Gears of War: E-Day Hard Cases Checklist

How Hard Cases Work

Hard Cases do not start in Act 1. The first ones appear in Act 2, and from there they become a regular part of the campaign through Act 5.

In the larger open areas, getting close to a Hard Case can add it to the in-game map. That makes cleanup easier, but I would not rely on the map alone. Several cases sit on side paths in linear sections, and some are placed immediately before routes you cannot easily return from.

Opening them as you pass is also better than leaving everything for the end. Hard Cases are tied to useful upgrades, so clearing them during the campaign gives you the benefit of those upgrades while you still have most of the game left to play.

Hard Cases to Grab Before Moving On

Most Hard Cases can be collected naturally while following the campaign, but there are a few sections where I would stop and check the tracker before following the objective marker.

Act 2 — Hold the Line

Late in Hold the Line, after linking up with Charlie Squad and going through the fence, there is a Hard Case directly to the right. Do not automatically follow the route to the left. That direction pushes the mission forward and makes this one much more annoying to recover.

The hotel approach is another place worth checking carefully. There is a Hard Case on the upper route reached from the left side, another near the hotel entrance, and one more after the following transition. Clear the outside cases before entering the hotel.

Act 2 — No Gear Left Behind

The area with the giant statues has several Hard Cases packed close together. Before pushing through the area, sweep both sides, the scaffolding, the container near the central structure, and the route through the statues.

There is also an easy one to miss later during a quieter hallway section. Watch the left side instead of assuming there is nothing to explore just because the squad is still moving and talking.

Act 2 — Overrun

Overrun is short, but all three Hard Cases are easy to leave behind.

The first is beside the hangar exit after the battle. The second is on the left side of the red-lit tunnel before the next building. Once inside the final room, take the last Hard Case before leaving; the route does not let you simply walk back in afterward.

Act 3 — Last Foothold

Last Foothold mixes a linear opening with a much larger free-roaming section, so this is one of the best places to use the Act and Chapter filters.

Before the area fully opens, check the side routes around the building transition and the truck after the drop. Once you reach the larger district, the library, parking garage, station entrance, convenience store, pharmacy, canal, hotel, and hospital route all contain Hard Cases.

Do not rush the hotel objective just because it is visible on the map. There are several useful pickups around the district that are much easier to clear before advancing the mission.

Act 3 — The Convoy

The Convoy has two especially important stopping points.

Near the end of the bridge section, the objective wants you to drop into a pit. Grab the Hard Case at the end of the bridge first. Once you jump down, you cannot climb back out.

Later, do the same thing before taking the zipline. Go around the Armadillo vehicle and open the nearby Hard Case before ascending.

Act 5

Act 5 only has five Hard Cases: two in Chapter 1 and three in Chapter 2.

Both Chapter 1 cases are in the train yard. Get both before boarding the next train.

The three Chapter 2 cases appear early in the chapter, so this is a good place to stop and clear the Chapter filter before pushing farther into the final stretch of the campaign.

Missing One Hard Case?

Start by checking which Act is incomplete, then filter this tracker to that Act. After that, narrow it again by Chapter.

For open-area chapters, revisit the unexplored edges of the map and move close enough for nearby Hard Cases to register. For linear chapters, focus on the location notes marked around transitions, drops, doors, pits, ziplines, and other one-way sections.

If you are missing something in Act 2 or Act 3, pay particular attention to the entries with a warning below the location hint. Those are the cases most likely to require extra backtracking if you pass them.

If you are also cleaning up the standard campaign items, use the All 140 Collectibles Checklist separately. Hard Cases do not count toward the 140 standard collectibles.

For the rest of the campaign trackers, return to the Gears of War: E-Day Checklists.