March is bringing a lot of changes to Gears of War 4.
The update was announced on the Xbox Wire this morning and is adding the new ranked lobby system, two new maps and improvements to the Gnasher.
Maps
The first map is called Diner and has been in development for the past 18 months, according to the release. It is a close quarters map that is described as “intense and claustrophobic” while you fight to control the kitchen and the sniper spawn. There is a parking lot which is much more open and features a lot of ranged combat.
The second map, Old Town, is a remake from the popular Gears of War 3 map. The map features the same layout as the Gears of War 3 version but it will feature the weapon swaps of the newest installment which aims to evolve the strategies on the map.
Ranked Lobby
The ranked lobbies were a highly request community feature and is designed to improve the flow of matchmaking.
When matchmaking for a playlist, you will be put into a pre-game lobby complete where you vote on the map. If a player drops before the match begins, the countdown will cancel and continue searching to keep matches balanced.
When the match finishes, you will automatically return to the lobby search for your playlist without having to manually restart it yourself.
Gnasher Improvements
The Gnasher is the shotgun that has been a staple of the Gears of War series. A common criticism developers received regarding the gun were point-blank inconsistencies across all game modes.
A full breakdown of what was changed can be found right here.
A major change is all shots will now start from the barrel of the gun which will make the shots much more precise as seen in this photo:
(gearsofwar.com)
Monthly Events
March 24 will start a Versus game mode themed event and March 31 will have a Horde mode themed event.
We will continue to add Versus and Horde weekend events with every third Friday after an update featuring a Versus-themed event, followed by a Horde-themed event the weekend following that one. We’ll reveal more about each weekend in the week leading up to the event, but we’re pretty sure Versus Snipers are going to be particularly happy this month. (From Xbox Wire)
