As if Gears of War 3 players didn’t already have enough on their hands, what with the ‘Twelve Days of Gearsmas’ and the recently released Raam’s Shadow DLC, Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games are launching the third DLC pack for Gears of War 3, this one titled Fenix Rising.

Featuring five new multiplayer maps inspired by significant locales in the Gears of War 3 campaign, Fenix Rising also introduces four new character skins and a new experience system that allows players to rank up through level 100 multiple times to unlock exclusive emblems and additional weapon skins.

The new experience system allows players who attain level 100 to “re-up” for another tour of duty, showcasing their valor and dedication as elite Gears of War fans. Experience and rank will be reset, but all other progression, including their TrueSkill rating, will remain intact.

Players can “re-up” a maximum of three times, earning a new rank icon color each time: Bronze (default level 100), Red, Green and Gold. Each “re-up” level after Bronze also awards the player an exclusive, custom weapon skin that cannot be obtained in any other fashion: Plasma — animated flowing plasma in gold; Omen — shiny, red Omen; Electric — animated, golden electric shocks.

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The five new maps are taken from the campaign and offer new challenges for players.

  • Academy: Military officers are deeply rooted in the Fenix family, but the Academy has been lost to the invasion of the Locust Horde. Anvil: Once a mighty fortress protected by impenetrable walls and cannons, Anvil Gate is now a shell of its former self. Depths: This underwater processing center screams opulence, but the splendor of its veneer is marred by dark dangers. Escalation: The ruined Fenix  family home of Haldane Hall, its beauty was destroyed in a dastardly kidnapping attempt. The Slab: Jacinto Maximum Security Prison, aka “The Slab”, is a nightmare of a location. Brutal inmates and the Locust make life expectancy incredibly short.

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Finally, players who purchase Fenix Rising will gain access to character skins for use in Versus Multiplayer and Horde Mode (if COG). For COG, Recruit Clayton and Thrashball Cole (Limited Edition), and for Locust, Savage Marauder and Savage Kantus (Limited Edition).

The Fenix Rising DLC for Gears of War 3 will be available January 17, 2012, for 800 Microsoft Points. Alternatively, players can purchase the Gears of War 3 Season Pass for 2400 Microsoft Points, enabling access to all available Gears of War 3 DLC and one future, yet-to-be-announced DLC pack.

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