E-Day is the first Gears game where humanity doesn't know what the Locust are. The bestiary is designed around that: familiar units rebuilt to be genuinely frightening, plus new creatures and a named commander built to respect series canon.
Returning Locust
| Unit | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Drones (Grubs) | Official | Rebuilt, "more formidable than the cannon fodder of older games" |
| Wretches | Official | The first wave from the road-opening E-Hole in the reveal |
| Boomers | Official | Return with the heavy-weapon role |
| Corpsers | Official | Seen in the 2024 announce trailer's pull-back shot; Invasion-event bosses in Horde Siege |
| Reavers | Official | Listed among returning units |
| Brumaks | Official (campaign preview) | Appear armored as the escalation peaks |
New Threats
- Rusher (campaign preview, now named in the live game): the kamikaze-type melee attacker that rushes the player at close range; a hit can down you and start an execution, only a teammate can break you free
- Scorched Legion (Gamescom story trailer): Vraahk's elite units, marked by spikes and self-mutilation, "when you're facing his elite troops, you've got all the vibes of Vraahk coming through"; fields its own Drone, Grenadier and Sniper variants
- All-new creatures and villains teased in official copy to "reestablish a true sense of horror"
New Creatures Confirmed in the Live Game
The early-access game's bestiary (community-transcribed, names verifiable in-game):
| Creature | Type |
|---|---|
| Bilefrog | Hollow creature |
| Scoria | Hollow creature |
| Spore Matron | Hollow creature, spawns Spores |
| Feral Wretch | Wretch variant |
| Flayer | Boomer variant |
| Rusher | Drone variant, the melee kamikaze attacker |
| Armored / Chained / Unarmored Brumak | Brumak variants as the escalation peaks |
Vraahk, the Main Antagonist
(Who Vraahk is in the story, including his "Svore" title, is covered on the characters page; he is also playable on the multiplayer Locust side, see the Versus roster.)
- Revealed in the story trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live (August 25, 2026); name confirmed post-premiere by The Coalition narrative lead Andrew Morava
- Developer description (podcast): a blight commander, injured in the Lambent War, who "came up here to destroy humanity", he "basically embodies the brutality of the Locust"
- Design notes (IGN LATAM): massive, tribal, explosion-scarred face, with COG armor plates taken from Gears he has executed embedded in his arms
- Canon logic: Marcus doesn't meet General RAAM until Gears 1 (14 years later), so Vraahk exists to let Bravo Squad close the campaign with a decisive win without breaking continuity
Two sources describe Vraahk's rank differently, the developers' own "blight commander" wording is the one to trust; wider Locust-hierarchy placement (under RAAM, under Skorge) is media extrapolation until officially stated.
The Escalation Design
Every encounter is a first for the characters, the game builds from block-by-block monster attacks ("what the f**k is that?") to the realization that the Locust are an army with commanders and structure. The enemy nicknames you'd recognize from later games don't exist yet; the squad invents them in the moment.
Questions
Who is the villain in Gears of War: E-Day?
Vraahk, a Locust blight commander who leads the siege of Kalona, created so the campaign's final fight doesn't contradict Marcus meeting General RAAM in Gears 1.
What is the Scorched Legion?
Vraahk's elite Locust units, introduced in the Gamescom story trailer, spiked, self-mutilating, and designed to carry his brutality into every fight.
Which enemies return in E-Day?
Drones, Wretches, Boomers, Corpsers and Reavers are confirmed, rebuilt; Brumaks appear later in the escalation in armored, chained and unarmored variants.