Gears of War: E-Day Guide: How to Get All Characters & Weapon Skins

Gears of War: E-Day launches with over 60 character skins spread across COG and Locust rosters, and a solid chunk of them are earnable without spending a single dollar. Knowing which skins cost Coins, which need Iron, and which are locked behind specific gameplay milestones saves you from grinding the wrong mode for hours. This guide breaks down every confirmed character skin, exactly how to get each one, and which unlocks are worth chasing first.

What character skins are available at launch?

The roster covers both sides of the war. On the COG side you have Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Mags Carter, Lucas Reyes, Tai Kaliso, Gill Gettner, Akila Grey, Elias Trench, Quentin Michaelson, Shin Morida, Manu Kemara, Mako Kemara, Hank Rustin, Daan Riggs, and Bryce Valen, plus generic Kalona Infantry Soldier variants. The Locust side includes the Rifle Drone, Grenadier Drone, Unarmored Drone, Sniper Drone, and the boss character Vraahk. There's also Zee (Zander Carmine), who gets his own skin tied to campaign completion.

Each character has between two and five skin variants at launch, ranging from default starting skins to Legendary-rarity store exclusives. The Coalition has confirmed more skins will arrive through post-launch seasons, so the 60-plus count at launch is a floor, not a ceiling.

All COG character skins and how to unlock them

Gears of War: E-Day Guide: How to Get All Characters & Weapon Skins

Marcus Fenix skins

Wings of Valor Marcus is the grind reward here. Reaching the highest Re-up level takes serious time investment, but it's the most visually distinct free skin for Marcus.

Dominic Santiago skins

Siege Ops Dom is one of the harder earns in the game. Maxing out all four Horde Siege classes takes a lot of matches, but it's completely free.

Mags Carter skins

The Emergence Mags skin has one of the more unusual unlock conditions in the game. The explosive Cornhole challenge with a Bilefrog is tied to a specific Horde Siege interaction, so keep an eye out for it during matches.

Lucas Reyes skins

Emergence Lucas is one of the easiest earns in the entire roster. Boot Camp is the tutorial sequence, so you'll have it within your first hour.

Tai Kaliso skins

Both Tai skins are free. The Theta Squad variant unlocks automatically as you progress through Act 1, no side objectives required.

Gill Gettner skins

Akila Grey skins

Elias Trench skins

Colonel Trench is worth the effort. Commander difficulty Horde Siege is no joke, but the extraction requirement means you actually have to survive and finish the mission, not just attempt it.

Other COG character skins

Theta Squad Mako is one of the quickest non-default earns available. Equipping one mod of each type takes maybe 10 minutes if you know where the mod menu is.

All Locust character skins and how to unlock them

Kalona Infantry Soldier skins

The generic Gear soldiers have the most skin variants of any character category, split across male and female versions.

Drone skins

Vraahk skins

The Insane difficulty + 100% completion Vraahk skin is the hardest earn in the entire character skin roster. It requires both a full Insane run and complete collectible/objective coverage. That said, our full campaign walkthrough covering all acts and chapters makes the 100% requirement much more manageable.

How to get skins: all unlock methods explained

Free gameplay earns

A significant portion of the skin roster is earnable without spending real money. Gameplay unlocks fall into three categories:

• Campaign progression: Several skins for Bryce Valen, Quentin Michaelson, Hank Rustin, Tai Kaliso, and Zee unlock automatically by reaching specific acts. You get these just by playing the story.
• Multiplayer milestones: Kills from cover, explosive kills, objective wins, and revive counts all unlock specific Drone and COG skins in Versus.
• Horde Siege challenges: Class leveling, Supply Cache spending, Tactical Gear usage, and successful extractions cover a wide range of COG unlocks.

Coins vs. Iron

The Barracks store uses two currencies. Coins are earned through gameplay, while Iron is purchased with real money. Most store skins are priced at 9000 or 12000 Coins, with premium options reaching 18000 Coins. Iron prices run 400 to 1000 Iron for the same skins, with featured store rotations occasionally offering Iron discounts.

Coins accumulate naturally from multiplayer matches, so there's no need to rush Iron purchases for store skins unless you want something immediately.

Pre-order and Premium Edition exclusives

Two skin sources require upfront spending:

• Pre-order bonus: The Exfil Dom Legendary Character Skin plus the Exfil Legendary Weapon Skin Set.
• Premium Edition / Emergence Customization Pack: Includes Death's Rendezvous Marcus (Legendary), Bloodied Hunter Tai (Epic), two Legendary Character Poses, the Death's Rendezvous Legendary Weapon Skin Set, the Emergence Omen Rare Weapon Skin Set, a Banner, an Emblem, and an Icon.

For a full breakdown of what each edition costs and includes, the pre-order and editions guide covers exact pricing and what you get with each tier.

Store bundles

Some skins are only available as part of paid bundles. The Emergence bundle ($19.99) includes a Marcus Fenix skin and a Tai Kaliso skin. The Never Fight Alone bundle ($19.99) includes a Shin Morida skin. The Impaler Vraahk bundle also contains a Vraahk variant. Bundle pricing and availability rotate through the store, so check back regularly if a specific bundle isn't currently listed.

How to equip character skins

All character skins are equipped through the Barracks menu. Select either the Versus or Horde Siege Barracks, choose the character you want to customize, and pick from your unlocked skins. Equipped skins carry across both Horde Siege and Versus modes, so you only need to set them once.

What's the fastest way to earn skins for free?

If you want to build out your skin collection without spending Iron, here's the priority order based on effort versus reward:

1. Complete Boot Camp to get Emergence Lucas immediately.
2. Play through the campaign to auto-unlock Bryce Valen (Act 2), Theta Squad Tai (Act 1), Quentin Michaelson and Hank Rustin (Act 4), and Commander Zee (full completion).
3. Finish the Horde Siege Onboarding Mission for Butcher Bird Gill.
4. Equip one mod of each type for Theta Squad Mako, which takes under 10 minutes.
5. Re-up once for Emergence Marcus.
6. Revive allies in any mode for Combat Medic Morida.

The campaign-tied unlocks are the most efficient since you're progressing the story anyway. Checking off all achievements while you play also overlaps with several skin conditions, so you can double-dip on rewards across both systems.

For everything else in the game, the full Gears of War: E-Day strategy guides collection has you covered from Horde Siege builds to Versus tips.