Gears of War 3's Forces of Nature DLC revealed

Epic has lifted the curtain on its final piece of DLC for Gears of War 3. Entitled Forces of Nature, the expansion will bring a number of new and remade maps, hidden weapons, and fresh skins when it breezes in for download on March 27.

The DLC, revealed during an interview with Epic's Rod Fergusson in the latest episode of GameTrailers TV, takes its name from the various natural disasters and extreme environmental conditions featured in its multiplayer offerings. For example, the new maps in Forces of Nature include Artillery, a storm-ravaged military base; Aftermath, a post-tsunami government park; and Cove, a fog-filled port town. A snow-capped remake of the Raven Down map and a rain-soaked version of the Jacinto locale will also be added.

Sticking to its multiplayer Easter egg tradition, Epic is hiding 'Elemental Cleavers' within each of the new maps. The Snow Cleaver, for example, will give players the ability to chuck an icy blast of death at enemies; while the Emulsion Cleaver will take out enemies with a wide range explosion. Using these elementally-themed weapons on opponents in Beast or Horde mode will also net some new achievements.

Additionally, Forces of Nature will touch down with four new character skins, including a new Savage Hunter character and three limited edition versions of pre-order skins: Mechanic Baird, Commando Dom, and the Savage Grenadier. In addition, the DLC will feature seven new skins weapons skins, two of which are locked away within the new content.

Fergusson didn't reveal a price for the last pack, however it's safe to assume Forces of Nature will follow the 800 Microsoft Point ($10) model set by previous DLC releases. Season Passers will, of course, receive Gears of War 3's swan song without charge.

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Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

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