Gamemodes
PVE
Campaign
Story co-op for up to 3 players. One player must always play the protagonist of the current chapter. In 3-player co-op the third player plays as Jack
SupportJackJack is a one of a kind support bot with the ability to cloak, heal, and stun. His versatility makes him invaluable to the team.
(the Jack-of-All-Trades robot) - a very different experience that feels closer to half a player.
Campaign DLC - Hivebusters
Story expansion, co-op for up to 3 players. Unlike the main campaign there is no protagonist requirement - anyone can play any character.
Horde
Survive waves of the Swarm using your class, abilities and the Fabricator.
Horde
50 waves, with class abilities and the Fabricator.
Horde Frenzy
12 waves, with class abilities and the Fabricator.
Classic Horde
50 waves, without class abilities or the Fabricator.
Classic Horde Frenzy
12 waves, without class abilities or the Fabricator.
Mad Man's Monsters
Survive 20 waves against the Mad Man's Monsters.
Jingle Juvies
Survive 20 waves of joyous Jingle Juvies.
Predator Hunt
Survive 10 waves and battle the Wakaatu with no Fabricator.
Boss Rush
Survive 10 waves against bosses only.
Escape From Kadar
Survive 10 waves against Niles' creations.
Nexus Siege
Survive 10 waves of Locust with no Fabricator.
Horde Mania
Survive 25 waves with a short build period.
Horde Roulette
Survive 10 waves of random enemy combinations.
PVP
Versus - Custom
Custom lobbies with every Versus mode, plus weapon substitutions and map options.
Arcade Blitz
Capture and hold rings to win. Rings count down faster when points are being scored.
Arcade Deathmatch
Eliminate members of the opposing team to win the round. Weapons are unlocked by redeeming points obtained for each elimination.
Arms Race
Kill the enemy with every gun. Every three kills changes your team's weapon. The team to get three kills with the last weapon will win.
Capture The Flag
Score Touchdowns or hold the flag when time expires to gain points. First team to reach the point goal wins.
Control
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win.
Control (Esports)
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win. Uses Esports settings for ring order, weapon spawns, and weapon ammo.
Dodgeball
Eliminate the opposing team to win. Every kill brings back a dead teammate.
Escalation
Capture the rings to win. New weapons are placed by each team every round.
Execution 2.0
Eliminate all members of the opposing team using executions. You get one life per round.
Free For All - 14 Player
Kill or be killed by every player you encounter. First player to reach the target number of kills wins.
Free For All - 8 Player
Kill or be killed by every player you encounter. First player to reach the target number of kills wins.
Gridiron
Score Touchdowns or Eliminate the enemy team to gain points. First team to reach the point goal wins. Single elimination rounds.
Guardian
Execute the enemy team leader to prevent respawns, then eliminate the opposing team to win.
King Of The Hill
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win. Teammates will respawn at the same time every 15 seconds.
Team Deathmatch
Eliminate all members of the opposing team. Each team has limited respawns where dead players will spawn together every 15 seconds.
Warzone
Eliminate all members of the opposing team. You get one life per round. You cannot self-revive from DBNO.
One Shot, One Kill
A Gears classic. Longshot Sniper Rifle
Snipers only, extra starting ammo, no melee.
FFA One Shot, One Kill
A Gears classic. Longshot Sniper RifleSnipers only, extra starting ammo, no melee.
Torque Bow Tag
Torque Bow
Explosives only. Melee is disabled. Eliminate the opposing team to win.
2v2 Gnashers
Eliminate all members of the opposing team. You spawn with only a Gnasher Shotgun
Shotgun.
Brawl
Respawn with your squad after death. Weapon respawn timers start when a weapon is picked up. Eliminate the enemy team to win.
Control: SSG
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win. Players are limited to Gnasher ShotgunShotgun, Snub Pistol
Pistol, and Utility grenades.
Control: Fully Loaded
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win.
Free For All - 8 Player: Fully Loaded
Kill or be killed by every player you encounter. First player to reach the target number of kills wins.
Team Deathmatch: Fully Loaded
Eliminate all members of the opposing team. Each team has limited respawns where dead players will spawn together every 15 seconds.
Versus Search - Quickplay
Casual matchmaking playlists.
Classic Elimination
Play 1 of 4 Elimination modes: Gridiron (capture the Flag or Eliminate the enemy team), Execution (Eliminate the other team), Dodgeball (Eliminate the other team & kills bring back teammates), or Team Deathmatch.
Classic Objective
Play 1 of 4 Objective modes: Control, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, or Guardian.
Free For All 14
Kill everyone. The first player to reach the score limit wins the match.
One Shot, One Kill
A Gears classic. Longshot Sniper RifleSnipers only, extra starting ammo, no melee.
Co-op vs. AI (Beginner)
Join a Co-op Versus match against Beginner AI with up to 4 players online. Vote for the next map and mode at the end of every round.
Co-op vs. AI (Hardcore)
Join a Co-op Versus match against Hardcore AI with up to 4 players online. Vote for the next map and mode at the end of every round.
Versus Search - Competitive
Ranked playlists with seasonal score, rank and rewards.
Capture The Flag
Score Touchdowns to gain points. First team to reach the point goal wins. Respawns and Touchbacks enabled.
Execution 2.0
Eliminate all members of the opposing team using executions. You get one life per round.
Guardian
Execute the enemy team leader to prevent respawns, then eliminate the opposing team.
Control
Capture and hold the objective ring to score enough points to win.
Free For All - 8 Players
Kill everyone. The first player to reach the score limit wins the match.
Team Deathmatch
Eliminate all members of the opposing team.
2v2 Gnashers
4 players, 2 teams, 1 life, spawning only with Gnasher ShotgunShotguns on small maps.
Escalation
Capture the rings to win. New weapons are placed by each team every round.
Mode Details
Campaign
PVEShow details
Difficulties
Applies to both the base Campaign and Hivebusters.
| Difficulty |
|---|
| Beginner |
| Intermediate |
| Experienced |
| Insane |
| Inconceivable note |
Inconceivable: No down state - when you are "killed" you die instantly instead of going down. While harder, it is also more fair: damage dealt to you is also applied to them, so enemies are not bullet sponges - headshotting a Drone with a sniper is easier than on Insane.
Horde
PVEShow details
Difficulties
| Difficulty | Modifiers |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 0 |
| Intermediate | 1 |
| Experienced | 2 |
| Advanced | 3 |
| Elite | 4 |
| Insane | 5 |
| Inconceivable | 6 |
| Master | 7 |
On a standard (non-Bounty) map, Master always rolls the same fixed 7 modifiers, always in this order. Bounty maps (the ones offering Bonus Skill Cards) instead roll a random set from the full modifier pool below.
| Survivor | More Health | More Lethal | Regen Penalty | Aggressive Enemies | Regeneration | Power Drain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No restarts! Game over if all players go down. | Enemies have increased health. | Damage to players is increased. | Player health regenerates 50% slower. | Enemies are more aggressive. | Enemies regenerate their health over time. | Fortification build cost increased by 50%. |
PVE Camera Shake (Options → Accessibility) toggles all camera shake in Horde and Escape, and only works on Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced and Advanced - it's always ON on Master (separate from Campaign Camera Shake, which only affects Campaign).
Daily reward for completing:
Beginner gives 200 🪙
Advanced gives 5,000 XP
Inconceivable gives 10,000 XP
Master doesn't have its own tier - a successful full run (reaching wave 50, not a mid-match Starting Wave) counts as Inconceivable and gives the same 10,000 XP
Daily resets at 19:00 UTC.
Bonus Skill Cards for successfully completing a match on Master, started from the beginning (not a mid-match Starting Wave):
Horde Frenzy gives 3/6 per successful completion
Horde gives all 6/6 after just 1 successful completion
Difficulty Modifiers
Each match rolls a set number of these (see the Modifiers column above) - the same modifier can be rolled more than once, so duplicates of one modifier can both be active at the same time. The exception is Master on a standard (non-Bounty) map, which always rolls the same fixed 7: Survivor, More Health, More Lethal, Regen Penalty, Aggressive Enemies, Regeneration, Power Drain, in that order.
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aggressive Enemies | Enemies are more aggressive. |
| Bobble Head Enemies | Enemies have bobble heads. |
| Confetti Headshot | Headshots explode with confetti. |
| Double Headshot Damage | Players deal 100% extra critical damage. |
| Even Stronger Enemies | Enemies deal 3x more damage. |
| Even Tougher Enemies | Enemies have 3x more health. |
| Frag Rejects | Rejects detonate a frag grenade upon death. |
| Freezing Grenadiers | Grenadiers fire freezing bullets. |
| Freezing Rifles | Rifle Drones fire freezing bullets. |
| Freezing Sniper Bullets | Enemy Snipers fire freezing bullets. |
| Ghost Drones | Drones will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Ghost Flushers | Juvies, Leeches, Trackers, Sires and Rejects will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Ghost Heavies | Scions and DR units will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Instant Reload | Automatically reload with active rounds. |
| More Health | Enemies have increased health. |
| More Lethal | Damage to players is increased. |
| More Melee Damage | Enemy melee attacks do double damage. |
| Only Regen In Cover | Only regenerate health in cover. |
| Power Boost | Fortification build cost reduced by 30%. |
| Power Drain | Fortification build cost increased by 50%. |
| Reduced Bleeding Damage | Players deal 90% less bleeding damage. |
| Reduced Explosive Damage | Players deal 90% less explosive damage. |
| Regen Penalty | Player health regenerates 50% slower. |
| Regeneration | Enemies regenerate their health over time. |
| Shielded Heavies | Scions and DR-1s have protective shields. |
| Shock Grenadiers | Attacks from Grenadiers cause a Shock Chain. |
| Shock Rifle Drones | Attacks from Rifle Drones cause a Shock Chain. |
| Super Charged | Ultimates recharge faster. |
| Super Energy | Energy pickups heal and give 3x the normal amount. |
| Ultra Power Drain | Fortification build cost increased by 1,000%. |
| Ultra Slow Recharge | Ultimate recharge time increased by 1,000%. |
| Vampire | Players heal when dealing damage. |
| Vampiric Drones | Drones gain health on damage done to players. |
| Vampiric Enemies | Enemies gain health on damage done to players. |
| Zero Gravity Gore | Dead bodies have no gravity. |
| Survivor | No restarts! Game over if all players go down. |
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aggressive Enemies | Enemies are more aggressive. |
| Bobble Head Enemies | Enemies have bobble heads. |
| Confetti Headshot | Headshots explode with confetti. |
| Double Headshot Damage | Players deal 100% extra critical damage. |
| Even Stronger Enemies | Enemies deal 3x more damage. |
| Even Tougher Enemies | Enemies have 3x more health. |
| Frag Rejects | Rejects detonate a frag grenade upon death. |
| Freezing Grenadiers | Grenadiers fire freezing bullets. |
| Freezing Rifles | Rifle Drones fire freezing bullets. |
| Freezing Sniper Bullets | Enemy Snipers fire freezing bullets. |
| Ghost Drones | Drones will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Ghost Flushers | Juvies, Leeches, Trackers, Sires and Rejects will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Ghost Heavies | Scions and DR units will cloak when they are within 10m of you. |
| Instant Reload | Automatically reload with active rounds. |
| More Health | Enemies have increased health. |
| More Lethal | Damage to players is increased. |
| More Melee Damage | Enemy melee attacks do double damage. |
| Only Regen In Cover | Only regenerate health in cover. |
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| Power Boost | Fortification build cost reduced by 30%. |
| Power Drain | Fortification build cost increased by 50%. |
| Reduced Bleeding Damage | Players deal 90% less bleeding damage. |
| Reduced Explosive Damage | Players deal 90% less explosive damage. |
| Regen Penalty | Player health regenerates 50% slower. |
| Regeneration | Enemies regenerate their health over time. |
| Shielded Heavies | Scions and DR-1s have protective shields. |
| Shock Grenadiers | Attacks from Grenadiers cause a Shock Chain. |
| Shock Rifle Drones | Attacks from Rifle Drones cause a Shock Chain. |
| Super Charged | Ultimates recharge faster. |
| Super Energy | Energy pickups heal and give 3x the normal amount. |
| Ultra Power Drain | Fortification build cost increased by 1,000%. |
| Ultra Slow Recharge | Ultimate recharge time increased by 1,000%. |
| Vampire | Players heal when dealing damage. |
| Vampiric Drones | Drones gain health on damage done to players. |
| Vampiric Enemies | Enemies gain health on damage done to players. |
| Zero Gravity Gore | Dead bodies have no gravity. |
| Survivor | No restarts! Game over if all players go down. |
Energy Taps
Spawn during a match and generate Energy for the team the longer they survive without being destroyed. Interacting with one (a "tap") instantly heals the team; a separate Energy payout is given at the end of the wave if it made it that far.
| Waves Survived | Team HP | Energy at Wave End (Horde) | Energy at Wave End (Horde Frenzy) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Tap | 2 Taps | 3 Taps | 4 Taps | 1 Tap | 2 Taps | 3 Taps | 4 Taps | 1 Tap | 2 Taps | 3 Taps | 4 Taps | |
| 1 | ❤ 10% | ❤ 20% | ❤ 30% | ❤ 40% | ⚡︎ 300 | ⚡︎ 600 | ⚡︎ 900 | ⚡︎ 1,200 | ⚡︎ 1,500 | ⚡︎ 3,000 | ⚡︎ 4,500 | ⚡︎ 6,000 |
| 2 | ❤ 15% | ❤ 30% | ❤ 45% | ❤ 60% | ⚡︎ 600 | ⚡︎ 1,200 | ⚡︎ 1,800 | ⚡︎ 2,400 | ⚡︎ 1,800 | ⚡︎ 3,600 | ⚡︎ 5,400 | ⚡︎ 7,200 |
| 3 | ❤ 20% | ❤ 40% | ❤ 60% | ❤ 80% | ⚡︎ 900 | ⚡︎ 1,800 | ⚡︎ 2,700 | ⚡︎ 3,600 | ⚡︎ 2,100 | ⚡︎ 4,200 | ⚡︎ 6,300 | ⚡︎ 8,400 |
| 4 | ❤ 25% | ❤ 50% | ❤ 75% | ❤ 100% | ⚡︎ 1,500 | ⚡︎ 3,000 | ⚡︎ 4,500 | ⚡︎ 6,000 | ⚡︎ 2,400 | ⚡︎ 4,800 | ⚡︎ 7,200 | ⚡︎ 9,600 |
Horde
- Waves come slower - a full match averages 2.5 hours (varies with modifiers) - and enemies start weaker and fewer, ramping up in difficulty gradually each wave.
- Each player starts with 1,000 Energy - once the Fabricator is placed, or once a hidden pre-wave timer runs out.
- It's common to deposit most or all Energy into the Fabricator (or hand it directly to an Engineer) through waves 1-10 - then start spending it on perks from wave 11 onward.
- Starts with 1 Energy Tap active once the Fabricator is placed - another unlocks at the end of waves 10, 20 and 30, for a maximum of 4.
- Boss waves are 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 - "semi-boss" waves are 15, 25, 35 and 45 - both tend to mix in stronger enemy units alongside the regular wave.
The Forge
Melts down unwanted weapons into extra Energy. Every level costs the same flat fee. and JackSupportJackJack is a one of a kind support bot with the ability to cloak, heal, and stun. His versatility makes him invaluable to the team.
's Optimizer
50% more power when smelting. card
see common use across a full 50-wave match, since there's time to build up and dismantle a steady supply of picked-up weapons.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Fill with bots | ON / OFF | ON |
| Starting Wave | 1-50 | 1 |
| Use Fabricator | ON / OFF | ON |
| Use Cards | ON / OFF | ON |
| Event Hats | None / Big Head: Marcus / Big Head: RAAM / Pumpkin / Santa / Bunny / Heart | None |
Horde Frenzy
- Waves come faster - a full match averages 30 minutes (varies with modifiers) - and enemies ramp up in difficulty and numbers much faster per wave.
- Each player starts with 10,000 Energy - once the Fabricator is placed, or once a hidden pre-wave timer runs out.
- It's common to deposit all Energy into the Fabricator (or hand it directly to an Engineer) during wave 1 - then start spending it on perks from wave 2 onward.
- Starts with 2 Energy Taps active once the Fabricator is placed - another unlocks at the end of waves 4 and 8, for a maximum of 4.
The ForgeMelts down unwanted weapons into extra Energy. Every level costs the same flat fee. isn't common or very useful here - a 12-wave match is too short to make dismantling weapons worthwhile.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Fill with bots | ON / OFF | ON |
| Starting Wave | 1-50 | 1 |
| Use Fabricator | ON / OFF | ON |
| Use Cards | ON / OFF | ON |
| Event Hats | None / Big Head: Marcus / Big Head: RAAM / Pumpkin / Santa / Bunny / Heart | None |
Classic Horde
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Fill with bots | ON / OFF | ON |
| Starting Wave | 1-50 | 1 |
| Use Fabricator | ON / OFF | OFF |
| Use Default Loadout | ON | ON |
| Use Cards | ON / OFF | OFF |
| Gameplay Tuning | Classic Horde | Classic Horde |
| Use Weapon Pickups | ON | ON |
Classic Horde Frenzy
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Fill with bots | ON / OFF | ON |
| Starting Wave | 1-50 | 1 |
| Use Fabricator | ON / OFF | OFF |
| Use Default Loadout | ON | ON |
| Use Cards | ON / OFF | OFF |
| Gameplay Tuning | Classic Horde | Classic Horde |
| Use Weapon Pickups | ON | ON |