Gears of War E-Day: All Characters and NPCs

• Gears of War E-Day has four playable characters who make up Bravo Squad: Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Mags Carter, and Lucas Reyes.
• Two of those four — Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes — are brand new to the series.
• The campaign supports four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen co-op on consoles.
• The main villain is Vraahk, a Locust Blight Commander who leads the Scorched Legion during the attack on Kalona.
• Fan-favourite Tai Kaliso returns as a major NPC, and this game shows how the Lancer’s chainsaw attachment came to be.
• Zander “Zee” Carmine is a major NPC — his full identity is a story reveal at the end of the campaign.
• John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro reprise their roles as Marcus and Dom.

All Playable Characters in Gears of War E-Day

Gears of War E-Day is set on Emergence Day — the moment the Locust Horde first attacked the surface. The story follows four soldiers fighting to survive the destruction of the city of Kalona. These four are your playable roster. In solo play you control Marcus Fenix. In co-op, up to three other players take control of Dom, Mags, and Lucas.

Marcus Fenix

Marcus Fenix in Gears of War E Day

Faction: COG — 26th Royal Tyran Infantry
Rank: Sergeant
Voice Actor: John DiMaggio

Marcus Fenix is the main character of Gears of War E-Day and the protagonist the story is told through. This is a younger Marcus — fresh out of the Pendulum Wars, struggling with guilt over the death of Carlos Santiago, Dom’s older brother and his closest friend. He rejected a comfortable life to enlist, proved himself through the wars, and earned the Embry Star. But with the Pendulum Wars now over, he is not sure who he is outside of combat.

E-Day answers that question fast. The Locust emerge and Marcus is pulled back in. His signature weapon in this game is the Prototype Lancer — the weapon that eventually leads to the chainsaw Lancer the series is famous for.

John DiMaggio reprises his role from the original trilogy. The character model and facial animation system were both rebuilt from scratch for E-Day.

Dominic “Dom” Santiago

Faction: COG — 26th Royal Tyran Infantry
Rank: Private
Voice Actor: Carlos Ferro

Dominic Santiago — known as Dom — returns alongside Marcus as E-Day’s deuteragonist. He is at a crossroads after the Pendulum Wars. Driven by loyalty, Dom feels pressure to be there for everyone at once — his family, his squad, and his grieving friend Marcus — even as he processes his own grief over the loss of his brother Carlos.

Dom’s relationship with Marcus is central to E-Day’s story. Their friendship has become strained by Carlos’s death, and the game explores how they find their footing again when the Locust come. His signature weapon is the Gnasher Shotgun.

Carlos Ferro returns to voice Dom, reprising his role from the original trilogy.

Mags Carter

Faction: COG (retired) — 8th KSG
Rank: Specialist (retired)
Voice Actor: Elizabeth Faith Ludlow

Mags Carter is one of two new playable characters introduced in E-Day. She is a retired Gear and former soldier of the 8th KSG, now working as an employee at Kalona’s Imulsion Refinery. She is from Kalona, so this city is her home — and when the Locust emerge, it is her streets and her people under threat.

Mags is practical and tough. She knows Kalona inside and out, which gives Bravo Squad an edge as they fight through the city. She serves as one of the game’s tritagonists alongside Lucas. Her signature weapon is the Gut-Puncher grenade launcher.

Elizabeth Faith Ludlow voices Mags. The character is a completely new addition to the Gears universe.

Lucas Reyes

Faction: COG — Kalona Academy
Rank: Cadet First Class
Voice Actor: Jake Ryan Lozano

Lucas Reyes is the second new playable character in E-Day. He is a young communications officer and cadet who never saw the front lines before Emergence Day. He is inexperienced, observant, and adapting to war on the fly — thrown into the worst day in human history with no combat background to draw on.

Lucas brings a different perspective to Bravo Squad. While Marcus and Mags know how to fight, Lucas knows how to think and communicate. He serves as the squad’s comms link and his arc through the campaign is one of the more personal stories in the game.

Jake Ryan Lozano voices Lucas Reyes. Like Mags, he is a new character created for E-Day.

All NPCs and Supporting Characters in Gears of War E-Day

Beyond Bravo Squad, E-Day has a large supporting cast of COG soldiers, commanders, and civilians you encounter across the campaign’s three days in Kalona. Several of these characters can later be unlocked as playable characters in Horde Siege and Versus multiplayer.

Tai Kaliso

Faction: COG
Rank: Private
Voice Actor: Maateiwarangi Heta Morris

Tai Kaliso is the most significant returning character in E-Day outside of Marcus and Dom. He is a fan favourite from Gears of War 2, and E-Day shows a younger version of him — before the events that shape his fate in that game.

Tai was recruited by Marcus Fenix after his home village on the South Island of Irohma was destroyed by UIR forces during the Pendulum Wars. His imposing physical presence is at odds with his calm, meditative nature. He calls himself a warrior-philosopher and finds the beauty in all things — even war.

His appearance in E-Day is also the origin story of the Lancer’s chainsaw bayonet. Tai’s arrival sets off the chain of events that leads to the iconic weapon’s creation.

Maateiwarangi Heta Morris voices Tai in E-Day, taking over the role for this entry.

Zander “Zee” Carmine

Faction: COG Navy / NCOG Marine
Rank: Commander
Voice Actor: Michael Gough

Zander Carmine, known throughout most of the campaign simply as “Zee,” is the Point Fairlight Base Commander and a former NCOG Marine. He is a sterling officer who has repeatedly put his own life on the line to protect the people around him. His loyalty to his soldiers and the civilians of Kalona is genuine.

Zee’s identity as a Carmine is a story reveal at the end of the campaign — his full name is not shown in the multiplayer character selection until you finish all Acts. He is the first Carmine the Gears of War universe has introduced as a major campaign character.

Gill Gettner

Faction: COG Air Corps
Rank: Lieutenant
Voice Actor: TBD

Gill Gettner is one of the most skilled and daring King Raven pilots in the COG Air Corps. Her attitude is hard and surly — her voice described as an oddly reassuring blend of “seen-it-all” and “pure acid.” She does not sugarcoat anything, but her reliability and expert flying saved countless lives during the Pendulum Wars.

Gettner is the pilot of KR-Eight Zero. She appears in E-Day during aerial support sequences and extraction missions across the campaign. This is her first appearance in any Gears of War game — she was previously only in the franchise’s novels and comics, making her in-game debut a big moment for lore fans.

Daan Riggs

Faction: COG Air Corps
Rank: Specialist
Voice Actor: Shaquan Lewis

Daan Riggs is the door gunner and Crew Chief of KR-Eight Zero, flying alongside Gill Gettner as part of the “Butcherbird” air cavalry squadron. He handles the gun while Gettner handles the controls. A reliable crew member who fills a vital role in E-Day’s aerial sequences.

Akila Grey

Faction: COG
Rank: Captain

Captain Akila Grey was born into a highly principled Tsanoan military family stationed in Kashkur. She is a clear-headed, reliable fireteam leader who served across multiple theatres during the Pendulum Wars. She has seen both the best and worst of the COG — the indomitable spirit of Gears fighting for peace, and the corruption of COG leadership violating every norm she was trained to uphold. Grey is morally grounded and deeply principled.

Elias Trench

Faction: COG
Rank: Colonel
Voice Actor: Paul Jarrett

Colonel Elias Trench is a ruthless military leader willing to secure victory at any cost. He built his reputation as a fierce tactician during the height of the Pendulum Wars. After the armistice was signed, he was assigned to Kalona’s local regiment to oversee the decommissioning of the city’s massive military facilities — a role he considers beneath him. That resentment shapes how he handles E-Day when the Locust arrive.

Quentin Michaelson

Faction: COG Navy
Rank: Captain
Voice Actor: Charles Zuckermann

Captain Quentin Michaelson is a prominent COG Navy Captain and Commander of D-Flotilla, the NCOG Marine special forces unit. His colleagues describe him as charming and “rakish” — a confident gambler in life as well as war — until he puts his armour on. In the field he is a different person. He appears alongside Zee and Bravo Squad during the battle at Fort Vigil.

Mako Kemara

Faction: COG — Royal Tyran Infantry (Pahanu Bayonets)
Rank: Private
Voice Actor: Temapare Hodson

Mako Kemara and his twin brother Manu hail from the South Island of Weilehi. Mako is the younger twin — happy-go-lucky, impulsive, with a natural talent for heavy weapons. His quick-on-his-feet instincts make him effective in combat, but also keep landing him in trouble. He is part of the decorated Pahanu Bayonets brigade of the Royal Tyran Infantry.

Manu Kemara

Faction: COG — Royal Tyran Infantry (Pahanu Bayonets)
Rank: Private

Manu Kemara is Mako’s older twin. He has always played the part of the resigned caretaker for his hard-headed brother — including reluctantly enlisting in the COG military just to keep an eye on him. Manu provides a steadying counterbalance to Mako’s impulsiveness. Together, they are a strong pair in combat and bring a grounded warmth to E-Day’s supporting cast.

Shin Morida

Faction: COG
Rank: Specialist (Combat Medic)

Specialist Shin Morida served as a Combat Medic during the Pendulum Wars, saving the lives of many Gears on the front lines. He worked alongside Professor Adam Fenix and was part of the team that helped redesign the Gnasher Shotgun. His medical expertise and equipment knowledge make him a valuable field asset during E-Day.

Hank Rustin, Daan Riggs, Bryce Valen

These are additional COG soldiers encountered during the campaign. They are part of the wider cast of Gears caught up in the chaos of Emergence Day in Kalona. Several of them can be unlocked as playable characters in multiplayer.

Locust Characters in Gears of War E-Day

Vraahk (Main Villain)

Faction: Locust Horde — Scorched Legion
Rank: Svore (Blight Commander)
Voice Actor: Michael Briganti

Vraahk is the main antagonist of Gears of War E-Day and the final boss of the campaign. He is the Blight Commander of the Scorched Legion — a veteran of the Lambent War whose body bears the Imulsion burns of that conflict. Those burns are not just scars. They are why he holds the rank of Svore, which translates to “He Who Has Been Scorched” — an honorary title given to him by Queen Myrrah for his achievements on the battlefield.

Vraahk is not following orders on Emergence Day. He has personal conviction and a loyal army built specifically for the attack on Kalona. In preparation, he created specialized weapons for the Scorched Legion. When the Locust emerge, it is Vraahk’s forces that lead the assault, and he personally collects COG Tags as trophies from the Gears he kills.

He is one of the most compelling Locust villains in the series — a character with history, motivation, and presence. Long-time fans will draw comparisons to General RAAM from the original Gears of War.

Vraahk is a brand new character created specifically for E-Day. He does not appear in any previous Gears of War game.

About the Setting — Bravo Squad

Gears of War E-Day takes place in Kalona, a city in the COG territory of Tyrus, across three days of the Locust invasion. All four playable characters — Marcus, Dom, Mags, and Lucas — make up Bravo Squad.

Marcus and Dom are from the 26th Royal Tyran Infantry. Mags and Lucas are from Kalona itself. Together, they fight through the city’s collapse, rescue survivors, organise resistance, and face the Locust Horde for the very first time in the series’ timeline.

For a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of what each part of the campaign covers, see our Gears of War E-Day all chapters and acts guide.

For collectibles you can find through the story, start with the Gears of War E-Day Act 1 collectibles guide.

To understand how E-Day differs from previous games in the series, see our biggest changes as a prequel guide.

Where to Play Gears of War E-Day

Gears of War E-Day is available now on Xbox Series X|S and PC. It is included with Xbox Game Pass at launch.

• Official Gears of War website
• Xbox Store
• Steam

For our full thoughts on the campaign and everything else, read the Gears of War E-Day review.

Frequently Asked Questions