The Jack companion robot has been a powerful tool in the Gears Of War series and has seen some improvements in Gears 5. Capable of acting as an offensive drone, a support bot, or at the very least a reconnaissance probe, Jack is critical to your survival when fighting the Swarm.
There are a number of different upgrades you can give Jack that make it a more capable companion on the battlefield and there are some abilities that are more useful than others.
10 Shock Trap
The Shock Trap upgrade is an ultimate that gives Jack the ability to lay electrical traps on the ground to damage and slow enemies that trigger it. These traps can target multiple units that are within its radius.
Having a well-placed shock trap can disrupt enemy movement makes it easier to pick them off before they get to cover. It’s also handy for making retreats, creating bottlenecks, covering flanks, acting as a warning system, and at the very least chipping away the enemies’ health with shock damage.
9 Seeker
The Seeker is an upgrade for the Shock Trap that creates Shock Bots. These little Shock-Bots will chase down enemies and detonate doing twice the damage a regular Shock Trap would.
This is an incredibly useful upgrade that’s handy for anyone who’s ever been frustrated that an enemy bypassed the standard stationary trap. These little bots will guarantee that your traps reach their target and the double damage is too good to pass up. When facing hordes of enemies having this upgrade is great crowd control and ensures that no use of the trap is wasted.
8 Flash
Flash is an ultimate skill you obtain early on in the game but remains a powerful one throughout the storyline. When activated Flash will stun an enemy, blind them, and cause them to leave cover. This is fantastic for giving yourself a few seconds to heal and reload while the enemy stumbles around dazed.
It’s also great for flushing out foes that have taken cover and refuse to budge, giving you a few seconds to pump them full of lead before they recover. At the very least it can be used whenever your ambushed to give yourself a few seconds to find cover before they start gunning for you again.
7 Flash Freeze
Flash Freeze is an upgrade that dramatically improves the effectiveness of Flash. Instead of simply stunning and blinding foes, Flash Freeze will freeze the enemy in place and leave them immobile for much longer than a simple flash would.
That extra status effect duration, plus the complete immobility is powerful in a game like Gears 5. It can stop a horde attack in a flash and heavy hitters will be rooted in place so you can get up close and personal with your shotgun or pepper them with bullets from your assault rifle while they're unable to move.
6 Barrier
Barrier is a support skill that enables Jack to project a shield in front of the player to protect them from damage while still allowing them to bring the pain. This shield is great for offensive purposes, such as getting in range to fire your weapon or going in for an execution, but will primarily be used defensively against multiple enemies, heavy hitters, or incoming explosive ordinance.
The barrier can also buy you time to recover some health, retreat, or get to better cover without taking any damage. Having that little bit of mobile cover is too handy not to have in this game.
5 Deadly Overload
Deadly Overload turns the barrier into a potentially offensive weapon. With this upgrade when the barrier runs out it will receive a burst of energy and explode violently outward.
This is great when you’re getting hammered by melee opponents who’ll catch the brunt of the damage when it explodes, you can also quickly rush the enemy when you see the shield depleting to do some damage, and can be yet another source of passive DPS during boss fights. This upgrade is absolutely essential for the players who like to run head first into gun fire.
4 Cloak
Let’s be honest, Gears 5 is by no means a stealth game, but it does support ambush tactics which makes Cloak an essential upgrade. The cloaking upgrade will render you, Jack, and the team completely invisible to the enemy.
This is perfect for the few stealth kills you’ll perform, the numerous first hits, and occasionally help you get to better cover or flank the enemy. Even if you have no intention of fighting stealthy you’ll get a kick out of getting the drop on enemies or sowing confusion as you and your squad vanish into thin air.
3 Slayer
Normally Cloak will only work if you and the squad aren’t shooting or performing other actions. The minute you discharge your weapon the jig is up. With Slayer you’ll remain cloaked no matter what.
The ability to stay cloaked while performing any action cannot be overstated. Not only can you get the drop on enemies, but they’ll be unable to target or mark you in order to fight back. This makes you an invisible force of death that would have even the Predator quaking in his alien boots. With this you can make a frontal assault a veritable stealth attack.
2 Hijack
By far the most useful ultimate upgrade in the entire game is the Hijack ability. This upgrade allows Jack to mind control an enemy unit to fight on your behalf. All enemies, save the Carriers, Snatcher, and bosses, are capable of being manipulated by your Jack.
The usefulness of this skill is incredible, you can turn the tide of battle by having the enemy fight among themselves, obtain some additional firepower, and or at the very least distract the enemy. Taking control of a Warden and watching him pummel away at his former allies has to be one of the most entertaining things to do in this game.
1 Detonator Implant
Hands down the most useful upgrade in the entire game is the Detonator Implant upgrade to Jack’s Hijack ability. When an enemy finally succumbs to their teammates' gunfire it’ll explode violently in a shower of gore.
This is especially useful if you manage to Hijack a melee fighter, like the aforementioned Warden, as they’ll be up close and personal when they finally pop. In addition to the tactical advantage it no doubt would cause psychological trauma to the enemy. Could you imagine watching a teammate become hijacked, start attacking your squad, and when you finally put the former ally down their body explodes? They’d be insane not to fear you after getting this upgrade.