Gears of War: E-Day Act 2 Hard Cases Guide – All 36 Locations

Act 2 contains 36 Hard Cases, with almost all of the searching concentrated in Chapter 2: Hold the Line.

Hard Cases are different from the standard lore collectibles. Opening them provides Campaign upgrade progress, including weapon mods, armor/tactical upgrades and additional mod slots. Finding every Hard Case across the Campaign is required for Relax. I'm the Map.

When you get close to a Hard Case, the game can alert you on screen and Tac-Com helps reveal nearby cases. In the larger map-based sections, cases can also appear on the district map. A marker does not always mean the case is immediately reachable; some parts of Hold the Line only open after the story advances.

Chapter	Name	Hard Cases
1	Bravo Squad	0
2	Hold the Line	27
3	No Gear Left Behind	6
4	Fly Boys	0
5	Overrun	3
Total		36

Hold the Line is the section to take slowly. Its 27 cases are spread across three stages of the chapter, and several are in upper rooms, alleys, parking structures and areas that only become accessible after the objective changes.

Act 2 Chapter 1: Bravo Squad – 0 Hard Cases

There are no Hard Cases in Bravo Squad.

Play through the bridge section normally and begin your Hard Case sweep once Chapter 2 opens up.

Act 2 Chapter 2: Hold the Line – 27 Hard Cases

Hold the Line is split into three distinct exploration stages. Treat each stage as its own sweep and check the map before moving into the next story transition.

Hold the Line Stage	Hard Cases
Part 1	1
Part 2	18
Part 3	8
Total	27

Hold the Line Part 1 – 1 Hard Case

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Burnt Bus Junction	While exploring around the Trapped Family area, leave the car park by the route the enemies used and turn onto the main road. At the nearby junction, take the right-hand dead-end branch and go behind the burnt-out bus. The Hard Case is tucked behind it with an enemy nearby.

There is only one case in this first stage, so make sure you have it before the chapter moves into the larger district.

Hold the Line Part 2 – 18 Hard Cases

Part 2 is the biggest Hard Case sweep in Act 2. You have access to a broad district with multiple buildings and streets, and some cases that appear on the map cannot be reached until the related route or objective opens.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Construction Site – Upper Floor	Go to the construction site near the beginning of Part 2. The standard collectible is on the ground floor, but the Hard Case is one level above. Use the site stairs/scaffolding and search the upper floor.
2	Major Burger Car Park – Top Floor	From the opening area, locate the multi-level car park beside the Major Burger. Climb to the top level and search the open parking area for the case.
3	Canal Path Below the Bridge	Near the bridge, do not cross immediately. Turn left and take the stairs down toward the water/canal path. Follow the lower route to its end to find the case.
4	Yard South of Amberstone	Head toward the southern side of the Amberstone Storage Facility and enter the open yard below it on the map. Sweep the yard rather than staying on the street; the case is inside this lower area.
5	Southern District Alley	Continue through the lower/southern portion of the district and check the dead-end alleys. One of the Hard Case markers leads into an alley near the bottom of the map.
6	COG Roadblock Window Room	Face the COG roadblock and take the alley on the right. Use the climbable ladders to reach the next level, break/shoot the window and climb into the room. The Hard Case is inside.
7	Kalona Times – Upper Floor	Find the Kalona Times building and go upstairs. Search the upper floor rather than remaining at street level.
8	Newspaper Kiosk	From the Kalona Times area, look across the street for the small kiosk/newsstand. The Hard Case is out on the street beside it and is much easier to spot once you know to look away from the building.
9	Crashed Truck Ambush	Around the bank/river side of the district, investigate the crashed truck instead of passing it. Expect enemies around the wreck; clear them and search the crash site for the case.
10	Eastern Construction Route	Go to the far/eastern side of the construction area, climb the steps and reach the main road. Once on the road, look left for the Hard Case.
11	Pharmacy Across the Road	From the previous case, cross the main road and move to the right-hand side near the pharmacy. The next case is outside/along the pharmacy frontage.
12	Upper Room Opposite Construction Site	Across from the construction site, find the building with a shipping container that can be used as a step. Climb the container, enter the upper room and open the case inside.
13	Muster Point Loading-Dock Alley	Near the objective to investigate the muster point, search the nearby loading-dock area. Take the side alley rather than entering the objective building immediately.
14	Muster Point Building – Right Side	At the muster-point building itself, search the right-hand side behind the pillars before progressing the objective.
15	Amberstone Storage Facility	The story eventually sends you into Amberstone. Follow the required route inside, but watch the Hard Case marker and search along the path to the objective before moving deeper into the facility.
16	Riverside Underground Car Park	Return toward the river and enter the underground parking structure on the opposite side from the earlier riverside collectible route. Search the lower car-park section for the case.
17	Bank of Tyrus Vault	When the story finally opens the Bank of Tyrus vault, enter it and look right. The lore collectible is on the other side, while the Hard Case is on the right. Grab both before leaving the vault.
18	Charlie Squad Camp	When the objective changes to Link up with Charlie Squad and the previously closed route opens, enter the camp and check the right-hand side. The Hard Case is sitting on a table.

Part 2 has several story-gated cases. If you can see a marker but cannot reach it, keep progressing the current objective and return once the district route changes rather than assuming the case is bugged.

Before moving into the next stage, make sure you have 18/18 for Part 2.

Hold the Line Part 3 – 8 Hard Cases

The final stage shifts toward Monroe Library, the hotel and the Whiskey Squad search area. Finish the open-area cases before entering the hotel and pushing toward the end of the chapter.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Military Camp Shipping Container	As you walk through the military camp at the start of the stage, check the open shipping containers instead of following the squad straight through. The case is inside one of them.
2	Park Opposite Monroe Library	Face the large Monroe Library building and look for the park across from it. Enter through the gate and go to the back-left corner of the park.
3	Kalona Hotel Entrance	At the front entrance to the Kalona Hotel, check the right-hand side before going inside or continuing around the building.
4	Balcony Opposite the Hotel	Across from the hotel is a building with a pale-green upper balcony. Use the rope to reach the next floor; the Hard Case is immediately to your left after climbing up.
5	Whiskey Squad Search-Zone Alley	Use the central steps that lead into the Whiskey Squad search area. Cross over, descend, then turn right into the side alley. Follow it to the case and open the nearby shortcut gate while you are there.
6	Behind the Police Car	Return to the street from the previous alley and continue forward through the search zone. Look behind the police car for the next case.
7	Fountain Courtyard	When you reach the courtyard with the bloodied fountain, turn left and search the side of the courtyard before crossing to the objective.
8	After Leaving Kalona Hotel	After the story takes you through the hotel and you drop back to street level, stop before heading into the park/end-of-chapter route. Look right, beside the car, for the final Hold the Line Hard Case.

That last case is especially easy to miss because it appears immediately after a major story section and the objective points you toward the chapter exit.

Act 2 Chapter 3: No Gear Left Behind – 6 Hard Cases

This chapter is far more linear. The six cases follow the tunnel, golden-statue plaza and courthouse route, so the main risk is walking past one during combat.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Crashed-Vehicle Tunnel	Near the beginning of the chapter, enter the tunnel filled with wrecked vehicles. Move forward and watch the central barricade; the Hard Case sits near the middle of the tunnel.
2	Tunnel Exit Incline	After the section with the two COG Tag collectibles, leave the tunnel and head up the incline. Check the right-hand side while climbing.
3	Golden Gear Statue Plaza – Right Side	Reach the plaza with the giant golden Gear statue and clear the Locust. Face the statue and move to the right-hand corner of the plaza.
4	Statue Plaza Scaffolding	From the center of the same plaza, take the stairs up the scaffolding on the right. Follow the elevated route to the shipping container containing the case.
5	Below the Scaffolding Route	From the previous case, return toward the middle of the scaffolding and drop down toward the main objective. Continue forward and check the right side for another case.
6	Building After the Seeder Fight	After the Seeder encounter, follow Captain Grey through the building. About halfway through the interior route, stop and look left for the final case before leaving the building.

Check for 6/6 before leaving the Captain Grey section.

Act 2 Chapter 4: Fly Boys – 0 Hard Cases

There are no Hard Cases in Fly Boys.

You can focus entirely on the story and combat until Chapter 5 begins.

Act 2 Chapter 5: Overrun – 3 Hard Cases

All three cases are close to the main route, but the first two appear during fast-moving combat transitions.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Warehouse Breach	After the warehouse fight, an explosion opens a hole in the wall opposite the way you entered. Before climbing through the new opening, look to the right of the hole for the Hard Case.
2	Red-Glow Crater	After the next outdoor fight, the route takes you down into the crater filled with red light. As you reach the bottom and enter the crater, the case is directly along the route.
3	Final Hangar Supply Cache	Back in the hangar where the group is preparing for the attack, locate the Supply Cache. The final Hard Case is immediately nearby, so open it before advancing the chapter.

After the third case, your Act 2 total should be 36/36.

Act 2 Hard Case Checklist

Chapter	Expected Total
Bravo Squad	0
Hold the Line	27
No Gear Left Behind	6
Fly Boys	0
Overrun	3
Act 2 Total	36

If your Act 2 count is short, start with Hold the Line Part 2. It contains 18 cases by itself, including several upper-floor and story-gated locations that are easy to overlook.

For standard lore pickups, use our Act 2 Collectibles Guide. For all Campaign completion categories, see the E-Day Collectibles, Hard Cases, Supply Caches & Side Objectives guide, or return to the Gears of War: E-Day guide hub.