Gears of War fans have plenty of reason to be excited as Gears 5 is here. Starring Kait Diaz, Del Walker, JD Fenix and, of course, Marcus Fenix, the latest entry in the franchise continues the story established in Gears of War 4. Set 25-years or so after Gears of War 3, it was revealed that the Locust didn’t die and had instead evolved into the Swarm.
In Gears 5, Kait is seeking answers to her lineage, especially her connection to the Locust. Humanity is facing all-out war with the Swarm and maybe figuring out who Kait is, holds the key to stopping the Swarm once and for all.
Jack is your handy, robot sidekick in Gears 5 and he has quite a few skills and abilities to learn. New skills are found throughout the game while upgrades are unlocked by spending components.
Jack’s Abilities Gears 5
In Gears 5, Jack has 11 abilities spread across assault, support and passive. Each ability has four upgrades; three having to be bought with components and one ‘ultimate’ ability found in the game world.
The abilities are; Flash, Pulse, Health, Shock Trap, Stim, Stealth, Hijack, Cloak, Zapper, Barrier and Core.
Flash
Jack emit a Flash that stuns nearby enemies. Its upgrades are;
- Faster Recharge – Flash Recharges 25% Faster
- Range Boost – Increases Range by 50%
- Concussive – Flash inflicts moderate damage
- Flash Freeze (Ultimate) – Freezes enemies, incapacitating them for longer
Pulse
Jack locates nearby enemies. Its upgrades are;
- Range Boost – Increases range by 50%
- Expanded Targeting Array – Doubles duration of Pulse outlines
- Detect Pickups – Pulse also detects weapons and ammo
- Marked for Death (Ultimate) – Attacks against Pulsed enemies deal 20% more damage
Health
Upgrades to Jack’s health and his ability to heal others. Its upgrades are;
- Repair Boost – Jack regenerates health faster
- Osmium Plating – Increases Jack’s maximum health
- Self-Revive – Jack can revive himself twice as fast
- Revive command – Jack can be sent to revive downed squadmates
Shock Trap
Jack places a trap to electrify nearby enemies. Its upgrades are;
- Improved capacitor – Shock Trap lasts 50% longer
- Multi-trap – Place a second Shock Trap without destroying the first
- Ensnare – Shock Trap slows enemies more
- Seeker (Ultimate) – Shock-Bots chase targets and do double damage
Stim
Jack gives a temporary armour boost. Affects all squadmates within range. Its upgrades are;
- Faster Recharge – Stim Recharges 25% faster
- Duration – Increases Stim duration by 2 seconds
- Revive – Stim can revive downed members of your squad
- Brawler (Ultimate) – Melee damage is tripled while Stimmed
Stealth
Upgrades for Jack’s Stealth capabilities. Its upgrades are;
- Stealth Thrusters – Jack can remain Cloaked while boosting
- Reactive Stealth – Jack re-Cloaks faster after performing actions
- Stealth Shielding – Jack takes less damage while Cloaked
- Stealth Fetch – Jack can remain Cloaked while carrying a weapon
Hijack
Jack temporarily takes control of an enemy. Its upgrades are;
- Duration – Hijack lasts 30% longer
- Stim Target – Stims the enemy while controlled
- Faster Recharge – Hijack recharges faster after use
- Detonator Implant (Ultimate) – Hijacked enemy explodes on death
Cloak
Jack temporarily Cloaks nearby squadmates. Shooting or attacking with melee will end the Cloak. Its upgrades are;
- Agility – Cloaked squadmates move 15% faster
- Extend – Kills while Cloaked extend Cloak’s duration
- Faster Recharge – Cloak recharges 15% faster
- Slayer (Ultimate) – Remain Cloaked for the full duration, even while shooting
Zapper
Improve the effectiveness of Jack’s Zapper. Its upgrades are;
- Improved Capacitor – Jack can fire the Zapper for longer
- Arc Booster – Increases the Zapper’s effective range
- Cascading Energy – Zapper damage increases the longer it hits an enemy
- Beam Splitter – Zapper can hit multiple enemies at once
Barrier
Jack creates a temporary one-way energy shield to protect his squadmates. Its upgrades are;
- Duration – Increases Barrier duration by 50%
- Reflect Bullets – Bullets reflect off of Jack’s Barrier
- Bulwark – Increases the size of Jack’s Barrier
- Deadly Overload (Ultimate) – Jack’s Barrier explodes outwards when it expires
Core
Enhance Jack’s core systems. Its upgrades are;
- Fetch Heavy – Jack can Fetch heavy weapons
- Sharpshooter – Headshot kills recharge Jack’s abilities faster
- Executioner – Executions recharge Jack’s abilities faster
- Savage – Kills recharge Jack’s abilities slightly faster
There you have all of Jack’s upgrades in Gears 5.
Gears 5 is available for PC and Xbox One.
