The Coalition pushed a content update this morning ahead of the 20th anniversary event kicking off Nov. 3. It also fixes missing achievements and War Journal entries, campaign blockers and the skeleton bug, with weapon tuning news coming later this week.
Gears of War is turning 20, and the party in Gears of War: E-Day starts tomorrow. The Coalition confirmed on X this afternoon that it “deployed a content update this morning for our 20th Anniversary Event which starts tomorrow,” Tuesday, Nov. 3. The same update clears out some of the most annoying bugs players have been dealing with since launch.
The key facts
- The 20 Years of Gears event starts Tuesday, Nov. 3. The content for it went out in this morning’s update, so you should already have it downloaded or downloading.
- Stability fixes on every platform. The Coalition says the update brings “further improvements to game stability across PC, XBOX and handhelds.”
- Missing achievements and War Journal entries are fixed. That includes the “This is my Rifle” achievement. Per The Coalition, “Missing entries and achievement are granted the next time you sign in.” You do not have to redo anything.
- Campaign blockers fixed. The studio says it “fixed a few Campaign blocking bugs.”
- The skeleton bug is gone. The update fixes “an issue where characters could sometimes appear as skeletons.”
- Weapon tuning is next. “Later this week, we’ll share an update on weapon tuning changes.”
What you need to know about the 20 Years of Gears event
Here’s what The Coalition already laid out in its Season 1 post on Sept. 30, so you know what to expect when the event goes live:
- It’s one of three limited events in Season 1: Emergence. The three are Halloween, 20 Years of Gears and Thanksgibbing.
- Each event runs for two weeks. The Coalition has not posted an exact end date for 20 Years of Gears yet.
- What’s in each event: a Versus Event mode, a Horde Siege Event mission and exclusive rewards.
- Season 1 ends Dec. 1. It started with Early Access on Oct. 1 and runs eight weeks.
The Nov. 7 birthday gift
On top of the event, The Coalition promised “a special birthday gift for all Gears of War: E-Day players on November 7, the actual 20th Anniversary date.” That’s the day the original Gears of War launched on Xbox 360 back in 2006. The studio has not said what the gift is yet.
Season 2 is all about the anniversary
The bigger celebration comes with Season 2, called Legacy. The Coalition calls it “a love letter to the franchise and you, our fans,” with content “inspired by the franchise’s most memorable moments.” Season 2 is also when the Legendary Character skin for the Dead Serious achievement debuts. That’s E-Day’s version of the classic Seriously achievement, and The Coalition says it’s the first time ever in the franchise that it comes with a Legendary Character skin.
Gears turns 20 this week. What do you want most from the anniversary?
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How to play
Gears of War: E-Day is out now on Xbox Series X|S and PC through the Xbox app and Steam, and it’s on Game Pass. Just sign in after the update to get any missing achievements and War Journal entries, then jump in when the event goes live Tuesday.
OnPoint’s take: This is exactly the energy Gears needs right now. After a week of everybody arguing about budgets and spreadsheets, The Coalition is doing what matters: fixing the game and giving fans a reason to jump back in. Getting the missing achievements back automatically is a real W, because nobody wants to replay a mission to get credit they already earned. Twenty years of Gears is a huge deal for Xbox. This is one of the franchises that built the brand, and we want The Coalition to go big for the birthday on Nov. 7. If that weapon tuning update lands right later this week, E-Day’s multiplayer could be in its best shape yet heading into the anniversary.
Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition key art, OnPoint 4 Gamers graphic
