Dominic Santiago

A young soldier forging a bond of brotherhood in the chaos of Emergence Day.

Dominic Santiago is a young, inexperienced COG soldier thrust into combat during Emergence Day, fourteen years before the events of the original Gears of War. In Gears of War: E-Day, he is depicted as vulnerable and struggling to adapt to civilian life following the end of the Pendulum Wars, his friendship with Marcus Fenix strained by the recent death of his older brother, Carlos Santiago. Alongside former Gear Mags Carter and communications officer Lucas Reyes, Dom forms Bravo Squad to survive the devastating Locust Horde invasion of the city of Kalona. This narrative explores the origins of his legendary brotherhood with Marcus as they face humanity's first encounter with the enemy amid collapsing civilization.

Quick Facts

Role: Squad Member; Bravo Squad
First appears: Gears of War: E-Day

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.

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.
Gears of War: E-Day features a new twelve-player cooperative mode called Horde Siege where multiple squads operate simultaneously.