Gears of War: E-Day Act 3 Hard Cases Guide – All 38 Locations

Act 3 has a large Hard Case route spread across all six chapters, with the biggest concentration appearing in Chapter 3: Last Foothold.

Hard Cases provide Campaign upgrade progress such as weapon mods, armor/tactical upgrades and mod slots. They are tracked separately from the 36 standard Act 3 collectibles, and finding every Hard Case across the Campaign is required for Relax. I'm the Map.

The route below follows the latest cross-checked public Act 3 checklist, which accounts for 38 Hard Cases:

Chapter	Name	Hard Cases
1	Stranded	3
2	Enemy Lines	8
3	Last Foothold	12
4	The Convoy	5
5	Desperate Times	5
6	Desperate Measures	5
Total		38

Use Tac-Com whenever you receive the nearby Hard Case notification. In open map sections, investigate the case marker but remember that some routes only become accessible after the story or a nearby objective opens the way.

Act 3 Chapter 1: Stranded – 3 Hard Cases

The three Stranded cases are positioned around the approach to Fairlight and the substation. They are close enough to the main route that you can collect them in sequence.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Crashed Raven / Vehicle Area	Continue toward Fairlight until you reach the area filled with wrecked helicopters and military vehicles. Sweep the left side around the crashed Raven/vehicle area before heading toward the base.
2	Fairlight Shipping Containers	After vaulting the fence into Fairlight, turn left instead of heading directly through the compound. Search beside the red/orange shipping containers for the case.
3	Substation – Left Side	When you reach the substation, enter the compound and immediately work around the left-hand side. The final Stranded case is tucked into the left portion of the station area.

Check for 3/3 before leaving the substation.

Act 3 Chapter 2: Enemy Lines – 8 Hard Cases

Enemy Lines is linear but full of side platforms and wrong-way branches. Search both sides of the subway sections before following the objective deeper underground.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Beyond the Damaged Gnasher Room	Shortly after the area containing the Damaged Gnasher collectible, continue toward the next red-lit section. Before passing the second red light, search the right-hand side for the case.
2	Abandoned Subway Station – Left Side	At the first abandoned subway station where enemies appear, stay on the left side of the station and search the platform area.
3	Beside the Station Supply Cache	In the same station, face the Supply Cache and look to the right behind the pile of wood/planks. The case is partially hidden behind the obstruction.
4	Eastbound to Terminus Platform	After the Screamer fight, climb across the train cars and head left toward the Eastbound to Terminus Station platform. Search the platform before returning to the story route.
5	Beyond the Train Crossing	Continue through the rail section and cross the next train route. Once you are beyond the crossing, check the right-hand side before following the objective onward.
6	Courthouse / Fallen Statue Route	In the courthouse area around the large hand/statue landmark, search the lower route on the left. One of the cases sits off the direct path around this section.
7	Second Courthouse Case	Continue through the same courthouse area. After the route bends right, sweep the left edge/cliff side rather than walking straight to the next objective.
8	Sewer Supply Cache	After the cinematic showing the huge Locust force, enter the sewer section. The final case is beside the Supply Cache, close to the COG Tags of Private First Class Erick Davis.

If you finish the sewer and do not have 8/8, the subway platforms and two courthouse cases are the first places to recheck.

Act 3 Chapter 3: Last Foothold – 12 Hard Cases

Last Foothold is the main Act 3 cleanup chapter. It opens into a much larger district, so treat it as a full sweep rather than following the objective marker from one story beat to the next.

A practical route is:

theater and skytrain → Monroe Library → hospital/road → police crossroads → library parking/supermarket → hotel district → final hospital rooftop route

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Pool Hall Near Kalona Theater	At the start of the open city section, face the Kalona Theater and work around the subway side toward the nearby Pool Hall. The case is outside the Pool Hall, northeast of Victory Plaza.
2	Skytrain Building Exit	After moving through the damaged building opposite/near the theater, exit back toward the skytrain structure and immediately check left, overlooking the chasm.
3	Beyond the Bus / COG Truck	After regrouping with Tai and moving past the bus, continue to the first street light. Look right near the COG truck / wall for the case before moving deeper into the district.
4	Monroe Library Briefing Area	Enter Monroe Library and complete the briefing section. Before leaving the library route, search the rear-left area near the Supply Cache for the case.
5	South of Monroe Library / Hospital Approach	On the route toward Landa Memorial Hospital, search the building/roof approach south of the library instead of staying on the main road.
6	Landa Station / Hospital Road	Between Monroe Library and Landa Memorial Hospital, investigate Landa Station and the road opposite the nearby Supply Cache. The case is in this transition area.
7	Monroe Library Underground Parking	Return to the library side and locate the underground parking structure beneath/behind the library. Search the rear-left portion of the parking area.
8	Police Crossroads / Skytrain Platform	Around the police-station crossroads, get onto the raised skytrain/walkway section. The case is on the elevated route rather than at street level.
9	Library Supermarket Back Room	Enter the supermarket near Monroe Library and go into the back room. Search the interior fully before returning to the street.
10	Kalona Coast Pharmacy	North of the Kalona Hotel, enter the Kalona Coast Pharmacy through the broken/open window. The case is inside the pharmacy.
11	Under the Friendly Roadblock	Continue through the hotel district and inspect the route beneath the friendly COG roadblock / bridge structure instead of staying on the upper street.
12	Kalona Hotel / Hospital-Side Final Sweep	During the later route around the hotel and hospital, use Tac-Com before leaving the district and search the final hotel/hospital-side elevated route. Confirm 12/12 before committing to the chapter exit.

Last Foothold is where Tac-Com and the district map are most useful. If your count is short, do not immediately replay the entire chapter: first recheck the pharmacy, underground parking, supermarket back room and the elevated skytrain/roof routes.

Act 3 Chapter 4: The Convoy – 5 Hard Cases

The Convoy moves quickly and uses several one-way transitions. Search each combat area before climbing, dropping or using the next traversal point.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Courtyard – Rear Right	After rejoining the convoy and reaching the first larger combat courtyard, clear the enemies and search the rear-right side before continuing.
2	Bridge – Under the Truck	As the convoy moves onto the bridge, check beneath/around the stopped COG truck rather than following the vehicles immediately.
3	Before the Lower-Deck Drop	Before taking the route that drops you to the lower bridge level, search the left side by the barricade for the case.
4	Roadside Crates Before the Rope/Traversal	Continue along the bridge until the next rope/traversal point. Before using it, check the roadside crates for another Hard Case.
5	Bridge Control Room – Left Side	During the objective to lower the barriers, enter the bridge control room and search the left-hand side before interacting with the objective controls or leaving.

Because this chapter has repeated bridge transitions, make a habit of checking the current area with Tac-Com before every drop or climb.

Act 3 Chapter 5: Desperate Times – 5 Hard Cases

These five cases follow the apartment, rooftop and outdoor combat route fairly closely.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Beer / Couch Apartment Room	At the start of the chapter, enter the apartment room containing the couch and the Iron Coast Beer collectible. Search the right-hand side of the room for the case before leaving.
2	First Outdoor Fight – Left Fence	After moving outside and clearing the next combat area, hug the left fence/boundary instead of immediately following the objective.
3	Wretch Room Crawlspace	In the apartment section with Wretches, look for the low crawlspace/opening on the left. Search the space around this route for the case before continuing upward.
4	Reaver Courtyard – Left Fence	After the Reaver encounter, search the left side of the courtyard along the fence before taking the route onward.
5	Torque Bow Section – Before the Bridge	Near the later Torque Bow encounter, stop before crossing the next bridge. Check the right-hand side for the final case.

You should have 5/5 before leaving the Torque Bow/tower section.

Act 3 Chapter 6: Desperate Measures – 5 Hard Cases

The final Act 3 chapter is another fast pursuit, so grab the cases as soon as you enter each new Fort/harbor section.

#	Location	How to Find It
1	Fort – Left Stairs	Once you enter the Fort area, avoid pushing straight through the center. Take the left-hand stairs and search that side for the first case.
2	Upper Steps – Left Walkway	Continue upward through the Fort. At the next set of upper steps, branch onto the left walkway rather than following the central route.
3	Main Entrance – Left Barrier	Around the next entrance/gate area, search behind/along the left-side barrier before continuing the pursuit.
4	Past the Torn Flag – Left Ledge	After passing the area containing the Torn Flag of Tyrus collectible, stay left and inspect the nearby ledge/side route for another case.
5	Gift Shop – Upper Left Balcony	During the harbor/gift-shop section, go upstairs and search the upper-left balcony before leaving. The final Hard Case is on this upper level.

Check your Act 3 total before continuing into the next Act.

Act 3 Hard Case Checklist

Chapter	Expected Total
Stranded	3
Enemy Lines	8
Last Foothold	12
The Convoy	5
Desperate Times	5
Desperate Measures	5
Act 3 Total	38

If your total is short, Last Foothold should be your first cleanup chapter. It contains 12 cases spread across multiple elevations and interiors, making it much easier to miss one than the linear chapters around it.

For the standard lore items, use our Act 3 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.