Dominic Santiago

Lore & Background

Set on the planet Sera shortly after the Pendulum Wars, the story follows Dominic Santiago and Marcus Fenix as they are forced back into combat when the Locust Horde erupts from beneath the earth. The invasion begins on Emergence Day, plunging Kalona into chaos and forcing civilians and soldiers alike to fight for survival. Dom joins forces with Mags Carter, an Imulsion Refinery employee, and Lucas Reyes, a communications officer with no frontline experience, to form Bravo Squad. As the city falls, the squad rescues survivors and organizes resistance efforts against waves of Locust Drones, Boomers, Wretches, Corpsers, and Reavers emerging from holes in the ground. The narrative chronicles the opening hours of the Locust War, depicting the fall of Kalona and the early development of the chainsaw-equipped Lancer assault rifle as humanity struggles against an unstoppable apocalypse.

In Their Own Story

Following the death of his brother Carlos Santiago, Dom finds his life upended when Emergence Day strikes. He and Marcus are no longer soldiers in a long war but desperate civilians facing a sudden invasion. Forced to fight alongside Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes, they navigate the destruction of Kalona, encountering veteran warrior Tai Kaliso and Raven pilot Gil Gettner along the way. The squad operates as a unit where every member is playable from the start, emphasizing the theme "Never Fight Alone." Through dynamic combat sequences and open districts, they battle Locust forces using returning weapons like the Lancer and Longshot, alongside new additions such as the Gutpuncher grenade launcher and Incinerator shotgun. The story captures an intimate moment in time, focusing on the emotional tone of loss, loyalty, sacrifice, and the brutal formation of a brotherhood that would define the series' future.

Reader's Guide

In Gears of War: E-Day, players control Marcus Fenix but can utilize all four members of Bravo Squad, including Dominic Santiago, from the beginning of the campaign. The gameplay features a redesigned movement system allowing sprint sliding, jumping, climbing, and low-ground cover traversal to enhance verticality. Combat requires tactical use of destructible environments and Emergence Holes, which players can destroy with explosives to alter the battlefield. The Active Reload system returns with shell-by-shell reloading mechanics, permitting players to fire before a magazine is fully replenished. For cooperative play, the campaign supports four-player online co-op or two-player split-screen on consoles. In multiplayer, Dom's squadmates are part of 4v4 competitive matches and the new twelve-player Horde Siege mode, where players can select from Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic classes to defend locations against large-scale Locust attacks.

Did You Know?

• Dominic Santiago is voiced by Carlos Ferro in Gears of War: E-Day.
• The game takes place fourteen years before the original Gears of War, during Emergence Day.
• Dom's brother, Carlos Santiago, was killed shortly before the end of the Pendulum Wars, straining his relationship with Marcus.
• Gears of War: E-Day features a new twelve-player cooperative mode called Horde Siege where multiple squads operate simultaneously.
• The Chainsaw Lancer is depicted in an origin-story role during E-Day, showing its earliest development.