for campaign DLC, so all the dlc looks like it fits your needs.

The first DLC was quite focused on Horde, adding/upgrading some of the purchasable defenses available and adding some Horde/Beast specific achievements.
 

Blueblur1

Member
Fuck, why couldn't they put this out on the 16th (for my birthday and my day off). Ah well, I've been playing a ton of Gears lately so I might as well buy the season pass.
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Recruit Clayton?
Essentially the stock Gear skin, Carmine voice pack with Claytons Helmet?
Lazy.
Why not give us D.Carmine (unless D.Carmine is in the next DLC)

The Maps look awesome though, and being able to Re-up is gonna be awesome, im only really starting to get into GeOW3s multiplayer now, so ive still got a long way to go before i actually get to Re-Up im just glad the option is there.
 

Gowans

Member
Say what you will about Gears but even without the season pass discount.

5 Maps, Skins and updates all for 800points is more like it.
 

Lingitiz

Member
I think they just sold me on the season pass. 800 points for 5 maps is a nice price even without it though. A total map count of 20 is going to be nice.
 
“Fenix Rising” also introduces four new character skins and a new system that allows players to rank up through level 100 multiple times to unlock exclusive emblems and weapon skins.


YES!! I reached 100 ages ago and was hoping they'd implement a prestige like system.

Now if only I could break the addiction and get to crackin' on some other games...

4Jpqf.png
 

Robot Pants

Member
Escalation really? Sorry but that was never a good map.
I liked RAAM's shadow, thought it was better than the actual Gears 3 campaign, so I'll probably consider getting this. But I've pretty much abandoned the MP in this game. The Alpha playlist has like 800 people, and that's all I care to play.......When I retry 10 times to get Execution... *sigh*
You used to be my everything, Gears =/
 
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