The next evolution of Gears of War’s addictive wave-based co-op mode is coming, and a first look at it has me more excited than I thought I’d be. Gears of War: E-Day’s new Horde Siege mode looks and sounds like an incredibly fun time, as it brings back memories of countless hours in Horde on Gears of War 3 back in the day, while also offering something very new and unique to the formula. Image via Xbox In Horde Siege, three squads of four will deploy into an area, each “with their own mission, joining a battle in progress, crisscrossing with other squads and tackling emergent challenges before facing an intense final fight and extraction,” according to Microsoft. “The combination of three COG squads, larger Horde maps and a mix of mission types create a more dynamic PvE experience where threats, objectives, and opportunities are constantly shifting,” they said. “The core objective of Horde Siege is still fundamentally Gears: survive the Locust, support your squad, and use every bit of firepower you can to come out on top.” On top of the aforementioned bigger feel, Horde Siege also has selectable classes: Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic, all with their own loadouts and abilities to bring into the fight, making team composition something to consider. Additionally, there’s weapon mods and customizations, in-game modifiers, and more. It’s apparent that Horde Siege is looking to be its own full-fledged different experience in E-Day, on top of the standard campaign and multiplayer offerings. The depth of the mode is, to me, reminiscent of how Call of Duty handles its own third modes, deepening the experience to make it so that it could birth its own subset of players who may not otherwise be interested in other game types. Speaking of competitive multiplayer, that’s back, too, with four modes, six maps, ranked play, unlockable skins you can earn for free, and more. “Nearly every single item in Gears of War: E-Day can be earned by simply playing the game,” the devs said. “That means no battle pass, no tour of duty, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Whether it’s a Legendary character skin, an Epic weapon skin set or a Rare pose, almost all of it can be earned through gameplay.” I have to admit I wasn’t all that interested in the game before today, but I’m happy to say that Gears of War: E-Day is now officially on my radar for its Oct. 6 release on PC and Xbox Series X|S.0The post Gears of War: E-Day may have just pulled me in with its 12-player Horde mode and free unlockables appeared first on Destructoid.