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Gears of War: E-Day changes the context for familiar Locust enemies: it is set 14 years before the original game, during the first emergence on Sera. The Coalition says it wants players to encounter them as frightening unknowns, not simply as opponents they already know. Its gameplay descriptions also assign recognizable enemy types distinct tactics and battlefield roles. That is a clear design goal, though it is not proof that every enemy or encounter will feel new in play.
Why the Locust are meant to feel different
In a June 2024 Xbox Wire interview, The Coalition describes E-Day as the story of the Locust’s first emergence and frames the creatures through the perspective of people seeing them for the first time. The setting is 14 years before the original Gears of War. That shifts the emotional premise: Marcus, Dom, and the people of Sera are meeting an overwhelming threat, while returning players bring years of familiarity with the series’ enemies.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Gears of War: E-Day | Standard Edition | XBOX Series X | $67.84 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 (Renewed) | $18.12 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Gears of War 3 (Renewed) | $20.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - Xbox One (Renewed) | $18.74 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Gears of War 4 - Xbox One (Renewed) | $31.03 | Buy on Amazon |
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Studio creative director Matt Searcy summed up the intent: “Locust are the ‘monsters under the bed.’” The comparison with earlier games is therefore clearest in perspective, not in a claim that the series is discarding its established enemy roster. E-Day can make familiar creatures feel unfamiliar to its characters by showing the first encounters and the shock of an invasion.
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The Coalition’s most explicit comparison with the series’ past concerns the Drone. Art director Aryan Hanbeck said that Drones had gradually become “mere cannon fodder” as the series progressed. For E-Day, he said, “We transformed the drone into something fearsome, physically intimidating, and utterly brutal.” That is the studio’s account of its design aim—not a measured assessment of every Drone in every earlier game.
#1 Best Overall
- AN ORIGIN STORY BEGINS — Fight alongside Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the gripping origin story of Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde erupts from below.
- A DARKER, GRITTIER THREAT — Face reimagined enemies and a terrifying underground invasion that restores the fear, dread, and intensity at the heart of the Gears of War series.
- MULTIPLAYER EVOLVED — Battle in Horde Siege for large‑scale PvE action or prove your skill in refined Versus PvP with greater precision and competitive depth.
- CLASSIC COMBAT, MODERNIZED — Experience signature cover‑based gameplay enhanced with updated movement, traversal, and controls that feel like Gears while playing like something new.
- CO‑OP YOUR WAY — Play online with up to four players across Campaign, Horde Siege, and Versus, or team up locally with 2‑player split‑screen co‑op on console.
The distinction matters: the stated goal is to restore menace to a familiar enemy, not merely to make all Locust stronger. The official descriptions also differentiate Drone units by variety, tougher tactics, and loadouts, with elite units combining into more formidable squads.
Familiar enemy types, with specific combat jobs
The official July 31, 2026 gameplay update says the team built the gameplay from scratch and rebuilt iconic Locust enemies. Its descriptions give several types particular functions. These are developer descriptions of mechanics, rather than independent verification of how they perform in every encounter.
Rank #2
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
| Enemy | Role described for E-Day | What that changes in a fight |
|---|---|---|
| Wretches | Armored Wretches can scream to disorient the player and limit their actions. The opening Wretches are described as unarmored. | Their disruption can pressure a player directly, while the unarmored opening version helps present them as an early shock troop rather than the more familiar armored form. |
| Drones | Multiple varieties; elite units use tougher tactics and loadouts and can form formidable squads. | Players are meant to contend with different unit capabilities and coordinated groups, rather than treating every Drone as interchangeable. |
| Seeders | They launch anti-air Nemacyst and act as mini-bosses. Players must approach and draw them out to expose a weak point in the head. | The described solution is tactical positioning and timing, not simply firing at the target from any distance. |
| Boomers | Larger and more durable; a coordinated, well-timed chainsaw execution can shorten the fight when one is low on health. | The chainsaw opportunity is conditional on the enemy being near defeat and the execution being timed well. |
| Reavers | They can transport Drone troops or fight as walking tanks that leap, cling to high walls, and attack from above. | They may affect the encounter both by adding troops and by threatening players from elevated positions. |
The update also mentions additional creatures from the Hollow, without detailing their specific combat roles in the cited descriptions.
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Encounter design emphasizes combinations and escalation
The official gameplay update says enemy combinations, battlefield layout, weapon choice, and player skill work together to shape encounters. In other words, the design pitch is not only a roster of redesigned enemies: it is also how those enemies interact with the space and with the player’s choices.
Rank #3
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
In a June 2026 Xbox Wire gameplay interview, Searcy describes escalation from early Wretch encounters to Drones and their weapons, then toward Brumaks and a wider invasion. He also notes that the first Wretches are unarmored, unlike the Wretches players normally see in Gears games. This makes the opening sequence a discovery for both characters and players before the threat broadens.
Compared with the series’ familiar war-era framing, the intended progression puts more emphasis on learning what the Locust are and how they fight as the invasion grows. The sources establish that design direction, but do not provide a systematic, title-by-title comparison of enemy AI, damage response, or encounter construction across the franchise.
Rank #4
- This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, a minimum 90-day warranty, and may arrive in a generic box. Only select sellers who maintain a high performance bar may offer Certified Refurbished products on Amazon.com
- Includes full game of the original Gears of War remastered in 1080p.
- Play five campaign chapters never released on console.
- Experience competitive multiplayer in 60FPS with 19 maps and six game modes.
What one hands-on review says about enemy reactions
Official design goals and observed feel are not the same thing. In a review-in-progress accessed October 7, 2026, Windows Central praises the reactions and destructible armor of Drones, Wretches, and other early enemies, describing them as satisfying to fight. The same reviewer says Reavers, Brumaks, and other larger foes react less to gunfire and can feel like bullet sponges.
That is one reviewer’s assessment of the build covered by an unfinished review, not a series-wide finding or a final consensus. Still, it offers a useful counterpoint: smaller enemies may communicate hits more clearly, while large targets can be more durable and less reactive to bullets.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 25 Years after Gears of War 3, spurred by a series of strange disappearances, JD Fenix must embrace his father’s legacy and battle a terrifying new enemy
- Never Fight Alone: Enjoy two-player co-op with friends locally via split-screen, over Xbox Live or LAN. Player 2 can select either Kait or Del
- Redefined Cover Gameplay: New close-cover combat moves and combat-knife executions turn each piece of cover into an offensive opportunity
- Brutal New Weapons: An incredible arsenal of new weapons includes the Buzzkill and Dropshot, which can shoot around and over cover, raining destruction from all angles
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