Gears of War: E-Day Details Its Campaign: Kalona, Exploration, and Smarter Locusts

What we know

The Coalition has offered a closer look at the Gears of War: E-Day campaign on the Official Xbox Podcast, discussing its recently released story trailer, the city of Kalona, and several gameplay changes. The game is set to launch on October 6, with early access beginning on October 1.

The campaign is set entirely in Kalona during the first days of the Locust invasion. The studio is framing that setting as an intimate perspective on a massive event: rather than covering the whole conflict, the game follows Bravo Squad and other residents and soldiers trying to respond to an unfamiliar threat.

A city transformed by the invasion

The team describes Kalona as a place designed to help players understand what life there was like before the attack and feel its decline throughout the campaign. As the story progresses, the city, its people, and its recognizable landmarks will change as a result of the invasion.

The narrative centers on loss, loyalty, camaraderie, and hope. Alongside Bravo Squad, players will encounter numerous characters and groups of soldiers with stories of their own. The trailer also introduces the city’s mayor and colonel, two leaders in conflict while the Locust assault unfolds.

Among the new threats is Vraahk, a Blight commander injured in the Lambent War who arrives with the goal of destroying humanity. He is accompanied by the Scorched Legion, an elite unit whose appearance is intended to echo the brutality associated with its commander.

The campaign will chart the invasion’s escalation, moving from the first creatures Marcus, Dom, and the other survivors encounter to a much larger Locust offensive, including armored Brumaks.

Optional routes, rescues, and progression

While The Coalition calls the overall campaign linear, certain areas will open up several city blocks at a time. Players will still have a primary mission, but can choose how to reach it and search the surrounding spaces.

Exploration can lead to other squads holding back the Locust or families trapped in buildings. Helping them is optional and provides narrative rewards. There will also be side objectives and hard cases that offer additional progression.

The campaign will introduce weapon modding for the first time in a campaign game in the series. Some elements players have seen in Horde are being brought into this mode, providing further reasons to investigate each area.

Greater mobility and enemies that answer it

E-Day expands player movement with climbing and a jump button. The Locust can make use of those same abilities, however, climbing, flanking from vehicles, and repositioning to catch players off guard.

Grenadiers, for instance, can throw smoke between themselves and the player to conceal their approach before attacking at close range. According to the team, these new tactics are meant to make the Locust feel intelligent and dangerous, requiring players to think more carefully about cover, weapons, and the environment.

The Coalition also said the game’s audio design was rebuilt from the ground up for this installment. With launch approaching, the studio indicated it still has more to share before Gears of War: E-Day arrives on October 6.