Epic Games has lifted the lid on the next Gears of War 3 map pack, ‘Fenix Rising,’ with a collection of awesome screenshots and a handful of horrific character renders showcasing some new multiplayer skins.

The map pack will add five new maps (details below) and four new character skins, and will become available on January 17th over Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 MS Points, and will also be available ‘for free’ to holders of a Gears of War 3 Season Pass.

In addition, a new experience system will be added to Gears of War 3 at this time. Called ‘Re-up,’ the process is similar to Call of Duty’s ‘Prestige’ system for maximum level players, offering rewards for those of us at level 100 in the form of exclusive emblems and skins.

Here’s the skinny:

“… players who attain level 100 will have a choice to ‘Re-up’ for another tour of duty to showcase their valor and dedication as elite Gears of War fans. Their experience and rank will be reset, but all other progression (including TrueSkill rating) will remain intact.

“Players can ‘Re-up’ up to 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 by any other means:

• Re-Up Plasma – Animated flowing plasma in gold.
• Re-Up Omen – Shiny, red Omen.
• Re-Up Electric – Animated, golden electric shocks.

Sounds like a great opportunity for Gears 3 aficionados!

Here are the details of the five new maps coming to Gears of War 3 with the ‘Fenix Rising’ map pack:

Academy

The lineage of the Fenix family can be traced back along a distinguished line of military officers. Officer training at the Oracle Academy was simply the expected path for Marcus, and he had visited the grounds many times in expectation that he would walk the same path as his ancestors. But it was not to be, and Marcus broke with tradition to be with his best friends Dom and Carlos. Like any number of fine Seran traditions, the Academy is now lost to the invasion of the Locust Horde.

Anvil

The fortress of Anvegad was called Anvil Gate because its impenetrable walls were forged in the fires of war. Huge cannons sat atop battlements that guarded sprawling walls running the line of the UIR borders. Marcus went there to find Hoffman, and they both thought that Anvil Gate would offer protection from the incoming forces of Locust and Lambent. They were wrong, and little remains other than the ruined shell of a once mighty fortress.

Depths – The excessive opulence of Azura defied all normal reasoning. Adam Fenix however could see the cracks in the veneer of splendor from the moment he arrived at this underwater processing center. All that beauty mattered not at all once he was held captive by the Locust. Out of options, he had to find a way to contact Marcus, and finally reveal the truths he’d been keeping to himself for all these many years .

Escalation

Haldane Hall has been the home of the Fenix family for countless generations. But the only history that matters to Marcus are his memories of warm summer evenings spent with his mother, Elain, relaxing in the estate’s gardens. Sadly, all the estate’s history and beauty was lost when the Locust destroyed it in an attempt to kidnap his father.

The Slab

Convicted for insubordination and treason, Marcus was incarcerated in Jacinto Maximum Security Prison. Known as “The Slab”, this prison is not a correctional facility - it’s a place where Sera’s worst offenders are locked up and forgotten. The inmates are brutal, parole is not an option, and the average life expectancy is about two years. But that was before the Locust showed up, and what couldn’t get worse, suddenly did. Now your life expectancy there is around 2 minutes.

And here are the backstories for the multiplayer skins:

COG:

• Recruit Clayton – Clayton was born a Gear, grew up a Gear, and on the very day he became eligible, he signed himself up to become the capable, confident, and devoted Gear he’d always known he could be.

• Thrashball Cole (Limited Edition) – The Cole Train prefers to take the most direct path to the Locust Horde in any situation. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up in raw energy.

Locust:

• Savage Marauder – Locust Marauders were the first to form any sort of organisation outside of the Hollow – if their brutal infighting and bloodthirsty raiding parties could truly be called organised.

• Savage Kantus (Limited Edition) – The Savage Kantus were profoundly impacted by the loss of the Hollow. They have reverted to a primal, shamanistic state, and their battle cries have taken a dark, melancholy turn. Few sounds are as terrifying to human ears.