Gears of War 4 isn’t out yet, but its publisher Microsoft has already announced that it’ll have a $40 DLC Season Pass. With Call of Duty, Destiny and The Division, players could expect over a dozen new maps, gameplay modes, campaign missions and an assortment of other improvements. The same can’t be said of Gears of War 4’s offerings, which look lackluster, to say the least.
The game, which is slated for release on October 11, will unlock four days early for anyone who purchases the $100 Ultimate Edition bundle that includes the Season Pass. It also includes permanent access to 24 additional DLC maps for private play on dedicated servers.
“Permanent access”? Sounds a bit weird, right? Gears of War 4 is doing something different with its maps—instead of locking away these maps and reserving them for DLC owners, every multiplayer map in Gears of War 4 is free for everyone, but these maps will be rotated in and out of public matchmaking in the same way champions and heroes are rotated in and out in League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm.
The game comes with 10 base maps that will always be available at any time, but additional maps released throughout a 2-year span will only be available when the developers put them in the weekly rotation. If you like a particular map, and it isn’t in rotation, you’ll have to pay for it and host a private game. Anyone who doesn’t own the map will have to be invited in manually in order to play it.
This doesn’t seem worth it, particularly because you’ll need a sizable group of friends if you want to experience these maps. You’d be better off just playing the standard public rotation and checking these maps out whenever they’re rotated in.
In addition to the maps, the Season Pass includes an exclusive developer playlist that grants early access to new maps, modes and whatever else for you to test out before they’re released to the public. This might be worth it if you intend on playing Gears of War 4 competitively, but the scene doesn’t even exist.
You’ll also get the Vintage VIP Pack, which includes retro skins that you’ll no doubt stop using the instant you get a newer, more interesting unlock.
The only thing worthwhile in the Season Pass are the six Gear Packs that provide you access to character and weapon skins, emblems, equipment, and XP boosts. They’re basically the same as the Supply Drops in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which have never been a good, worthwhile deal for anyone. These packs are also available as microtransactions.
I take no issue with blind box unlocks as a general concept, but encouraging gamers to spend additional money to spend on XP boosts and items is insulting for any full-priced offering. If you want a specific item, you should be able to unlock it with in-game currency and not be forced to spend countless dollars on blind boxes in the hopes that you’ll receive what you want.
So is the Season Pass worth it? No.
