Weapon mods in Gears of War: E-Day unlock as you level a Horde Siege class, then cost Weapon Parts to buy before you can equip them. You earn Weapon Parts from class levels and, much faster, from Horde Siege missions, but only if at least one member of your squad extracts. Mods work in Horde Siege and the Campaign, never in Versus, and once bought they are shared across all four classes.
This guide is verified against The Coalition’s multiplayer deep dive and gameplay updates post for Gears of War: E-Day, as of September 30, 2026. The Coalition has not published a full list of mods, so specific mods beyond the ones it named are attributed below and will be confirmed after launch.
What Weapon Mods Are
E-Day is the first mainline Gears game with weapon modding. In The Coalition’s words, “some mods are subtle, gently nudging the weapon in a tactical direction, while other mods can change its functionality.” The one example it gave: you can fit a bayonet to your Gnasher.
Mods are one of three upgrade types on each class track:
- Weapon Mods: change how a specific gun handles or functions.
- Armor Mods: upgrade your soldier, with examples such as more health, bigger ammo reserves, faster weapon swaps, or Perfect Active Reload ammo from executions.
- Tactical Gear Mods: improve your class’s Tactical Gear with shorter cooldowns, more range or extra effects.
The Coalition says finding the connections between the three is “key to your success at higher difficulty levels.”
Where Mods Work (and Where They Do Not)
| Mode | Weapon mods? |
|---|---|
| Horde Siege | Yes, from your class loadout and Supply Caches |
| Campaign | Yes, The Coalition confirms a Weapon Mod system there too |
| Versus | No. Every player starts with the same loadout |
Versus is deliberately mod-free so “every weapon and player starts on the same playing field,” per The Coalition. In Horde Siege, Supply Drops (a type of free COG Resupply on the map) can also contain already-modded weapons any player can grab. The Coalition has not detailed how Campaign mods unlock. The Campaign does have Supply Caches (the Quartermaster achievement asks you to unlock every item in them), so our guess is that upgrades run through those, but we will confirm at launch.
How to Unlock and Buy Weapon Mods
- Pick a Horde Siege class and play missions to earn Class XP.
- Level the class. Each of the four classes has 30 levels at launch, and Weapon Mods appear on the level track as you climb.
- Collect Weapon Parts. Some come from leveling. Most come from missions: secondary objectives and Weapon Part Stockpiles (a COG Resupply type that rewards squads who coordinate with other squads) both pay out parts.
- Extract. Parts earned in a mission are only kept if at least one squad member boards the Raven. Fail the mission and they are gone.
- Buy the mod with Weapon Parts and equip it to your loadout weapon.
Because customization is shared across classes, a mod bought for your Prototype Lancer on Assault is also on that Lancer when you play Medic. Unlocking every Weapon Mod earns the This Is My Rifle achievement; our achievement list has the rest.
How to Earn Weapon Parts Faster
- Always extract. Remember that only one of you needs to make it onto the Raven. If the squad is collapsing, the most careful survivor should head for the landing zone.
- Take secondary objectives early. They pay Weapon Parts, free equipment and Squad Perks, and Poisons make your Locust tougher after each main-objective boss wave, so side jobs are cheapest before that.
- Coordinate on Stockpiles. Weapon Part Stockpiles pay only when squads work together, and Resupplies attract Locust, so bring everyone.
- Play higher difficulties when your class can handle it. The Coalition says harder missions pay better rewards. Infantry is recommended from class level 10, Commander from 20, Allfather at max level.
Our Horde Siege class guide covers which class survives best while you farm.
Which Mods to Look For
The Coalition has named only the Gnasher bayonet. Community write-ups from the August open beta describe mods sorted by slot, including fire-mode changes such as slug rounds for the Gnasher and perfect-reload upgrades, but those come from unofficial wikis and the beta’s content may differ from launch, so we are not listing names or stats yet.
What we can say from official information is where mods matter most. The Gnasher and Breechshot now reload round by round with active reload, the Hammerburst’s perfect active reload raises its rate of fire, and recoil on some automatics rewards short bursts. Mods that lean into those systems are the ones to test first in Combat Training, the practice map that lets you try weapons against short Locust encounters. Our multiplayer and Horde guide and Gears of War: E-Day hub cover everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get weapon mods in Gears of War E-Day? Unlock them by leveling a Horde Siege class, then buy them with Weapon Parts earned by leveling and by extracting from Horde Siege missions.
Do weapon mods work in Versus? No. Versus has no weapon mods; every player starts with the same loadout.
Are weapon mods shared between classes? Yes. Mods and cosmetics on a weapon carry over to every Horde Siege class that equips it.
What happens to Weapon Parts if my squad fails? You lose the parts collected during that mission. At least one squad member must extract to keep them.
Can you put a bayonet on the Gnasher? Yes. The Coalition confirmed a Gnasher bayonet mod.