The Breach
The tunnels that unleashed the nightmare upon humanity.
Emergence Holes, often mistaken for dimensional rifts, are the subterranean tunnels used by the Locust Horde to surface during Emergence Day. Dug by the Locust using their own labor and tools, these tunnels connected the hollows beneath Sera to the surface, allowing the Locust to launch their assault. Over time, prolonged Imulsion infection caused some Locust to mutate into the Lambent, while the Swarm later emerged from the remains of both Locust and Lambent after Imulsion was neutralized.
- Primary Fuel Source
- None (dug by Locust labor and tools)
Lore & Background
As the war progressed, military strategists realized that closing the Emergence Holes was essential for survival. Project Pendulum, a political conflict over Imulsion rights, was not a plan to collapse holes. In later conflicts, the Swarm emerged from the biological remains of Locust and Lambent after the Imulsion Countermeasure, not from dimensional rifts. The connection between the surface and the hollows remains a volatile wound that never fully heals.
In Their Own Story
The air tasted of copper and burnt ozone. Sergeant Cole stood on the ridge, watching the purple light pulse from the fissure below. It wasn't fire; it was something older, something hungry. The ground vibrated with every heartbeat of the rift, a rhythmic thrum that rattled his teeth in his helmet. He knew the Lambent would come next, drawn to the energy like moths to a flame. There was no time for prayers, only the weight of the Lancer and the desperate hope that the charge would hold before the sky tore open again.
Reader's Guide
The Breach is not just a location but the central environmental hazard driving the conflict on Sera. It serves as the gateway for enemy forces to enter human territory without warning. In gameplay terms, areas near Breaches are often high-danger zones filled with radiation and ambush points. Narratively, controlling these rifts determines the outcome of battles, as seen in efforts to seal them off or weaponize their energy. Understanding the Breach is key to understanding the war itself. It explains why the Locust could hide for centuries and how the Lambent corruption spreads. For players, it represents the unknown danger lurking beneath every mission.
Did You Know?
- Prolonged Imulsion infection, not proximity to rifts, caused mutation into Lambent creatures.
- Project Pendulum was a political conflict over Imulsion rights, not a plan to collapse dimensional holes.
- Multiple factions have attempted to weaponize Imulsion energy, but Emergence Holes themselves do not emit it.
- Emergence Day marks the first major Locust attacks via Emergence Holes, not the opening of dimensional rifts.
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Elsewhere in the Gears of War universe
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