Hard Cases are the collectibles that actually matter in Gears of War: E-Day. Unlike standard lore items, every Hard Case you crack open hands you a weapon mod or equipment upgrade, which means missing them has real consequences for your loadout. There are 125 total, spread across Acts 2 through 5, and finding every one unlocks the Relax. I'm the Map achievement. Act 1 has zero, so your hunt starts the moment Act 2 kicks off.
Quick Answer: There are 125 Hard Cases in Gears of War: E-Day. Act 1 has none. The bulk are in Acts 2, 3, and 4 (36, 38, and 46 respectively), with 5 in Act 5. Use Tac-Com (LB on Xbox controller) to spot them through cover, and watch for the on-screen nearby notice when you enter a new area.
Tac-Com reveals nearby Hard Cases
What are Hard Cases and why should you care?
Hard Cases function as the game's weapon mod delivery system. Pick one up and you unlock a mod slot or specific upgrade that carries into your Supply Cache loadout. The Relax. I'm the Map achievement requires all 125. Miss too many in a chapter and you will need to replay it, though the War Journal tracks your Act totals so you can identify exactly where the gap is.
Two things make them easier to find than standard collectibles. First, an on-screen notice appears when you walk into an area containing one. Second, Tac-Com outlines them through nearby cover. On levels that provide a map, Hard Cases also ping onto it automatically. The mistake most players make is sprinting through combat zones without checking side alleys and upper floors once the fighting settles.
Act totals at a glance
| Act | Hard Cases | Key chapters |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 0 | None |
| Act 2 | 36 | Hold the Line (27), No Gear Left Behind (6), Overrun (3) |
| Act 3 | 38 | Last Foothold (12), Enemy Lines (8), Desperate Times (5), Desperate Measures (5), The Convoy (5), Stranded (3) |
| Act 4 | 46 | Tough as Nails (12), Hope and Ruin (14), Critical Failure (8), Paths Diverge (4), Technical Difficulties (3), Signals (5) |
| Act 5 | 5 | Ghost Town (3), One Problem at a Time (2) |
| Total | 125 |
Act 2 Hard Case locations
Act 2 total: 36 Hard Cases. The chapter Bravo Squad has none. Everything starts in Hold the Line.
Hold the Line (27 Hard Cases)
This is the biggest single chapter in the entire game for Hard Cases. It runs across three parts and the open-world layout means cases hide on upper floors, in alleys, and behind structures you can easily walk past.
- Part 1: Right branch at the first junction, behind the burnt-out bus (Hard Case 1).
- Part 2 (18 cases): Upper floor of the construction site; top floor of the car park left of the Major Burger; canal path below the bridge to its end; yard south of Amberstone Storage; southern alley; windowed kitchen above the roadblock alley ladders; upper floor of the Kalona Times building; street beside the newspaper kiosk; crashed truck near the riverside car park (expect an ambush here); far right of the construction site up the steps; pharmacy across that road; upper room across from the construction site via shipping container; loading-dock alley near the muster-point objective; behind the right-hand pillars at the muster-point building; on the story route through Amberstone Storage; inside the riverside underground car park; right side of the Bank of Tyrus vault (only accessible once the story opens it); table to the right of Charlie Squad's camp (this is the point of no return, collect before triggering the link-up).
- Part 3 (8 cases): Inside a shipping container while crossing the military camp; back-left of the gated park opposite Monroe Library; right side of the Kalona Hotel entrance; pale-green balcony opposite the hotel via rope; down the alley inside the Whiskey Squad search zone; behind the police car on the search-zone street; left side of the fountain courtyard; right of the car after leaving the hotel, before dropping into the park.
No Gear Left Behind (6 Hard Cases)
- Centre of the vehicle-filled traffic tunnel beside the barricade.
- On the right while climbing the tunnel incline.
- Right side of the golden Gear statue plaza.
- By the scaffolding and shipping container on the route ahead.
- On the right just after the next drop.
- Inside the building to the left near Captain Grey.
Overrun (3 Hard Cases)
- Right side of the warehouse after the breach.
- At the bottom of the red crater.
- Near the Point Fairlight Datapad and the nearby Supply Cache.
Hold the Line has 27 Hard Cases
Act 3 Hard Case locations
Act 3 total: 38 Hard Cases. Six chapters contribute, with Last Foothold being the heaviest at 12.
Stranded (3 Hard Cases)
- By the downed helicopter after cutting through the gate.
- At the stacked red shipping containers inside Fairlight.
- Immediately left after entering the substation.
Enemy Lines (8 Hard Cases)
- Slightly right of centre on the main path beyond the Gnasher room.
- Upper subway floor, behind planks on the right.
- Upper subway floor, left of the central Supply Cache.
- Subway platform beside the crashed train cars.
- On the right just after crossing the train cars.
- Down-left of the fallen golden Gear statue.
- At the left cliff edge before the path turns right.
- In the sewer beside the Supply Cache.
Last Foothold (12 Hard Cases)
- By the pool hall, left of the subway entrance at the chapter start.
- Left edge of the road after leaving the building with Tracy Moore's tags.
- Against the wall after climbing over the bus.
- Back-left of the library briefing room.
- On the roof above the hospital entrance.
- On the road right of the hospital, opposite the Supply Cache.
- Back-left of the underground car park near the library.
- On the Skytrain platform at the Police Department crossroads.
- Supermarket back room left of the library steps.
- Inside the pharmacy near the Kalona Hotel; shoot the windows to access it.
- Under the roadblock in the nearby underpass.
- Inside the Kalona Hotel entrance, on the right by the sandbags.
The Convoy (5 Hard Cases)
- Far-right corner of the small courtyard left of the opening road.
- Under the military truck on the upper bridge.
- Left end of the bridge before dropping through the floor. This is a one-way point.
- On roadside crates behind the vehicles before the rope.
- On the left inside the control room entered through the window.
Desperate Times (5 Hard Cases)
- Right side of the couch room.
- After the outdoor fight, climb the left ledge to the chain-link fence.
- Through the crawl hole in the left wall after the Wretch fight.
- Left side of the Reaver courtyard, beside the stone fence.
- On the right before crossing the bridge after the Torque Bow cutscene.
Desperate Measures (5 Hard Cases)
- Down the fort's left side, up the short steps.
- At the end of the long walkway left of the fort centre.
- Left of the fort entrance, behind a barrier.
- Past the Torn Flag collectible, hug the left wall and climb the ledge.
- Far end of the gift-shop balcony. Note: this one may not trigger the usual nearby warning, so check it manually.
Act 4 Hard Case locations
Act 4 total: 46 Hard Cases. This is the densest act in the game. Hope and Ruin alone has 14, and Tough as Nails adds another 12.
Hope and Ruin (14 Hard Cases)
- Bottom of the steps on the left at the chapter start.
- Right of the red stained glass in the cathedral ruins.
- Back-right of the cemetery before the split-up gate.
- Top of the long road, beside the locked gate.
- Small foyer through the right-side entrance behind the Regalia Hotel.
- Immediately left inside the Regalia Hotel.
- Far-left of the back alley up the road from the hotel front.
- Beyond the fountain in the courtyard behind the hotel.
- Back room of the red-sign restaurant at the big crater.
- Inside the clock-face corner building northeast of the crater.
- Back-left of the ruined building at the bottom-left of Kalona Square.
- Beside the two police cars before the Kalona Square exit gate.
- Back-left of the plaza at the top of the slope, before the roadblock.
- Back-left of the alley left of the Clocktower Defense start.
Technical Difficulties (3 Hard Cases)
- Left of the bench in the first wider room.
- In the room straight ahead before taking the left corridor to the exit.
- Right side of the Skytrain platform, across the gap.
Tough as Nails (12 Hard Cases)
- Beyond Auntie's gates, over the low wall on the right.
- Upper floor of the central-right warehouse.
- On the ledge reached from the hole beside the previous case.
- Rear of the warehouse roof in the small loading dock.
- Far-right of the district, behind the dumpster.
- On the helipad behind the Special Cargo container.
- Inside the train carriage opened during the Trapped Locust secondary objective.
- On the platform above the rope near the Seradyne factory.
- At the top of the ladder left of the factory entrance.
- Up the right-hand slope in the Seradyne loading bay.
- Beside the driver's cab of the truck at the power station.
- Behind the lower rear-right garage door; defeat the Wretch ambush first.
Signals (5 Hard Cases)
- Inside the side opening of the white van at the fuel station.
- On the fuel-station roof; climb the rear dumpster.
- Right side of the guarded power substation.
- Against the building on the left after the comms-tower cutscene.
- Right of the tower at the shooting range.
Paths Diverge (4 Hard Cases)
- Back-right room of the warehouse at the end of the opening street.
- Top-left corner at the bottom of the rail yard.
- Left side of the upper back-left factory room.
- In the Brumak and Spore Matron arena.
Critical Failure (8 Hard Cases)
- Left side of the first TIMGAD reception building.
- At the top of the ladder beside the long elevator exit.
- On the outside platform past the main-building entrance.
- First right after rejoining Reyes and leaving the double doors.
- Left side of the room across the walkway, beside the floor opening.
- In the small room straight ahead before the corridor turns left.
- On the console past the door in the green-schematics room.
- Opposite the Supply Cache in the next room.
Act 5 Hard Case locations
Act 5 total: 5 Hard Cases. The final act is short and linear, but two chapters carry collectibles.
One Problem at a Time (2 Hard Cases)
- Against the rail-yard fence when Marcus remarks that one is facing the city.
- On the small ledge right of the final train. Collect this before boarding, as boarding ends the chapter.
Ghost Town (3 Hard Cases)
- At the top of the slope climbed from the train tracks.
- At the top of the road through the cracked wall, right of the lamp post.
- In the checkpoint crater under the bridge after the hospital.
Chapters Storm Clouds and Resolute in Act 5 have no Hard Cases.
What weapon mods do Hard Cases unlock?
Hard Cases feed directly into your Supply Cache options. Every pickup adds a mod slot or specific weapon upgrade to your cache inventory. The first confirmed example from Act 2, Chapter 2 rewards the Spreadshot Burst (for the Hammerburst) and the Mobile Stabilizer (for the Lancer Mk1) from a single case behind the burnt-out bus. Tactical gear unlocks follow the same system: the Pulse Drone for the Marksman class comes from a Hard Case near the wrecked train in Act 3, Chapter 2's subway tunnels, and the Stim Vaporizer for the Medic class comes from a Hard Case north of Monroe Library in Act 3, Chapter 3.
How to clean up missed Hard Cases
The War Journal reports Hard Case totals by Act, so comparing your count against the act breakdown (36 / 38 / 46 / 5) tells you exactly which act to revisit. Chapter Replay works for cleanup, but there is a known quirk: the local chapter view inside Replay can appear empty even when your overall act total is still intact. Trust the act-level number in the War Journal, not the chapter-level display.
For co-op players, the October 5 patch changed how progress is shared. A player joining an existing campaign run no longer inherits War Journal progress earned before they joined. If you are doing a co-op cleanup sweep, load the relevant chapter together and make sure both players are present for each pickup.
War Journal tracks Hard Cases by act
Frequently asked questions
How many Hard Cases are in Gears of War: E-Day?
There are 125 Hard Cases in total. Act 1 has none. Act 2 has 36, Act 3 has 38, Act 4 has 46, and Act 5 has 5.
What achievement do Hard Cases unlock?
Collecting all 125 unlocks Relax. I'm the Map. This is a separate achievement from Memories From E-Day (140 standard collectibles) and Side Piece (17 Secondary Objectives).
Can you get Hard Cases on any difficulty?
Yes. The Relax. I'm the Map achievement does not specify a difficulty. You can collect every Hard Case on Beginner if you want.
Do Hard Cases carry over in co-op?
Since the October 5 patch, progress earned before a co-op partner joins does not transfer to that partner. For shared completion runs, start the relevant chapter together.
What happens if I miss a Hard Case?
Use Chapter Replay to return to any chapter. Your overall act total in the War Journal persists, so replay only the chapter where the gap exists.
For everything else you need to get the most out of the campaign, the full Gears of War: E-Day strategy guides collection covers achievements, co-op, beta rewards, and more.
