Horde is a returning gamemode featured in Gears 5. It a class-based, wave-defense mode in which up to five players must select a class and perk loadout in order to defend and survive against multiple waves of increasingly difficult enemies.
Gameplay[]
Horde is a gameplay mode in Gears 5 that features arcade style combat with waves of enemies. In regular Horde mode, up to five players can join together to fight against 50 waves of the Swarm; in Horde Frenzy, it is shortened to 12 waves. The difficulty increases as the players advance through the waves. Horde can be played on any multiplayer map, with empty slots filled by bots.
Unlike Horde 3.0, Horde in Gears 5 reintroduces the Lambent and Locust Horde as potential enemies alongside the typical Swarm and DeeBee enemies. Lambent enimies are on their own team, represented by the color yellow.
By default, players are given a Fabricator, which allows the purchase of Fortifications such as defensive walls or turrets, as well as Fabricating weapons as needed.
Fabrication costs Energy, which is dropped by enemies when they die. Each player has their own private stash of Energy to spend, but picking up Energy shares it amongst all players in the group. If you find yourself with extra energy you don't need, you can store it in the Fabricator itself for other players to use.
Energy can also be gathered by securing and protecting Energy Taps; interacting with a tap between Waves will grant the entire team additional Energy. As the Waves advance, additional Taps can be secured across the map; if they are protected, they will yield more Energy over time, up to a certain point.
Finally, Energy is also used to upgrade each of the classes' Perks. For more information about Perks, visit each class' own page.
Skill Card Levelling[]
Skill Cards for each class carry a different rarity (Green, Blue, Purple, Gold) and can be levelled up to a maximum of 6. This is achieved using duplicates, gold, or a combination of both.
Duplicate Cost[]
No matter the rarity, each card requires the same number of duplicates to level up.
Level 1 -> 2 = 1 Card
Level 2 -> 3 = 3 Cards
Level 3 -> 4 = 5 Cards
Level 4 -> 5 = 10 Cards
Level 5 -> 6 = 20 Cards
Gold Cost[]
The cost of a card will vary depending on its rarity:
Green - 60 (2,340 to Max)
Blue: 300 (11,700)
Purple: 1,000 (39,000)
Gold; 4,000 (156,000)
The totals in brackets indicate the cost in gold to go from level 1 to 6 assuming the player did not own any duplicate cards.
Any duplicate cards earned will reduce the upgrade cost for that level by the cards value.
As an example, if you have a Blue Skill card at Level 3, with 2 duplicates (2/5) then it would cost 900 Gold to upgrade it to level 4. (Saving you 2 x 300 Gold)
Classes[]
Classes are divided into four separate categories, dependent on their expected role on the field; ''Assault'', ''Tank'', ''Support'', and ''Promotional''.
Assault classes are primarily focused on dealing damage to enemies; Tank classes can draw enemy aggro, increase team survivability and augment team damage, as well as deal damage in their own right; and Support classes heal allies, give ammo to allies and reinforce fortifications in myriad ways. The final category, Promotional classes, were originally tied to specific crossover characters and fulfill various roles across each of the previous categories.
Below is a short overview of each class. For a slightly more in-depth overview of all classes, please visit the Character Classes (Gears 5) page; for highly specific information on each class, please visit its own page (linked below).
Assault[]
Blademaster - The Blademaster is a melee class that cuts through enemies with shocking speed and aggression.
Demolitions - Raining death from above, the Demolitions class strikes down priority targets with powerful explosive weaponry.
Infiltrator - The tip of the spear, the Infiltrator stays close to the enemy and wreaks havoc with shotguns and stealth.
Marksman - A master of the headshot, the Marksman picks off targets with surgical precision.
Nomad - The eye of the storm, the Nomad is a deadly mobile sniper class that uses Fear to create space for the team.
Tank[]
Anchor - The Anchor is a pistol specialist that uses an invincible barrier to outsmart the enemy.
Brawler - A force of nature, the Brawler brings their own powerful melee moves to the table and uses fire to decimate enemies.
Gunner - Specializing in heavy weapons, the Gunner is equipped to lay down heavy fire and take hits like no other.
Pilot - The Pilot uses the powerful Silverback exosuit to survive tough situations and deal devastating damage to the enemy.
Veteran - A one man army, the Veteran is a powerful rifle class focused on the fundamentals of cover based combat.
Support[]
Combat Medic - The Combat Medic is a solid rifle class that you can depend on to bring the team back from the brink.
Jack - Jack is a one of a kind support bot with the ability to cloak, heal, and stun. His versatility makes him invaluable to the team.
Mechanic - The Mechanic is an engineer class that can construct a solid defense with speed and efficiency.
Robotics Expert - The Robotics Expert is a master of machines, capable of building defenses that are extremely difficult to break.
Tactician - The Tactician brings leadership to the team by marking targets and restocking ammo when needed.
Promotional[]
Architect - The Architect is an engineer class that uses deception to manipulate the enemy.
Protector - The Protector is a melee class that can turn the fight in their favor by placing a powerful dome shield.
Slugger - The Slugger is a powerful shotgun specializing in crowd control and stopping power.
Striker - The Striker is a melee class focused on crowd control.
Enemies[]
Locust[]
Swarm[]
- Drone
- Grenadier
- Sniper
- Hunter
- Scion
- Heavy Scion
- Mulcher Scion
- Buzzkill Scion
- Armored Scion
- Scion Elite
- Ice Scion
- Warden
- Heavy Scion
- Juvie
- Leech
- Pouncer
- Reject
- Bastion