Gears of War: E-Day is only a few weeks away, launching on October 6th for Xbox Series X/S and PC, though Premium Edition owners can start five days earlier on October 1st. It’s a cathartic moment for series fans – not just because this is the first new entry since 2019’s Gears 5, but because The Coalition is returning to what originally defined the series: Urban warfare, ruined beauty, horror, and a sense of insurmountable odds.
Also, Marcus and Dom are back in the leading roles (alongside newcomers Mags and Lucas). Despite this familiarity, the development team has put in a lot of work to overhaul the experience as we know it while ensuring that everything we know and love – chainsaw bayonets and all – is intact.
Let’s dive into 14 more things you need to know about Gears of War: E-Day before launching, starting with…
Rebuilt From the Ground Up
Visually, E-Day has been stunning, right down to the hardware-based ray tracing, destruction, facial animations, and more. But perhaps the most impressive part – and likely the reason it took so long to release – is that The Coalition didn’t use any assets or animations from the previous games. Everything, from the characters, weapons, audio and environments, has been built from the ground up to leverage Unreal Engine 5 and deliver a familiar yet harrowing world.
Tai Kaliso and Other Characters
Though you’ll control Bravo Squad throughout the adventure, that doesn’t mean other notable characters won’t show up, as indicated in last June’s trailer, where Tai Kaliso saved Marcus. The squad will interact with others as they defend Kalona (perhaps running into another Carmine), and given Tai’s importance in the timeline, we’re interested to see how much of an impact he makes.
More Aggressive Locust Drones
To go with the renewed horror focus, Drones have been made much more dangerous, capable of rushing the player, slamming them to the ground, then getting the mount for some ground-and-pound. The only way to escape is with a teammate’s help. This has been described as an “Enraged state,” and nearly any Drone can go berserk depending on the situation.
New Locust Enemies and Changes
Of course, several other existing Locust types have been changed, including the Boomers being much larger than in previous games, and now wielding a Heavy Boomshot variant. We’ve also seen new enemies like the Bile Frog, which is meant to function as artillery but can still spew acid in a pretty sizable arc around it. If that wasn’t enough, even the Brumak gets a variant with no armor or weapons but still swinging its massive chains around and causing utter devastation.
Reaver Changes
Then there are the Reavers. Traditionally serving as aerial units when they’re not towering over everyone else on the ground, they can now crawl on walls for a vantage point and fire on the squad. You’ll also want to watch out because they drop off additional Locust, evening the odds very quickly (and potentially punishing you for going all-in).
The Scorched Legion and Vraahk
Whether General RAAM will make his presence known or not, Marcus and Bravo Squad have another prominent Locust figure to deal with: Vraahk. As leader of the Scorched Legion, he has a totally not Game of Thrones-inspired penchant for pouring Imulsion on his enemy’s heads. You’ll recognize his troops by their spikes, and they could offer a much tougher fight than your average Locust.
More Proactive Squadmates
Thankfully, your squad is there to back you up, and based on Xbox Wire’s preview, it seems they’ll do some heavy lifting. If a Drone starts flanking, they’ll react accordingly. Enemies escaping your notice will be dealt with as noticed earlier; they’ll pull any Enraged Drones off you.
The Mayor and the Colonel
It wouldn’t be a Gear story without some tussles with authority. In that vein, there’s the mayor of Kalona, who often butts heads with a COG colonel, perhaps wondering if all this destruction is really necessary to save the city. Regardless of how things play out, we’re hoping to see Marcus square up to the mayor, face-to-face, and see what happens.
Horde Siege’s Classes
After the campaign, Horde Siege is where you’ll really cut your PvE teeth, teaming up with 11 other players. There are four classes to choose from, each specializing in different weapons and playstyles. Assault is the all-rounder and boosts their damage when fighting from cover. Breacher is the frontliner with status and melee damage resistance. Marksman is long-range and deals more damage on critical hits. Finally, the Medic has faster health regeneration. While it may seem sparse compared to Gears 5, more classes will be added in subsequent seasons.
Tactical Gear
Of course, each class has more than just unique passive perks. They also have powerful Tactical Gear suited for their roles. The Assault’s Sonic Disruptor can stun enemies; the Breacher’s Adrenaline Injector heals and grants damage reduction; the Marksman can tag enemies with the Pulse Drone; and the Medic’s Stim Vaporizer can revive any fallen allies, including those who aren’t in the same squad.
Extracting Weapon Parts
Besides the main objectives of Siege, you’ll want to indulge in the side tasks as well. Not only will you intersect with other squads, but these objectives also award equipment, limited-time Squad Perks, and Weapon Parts, which are required to craft the new weapon mods. However, you’ll need to extract them alive, so it might be better to get out early when the getting’s good.
Returning and New Versus Modes
For those keen on PvP, Team Deathmatch and Conquest return, with the latter’s zones now shifting based on time spent. Two modes also make their debut. Demolition, where you must plant a neutral bomb at the hostile’s site while the other side defends. No respawns, though, so you’ll need to play more carefully. Crucible is more like Oddball from Halo, except you’re carrying a massive Power Core and must remain within a specific zone which moves around (and may even shrink). The person carrying the Core can’t use any weapons, but they can blast others with its charge for a deadly attack.
Medals Return
Remember the Gears of War 3 medals? They’re back, and there are over 80 unique series to grind through, with XP, Coins, banners and emblems awarded. You’ll still earn Bronze, Silver, Gold and Onyx tiers, and up to three Medals can be displayed on your Emblem. But there’s now a new Diamond tier, which grants a Player Title as a reward when unlocked.
PC Requirements
The good news of being built from the ground-up in Unreal Engine 5 is that E-Day looks fantastic. The sobering news is that its PC requirements are pretty hefty. First off, 130 GB of installation space on an SSD is mandatory, as is a GPU capable of hardware ray tracing. On the minimum side, that means an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, an RTX 5050, an AMD Radeon RX 6600 or an RX 9060. You’ll also need an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, an Intel i7-6850K or an i5-10400 alongside 12 GB of RAM. Recommended requirements include a Ryzen 5 5600 or an Intel i5-11600K, 16 GB of RAM and an RTX 3060 Ti, an RTX 5060, an RX 6700 XT or an RX 9060 XT.
