Gears of War: Redux update 1.1 packs new guns, mutators and gameplay improvements

Gears of War: Redux is getting another big update on 1 September, and version 1.1 brings more than a routine batch of fixes. Players can expect three additional weapons, new executions, extra campaign and Horde mutators, gameplay changes and a selection of quality-of-life improvements. It’s a fairly packed update. Redux already expands the original PC release of Gears of War well beyond what shipped with the game, and update 1.1 keeps building on that idea. Rather than changing the basic cover-based combat, it adds more ways to play with the systems that are already there.

Three more weapons are coming

The biggest addition is easy to spot. Version 1.1 adds the Sawed-off Shotgun, Sawed-off Bayonet and Breechshot to the available arsenal. Each gives players another option when putting together a loadout. The Sawed-off Shotgun is built around close-range encounters, while the Breechshot gives players something different to use when they want a change from the original weapon selection. The Sawed-off Bayonet adds another aggressive option to the mix.

There’s also a new Launcher coming with the update. New executions are included too, giving players a few more finishing moves during combat. None of this changes what Gears fundamentally is, but it does make the weapon pool feel less restricted than the one found in the original PC version. For anyone who’s played through that game several times, that extra variety could make familiar encounters play out differently.

Campaign mutators mix things up

Update 1.1 also adds new mutators for the campaign and Horde. One of the more interesting campaign options brings enemies from Gears of War 2 into the original Gears of War campaign. That’s a simple idea, but it could have a noticeable effect on individual firefights. You know the levels, you know where encounters happen, but the enemies you’re dealing with can now be different.

That changes the rhythm without rebuilding the campaign itself. Horde gets additional mutators as well. Redux already includes Horde and Horde+, so these new options give players more control over how those sessions work. It’s the sort of feature that makes sense for an overhaul like Redux. Instead of forcing everyone into one particular version of the game, it gives players more switches to play with.

Redux already adds a lot to the original PC game

Gears of War: Redux is made for the original PC version of the first Gears of War. It isn’t designed for Gears of War: Reloaded. That distinction matters.

Redux takes the older PC release and adds features, modes and technical improvements that weren’t part of the original package. Multiplayer includes King of the Hill, Guardian and Team Deathmatch, while Horde and Horde+ add wave-based modes that considerably expand what players can do outside the campaign.

There are also maps from Gears of War 2, along with additional custom maps. Bots can be used across multiplayer modes, and their difficulty can be adjusted. That makes it easier to set up matches without relying on a full group of human players.

Horde also includes a Last Stand option. Under those rules, the wave ends when the final human player goes down. It’s a small change, but it can make Horde noticeably less forgiving.

Split-screen is part of the package

Redux also brings split-screen support to PC. The full campaign can be played in local split-screen co-op on a single machine, and multiplayer modes support split-screen as well. That’s still fairly unusual for PC releases, particularly when dealing with older games that weren’t originally built around modern local multiplayer setups.

Controls have received attention too. Players can fully rebind keyboard inputs, while cover and evade actions can be assigned to separate keys. That’s useful if you’ve ever found yourself fighting an older control scheme almost as much as the enemies. Display support has been expanded as well. Redux supports DirectX 10 and DirectX 11, along with 21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide resolutions and suitable field-of-view adjustments.

Update 1.1 also includes fixes

Not everything in version 1.1 is a headline feature. The update will include bug fixes and quality-of-life changes alongside the new weapons, executions and mutators. Every individual adjustment hasn’t been detailed, but the focus clearly extends beyond adding new content.

One thing hasn’t changed: Redux remains an overhaul for the original PC release. It doesn’t bring across the visual upgrades found in Gears of War: Reloaded. Instead, it focuses on gameplay options, multiplayer additions, controls and compatibility.

Gears of War: Redux update 1.1 arrives on 1 September. For players already using Redux, it adds another batch of reasons to return, especially if they want more weapons, more configurable modes and a less predictable trip through the original campaign.

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