TL;DR
- There are 10 secondary objectives in total across the Gears of War E-Day campaign.
- All secondary objectives are in Act 2 (6 objectives) and Act 3 (3 objectives). Act 1 and Act 4 have none.
- Completing all of them unlocks the Side Piece achievement (15G).
- Rewards include weapon mods and armor mods — useful upgrades for the campaign.
- Most are in Chapter 2 of Act 2 (Hold the Line) — the biggest open section of the game.
- Some objectives are easy to miss if you rush the main story. Do them before moving chapters.
What Are Secondary Objectives in Gears of War E-Day?
Secondary objectives are optional side missions scattered across Kalona. You are not required to do them to finish the campaign. But they reward you with weapon mods and armor mods that make the rest of the game a lot easier.
Most of them involve helping civilians or wounded Gears survive the Locust invasion. Some are quick. Others ask you to hold a position or escort someone to safety.
The game will sometimes prompt you with a “Hold X to View” message when you are near one. Others you might stumble into if you explore instead of rushing the main path.
Completing every single secondary objective in the campaign earns you the Side Piece achievement worth 15 Gamerscore. It can be done on any difficulty.
If you want to know what big changes this prequel brings, check our guide on Gears of War E-Day’s biggest changes as a prequel.
How Many Secondary Objectives Are There in Gears of War E-Day?
There are 10 secondary objectives in the campaign. Here is a quick breakdown by act:
- Act 1 — No secondary objectives
- Act 2, Chapter 2 — 6 secondary objectives
- Act 3, Chapter 3 — 3 secondary objectives
- Act 4 — No secondary objectives
Note: A small number of sources report a slightly different total count as guides are still being updated post-launch. The confirmed objectives in Act 2 and Act 3 are covered in full below.
Act 2 Secondary Objective Locations (Chapter 2: Hold the Line)
Act 2, Chapter 2 is the largest open section of the campaign. It takes place across the streets of Kalona. All six secondary objectives here are available during the “Hold the Line” chapter. Do not progress too far or you may lock yourself out of some of them.
For a full breakdown of every chapter in the game, see our guide to Gears of War E-Day all chapters and acts explained.
Secondary Objective 1: The Vanguard
Location: East of Oria Stadium, inside the Victory car dealership.
This is one of the first side missions you will encounter. After you pick up the map and wait for a truck to clear the gas station, you will be prompted to start The Vanguard. Head into the Victory car dealership to begin it. Take out the Locust enemies inside to complete the objective.
Rewards: Bayonet (Hammerburst), Cover Brace (Lancer Mk1)
Secondary Objective 2: Trapped Family
Location: West of Octus Way, inside the Last Dollar Shop.
You will hear calls for help near this area. Head into the Last Dollar Shop and raise the garage shutter to get inside. Clear out the Locust attacking the family. Stay with the family briefly after the fight and the objective will complete.
Rewards: Precision Long Barrel (Breechshot), Bayonet (Gnasher)
Secondary Objective 3: Apartment SOS
Location: East of Octus Tribunal, inside one of the apartments.
This one requires a slightly different approach. You need to come in from the outside through a window rather than through the front door. Once inside, speak with the two survivors in the top apartment. Clear the route downstairs and escort them to safety.
Rewards: Weapon mod parts
Secondary Objective 4: Lost in Translation
Location: Between the Bank of Tyrus and the Warehouse District, inside a Major Burger restaurant.
Head into the Major Burger restaurant near the police station. You will find two workers inside. Speak to them and then escort them to a shelter to finish the objective.
Rewards: Weapon mod parts
Secondary Objective 5: Family Reunion
Location: Victory Plaza, during the “Link up with Charlie Squad” main objective.
From the construction site, head south toward Shelter 13. You need to defend the shelter before meeting up with Charlie Squad. Do this before you link up or you will miss it.
Rewards: Weapon mod parts
Secondary Objective 6: Black Raven Down
Location: Southwest of Monroe Library, inside a Major Burger near the Kalona Hotel.
During the “Find Whiskey Squad” objective, head northwest of the Kalona Hotel toward the Major Burger. You will find a wounded Gear near the crashed Raven. Help them out and defend the area until all enemies are dead.
Rewards: Holiday Photos collectible can be found nearby. Weapon upgrade parts as mission reward.
Secondary Objective 7: Lone Wolf
Location: Southeast of Monroe Library, north of the Kalona Hotel.
Head to the apartment buildings to the left of the library. You will find an elevator door — that is where the objective starts. Take the elevator up and fight your way to a COG sniper on the rooftops. Help them survive to complete the mission.
Rewards: COG Tags of Sergeant Elijah Adams (collectible), weapon mod parts
Want to know how to get more out of your weapons? Check out our guide on how to unlock more weapon mod slots in Gears of War E-Day.
Act 3 Secondary Objective Locations (Chapter 3: Last Foothold)
Act 3 is much more linear than Act 2. The secondary objectives here are clustered in Chapter 3, called Last Foothold. There are three of them. All are tied to the open area around the Kalona Hotel and the hospital.
Do not push the main story forward until you have finished all three. The game does not always make it obvious when a point of no return is coming.
Secondary Objective 8: Weak Signal
Location: Just south of Landa Memorial Hospital, in a loading bay across from the police station.
Head into the loading bay. Move to the back right corner to trigger the objective. From there, a wave of Locust will spawn. Hold the position and take out every enemy that comes at you to finish the objective.
Rewards: Armor Mod, Lancer Mk1 Mod
Secondary Objective 9: Lost in the Park
Location: West of the Kalona Hotel, near Shelter 09.
After you help the Gears load the convoy and fight the Spore Matrons, head right from the Kalona Hotel. The objective trigger is in the corner. Go through the park doors, take out all the Locust inside, and rescue the civilian hiding under the steps near the park entrance. After clearing enemies, move through the left gate in the wall and check the road area.
Rewards: Weapon mod parts. Also unlocks access to the Damaged Heavy Locust Helmet collectible — found next to a dead Boomer by the large sinkhole on the east side of the park.
Secondary Objective 10: Rooftop Mayday
Location: Monroe Library, accessible after completing the hotel story objective.
Return to the Kalona Hotel side of the map after finishing the story beat at the hotel. Look for the objective marker and head up to the rooftop. Clear the rescue encounter to complete the mission.
Rewards: Weapon mod parts. Also unlocks the Blade-Like Projectiles collectible.
To get the most out of these fights, make sure you know how to deal with the toughest enemies. See our guide on how to kill Jammer and Seeder enemies in Gears of War E-Day.
Tips for Completing All Secondary Objectives
- Do not rush. Act 2, Chapter 2 is huge. Take your time and explore before following the main objective markers.
- Listen for audio cues. You will often hear civilians or soldiers calling out before the objective marker appears on screen.
- Do Act 2 side missions before the Raven sequence. Once you trigger certain story events, some objectives may become unavailable.
- In Act 3, do all three before advancing. Chapter 3 opens up briefly. Once you push past the hotel area, you lose access.
- Check around the Kalona Hotel carefully. Both Black Raven Down and Lone Wolf are in that area in Act 2. Lost in the Park and Rooftop Mayday are in that same zone in Act 3.
- Bring a good weapon build. Some objectives require you to hold a position. Having the right mods makes it a lot easier.
What Do Secondary Objectives Reward?
Every secondary objective rewards you with weapon mods or armor mods. These are upgrades you attach to your weapons to improve them — things like bayonets, long barrels, and chassis mods.
Some objectives also reward you with collectibles that you would otherwise miss. For example, the Lone Wolf mission gives you the COG Tags of Sergeant Elijah Adams. Lost in the Park unlocks the Damaged Heavy Locust Helmet. Rooftop Mayday unlocks the Blade-Like Projectiles.
If you are going for the Memories From E-Day achievement (find all collectibles), you must complete some secondary objectives to get every collectible. The two systems are connected.
For a full look at what the game offers, check our Gears of War E-Day review.
Secondary Objectives and the Side Piece Achievement
Completing all secondary objectives in the campaign earns you the Side Piece achievement, worth 15 Gamerscore. You can do this on any difficulty, including Casual. There is no need to play on Insane just for this one.
If you finish the campaign and miss a few, you can chapter select back to the relevant chapter and complete them. You do not have to replay the entire campaign.
For more help with Act 1 items you may have missed, see our guide to Gears of War E-Day Act 1 collectibles.
Where to Play Gears of War E-Day
You can play Gears of War E-Day on Xbox and PC. Here are the official links:
Frequently Asked Questions
How many secondary objectives are in Gears of War E-Day?
There are 10 secondary objectives in the campaign. Six are in Act 2, Chapter 2. Three are in Act 3, Chapter 3. Act 1 and Act 4 have no secondary objectives.
What do secondary objectives reward in Gears of War E-Day?
You get weapon mods and armor mods. Some missions also reward collectibles that count toward the Memories From E-Day achievement. Rewards include bayonets, long barrels, chassis upgrades, armor mods, and more.
Can you miss secondary objectives in Gears of War E-Day?
Yes. If you advance the main story too quickly, some objectives become unavailable. In Act 2, do all six before triggering the Raven sequence. In Act 3, complete all three before leaving the Kalona Hotel area.
Can you go back and do missed secondary objectives?
Yes. The game has a chapter select feature. You can return to any chapter and complete missed objectives without replaying the full campaign.
Do you need to complete secondary objectives on a specific difficulty?
No. The Side Piece achievement for completing all secondary objectives can be earned on any difficulty, including Casual.
Are secondary objectives required for 100% campaign completion?
Yes. For full 100% completion and all related achievements, you need all collectibles, hard cases, supply caches, and secondary objectives done. Some collectibles are only accessible through secondary objectives.
What is the hardest secondary objective in Gears of War E-Day?
Weak Signal is considered one of the harder ones because it is a wave defense mission inside a tight loading bay. Bring a strong weapon build and position yourself in the rear-right corner of the loading bay for the best angles on spawning enemies.
