To wall bounce in Gears of War: E-Day, launch into cover with the cover button and cancel the move only once you are within 1.5 meters of the cover object, then push off in a new direction. The Coalition deliberately limited the old trick, so a cancel from farther out will not trigger and chained bounces are slower and easier to read than in past Gears games.
Below we cover what changed, the step-by-step technique, control schemes and settings per platform, and the alternatives. This guide covers the launch version of Gears of War: E-Day on Xbox Series X|S and PC, verified against The Coalition’s official gameplay and settings posts, with details from the August open beta attributed where noted.
What Wall Bouncing Is and Why It Changed
Throughout the Gears series, sliding into cover has been one of the fastest ways to move. Wall bouncing exploits that: you start the cover slide, cancel it just before contact and redirect, so you keep the speed without ever sticking to the wall. Chained together, those cancels became “hyper-bouncing,” the zigzag Gnasher dance that became a staple of high-level Versus.
E-Day keeps the idea but reins it in. Creative director Matt Searcy told IGN, “We have forms of wall canceling in there, but you won’t be able to do [wall bouncing] the way you’ve done it in the past,” adding that “it’s not entirely gone.” Beta impressions from outlets such as Third Coast Review described it the same way: still there, but toned down.
The New Rules for Cover Cancels
The Coalition’s gameplay updates post spells out four changes:
- Commitment. A cover entry can only be canceled within 1.5 meters of the cover object. In older games you could cancel at any point in the slide. The result, in The Coalition’s words: “No more hyper-bouncing.”
- Momentum. Every action carries its motion forward. During a cover cancel you can slow down very quickly, but fully changing direction takes a moment, which leaves you open to a well-timed counter.
- Speed. Entering cover is still one of the fastest actions in the game, but sprinting, evading and sliding are now reasonable ways to stay at speed too.
- Fidelity. Movement is more readable, so opponents can see where you are heading and how far you will slide.
How to Wall Bounce, Step by Step
- Pick a cover object with space around it. E-Day adds more cover shapes than past games, including low-ground cover and gaps you can slide through.
- Build speed. Sprint toward the cover. Per The Coalition, each sprint opens with a nod to the old roadie run, keeping you low for quick cover-to-cover moves.
- Press the cover button to launch into the cover slide. Per The Coalition’s settings guide, pressing it near cover puts you into that cover.
- Wait for the window. Only cancel once you are inside the last 1.5 meters. Under The Coalition’s commitment rule, a cancel before that point does not take effect and the slide continues toward cover.
- Cancel and redirect. Push off in the direction you want. Expect a short delay before a full reversal, so angle away rather than turning straight back.
- Chain deliberately. The Coalition says chained cancels must be “paced a little slower,” so treat each bounce as a single repositioning move rather than a rhythm.
The Coalition has not published a button-by-button chart for the cancel on each control scheme. Boot Camp, the short training course, and Combat Training, a practice map with optional Locust encounters that supports four-player co-op, are the official places to learn the new movement before you take it into Versus.
Controls and Settings by Platform
All of these are in Settings > Controls per The Coalition’s official accessibility and settings guide:
- Control Scheme: Default, Modern (closer to other modern shooters), Modern Alt (moves Slide to B), Legacy (most like classic Gears) and Legacy Alt (moves some A button actions to other buttons). Some beta players reported using Legacy to get the old feel back.
- Toggle Sprint: makes sprint stay on until pressed again. It does not apply to the Legacy and Legacy Alt schemes.
- Slide to Cover: when on, sliding toward cover drops you into it automatically. When off, you enter cover manually during a slide, which gives you more control over when a slide becomes a cover entry.
- Controller Remap: swap any gameplay buttons if a preset puts cover somewhere awkward.
Xbox Series X|S and PC with an Xbox controller: one beta impressions piece reported that cover sits on A in the default layout, as in classic Gears. Our guide to connecting an Xbox controller to PC covers setup.
PC with a DualSense: Steam lists DualSense support, and the equivalent face button to A is Cross. See our guide to pairing a PS5 controller for PC.
Keyboard and mouse: rebind cover under Keyboard Bindings. A separate Sprint Style option chooses Modern (press forward and tap sprint) or Legacy (hold sprint). Our Steam and PC guide covers the rest of the PC setup.
When to Bounce and What to Use Instead
Bouncing matters most in Versus, where equal loadouts make movement the difference, especially around Gnasher fights. Our multiplayer and Horde guide covers every mode and map.
The Coalition built alternatives into E-Day’s movement:
- Slide. Triggered from a sprint, it gets you under gaps and vehicles and into cover from a distance, and you can shoot during it. You cannot spam it, so timing matters.
- Jump and mantle. New to the series. You can mantle without entering cover first, and Searcy told IGN jumping is meant for reaching flanking routes, not platforming.
- Evade. The Coalition names it alongside sprinting and sliding as a real option for staying at speed.
In Campaign and Horde Siege, the same technique helps you reposition between cover under fire. Our co-op guide covers squad play. For the launch timeline, see our gone gold story, and find every guide on our Gears of War: E-Day hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still wall bounce in Gears of War: E-Day? Yes, in a limited form. The Coalition says cover entries can only be canceled within 1.5 meters of cover, which ends the old hyper-bouncing.
Why can’t I wall bounce the old way? The Coalition added a commitment rule and momentum to movement so players are easier to read and counter. A cancel attempted farther out does not take effect.
Which control scheme is best for wall bouncing? Legacy is The Coalition’s preset most like classic Gears controls, so it suits returning players’ muscle memory. Newer players may prefer Default or Modern.
What is the fastest way to move in Gears of War: E-Day? Per The Coalition, entering cover is still one of the fastest actions, but sprinting, evading and sliding are now reasonable alternatives.
Does the Slide to Cover setting affect bouncing? It decides whether a slide toward cover becomes a cover entry automatically. Turning it off lets you choose when to enter cover mid-slide.