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Much like other military-focused shooter games, theGears of Warseries primarily features protagonists that are a part of elite squads for a form of government such as the Coalition of Ordered Governments. The COG, having been fighting in two multi-decade wars by the time of modernGears of Wartitles centered around the Swarm, had a complex military hierarchy and structure, such as squads usually consisting of four soldiers and a name based on the Greek alphabet or other military terminology. Throughout theGearsgames, players have embodied or encountered several of these squads, such as Alpha Squad, Zeta Squad, and Kilo Squad, but the most famous COG squad in the wholeGearsfranchise is Delta Squad.
In every mainlineGears of Wargame, players take control of various members of Delta Squad, with COG leadership often reassigning COG troops from other squads to Delta based on extenuating circumstances or the death of a Delta Squad member. While Delta’s history before the Lightmass Offensive is currently unknown, its members would go on to play critical roles in several key battles throughout the Locust and Swarm Wars, often saving thousands of lives. With many gamers expected to meet Delta Squad for the first time inthe new remaster,Gears of War: Reloaded, here’s an in-depth ranking of every Delta Squad member based on their skill, story, and career as a part of Delta.
This tier list does not include Delta Squad members who are only depicted as being part of the squad inGears of Warbooks, including Alexandra Brand, Bernadette Mataki, Federic Rojas, Gil Gonzalez, and Michael Barrick.
The best members of Delta Squad are those who have served in the squad for the longest and are the primary protagonists inGears of War.Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiagoin particular are often regarded as some of the most decorated heroes of the Locust War, being the prominent co-op characters in the originalGears of Wartrilogy. While Santiago heroically sacrificed himself to save the rest of Delta inGears of War 3, Fenix would go on to help lead the fight against the Swarm decades after the fall of the Locust inGears of War 4andGears 5.
Fenix and Santiago weren’t the only prominent members of Delta Squad inthe originalGears of Wartrilogy. For example, while Anya Stroud served as Delta’s Coalition High Command controller for most of the Locust War, she did go on to serve alongside Delta on the front lines during the Lambent Pandemic. The two most prominent members of Delta Squad besides Fenix and Santiago were the comedic engineer Damon Baird and famed Thrashball player Augustus Cole. Baird and Cole supported Fenix and Santiago in some of the most dangerous operations in the Locust War, such asthe Lightmass Offensive and Hollow Storm, as well as directly supporting Delta in the activation of the Imulsion Countermeasure.
Several other highly skilled COG soldiers were often transferred to Delta Squad throughout the Locust War but only served in the squad for a brief time before moving on to other duties and goals or being sadly killed. This was the case with Delta Squad’s earliest known member and former leader, Minh Young Kim. Often considered to be one of the most honorable and dutiful COG troops, Kim led Delta in the early sections ofGears of War 1before heroically dying attempting to eliminateLocust General RAAM. Tai Kaliso was a close friend of Fenix and Santiago before he joined Delta for Hollow Storm. Despite being considered invincible, Kaliso was tortured and driven to suicide after he held off Locust High General Skorge at Landown.
Other notable temporary members of Delta Squad includethe grub killer Clayton Carmine, the skilled pilot Samantha Byrne, and the comedic mechanic Dizzy Wallin. Clayton Carmine was the third of his brothers to serve in Delta Squad and strove to avenge his brothers’ deaths by becoming one of the deadliest COG soldiers at the end of the war, even attacking Queen Myrrah’s Tempest from a King Raven.
Byrne often worked alongside Carmine during her time in Delta and was a supportive member of the squad, often helping Santiago with his grief and going on to form a romantic relationship with Baird. Wallin was a living morale boost for Delta, often cheering his squadmates up with his wacky sayings like “I got your back like a butt-crack.”
Over the course ofthe Locust and Swarm Wars, many young recruits were assigned to Delta Squad, with many tragically dying shortly after their first battle or having to still gain a seasoned understanding of how to survive in prolonged, dangerous conflicts. Two Delta members who died shortly after joining the Squad during the Locust War were the green rookies Anthony and Benjamin Carmine. While the two Carmine brothers were optimistic (if skittish) soldiers, their inexperience and hasty deployment ultimately led to their deaths. Anthony died early on inGears of War 1from a Locust sniper shot after asking for help with his jammed Lancer, while Benjamin died after being swallowed by agiant Riftworm inGears of War 2.
Following the end of the Locust War in the originalGears of Wartrilogy, many of Delta Squad’s surviving members retired or went to serve in other areas of the surviving COG military. This was until the Locust reemerged as the Swarm and began kidnapping and slaughtering humans once more, 25 years after the Imulsion Countermeasure. In this new conflict, Delta Squad would be reformed by new recruits with Fenix, Cole, and Baird supporting the new Delta in various operations. This new Delta Squad was made up of young soldiers who had largely never fought in war until the Swarm emerged, such asDelmont Walker, Fahz Chutani, James Fenix, and Kait Diaz. Due to this inexperience, many new Delta members acted rashly and unprofessional.
