Xbox and Windows players will soon venture to the earliest period ofGears of War’s central conflict with the upcoming release ofGears of War: E-Day. The series’ sixth main installment and prequel toGears of War 1,Gears of War: E-Dayis set 14 years before the events ofGears of War 1and 42 years beforeGears 5at the beginning of the Locust War. Here, gamers will once again play as Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they witness the catastrophic horrors of the Locust Horde for the very first time. While most common Locust troops will likely appear inGears of War: E-Day, The Coalition could still introduce new Locust types into the game to shock new and returning series fans.
Ranks of the Locust Horde Explained
ThroughoutGears of Wargames set during the Locust War, players will repeatedly encounter a set of Locust troops. Towards the bottom of the Locust ranks are the ape-like Wretches and explosive Tickers. Following those lowly troops arethe blind female rage-filled Berserkers, capable of taking down whole squads of COG soldiers solo and often only able to be destroyed with scorchers or hammer of dawn strikes. After the Berserkers are the gigantic but often dull Boomers, Butchers, Grinders, Maulers, and Tremors that often wield large deadly weapons such as boomshots, cleavers, flails, and scorchers. Next, the common Drones fill a variety of roles such as Beast Riders, but can also achieve higher ranks, such as Theron Guards or become leaders like General RAAM.
Making up the majority of Locust infantry and religious leadership are the Kantuses, which can revive fallen troops in battle and can achieve higher ranks, such as Armored Kantuses andHigh Priest and High General like Skorge. Most of the remaining common Locust forces are made up of mutant animals found in the underground Hollow. These include the giant, spider-like Corpsers, flying Reavers, hulking Brumaks, bat-like Kryll, catapulting Siegebeasts, artillery-firing Seeders, and more. While specially imulsion mutated creatures would serve as mounts for Locust leaders, such as Ukkon’s mutated Corpser Shibboleth, these creatures were typically the only ones of their kind with their mutations never repeated.
The Locust are in reality genetically altered humans that were originally intended to be super soldiers for the Coalition of Ordered Governments.
Potential New Locust Designs in Gears of War: E-Day
TheGears of Warfranchise isn’t new to retconning in never-before seen Locust troops in prequel games or DLC. InGears of War 3: RAAM’s Shadow DLC campaign, set nine years after Emergence Day and five years beforeGears of War 1, Zeta Squad encounters and kills several giant Serapedes. These humongous insects were first introduced inGears of War 3’s base campaign but were retconned to have shown up throughout the Locust War. Similarly,Gears of War: Judgment, which is set several months after Emergence Day, introduced the Ragers. Appearing as meek Drones at first, Ragers can transform into red hulking brutes if enraged. Most Ragers died out early on in the war, explaining their absence from the rest of the games.
Based onGears of War: Judgmentand3’s precedent of introducing new, unseen Locust types early inGears of War’s timeline, The Coalition could introduce a few more types in E-Day and explain that most of them died out early in the war like the Ragers. The Coalition could introduce a Locust type that acts as a mix betweena Drone and a Wretchby being able to climb walls and stalk players but still being able to use guns and melee weapons. They could additionally introduce more violent variants of the Boomer, such as one using a giant bow that can take out foes with one arrow shot, or another variant that can rip soldiers to pieces and throw their remains at the player.
New Hollow Creature Designs in Gears of War: E-Day
On top of new humanoid Locust types, The Coalition could further introduce new Hollow creatures that are forced to serve the Locust Horde. One new creature could act similar tothe Swarm’s Pouncers and Snatchers, being able to steadily sneak up on COG troops and take them down near instantaneously. This new Hollow creature could also be retconned as the biological predecessor to the Pouncers and Snatchers. Another new creature could be a giant, bat-like beast capable of picking up and dropping COG troops to their deaths, as well as being able to drop in Locust soldiers for support. All of these potential new Locust soldiers and beasts could help ensureGears of War: E-Daybecomes one of the most horrifying games in the franchise.
Gears of War: E-Day
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The Story of E-DayFourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. New FoundationsBuilt from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.
