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Short answer
There are 140 collectibles, plus Hard Cases that hold weapon mods
Guides from IGN and Game Rant both count 140 collectibles across the five acts. They are lore objects such as newspapers, COG tags and personal items, and they are separate from Hard Cases, the yellow crates that unlock weapon mods.
You do not need a map to start. A short sound plays when a collectible is close, and tapping LB to open Tac-Com highlights it if you are near enough. Hard Cases are easier still: the game puts a notice on screen and a marker on the map.
- Collectibles
- 140
- In Act 1
- 13
- Hard Cases in Hold the Line
- 25
Two kinds of hidden item
| Collectibles | Hard Cases | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Lore objects | Yellow crates with weapon mods |
| How you notice them | A brief audio sting; Tac-Com highlight at short range | On-screen notice, map marker, and an icon with distance when holding LB |
| Reward | War Journal entry | Mods to equip at a Supply Cache |
| Achievement | Memories From E-Day | Relax. I’m the Map. |
Act 1 collectibles by chapter
Act 1 has 13 collectibles spread across its four chapters. The names below match both published guides; follow their step-by-step pages for exact positions.
| Chapter | Collectibles |
|---|---|
| Emergence | Monster Jaw; Bloody Transit Worker’s Helmet; Front Page of the Kalona Times |
| Survival of the Fittest | KPD Police Bulletin; Bloodied Police Chief’s Badge; Army Recruitment Pamphlet; Try On Pilot Helmet |
| A Gear in Need | Tomatoes, Canned; Broken Lancer Bayonet |
| Back in the Fold | Front Page of the Tyran Chronicle; Anti-UIR Propaganda Poster; Landa Memorial Medical Supplies Memo; COG Tags of Private Brick Russo |
A routine for finding them without a guide
- Play with headphones or surround sound. The collectible cue is short and easy to miss during combat.
- When you hear it, stop and tap LB. Tac-Com only shows collectibles within a small radius.
- Check side rooms first: kitchens, offices and shop back rooms hold most of the Act 1 items.
- In open districts, clear the secondary objectives as you go. They take you through the buildings where items are placed.
- Open the War Journal at the end of each chapter to see what is still missing.
Hard Cases and where the counts stand
Hard Cases start appearing once the campaign opens up in Act 2. IGN’s guide lists 25 in the first open area of Chapter 2, Hold the Line, and six in Chapter 3, No Gear Left Behind. Its tables for Acts 3 to 5 were still empty when we checked on October 4, so a full total is not yet published.
Each case gives one or two mods for specific weapons. The first one in Hold the Line, for example, grants a Hammerburst mod and a Lancer Mk1 mod. You equip them at any Supply Cache.
Are they worth collecting?
For gameplay, Hard Cases matter and collectibles do not. One reviewer noted that collectibles give nothing in single-player beyond the entry itself, while Hard Cases are the main source of weapon and armor mods.
For achievements, both count. Finding every collectible, every Hard Case and finishing every secondary objective are three separate 15-point achievements, and all of them are required for the 75-point For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Support staff have an open thread about collectible totals per act not matching the War Journal. If your count looks wrong, it may not be you.
- In co-op, a player who joins someone else’s save receives that save’s earlier Hard Case and side-objective progress.
Quick questions
How many collectibles are in Gears of War: E-Day?
IGN and Game Rant both count 140 across the campaign’s five acts.
Do Hard Cases count as collectibles?
They are tracked separately. Hard Cases have their own achievement and are announced on screen, while collectibles only give an audio cue.
Can I miss collectibles permanently?
No source we checked says whether chapters can be replayed for missed items, so we are not asserting either way yet.
Sources
Where these answers come from
- Press or guide · GuideIGN Guide: Gears of War: E-Day CollectiblesTotal of 140 collectibles, the audio cue, the Tac-Com highlight and the list of Act 1 collectible names by chapter.Published 2026-10-02 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Press or guide · GuideIGN Guide: Hard Cases (Weapon Mods)What Hard Cases contain, the on-screen notification, the map marker and the Hard Case counts recorded for Act 2 chapters.Published 2026-10-03 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Press or guide · GuideGame Rant: All Act 1 Collectible LocationsThe count of 13 collectibles in Act 1, their names and the chapter each one belongs to.Published 2026-10-01 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Press or guide · ReviewVGC: Gears of War E-Day campaign reviewCampaign review describing a 10 to 15 hour length, collectibles with an audio cue and how Hard Case prompts work.Published 2026-10-01 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Official · Official announcementXbox Wire: The Full Gears of War: E-Day Achievements ListAll 54 achievements with descriptions and point values, including the campaign act, collectible and Horde Siege achievements.Published 2026-09-09 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Official · Official siteGearsofWar.com: Emergence Begins – TomorrowSeason 1 dates, ranked start date, changes since the beta, features missing at launch and the launch known issues list.Published 2026-09-30 · Checked 2026-10-04
- Official · Official support forumGears of War Discord: e-day-support forum (staff posts)Support staff troubleshooting steps, error code threads and the early access entitlement message, posted October 1 to 3, 2026.Published 2026-10-03 · Checked 2026-10-04