Gears 5: Jack Abilities and Upgrades Guide

In Gears 5, your robot companion Jack has lots of abilities to help you on your journey. Here are all of his abilities and their upgrades.

Gears 5 focuses on Kait Diaz and her journey to uncover her origins and those of the Locust Horde, but that doesn’t mean she’s alone in her quest. One way she’ll get help along the way is through her trusty robot companion, Jack.

Jack accompanies Kait throughout the game and gives players access to a unique set of abilities to help make their way through their mission, divided into Assault, Support, and Passive trees. Some abilities are available from the very beginning, while others can only be unlocked as you play. Either way, they all feature four upgrades that you can purchase with components you find out in the world. Components are scarce, but you can respec Jack’s abilities at any time with no penalty. For Assault and Support abilities, the final upgrade is considered an Ultimate upgrade, and can only be activated once you purchase the other upgrades for that ability.

Here are all of the abilities in the game and their upgrades.

Gears 5 Jack Assault Abilities

Flash – Jack stuns nearby enemies using a bright flash.

Obtained in Act 1, Chapter 2

Upgrades

• Faster Recharge – Flash recharges 25% faster.
• Range Boost – Flash’s range increases by 50%
• Concussive – Flash deals damage to nearby enemies.
• Flash Freeze (Ultimate) – Flash freezes nearby enemies.

Shock Trap – Jack lays a trap that electrifies enemies who trigger it.

Obtained in Act 2, Chapter 1

Upgrades

• Improved Capacitor – Shock Trap lasts 50% longer.
• Multi-trap – Jack can lay a second trap.
• Ensnare – Shock Trap further slow enemies caught in its effect.
• Seeker (Ultimate) – Shock Trap spawns Shock Bots that chase enemies and deal double damage.

Hijack – Jack temporarily takes control of an enemy.

Obtained in Act 3, Chapter 1

Upgrades

• Duration – Hijack lasts 30% longer.
• Stim Target – Hijack uses Stim on affected enemies.
• Faster Recharge – Hijack recharges faster.
• Detonator Implant (Ultimate) – Hijacked enemies explode when killed, damaging nearby enemies.

Gears 5 Jack Support Abilities

Pulse – Jack reveals nearby enemies in range, outlining them for a short time.

Starting ability

Upgrades

• Range Boost – Pulse’s range increases 50%.
• Expanded Targeting Array – Pulse outlines lasts twice as long.
• Detect Pickups – Pulse will outline weapons and ammo as well as enemies.
• Marked for Death (Ultimate) – Enemies revealed by Pulse take 20% more damage.

Stim – Jack increases the armor of nearby allies.

Obtained in Act 1, Chapter 4

Upgrades

• Fast Recharge – Stim recharges 25% faster.
• Duration – Stim lasts 2 seconds longer.
• Revive – Stim revives downed allies.
• Brawler (Ultimate) – Allies affected by Stim do triple melee damage.

Cloak – Jack temporarily turns allies invisible. The effect ends early if a cloaked ally attacks.

Obtained in Act 2, Chapter 3

Upgrades

• Agility – Allies affected by Cloak move 15% faster.
• Extend – Killing enemies while cloaked extends the effect’s duration.
• Faster Recharge – Cloak recharges 15% faster.
• Slayer (Ultimate) – Attacking while cloaked does not end the effect.

Barrier – Jack deploys a shield to protect allies.

Obtained in Act 3, Chapter 3

Upgrades

• Duration – Barrier lasts 50% longer.
• Reflect Bullets – Enemy bullets reflect off the Barrier toward attackers.
• Bulwark – Barrier increases in size.
• Deadly Overload (Ultimate) – Barrier explodes when it expires, damaging nearby enemies.

Gears 5 Jack Passive Abilities

Core – Improves Jack’s core systems.

Starting ability

Upgrades

• Executioner – Executing enemies recharges Jack’s abilities faster.
• Fetch Heavy – Lets Jack carry heavy weapons.
• Savage – Killing enemies recharges Jack’s abilities faster.
• Sharpshooter – Killing enemies with headshots recharges Jack’s abilities faster.

Health – Increases Jack’s health and lets him heal allies.

Starting ability

Upgrades

• Osmium Plating – Increases Jack’s maximum health.
• Repair Boost – Jack regenerates lost health faster.
• Revive Command – Allows Jack to revive downed allies.
• Self-Revive – Jack revives twice as fast after being downed.

Stealth – Increases Jack’s effectiveness when cloaked.

Starting ability

Upgrades

• Reactive Stealth – Lets Jack re-enter stealth more quickly.
• Stealth Fetch – Lets Jack remain cloaked while fetching a weapon.
• Stealth Shield – Reduces the damage Jack takes while cloaked.
• Stealth Thrusters – Lets jack remain cloaked while using thrusters.

Zapper – Improves Jack’s Zapper weapon.

Starting ability

Upgrades

• Arc Booster – Increases the Zapper’s range.
• Beam Splitter – Lets the Zapper hit multiple enemies with one shot.
• Cascading Energy – Increases Zapper damage the longer it stays focused on an enemy.
• Improved Capacitor – Increases Zapper’s duration.