Some crazy exciting new features include automated tournaments as well as the Archon and Allied Commanders mode. Automated Tournaments are daily tournaments that allow you to square off against similarly-skilled opponents in cutthroat competitions for fame and glory. The Archon Mode allows you and a friend to share control over a single base, as opposed to classic 2v2 where you're each in control of a separate army. For instance, one of you could focus on production while the other controls offensive units, which also allows for exciting coaching opportunities.

The Warp Prism can now pick up units at a distance, further improving its drop potential. Oracles are now even more useful. Revelation and Envision have been combined, so cloaked units hit by the ability are now revealed for a period of time. Stasis Wards are a new Oracle ability that sets a trap that paralyzes enemies for periods of time, opening opportunities for synergy with Psi-Storms or Disruptor attacks. Carriers can now send out Interceptors to fight even outside of the Carrier's proximity, adding more harassment potential to a currently unloved unit.

There are also have a number of changes coming to Raynor's people. The Siege Tank receives its second substantial gameplay change following the removal of a research requirement for Siege Mode in Heart of the Swarm - it can now be loaded into Medivacs and dropped while in Siege Mode. Thors have gained the Emergency Repair ability, which self-repairs for 20 seconds. The Thor can't move or attack while repairing, though. Leap-frogging Thors while backed by leap-frogging Siege Tanks and Widow Mines? Yes, please.

Combat encounters in Gears Tactics start out simple enough, with players going head-to-head with standard Locust soldiers . However, they soon have to deal with Boomers, who are armed with deadly explosives that can wipe out an entire squad in one fell swoop, and Snipers that can pin soldiers in place. But regardless of if players are fighting Boomers or Wretches, every enemy in the game can be a headache if players don't approach each combat encounter with a plan in m

Gears Tactics’ structure crumbles around the side missions due to a lack of variety. The SLG Game DLC features four types of side missions: Rescue, Sabotage, Scavenger Run and Control. In Rescue, you need to save two soldiers from torture pods. Sabotage sees the squad attack a Locust stronghold and destroy its Imulsion supply. Scavenger Run tasks players with grabbing equipment as Nemacyst bombings inch closer each turn. Finally, Control has the squad holding two positions to collect supplies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these types of objectives, but Gears Tactics overly relies on them to its detriment. It regularly sidelines its own story and main missions to task players with these side missions. It’s not bad until you realize that the game interrupts the flow of the campaign after nearly every main mission and completely throw off the pacing of the entire game. One mission you could be laying a trap for Ukkon, and the next, rather than springing it, you must complete two side quests. In an effort to increase the length, Gears Tactics actively sabotages the pacing of its campaign. Considering the campaign makes up the entirety of the Gears Tactics experience, the amount of required side missions to continue the story is just too much.

The player can spend tokens to reset those skill points if they don’t like how a soldier is specced. Or, they can just dismiss the soldier outright to save the reset tokens and open up a recruitment s

If you haven't just about died from anticipation yet, here's some more tantalizing tidbits regarding economy. Bases still have 8 mineral patches, but you start with 12 (up from 6) workers and each mineral patch has substantially less minerals than before - only 1000 down from 1500. This means you'll be exhausting your main base faster than ever as well as all future ones, while doubling your initial income rate. Things are going to start quickly in Legacy of the Void, and aggressively expanding is looking to be the name of the game. High-level players seem to be taking 5 or more bases by the 15 minute mark. For the uninitiated, this effectively doubles the amount of bases currently taken at the same point in many matches today and means there's more area to cover, harass, and defend.

Gears’ strong history of delivering stellar presentations remains intact with Gears Tactics. Though the perspective is different and the action turn-based, Gears Tactics looks fantastic. Splash Damage has managed to provide a presentation that looks and sounds the way a Gears game should. Whether it’s the violent growls of the Locust, the sounds of a chainsaw revving or the brutal popping sound a head makes following a headshot, the presentation perfectly captures the essence of the franchise. Though it may not have the close-up shots of a shooter, Gears Tactics still features plenty of detailed textures and models for players to admire, particularly in the menus. A suite of features allows players to extensively customize the visual experience on PC. Meanwhile, plenty of accessibility options exist to ensure that whoever wants to enjoy Gears Tactics can. It’s another fantastic Gears game to look at and listen to.