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Although we still don’t have a release date for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s first DLC map pack, titled Havoc, players can get their hands on an exclusive DLC weapon starting today. However, they will have to invest in the entire future of Advanced Warfare’s DLC by purchasing the Season Pass to get the weapon before anyone else.

That being said, this DLC weapon actually looks like something worth owning. Dubbed the AE4 Directed Energy Assault Rifle, this new machine gun is the closest thing we’ve seen to a realistic laser gun in a Call of Duty title. Check out the AE4 in action in the trailer above.

To access the AE4 all Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare players need do is purchase the game’s Season Pass. That guarantees them access to all four DLC map packs - titled Havoc, Ascendance, Supremacy, and Reckoning - at the usual $50 price point. One of those packs will also reportedly include a Zombies-esque horde mode that was teased in the main Advanced Warfare experience. But before the new multiplayer maps roll in, Activision wanted to give dedicated fans a little extra something with the AE4.

Advanced Warfare Early Access DLC Weapon Trailer

In addition to the standard vanilla version of the AE4, Season Pass holders will also unlock a custom variant called “The Widowmaker.” Since the trailer is only focused on flashy pictures it’s hard to tell what differentiates The Widowmaker from the standard AE4 outside of a teal glow to the laser fire, but like the other custom gun variants in Advanced Warfare, we expect that The Widowmaker will have some stat bonuses like better range, more damage, or greater stability.

Past experiences with DLC Call of Duty guns has been mostly mixed, some have been cool ideas like the hybrid “Ripper” from Call of Duty: Ghosts, but most paled in comparison to the higher tier weapons in the retail game. Then again, it will be hard to pass up the chance to try out a laser rifle, if only because it looks so cool.

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With new developer Sledgehammer Games taking over Call of Duty development for Advanced Warfare there were plenty of concerns regarding where the franchise’s quality would go. Thankfully, our experience with AW showed a revitalized FPS experience with tight mechanics and fast-paced action. Multiplayer is a particular treat thanks to the new Exo Suit abilities, truly changing the way players experience online combat in a Call of Duty game.

However, a multiplayer offering is only as good as its map selection and Advanced Warfare was somewhat lacking in that department. Some cool ideas were at play, but we hoped the developers might take things further into the future. Perhaps these map packs will deliver what we were looking for.

Does the AE4 Directed Energy Assault Rifle entice you towards the Advanced Warfare Season Pass? What map types are you hoping to see from the first map pack?

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Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina