Summary
Throughout theGears of Warseries, players were introduced to a wide variety of hostile factions and their legions of soldiers. Each of these factions were broken down by complex hierarchies of combatants, from skilled warriors to tamed or unwilling creatures of Sera and its hive-like Hollows. These ranks helped distinguish each faction and ensured that violent encounters would be varied, complex, and memorable for players. With the return of the classic Locust Horde in the upcomingGears of War: E-Day, the iconic Drones, Boomers, Wretches, and Corpsers are expected to torment fans once more. However, there’s one Locust rank that may be forced to stay on the sidelines forGears of War:E-Day’s next-gen debut: the Theron Guards.
The Locust’s Theron Guards Explained
First introduced in the sixth chapter of Act 3 inGears of War 1’s campaigncalled Tip of the Iceberg, the Theron Guards are the Locust’s elite soldiers and the highest standard rank a common Drone can achieve. The Therons are structured similarly to the COG’s Onyx Guards or the Elite Zealots in Halo as being some of the most rarely seen but hyper-lethal soldiers encountered on the battlefield. Unlike ordinary Drones, Therons are equipped with thick, ceremonial armor that immediately alerts both their fellow Locust soldiers and the COG of the power and lethality they possess. While this armor is intimidating, it provides little defense against bullets and virtually no defense against lancer chainsaw bayonets.
Given their superior ranks, Therons are equipped with a more varied set of weapons that are typically more powerful than the common hammerburst rifle most Drones use in the Horde. Therons can still be found wielding the hammerburst, but they are more commonly seen utilizing the explosive torque bow, butcher cleaver, and even the COG’s very own lancers. Therons are often assigned to defend critical, strategic locations such as the Nexus or will be sent out to acquire or destroy COG machines and personnel. They’ll also be found accompanying high-ranking Locust military and political figures such asGeneral RAAM and Queen Myrrahas seen inGears of War 3.
In aGears of War 2deleted scene, Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago disguise themselves as Theron Guards to infiltrate the Nexus following Maria Santiago’s death.
The Potential Lack of Theron Guards in E-Day
Since Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago first encountered the Theron Guards 14 years after E-Day inGears of War 1, The Coalition may be pigeonholed to keep the elite Locust out ofE-Day. While Fenix and Santiago didn’t encounter Therons till the Lightmass Offensive, the Therons have existed among the Locusts since before their invasion on Sera’s surface, as seen in multipleGears of Warcomics and books. Other COG soldiers would encounter the Therons a few weeks after E-Day, such asDamon Baird and Augustus Cole inGears of War: Judgment.
The Coalition could retcon this encounter to have Fenix and Santiago encounter Therons on E-Day, but this might anger fans of the classicGears of Wartrilogy, despite Therons being a relatively minor part of the game’s story. Instead, The Coalition could have the duo listen to a radio broadcast of other COG squads encountering unknown armored squads, hinting at the Therons without directly mentioning them by name. Therons may additionally be sidelined inE-Daydue to a new emphasis on horror from even the meager Locust Drones, asThe Coalition may want to make Drones horrifyingwithout having to bring out the elite Therons.
Theron Guards in E-Day’s Multiplayer
Theron Guards may not appear inE-Day’s campaign, but they could still appear in the game’s multiplayer. Theron Locusts have already appeared in the multiplayer of Gears games when they don’t appear in the campaign such asGears 5. The Coalition could have players reach a high rank or earn a high number of kills while playing as a Locust to unlockthe Theron Guard in multiplayer. This could make fans of the Theron Guards inGears of War: E-Daypleased while intriguing new players to the series to try and find out what this mysterious rank of Locust is by playing the rest of theGears of Wargames.
Gears of War: E-Day
WHERE TO PLAY
The Story of E-DayFourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. New FoundationsBuilt from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.
