The Coalition has now offered fans a deep dive into Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer, and one of the biggest reveals is that it won’t be relying on many of the modern monetization trends that so many fans have grown exhausted with. The developers are promising no paid battle passes and no locking cool unlockables behind microtransactions. “Almost all of it can be earned through gameplay,” they claim.

The multiplayer reveal for the October Xbox Series X/S console exclusive showed familiar modes like Team Deathmatch and Conquest, but also a new take on the franchise’s beloved Horde mode called Horde Siege. Instead of players sitting tight trying to survive wave after wave of Locust onslaughts, they’ll be crisscrossing maps populated by other allied teams trying to complete objectives before a final extraction. It’s an ambitious evolution on a crowd favorite, but one thing Gears of War: E-Day isn’t modernizing is its grind.

Unlike most live service multiplayer shooters where the coolest cosmetics are exclusive to paid bundles and premium battle passes, The Coalition is promising that almost everything in Gears of War: E-Day can be unlocked just by playing and without a grind that’s so tedious it forces people to open their wallets.

“Remember the good olâ days when you bought a game and you could unlock all the customization items just by playing because you already bought the game?” the developers write in a new blog post. “Us too! So, when it comes to growing your own collection of customization items in E-Day, weâve taken a more old-school inspired approach.

It continues, “Nearly every single item in Gears of War: E-Day can be earned by simply playing the game. That means no battle pass, no tour of duty, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Whether itâs a Legendary Character Skin, an Epic Weapon Skin Set or a Rare Pose, almost all of it can be earned through gameplay.”

So how does this ostensible return to the good ol’ days work? The grind to unlock cool stuff in Gears of War: E-Day will work one of two ways. Either it’s something you get from completing a challenge, achievement, or other in-game task, or it’s something you buy with Gears of War: E-Day‘s grind currency called Coins, which players earn from playing matches and leveling up. While there is a premium shop that allows players to buy stuff using real money, The Coalition claims most things can be earned without spending money. It also claims it won’t be making the economy to earn Coins fell overly grindy.

“Now to address the Brumak in the room, earning Coins is not intended to be painstaking or provide the player with a sense of pride and accomplishment,” the studio writes. “Earning Coins shouldnât be an arduous grind. Chasing your favorite skin and unlocking new items should be fun. As such, weâve carefully tuned the rate you earn Coins with this principle in-mind and weâll pay close attention to player feedback to adjust as necessary in post-launch.”

There will, however, be a weekly cap on how many Coins you can earn just by playing matches. Time will tell just how accurate these promises end up being, but it’s certainly nice to see someone gesturing at an alternative to the current live service skinflation hellscape.