Gears of War: E-Day Secret Locations & Easter Eggs — Everything Hidden in Kalona

The Coalition Loves Fan Service

Someone on the dev team clearly adores the original trilogy. E-Day is packed with references, callbacks, and hidden areas that only make sense if you've played the earlier games. I spent way too long poking around corners and shooting suspicious walls. Here's everything worth finding.

The Carmine Family Photo

In the Kalona Streets open zone on Day One, enter the residential building two blocks north of the collapsed apartment. Second floor, apartment 2B. On the kitchen counter, there's a framed photo of a family. Three brothers in COG armor. It's the Carmines.

For anyone who doesn't know: the Carmine family is a running gag in Gears. Every game introduces a new Carmine brother, and every Carmine brother dies horribly. Anthony in Gears 1 (headshot by a sniper). Benjamin in Gears 2 (eaten by a Riftworm). Clayton in Gears 3 (survived, breaking the curse, and became a fan favorite).

This photo predates all their deaths. It's just three brothers in uniform, smiling. If you interact with it, Marcus says something about the Carmine family having a long history of service. The irony is brutal if you know what happens to them.

The Secret Weapon Cache (Retro Lancer Prototype)

Day Two, Downtown Kalona. In the bank vault (the one you blow open with a frag for a COG tag), there's a false wall on the left side. Shoot it. Behind it is a small armory with a weapon rack holding a unique Lancer variant.

This is a "prototype" Lancer with a wooden stock and a different sight. It's purely cosmetic — stats are identical to the standard retro Lancer — but it's a callback to the original Gears of War concept art, where the Lancer looked more like a conventional assault rifle before they added the chainsaw.

The Coalition's art director mentioned in an interview that they included this as a nod to the weapon's design history. Finding it without a guide is nearly impossible. The false wall has no visual distinction from regular vault walls.

Dom's Tomato Garden

This one's subtle. Day One, after the garage fight, there's a small residential courtyard you pass through. In the corner is a tiny garden plot with tomato plants. Stand near it and Dom says something like "My mom used to grow tomatoes. Before..." and trails off.

It's a reference to Dom's backstory. In Gears 2, Dom's search for his wife Maria is the emotional core of the entire game. This moment is 14 years before that story, when Maria was still alive and Dom hadn't yet experienced the loss that defines his character in the original trilogy.

There's no gameplay reward and most players will sprint right past it. It's just a quiet character moment for people paying attention.

The Hidden Cole Train Poster

Day Three, Command Center Interior. In the barracks section, there's a recruitment poster on the wall featuring Augustus Cole — the Cole Train. He's depicted as a Thrashball star before he enlisted. The poster reads "ENLIST TODAY — DEFEND SERA" with Cole in his COG armor holding a Thrashball.

Cole doesn't appear in E-Day (he's presumably elsewhere during the Kalona attack), but this poster confirms he exists in this timeline and sets up his eventual appearance in a sequel. The original trilogy fans will spot this immediately. New players will wonder why a random athlete is on a recruitment poster.

The Secret Ending Trigger

After the credits roll, there's a post-credits scene. But if you collected every single COG tag across all three days, there's a second, longer post-credits scene. It shows the Locust emerging across the entire planet of Sera — not just Kalona. Cities falling worldwide. King Ravens scrambling. And a brief shot of a character in a COG command center whose face is obscured but whose voice is unmistakable if you played the original trilogy.

No spoilers on who. But it's the character everyone expects to lead a sequel.

Marcus and Dom's First Handshake

Not really hidden, but easy to miss if you're rushing. After the opening street sequence, when Dom saves Marcus and introduces himself, there's a brief dialogue exchange. If you stand still and don't push forward, they have about 45 seconds of optional conversation. Dom talks about his family. Marcus is awkward and deflective. It's the first building block of a friendship that carries through six games.

The scene plays out naturally if you just wait. Most players immediately start moving toward the next objective and cut the dialogue short.

The Hidden Dialogue in the Police Station

Day One, Kalona Police Station. After collecting the COG tag and clearing the armory, stand in the main lobby for about 30 seconds. Marcus and Dom have an optional conversation about the police response to the attack. Dom notes that the officers had no chance. Marcus says nothing but the silence is louder than dialogue.

These environmental conversation triggers are scattered throughout the campaign. They're not marked, not hinted at, and completely missable. The Coalition used them to add character depth without forcing cutscenes on players who just want to shoot things.

The Thrashball Field

Day Two, in the distance from the Jacinto Memorial Bridge, you can see a Thrashball stadium. Partially collapsed, smoke rising from it. You can't go there. It's background scenery. But Thrashball is Cole Train's sport, and the stadium is likely where he played before the war.

If you zoom in with the Longshot scope, you can just barely make out the team logo on the stadium exterior. It's the team Cole played for. Background environmental storytelling at its finest.

The Chainsaw Origin Room

Day Three, the COG R&D lab where Marcus finds the chainsaw Lancer. Before you pick up the weapon, explore the lab thoroughly. There are concept sketches on the walls showing the chainsaw attachment design. Notes from engineers debating whether a chainsaw on a rifle is practical (they conclude it isn't, but it's terrifying). A test log describing the first chainsaw test against a ballistic dummy.

This room is the origin of the most iconic weapon in the series and The Coalition filled it with lore for anyone who bothers to look. The chainsaw Lancer doesn't exist yet in the timeline. Marcus is literally the first person to use it in combat.

A small detail: after you pick up the Lancer, Marcus examines it for a moment. He doesn't say anything, but his expression shifts. It's the moment the iconic Gears weapon is born and the game treats it with appropriate weight.

The Endless Horde Mode Reference

In the command center armory (Day Three), there's a computer terminal with a screen showing "HORDE SIEGE SIMULATION — VERSION 0.1." Interacting with it triggers a brief loading screen joke where Marcus says "What if there were waves of them? Like, endless waves?" and Dom responds "Don't give them ideas."

It's a meta joke about Horde Siege mode, E-Day's 12-player PvE mode. The Coalition poking fun at themselves. Harmless and quick.

Worth the Time?

If you're just here for the combat, skip this stuff. The game is perfectly enjoyable as a straightforward cover shooter. But if you played the original trilogy, the easter eggs add a layer of continuity that rewards longtime fans. The Carmine photo, the Cole Train poster, and the chainsaw origin room are the highlights. The rest are for completionists and lore enthusiasts.