Gears of War: E-Day Beginner’s Guide

If Gears of War: E-Day is your first Gears game — or your first one in years — the biggest adjustment is simple: this is still a cover shooter at heart, but it gives you far more movement options than the older games.

The Coalition has rebuilt movement, cover and enemy behaviour from the ground up for E-Day. You can jump, climb, slide, move through cover gaps and take advantage of more varied terrain, but the old Gears rule still matters: being caught in the open is usually a bad idea.

This beginner's guide covers the fundamentals that matter most before you start, without spoiling the campaign.

1. Treat cover as your default position, not an emergency button

The most important Gears habit is still the simplest one: fight from cover whenever possible.

E-Day's battlefields are deliberately built around cover layouts. The Coalition has added more cover shapes and heights than previous games, including lower protection that can leave more of Marcus exposed.

That means cover is not automatically safe just because you have snapped into it.

Before committing to a position, look at:

whether enemies can flank it;
whether it protects your entire body;
whether you have another piece of cover nearby;
whether a heavy enemy can force you out;
and whether you have room to retreat.

The developers themselves continue to describe the basic philosophy as "cover is life". E-Day gives you more freedom, but it has not become a run-and-gun shooter.

The official E-Day gameplay overview explains how the rebuilt cover system works, including low-ground cover, destructible protection and new traversal options.

2. Do not confuse better movement with invincibility

One of the biggest changes in E-Day is movement.

You can now:

sprint with greater battlefield visibility;
slide;
jump;
climb and mantle;
move through low gaps;
fire through some narrow openings;
and access routes that older Gears games would have blocked off.

That makes combat feel much more fluid, but it also creates a beginner trap: moving more does not mean exposing yourself more.

Use movement to improve your position.

Slide into cover. Jump to a higher route. Use a gap to flank. Sprint between safe positions.

Do not spend entire firefights running around in the open just because Marcus now has more mobility.

3. Learn the slide early

The slide is one of E-Day's most useful new tools.

It can help you:

close the final distance to cover;
move underneath certain obstacles;
quickly change your approach angle;
slip past exposed sections of a battlefield;
and reposition during close-range combat.

You can also fire while sliding, which gives aggressive players more options.

There is an important limitation, though: the move cannot simply be spammed indefinitely. Timing matters.

A good beginner habit is to use the slide primarily as a positioning tool rather than trying to turn every encounter into a flashy close-range manoeuvre.

4. Jumping and climbing create flanking routes

Older Gears games trained players to think horizontally: move from one piece of cover to the next.

E-Day adds more verticality.

Marcus can jump and grab reachable ledges, climb over suitable objects and access routes that may put you above or beside an enemy position.

That means whenever a direct firefight feels awkward, look around before repeatedly trying the same attack.

There may be:

an upper path;
a climbable object;
a gap under a vehicle;
another side of the street;
or a route that gives you a better angle.

E-Day's environments reward players who read the space, not just the enemies immediately in front of them.

5. Avoid getting obsessed with old-school wall bouncing

Returning Gears players may instinctively try to move exactly as they did in older competitive games.

E-Day deliberately changes this.

The Coalition has altered how cover entry, cancellation, momentum and direction changes work. Cover cancelling now requires greater commitment, while sudden direction changes have more physical momentum behind them.

The result is that movement is designed to be more readable and deliberate.

For a beginner, this is actually good news. You do not need to master frantic legacy wall-bouncing techniques just to move effectively.

Focus on:

clean cover transitions;
purposeful slides;
good positioning;
knowing when to retreat;
and understanding where your next safe position is.

6. Learn what each Locust type is trying to make you do

E-Day's Locust are not just targets with different amounts of health.

Enemy variety is designed around disrupting your position.

Some enemies will pin you down. Others will pressure you out of cover. Some will close distance aggressively, while stronger units can punish players who stay in one place for too long.

The developers have also given returning enemies new behaviours.

For example, Armored Wretches can use a scream that disorients you and limits your actions, while different Drone variants can appear with stronger tactics and equipment.

The useful beginner mindset is:

Don't just ask, "Which enemy has the lowest health?" Ask, "Which enemy is creating the biggest problem for my position?"

Taking out the enemy that is forcing you into bad decisions can be more important than shooting the closest target.

7. Reposition before you are completely overwhelmed

A common mistake in cover shooters is staying in one position until it becomes impossible to survive.

Move earlier.

If Locust are gradually gaining better angles, pushing both sides of your cover or introducing a heavy enemy into the fight, start looking for your next position before your current one completely collapses.

E-Day's expanded movement system is built for exactly this.

A short retreat to better cover is usually preferable to waiting until you are surrounded.

8. Use close-range weapons deliberately

Gears is famous for brutally effective close-range combat, but getting close safely is the real skill.

Shotgun-style weapons are strongest when you understand:

distance;
angles;
enemy movement;
cover;
and whether you have an escape route.

Beginners often see an enemy nearby and rush directly toward them.

Instead, use cover, slides and flanking routes to shorten the distance while exposing yourself as little as possible.

When a close-range attack goes wrong, immediately think about survival and repositioning, not forcing another shot from a bad position.

9. Explore the campaign instead of rushing objective markers

E-Day's campaign includes optional exploration.

The Coalition has confirmed that players can discover side objectives and hard cases that provide additional gameplay progression.

That means the fastest route to the next objective is not always the most useful one.

Check:

side streets;
rooms slightly away from the main route;
accessible upper areas;
suspicious corners;
and spaces that look deliberately constructed for exploration.

You do not need to turn every area upside down, but players who constantly sprint toward the main marker risk missing useful content.

The official campaign discussion confirms that optional objectives and hard cases are part of the campaign structure.

10. Use Boot Camp if this is your first Gears game

Do not skip training just because you have played third-person shooters before.

E-Day includes Boot Camp, a short training area designed to introduce its controls and new movement mechanics.

There is also Combat Training, which gives you more room to experiment with weapons and encounter Locust in a multiplayer-style environment.

For newcomers, Boot Camp is worth doing before jumping deeply into campaign or Versus.

For returning players, it is still useful because E-Day's jump, slide, cover commitment and movement momentum do not behave exactly like the older games.

11. Player vs Bot is useful before competitive Versus

If you want to try multiplayer but do not want your first experience to be against experienced Gears players, use the bot playlists.

E-Day includes Player vs Bot options with varying bot difficulties.

That makes them useful for:

learning maps;
testing weapon ranges;
practising slides and movement;
learning where power positions are;
and getting used to the pace of multiplayer.

It is much easier to understand why you lost a fight when you are still learning one system at a time.

The Coalition's multiplayer deep dive specifically positions Boot Camp, Combat Training and bot playlists as onboarding options for new and returning players.

12. Horde Siege is a team mode — play like it

Horde Siege expands Gears' PvE formula into a larger 12-player battle made up of three four-player squads.

Each squad has its own mission while operating on the same broader battlefield, eventually converging around shared objectives and larger threats.

Classes include:

Assault
Marksman
Medic
Breacher

The obvious beginner mistake is treating Horde Siege like solo campaign with eleven other people nearby.

Your class choice matters.

If you are playing Medic, supporting the squad is part of your value. If you are using a specialist damage role, positioning and target selection become more important.

You will generally perform better by complementing your squad than by simply chasing the highest kill count.

13. Try different weapons before deciding what is "best"

E-Day includes returning Gears weapons alongside newly designed options.

For a new player, there is little benefit in immediately searching for a single supposedly optimal loadout and using nothing else.

Weapons serve different ranges and situations.

Spend your first few hours learning:

which guns feel controllable at range;
which are strongest in close quarters;
how quickly different weapons punish missed shots;
what works against specific enemy types;
and which weapons suit your movement style.

A weapon that is extremely strong in an experienced player's hands may not be the easiest or most useful one while you are learning the game.

14. If a fight feels impossible, reconsider your position before lowering the difficulty

There is nothing wrong with changing difficulty if you are not enjoying yourself.

But before doing so, ask whether the problem is actually your position.

Gears encounters can become dramatically easier when you:

move to better cover;
remove a dangerous enemy first;
stop exposing yourself to multiple angles;
use elevation;
flank;
or retreat before a position collapses.

Because the game is built around spatial combat, repeating the same bad approach can make an encounter feel much harder than it really is.

15. Co-op can change how you approach encounters

E-Day supports solo campaign play as well as co-op, including two-player split-screen on Xbox consoles and online options.

If you are playing with someone else, communicate before both players commit to the same angle.

One player can hold enemy attention while another moves to a better position.

That is particularly useful in a cover shooter because crossfire can force enemies out of otherwise strong defensive positions.

If you are playing locally, the return of split-screen makes E-Day unusually well suited to couch co-op compared with many modern AAA releases.

16. Do not rush the story just because E-Day is a prequel

E-Day takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War, following younger versions of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust first emerge.

You do not need to play every previous Gears game first.

In fact, the prequel structure makes E-Day a reasonable entry point for newcomers.

If you do want the broader launch details before starting, our Gears of War: E-Day early access and launch guide covers the release date, platforms, modes and technical information without requiring you to dig through older Gears history.

17. Use the environment, not just traditional waist-high walls

E-Day's city setting gives the cover system much more variety.

Cars, debris, buildings, broken streets and damaged structures can all influence how a fight plays out.

Some protection is temporary or imperfect.

Some positions expose your upper body.

Others may offer useful firing gaps or traversal routes.

Try to stop seeing the battlefield as a series of obvious "cover objects" and start viewing the entire environment as something you can use.

That mindset makes E-Day's new movement system far easier to understand.

18. Keep an exit route in mind

Before pushing forward, know where you can go if the attack fails.

This is particularly important when:

approaching a powerful enemy;
moving into close range;
leaving strong cover;
entering a new room;
or pushing around the side of a Locust position.

Good Gears movement is not just about advancing quickly.

It is about making sure a failed push does not automatically become a death.

19. New players should prioritise consistency over style

Gears can look spectacular when experienced players chain together aggressive cover moves, shotgun fights and executions.

You do not need to play like that immediately.

A beginner who:

uses cover consistently;
watches their flanks;
understands enemy behaviour;
moves before getting surrounded;
and takes sensible shots

will usually make better progress than someone trying to imitate advanced multiplayer movement from the first hour.

Learn the rhythm first. Style comes later.

20. The most important beginner rule: slow down and read the battlefield

E-Day is more mobile than earlier Gears games, but it still rewards deliberate decisions.

Before every major push, quickly assess:

Where is my best cover?
Which enemy is the biggest threat?
Can anything flank me?
Is there another route?
Where do I retreat if this goes wrong?

Once those questions become instinctive, Gears combat starts to make much more sense.

Gears of War: E-Day beginner tips — quick recap

If you remember nothing else before starting, remember these:

Cover first, movement second.
Use slides, jumps and climbing to improve your position rather than simply move faster.
Do not stay in failing cover for too long.
Learn what different Locust units are trying to force you to do.
Explore for optional objectives and progression opportunities.
Use Boot Camp and Combat Training.
Try bot matches before competitive multiplayer.
In Horde Siege, play your class and support your squad.
Experiment with weapons instead of immediately chasing a meta.
Keep an escape route in mind before aggressive pushes.

Gears of War: E-Day launches worldwide on October 6, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access already available to eligible players. It is also an Xbox Play Anywhere title and is available through eligible Game Pass plans.

Gears of War: E-Day Beginner’s Guide – 20 Essential Tips Before You Start