Gears 5 Has a New Recoil System to Fix the Lancer

If you look at the guns found in Gears of War, the Lancer is the most recognizable tool of destruction with its chainsaw attachment and all-around versatility. That doesn't mean that it's the gun used most often though in a game where quick movement, close-quarters combat, and shotguns reign supreme. The Lancer has taken a backseat to other guns, specifically the Gnasher shotgun, in the past, but Gears 5 is giving players a way to better utilize the series' signature gun and bring it back to a more important spot in players' arsenals.

Game Informer spoke to Gears 5's multiplayer design director Ryan Cleven about the state of the Lancer in the upcoming Gears of War game and learned more about how it was changing to be more useful. Recognizing how dominant shotguns have been in the past few Gears of War games, Cleven said the team wanted to up make room for more high-skill play when using the Lancer and similar rifles.

"We wanted to bring a higher skill level to the rifle game to complement the really high-skill shotgun game we've got," Cleven said. "Now, the rifle is really a precision weapon with a high skill gap that players can use."

To make this hope a reality, Cleven said the team changed the recoil pattern that's associated with the Lancer. In previous Gears games, Cleven said the gun had a "bloom-style bullet pattern." This meant that the longer you shot the gun without taking your finger off the trigger, the spread would increase and become less accurate. For many players, the easier solution was just to wall-bounce your way into shotgun range and blow the enemy away instead of picking away at them with less accurate bursts.

In Gears 5, however, the gun and other rifles use a fixed-recoil system. This means that as you shoot the Lancer and other weapons like it, the gun will lift upwards. You'll have to regulate its position just like you would in other shooters that have a similar recoil system as you reign in the gun's trajectory during longer bursts of fire.

It's a change that might not be quite as noticeable at first if players have already written off the Lancer and other weapons in favor of shotguns, but once people get the hang of it, there might be more long-range fights taking place in Gears 5. With the first of two technical tests currently underway, perhaps some players are already familiarizing themselves with the new system.

Gears 5 is scheduled to release for the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs on September 10th.