Gears 5, the long-awaited next game in the Gears of War series, is out now on PC and Xbox One - and there's a lot to see and do in it, especially with the addition of various multiplayer modes. Like any AAA game these days, unfortunately, there are various currencies to unlock things in the game - so what Gears 5 microtransactions are there?
What is the difference between Gears 5 Iron, Supply Drops, and Scrap? What exciting things can you buy with the game's premium currency, and are they cosmetic-only or do they affect gameplay and progression? What is the Tour of Duty, and is it like a Battle Pass? What can you get from it? Let's have a look.
What is Gears 5 Iron?
Iron is the Gears 5 premium currency which is bought with real-world money, for the most part. You can see the general US prices for above - the cheapest being $4.99 for 500 Iron. These are the microtransactions used to buy more speciality items, but it's not the only currency in the game.
What is the difference between Gears 5 Iron and Scrap? Or Supply?
There are two different types of currency in Gears 5 - Iron and Scrap. There's kind of a third too - Supply. Scrap and Supply are both free, and are earned through playing the game. Scrap is mostly gained whenever you get a Supply item you already own. Scrap is only really used to craft new Supply items, or to buy the occasional thing in the store - such as the Pride banners right now. Supply Drops are earned by playing the game - see here for more about them.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center"" data-lang="en">
HEY GEARS HAS FUCKING PRIDE FLAGS IN GAME WHAT pic.twitter.com/vRhDSm3Xzy
— akii @ sera✨ (@ashiinu) September 5, 2019</blockquote>What are the Gears 5 Microtransactions used for?
You can buy multiple items from the Gears store for use in multiplayer, including alternate character and weapon skins, unique emotes, and even customized blood sprays (!). You cannot use Iron to buy loot boxes or Supply Drops, you can only use it to make direct item purchases. These items are exclusive to the store, so cannot be found in Supply Drops or just by playing the game.
These are all cosmetic, of course. The only items you can purchase with microtransactions that have any bearing on gameplay or progression are the XP boosts. Roughly speaking, a single-day XP boost costs $2.50, a 7-day boost $6, and a 30-day boost being about $12. While they can't help you kill things better or get Supply Drops faster, they help you increase XP and learn skills quicker - so bypass the amount of game you actually have to play.
What is Gears 5 Tour of Duty and what can you get from it?
Tour of Duty is the seasonal battle pass for Gears 5 - but unlike games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, Tour of Duty is free. You have to complete various daily and seasonal challenges to rank up and earn either an exclusive cosmetic reward or some Iron. Cosmetic rewards include character and weapons, although you'll have to rank up a lot to earn the best ones - all of which are exclusive to the Tour of Duty pass, and these will change at various times. Still, at least it's free.
You'll have to put in a lot of work to get all the free stuff in Gears 5, and you need to spend money to unlock everything - although at least anything bought with microtransactions won't really affect the game - just how cool you look.
