Gears 5 Jack abilities and ultimate upgrades guide

Gears 5 is out now and we’ve got a guide for you that explains all of the abilities and ultimate upgrades you can earn and buy for you trusty sidekick Jack.

Jack’s abilities are offered as part of the game’s campaign, while upgrades can be purchased for Components scavenged throughout levels. Ultimate upgrades, however, need to be found in the world, earned (or earned in part) through various side missions. The guide below will detail how to power Jack up.

All up, Jack needs 274 Components to fully power up — which is most of the 289 total Components in the world. Thankfully, you can also respec Jack at anytime if you don’t have the lion’s share of them. There’s no penalty or cooldown when it comes to respeccing Jack.

Grabbing all of the Ultimate Upgrades will earn you the Jack of All Trades Achievement, while fully upgrading all of Jack’s abilities will earn you the JACKed Up! Achievement.

Assault abilities

Flash

• Where to get it: Act 1, Chapter 2 as part of the game’s storyline.
• Upgrades:
  • Faster recharge: 1 component
  • Range boost: 4 components
  • Concussive: 6 components
• Ultimate ability: Flash Freeze
  • Hollow Storm Quest step 1: Complete side location Train Tunnel
  • Hollow Storm Quest step 2: Complete side location Old Derrick Site
  • Hollow Storm Quest step 3: Complete side location Old Derrick Site

Flash Freeze needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 2 (Chapter 4).

Shock Trap

• Where to get it: Act 2, Chapter 1 as part of the game’s storyline.
• Upgrades:
  • Improved capacitor: 5 components
  • Multi-trap: 8 components
  • Ensnare: 11 components
• Ultimate ability: Seeker
  • • Lost Outsiders Quest step 1: Complete Outsider Campsite location (seemingly optional)
    • Lost Outsiders Quest step 2: Complete East Tower Substation location (required for North Tower Substation access code)
    • Lost Outsiders Quest step 3: Complete North Tower Substation location

Seeker needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 2 (Chapter 4).

Hijack

• Where to get it: Act 3, Chapter 1 as part of the game’s storyline.
• Upgrades:
  • Duration: 7 Components
  • Stim Target: 10 Components
  • Faster Recharge: 13 Components
• Ultimate ability: Detonator Implant
  • Scavengers Quest step 1: City Ruins
  • Scavengers Quest step 2: Cargo Shipwreck
  • Scavengers Quest step 3: Artillery Battery

Detonator Implant needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 3 (Chapter 3).

Support abilities

Pulse

• Where to get it: You’ve got this from the start of the game.
• Upgrades:
  • Range boost: 1 component
  • Expanded targeting array: 3 components
  • Detect pickups: 5 components
• Ultimate ability: Marked for Death
  • Quest step 1: Complete side location Condor Crash Site

Marked for Death needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 2 (Chapter 4).

Stim

• Where to get it: Act 1, Chapter 4; part of the campaign.
• Upgrades
  • Faster recharge: 3 Components
  • Duration: 5 Components
  • Revive: 8 Components
• Ultimate ability: Brawler
  • Quest step 1: Complete side location Condor Crash Site

Brawler needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 2 (Chapter 4).

Cloak

• Where to get it: Act 2, Chapter 3; part of the campaign.
• Upgrades
  • Agility: 6 Components
  • Extend: 9 Components
  • Faster Recharge: 12 Components
• Ultimate ability: Slayer
  • Waterworks Quest step 1: Complete side location Water Tower
  • Waterworks Quest step 2: Complete side location Pump
  • Waterworks Quest step 3: Complete side location Harbor Docks

Slayer needs to be acquired before the point of no return in Act 3 (Chapter 3).

Barrier

• Where to get it: Act 3, Chapter 3 as part of the story
• Upgrades
  • Duration: 9 Components
  • Reflect Bullets: 12 Components
  • Bulwark: 15 Components
• Ultimate Upgrade: Deadly Overload
  • Location: Found during the Swarmak fight in Act 4, Chapter 1; this is in the first room of the right, along the back (near a bar).

Support abilities

Health

• Upgrades
  • Repair Boost: 1 Component
  • Osmium Plating: 3 Components
  • Self-Revive: 5 Components
  • Revive Command: 7 Components

Stealth

• Upgrades
  • Stealth Thrusters: 3 Components
  • Reactive Stealth: 5 Components
  • Stealth Shielding: 7 Components
  • Stealth Fetch: 9 Components

Zapper

• Upgrades
  • Improved Capacitor: 7 Components
  • Arc Booster: 9 Components
  • Cascading Energy: 11 Components
  • Beam Splitter: 13 Components

Core

• Upgrades
  • Fetch Heavy: 4 Components
  • Sharpshooter: 8 Components
  • Executioner: 12 Components
  • Savage: 16 Components

Gears 5 is available now on Windows PC and Xbox One.