Gears of War 3 churns out next DLC Jan. 17

Gears of War 3 may have brought the trilogy's main plotline to a close, but the flow of new content for the third-person shooter series continues unabated. Epic Games today announced the next add-on for the Xbox 360 game, the Fenix Rising map pack, will roll out on January 17.

In addition to five new battlegrounds for the game's various multiplayer modes, the Fenix Rising downloadable content includes a new experience system that allows players who max out their levels to reset their rank and "Re-up" for another tour of duty. If they can max out their levels multiple times like this, players will be able to earn new weapon skins unobtainable through other means. Finally, the add-on includes four new character skins, including Gear recruit Clayton and Cole Train in a Thrashball uniform, as well as savage marauder and kantu skins.

Fenix Rising will be available for 800 Microsoft points ($10), and is the third of four paid add-on packs planned for Gears of War 3. The first two were the Horde Command Pack (three new maps, three new playable characters, and Horde mode fortification upgrades for 800 Microsoft points, or $10), and RAAM's Shadow, which featured additional campaign mode gameplay for 1,200 Microsoft points ($15). A free Versus Booster add-on was also released as a gesture to fans on Thanksgiving Day.

Gamers can also purchase the Gears of War 3 Season Pass for 2,400 Microsoft points ($30) on Xbox Live. The pass includes access to all four of the add-ons, which would cost players 3,600 Microsoft points ($45) if purchased separately.

For more on Epic Games' latest Xbox 360 exclusive, check out GameSpot's review of Gears of War 3.