Gears of War: E-Day hands you a deep cosmetic layer across both the COG Army and the Locust horde, and the good news is that a big chunk of it never touches the in-game store. Campaign acts, Horde Siege milestones, Versus challenges, and Re-up ranks all hand out character and weapon skins, while the rest sit behind Coins you earn or Iron you buy. Here is exactly what each skin requires.
Quick answer: Most skins unlock through Campaign progress, Horde Siege and Versus challenges, and Re-up levels. The rest are bought with Coins or Iron. Equip everything from the Barracks under Versus.
Default character skins you start with
These are unlocked from the first time you open the Barracks. Every member of Bravo Squad gets a default look, alongside the starting infantry and officer skins.
| Skin | Character |
|---|---|
| Bravo Squad Marcus | Marcus Fenix |
| Bravo Squad Dom | Dominic Santiago |
| Bravo Squad Mags | Mags Carter |
| Bravo Squad Lucas | Lucas Reyes |
| Bloodied Hunter Tai | Tai Kaliso |
| Captain Grey | Akila Grey |
| Female Infantry Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier |
| Male Infantry Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier |
Campaign character skins
Several skins drop automatically as you push through the story. They unlock the moment you reach the stated Act, so no extra grinding is needed beyond playing. Commander Zee is the full-campaign reward and arrives once the credits roll on any difficulty.
| Skin | Character | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Theta Squad Tai | Tai Kaliso | Unlock during Act 1 |
| Charlie Leader Valen | Bryce Valen | Unlock during Act 2 |
| Captain Michaelson | Quentin Michaelson | Unlock during Act 4 |
| Quartermaster Rustin | Hank Rustin | Unlock during Act 4 |
| Commander Zee | Zee | Complete all Acts (any difficulty) |
Horde Siege character skins
Horde Siege is where the heaviest grind lives. These skins track specific mode actions, from class leveling to extracting on tougher difficulties. The two Sniper Gear looks share a counter tied to how much Energy you spend at Supply Caches.
| Skin | Character | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Butcher Bird Gill | Gill Gettner | Complete the Onboarding Mission |
| Siege Ops Dom | Dominic Santiago | Max level the Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic classes |
| Colonel Trench | Elias Trench | Extract on Commander difficulty or higher |
| Theta Squad Manu | Manu Kemara | Use each class’s Tactical Gear 10 times |
| Theta Squad Mako | Mako Kemara | Unlock a mod for Weapon, Armor, and Tactical Gear, then equip each one. |
| Butcher Bird Daan | Daan Riggs | Get Heavy Weapon kills |
| Female Sniper Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier | Spend Energy at the Supply Cache |
| Male Sniper Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier | Spend Energy at the Supply Cache |
Versus, Re-up, and special challenge skins
The rest of the earnable character skins come from Versus combat, Re-up resets, and a handful of one-off challenges. Emergence Marcus and Wings of Valor Marcus bookend the Re-up ladder, unlocking on your first reset and at the highest rank. A few oddities sit here too, like playing explosive cornhole with a Bilefrog for Emergence Mags.
| Skin | Character | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Emergence Marcus | Marcus Fenix | Re-up for the first time |
| Wings of Valor Marcus | Marcus Fenix | Reach the highest Re-up level |
| Emergence Mags | Mags Carter | Play explosive cornhole with a Bilefrog |
| Emergence Lucas | Lucas Reyes | Complete Boot Camp |
| Emergence Dom | Dominic Santiago | Save a player from a Locust struggle (also a pre-order bonus) |
| Combat Medic Morida | Shin Morida | Revive players in Versus or Horde Siege |
| Female Heavy Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier | Kills or downs from cover in Versus |
| Male Heavy Gear | Kalona Infantry Soldier | Kills or downs from cover in Versus |
Store character skins: Coin and Iron prices
Store skins can be bought with Coins, which you earn by playing, or with Iron, the premium currency. Featured items at the store carry an Iron discount, but the Coin price stays the same. The lineup splits cleanly into 9,000-Coin and 12,000-Coin tiers.
| Skin | Character | Coins | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonial Marcus | Marcus Fenix | 9,000 | 500 |
| Ceremonial Dom | Dominic Santiago | 9,000 | 500 |
| Ceremonial Lucas | Lucas Reyes | 9,000 | 500 |
| Infantry Armor Mags | Mags Carter | 9,000 | 500 |
| Airbase Daan | Daan Riggs | 9,000 | 500 |
| Repair Bay Gill | Gill Gettner | 12,000 | 700 |
| Armistice Officer Grey | Akila Grey | 12,000 | 700 |
| Bloody Star Trench | Elias Trench | 12,000 | 700 |
| Female Ncog D-Flotilla Marine | Kalona Infantry Soldier | 12,000 | 700 |
| Male Ncog D-Flotilla Marine | Kalona Infantry Soldier | 12,000 | 700 |
Never Fight Alone Morida is sold as a real-money store bundle rather than for Coins, priced at $19.99.
Weapon skins you unlock by playing
Weapon skins lean far more toward the store than character skins do, but a focused set is still free. Backbone is the one to plan for, since it demands kills with three separate weapons.
| Skin | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Backbone | Earn 20 kills with each weapon: the Lancer Mk1, the Proto Lancer, and the Hammerburst. |
| Kalona Eagles | Perform Perfect Active Reloads in Versus or Horde Siege |
| Aurora Borealis | Close E-Holes in Horde Siege |
| Acidic | Down players in Versus |
| Team Faction Bound | Re-up for the second time |
| Team Draconic | Re-up for the fourth time |
| Team Wooden Resin | Inflict critical damage while playing Versus or Horde Siege. |
Weapon skins in the store
The largest group of weapon skins is bought outright. Coin prices range from 5,000 for the cheapest sets up to 12,000 for the Legendary and Epic ones, with matching Iron costs for anyone spending premium currency.
| Skin | Coins | Iron |
|---|---|---|
| Kalona Survivor | 5,000 | 300 |
| Kalona Skyline | 9,000 | 500 |
| Ncog D-Flotilla | 5,000 | 300 |
| Tusk | 5,000 | 300 |
| Clear Coat | 5,000 | 300 |
| Inscribed | 7,000 | 300 |
| E-Hole | 9,000 | 500 |
| High Yield | 9,000 | 500 |
| Ravens Inbound | 9,000 | 500 |
| Serano | 9,000 | 500 |
| Supernova | 9,000 | 500 |
| Team Laser | 9,000 | 500 |
| X-Ray Scan | 9,000 | 500 |
| Impaler’s Visage | 12,000 | 700 |
| Scorched Chosen | 12,000 | 700 |
| Team Machine | 12,000 | 700 |
Three weapon skins are real-money purchases instead of Coin unlocks: Luke Preece ($3.99), Ride the Lightning ($9.99), and Never Fight Alone ($24.99).
Premium Edition and pre-order skins
A final batch is tied to how you bought the game. Pre-ordering any edition grants the Exfil Dom character skin and the Exfil weapon skin set, while the Premium Edition’s Emergence Customization Pack adds the rest. You can secure a pre-order on the Steam store page.
- Pre-order bonus: Exfil Dom character skin and the Exfil weapon skin set.
- Premium Edition: Death’s Rendezvous Marcus character skin, plus the Death’s Rendezvous and Emergence Omen weapon skin sets and Fenix’s Signature.
How to equip skins and confirm an unlock
Head to Versus and open the Barracks. From there you can swap looks for both your COG and Locust characters, and any equipped skin carries over into Horde Siege and Versus. Classes and skins are independent, so you can pair any character appearance with any playstyle.
A skin counts as unlocked once it appears as selectable in that character’s list with no lock icon or progress bar. Challenge-based skins show a running counter, such as 0/4 for class milestones or 0/15 for Colonel Trench extractions, so you can confirm you are on track before the skin flips to equippable.
