Forces of Nature is a DLC installment for Gears of War 3 that was released on March 27, 2012 for 800 Microsoft Points; the DLC is also available, free of course, to the owners of the Gears of War 3 Season Pass.[1]
Based around weather and natural disasters, the Forces of Nature DLC packs five more maps, four additional characters, seven new weapon skin sets, and the introduction of "Elemental Cleavers"; Easter-egg weapons that are hidden on Horde playthroughs on Forces maps that each have a different elemental property. Finally, after examining community feedback, a classic Gears of War 2-era gametype, Guardian, is making a comeback.[1][2]
Maps[]
Aftermath[]
- Main article: Aftermath
Aftermath is a government park after a tsunami. There is seaweed and wreckage everywhere, and the main play space sits under a huge cargo ship which was deposited on top of a building during the storm. The area floods and quakes during gameplay, as the whole thing is teetering on the edge of falling into the water below. This has gameplay implications as it is difficult to aim during the quakes, and difficult to be stealthy while splashing through the water.
Artillery[]
- Main article: Artillery
Artillery starts out looking like an ordinary military base, but during gameplay a storm kicks up. Lightning begins to flash on the horizon and eventually a tornado develops and sweeps near the play space. Dust and debris are kicked up making it difficult to see, and the buffeting winds can mask your approach.
Cove[]
- Main article: Cove
Cove is a small port that the Stranded have taken over and turned into a little village. The map is very open with long lines of sight, but there is a really, really heavy layer of fog that masks just about everything. There’s a really nice sniper nest inside a central ship, but the sniper’s form is silhouetted by the low angle light shining through the fog.
Jacinto[]
- Main article: Jacinto (map)
Jacinto was a beautiful city, but huge stalks have emerged up through the buildings and flooded the entire area with imulsion. Half of the map is dead and crumbling, with Imulsion fumes hanging in the air. To make matters worse, the drizzle that is present when a match begins quickly develops into a heavy rain storm that impedes visibility and lines of sight as water starts sheeting off the buildings.
Raven Down[]
- Main article: Raven Down
Raven Down is a very small crossroads that is blanketed in a blinding snow storm. A Raven helicopter has crashed in the storm, and crashed through an elevated train on its way down, so there’s train wreckage to deal with as well. The snowstorm ebbs occasionally, but is more often so heavy that it’s difficult to see more than a few meters ahead at any given time.
Character Skins[]
- Limited Edition Commando Dom
- Limited Edition Mechanic Baird
- Limited Edition Savage Grenadier Elite
- Savage Hunter
Weapon Skins[]
There are seven new skins: Ivory, FL4K, Vixen, Ultra Violet, Midnight, Major League, and Hype.[3]