Gears of War E-Day Hands-On Preview: Act 2's Campaign Won Me Over in 30 Seconds
I've loved Gears of War since day one, but the campaign reveal for Gears of War: E-Day at the Xbox Showcase left me lukewarm. It wasn't bad. It just didn't light the fire I expected from the first new Gears campaign footage in seven years (six if we're counting Hivebusters). Then I sat down and played it.
Thirty seconds into E-Day's Act 2 preview build, my tepid feelings turned into a grin I couldn't shake off. My one-hour demo packed in everything I want from this series: Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, story cutscenes, old weapons mixed with new ones, and the origin story of the franchise's most famous chainsaw-toting gun. When the "demo complete" screen hit, it genuinely hurt to put the controller down.
Mild spoilers for the early parts of Act 2 ahead.
What Happens at the Start of E-Day's Act 2 Campaign
Act 2 opens with Marcus and Dom still in their civilian clothes, scavenged Mark 1 Lancers in hand. They arrive at a makeshift command center in the city of Colonna alongside two fellow COG soldiers dressed as civilians: Carter and Reyna. Inside, COG officer Colonel Trench and the mayor of Colonna are locked in a standoff over how to handle what's happening outside.
You and I both know what's out there. The Locust are erupting from beneath the city, and the argument over how to respond doesn't go smoothly. Eventually the angry Colonel yells at our heroes to get some armor on.
Bravo Squad Suits Up in the Series' Best Fan-Service Moment
This is where awesome moment number one lands. Marcus and Dom climb into their familiar COG armor, flanked by Carter and Reyna, and the game christens them Bravo Squad. Marcus mutters "Guess we're back to it," and he might as well be speaking for every player holding a controller.
Stepping out into Colonna, ash rains from a cloudy sky and broken buildings line the streets. The visual calls back to the destroyed-beauty aesthetic of the original Gears of War. It's a look the series has always done well, and E-Day nails it immediately.
The Mission to Araña Stadium Frames the Chapter
Your goal is simple on paper: fight your way across the city toward Araña Stadium, home of the Colonna Eagles Thrashball team. Civilians are being routed there while the disaster unfolds. The Thrashball callback is a nice nod to longtime fans and grounds the prequel firmly in Gears lore before combat even starts.
The bridge section leading there isn't a full combat bowl like later fights. It works better as a warm-up and a training ground for E-Day's new verticality.
New Verticality and Weapon Mods Evolve Classic Gears Combat
Here's the good news up front: the core shooting feels exactly as you remember it. The Mark 1 Lancer, Gnasher shotgun, Snub pistol, and frag grenades all handle like they should. Twenty years on, Gears' cover-shooter foundation has aged well, and The Coalition knows better than to mess with it.
Instead, E-Day layers modern systems on top without breaking anything that matters.
Mantling Over Cover Changes How You Fight the Locust
The big mechanical shift is verticality. You can now mantle up and over cover, including the cars that Locust drones hide behind. That single change opens up encounters considerably. Flanking an enemy who thinks his sedan is a safety blanket feels great, and it adds mobility options veterans have wanted since 2006.
Weapon Mod Slots Add Personalization to Every Firearm
E-Day also introduces unlockable weapon mods. Each firearm has four mod slots, and mods vary by weapon. The classic perfect-reload damage bonus is still there by default, now called Full Metal Jacket, but there's plenty more beyond it.
My favorite example: the Gnasher's auto pouch mod reloads the shotgun automatically when you stow it and switch weapons. Small tweak, huge quality-of-life win. With tons more mods left to unlock across the campaign, customization should give playthroughs real personality. I'll be shocked if New Game Plus doesn't let you carry all your tactical gear and weapon mods from the start on higher difficulties.
Tactical Gear Brings Build Variety to the Campaign
Near the end of my build, E-Day unlocked its new tactical gear system. Some players got a taste during the Versus Beta Weekend. These are short-duration buffs, each lasting about 45 seconds before triggering a cooldown. Each piece has its own mod slots too, though none were available in the preview.
Two options showed up in my demo, and they push you toward very different playstyles.
The Adrenaline Injector is the aggressive pick. Trigger it and your health refills instantly while your damage output climbs and incoming damage drops. It shines mid-firefight when a Boomer round nearly ends you and you need to trade punch for punch.
The Sonic Disruptor plays defense instead. It stuns low-level enemies in a cone in front of you, interrupting their attacks. That makes it ideal for breaking out of a bad flank or buying breathing room in tight corridors. With more options still hidden behind unlocks, choosing your loadout should matter a lot by endgame.
The Origin of the Chainsaw Lancer Is Peak Gears Fan Service
After battling across the massive Allfathers Legacy Bridge, fending off Boomers and getting reps in with the Breach Shot (last seen in Gears of War: Judgment), Bravo Squad reaches Oria Stadium. The COG is running a stressful civilian rescue inside, with long lines of residents waiting to be processed.
We catch up with Quartermaster Russ, who takes an immediate liking to Marcus because he knew his father, Adam. Marcus complains that the bayonets on the Mark 1 Lancers break off too easily. That's when one of the COG members in our party sets the chainsaw used to save Marcus's life in Act 1, seen in the Xbox Showcase demo, right on the table.
Russ looks at it with a twinkle in his eye. You can see where this goes. Awesome moment number two: Marcus and Bravo Squad receive the first prototype Mark II Lancers with chainsaws built right in. My smile was Joker-level wide. This is the origin story Gears fans deserve, delivered on-screen in the campaign itself.
Environmental Freedom Replaces Gears 5's Open World
Leaving the stadium heading downtown, moment number three began. The linear bridge path gave way to a larger combat space where you clear Colonna's streets block by block in whatever order you choose.
It reads as a deliberate correction after Gears 5's huge open-world areas. This version is smaller in scale and, based on my first impressions, more effective. I ran through the section twice taking different routes, and the second run felt fresh. Non-linear design also boosts hidden collectible potential, which no Gears campaign would skip.
Optional Side Objectives Reward Exploration
Optional objectives dot the district if you want them. In one, a family was trapped inside a convenience store. I fought off a wave of Wretches, found a way inside, freed them, and radioed for an escort to the stadium. Nothing forces you to do these, but they flesh out the city and reward poking around.
Supply caches debut here too, scattered throughout the city. They let you swap weapons and mods on the fly without needing to kill an enemy and loot a drop. Use the cache near Octus Way station's upstairs entrance to test every weapon before the final fight. It's an organic solution to a problem shooters have struggled with forever.
Octus Way Train Station Delivers a Frantic Multi-Level Finale
My demo's finale unfolded at Octus Way train station. The fight arena spans three levels of verticality, with left, right, and center sightlines demanding constant flank awareness. Lose track of one side and Locust will punish you for it.
The battle is frantic without ever feeling overwhelming. We never faced off against the Corpsier teased earlier while clearing city blocks, so that encounter waits somewhere later in the full campaign. Instead, Octus Way gave me room to try all the weapons and rev up the new Lancer's chainsaw for a few classic executions. Then came the demo complete screen, and I reluctantly set the controller down.
Xbox Series X Performance Mode vs. Quality Mode: What to Expect
One honest caveat from my time with the build. I ran the preview twice on Xbox Series X, once in performance mode and once in quality mode. Quality mode targets 30 frames per second but dipped noticeably below that in many spots. It wasn't unplayable, but performance mode was clearly the smoother experience.
Most players will default to performance anyway. Still, here's hoping The Coalition squeezes out extra frames during the remaining weeks of development. If you're picking graphics settings day one, performance mode is the safe call.
Verdict: E-Day Strikes the Right Balance of Old and New
Does Gears of War: E-Day rewrite the rules of the series? No, and nobody wants it to. This prequel exists to reunite Marcus and Dom and return Gears to its roots. Based on the short slice I played, it does exactly that, and earns high marks doing it.
One hour transformed my showcase skepticism into full-blown hype. Mantling changes how firefights flow. Weapon mods and tactical gear add genuine build variety. Downtown Colonna's semi-open design fixes what bugged me about Gears 5's open world. And watching Marcus receive the first chainsaw Lancer is fan service done right. The Coalition found the sweet spot between honoring what works and evolving what could.
In the words of Marcus Fenix himself: sweet. If you're hungry for more upcoming games coverage, check out our recent looks at Tides of Annihilation and Marvel's Wolverine.