In Gears 5, building a class requires the selection of five unique upgrade cards. The best builds for each class in Hore mode are subjective, but, there are usually a few cards that trump the rest. To get the best ones, you will need to level up the class to level 20.
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The best builds are always the ones that suit your playstyle, but there is no doubt that some cards are universally better than others. Even when you finally unlock each card, you can continue to level the cards up, further increasing the buffs for those cards.
Blademaster Build
Must-Have Cards
| Ambush | Kills from behind reduce ultimate cooldown by 15s |
|---|---|
| Blade Dancer | Each melee or bleed kill gives +25% melee damage for 15s |
| Venom Blade | Melee Damage in Venom causes bleeding for 130% of damage |
| Thrill Of The Hunt | 20% resistance and forced healing near bleeding enemies |
Standout Optional Cards
| Brawler | 20% increased melee damage |
|---|---|
| Nimble | 20% extra cover slide speed and reach |
The Blademaster is a melee-based class that comes in handy in close quarters combat. If you combine it with the Bleed Damage cards, you can amplify your melee damage.
For instance, pairing the Blade Dancer card with Thrill Of The Hunt and Venom Blade will give you lots of health and damage bonuses for your melee kills.
Demolitions Build
Must-Have Cards
| Bullet Boost | Explosive or Bleed kills give +25% ballistic damage for 15s |
|---|---|
| Confirmed Kill | Kills with Artillery recharge Artillery by 10s |
| Spotter Support | Artillery drops 2 rounds on ally marked targets |
| Razor Hail | Explosive hits cause bleeding for 15% of damage |
Standout Optional Cards
| Good Kill | 20% of kills near allies drop ammo |
|---|---|
| Officers Prerogative | Artillery fires 1 additional round |
The Demolitions class is an excellent boss-level class. Your primary ability is to call in artillery strikes, so the cards you pick should elevate that ability. Use the combination of Bullet Boost, Confirmed Kill, Razor Hail, and Spotter Support to rain down damage on your enemies.
This build works best in conjunction with a squad that marks targets, because that increases the amount of artillery you can call in.
Infiltrator Build
Must-Have Cards
| Chain | Executing enemies extends Cloak by 2s |
|---|---|
| Laceration | Shotgun hits within 5 m cause bleeding for 30% damage |
| Blood Resonance | Bleeding enemies take 50% more shotgun damage |
| Enhanced Stim | 20% resistance to damage while Stimmed |
Standout Options
| Stim Batteries | Stim Capacity is increased 20% |
|---|---|
| Healing Jolt | Picking up energy heals for 30% |
The Infiltrator class lets you sneak up on enemies by giving you temporary invisibility. First, you will want to amplify your ability to deal damage by choosing the Laceration and Blood Resonance cards.
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Next, you will want to increase the longevity of your invisibility cloak with the Chain card. Finally, you will want to focus on your health with Stim cards and healing buffs cards.
All combined, these cards should give you the edge you need when flanking your enemies.
Marksman Build
Must-Have Cards
| Icy Precision | 13% freezing damage per active headshot with precision weapons |
|---|---|
| Critical Parade | X-Ray critical hits extend X-Ray by 10% |
| Longshot Handling | 50% automatic reload chance on critical kills |
Standout Optional Cards
| Explosive Critical Hit | Critical Kills cause 50% splash damage |
|---|---|
| Exploit Weakness | 20% increased critical damage |
| Counter Snipe | 20% resistance to precision damage |
The Marksman class has one of the best abilities. When activated, you can see through walls and shoot through objects.
The cards that best suit this ability will give you bonuses for critical shots. The Icy Precision card works great because it will let you shoot at an immobile enemy after you fail to kill them with your first shot. You will also want to go for the Critical Parade card and Longshot handling because they give you great buffs.
Nomad Build
Must-Have Cards
| Armored Shot | 35% bleeding damage while you have stim |
|---|---|
| Intimidation | 7s of fear to enemies with 5m of a critical kill |
| Consecutive Shot | Consecutive critical hits increase damage 5% each hit up to +200% |
| Menace | Executions recharge fear for 25s |
Standout Optional Cards
| Execution Shield | 50% damage resistance while executing and gain stim |
|---|---|
| Faze | Executing causes Fear for 7s to nearby enemies |
The Nomad class is all about striking fear into the hearts of your enemies. So going for executions and choosing cards that add fear bonuses based on that will work best. If you have the Armored Shot car, you can use stim with fear to do extra bleeding damage.
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With this card setup, you will want to get close to the enemy, execute, and execute again. This strategy will let you do an enormous amount of damage and extend your fear time.
Anchor Build
Must-Have Cards
| Barrier Feedback | Kills during Barrier extends it by 2s |
|---|---|
| Bullet Chain | Each headshot kill gives +25% damage for 15s |
| Harness Energy | Each Barrier hit gives 1 Stim to the team |
| Barrier Battery | Barrier duration increased by 10% |
Standout Optional Cards
| Lethal Barrier | Barrier does damage to enemies |
|---|---|
| Crazy Tough | 10% increased health |
The Anchor class is for mid-range combat situations. Your primary ability is to spawn a barrier shield in front of your character that will follow you.
Using the Barrier Feedback, Harness Energy card, and Barrier Battery card will boost your ability. Combined with the Bullet Chain card, you can spend more time out in the open, lining up headshots and doing damage. Mix that in with either a lethal Barrier or Crazy Tough card, and you've got one heck of a tank class.
Brawler Build
Must-Have Cards
| Torch Tackle | Tackle burns and deals 150% damage to burning enemies |
|---|---|
| All The Glory | Burning enemies explode on kill, dealing 5% HP in damage |
| Killing Time | Extend The Train by 1s per kill during ultimate |
| Soothing Warmth | 150% health regeneration near burning enemies |
| Pyromaniac | Deal 25% extra burn damage |
Standout Optional Cards
| Steam Engine | 50% burn radius during ultimate |
|---|
The Brawler class is all about running toward your enemies and tackling them. You will want to use the Torch Tackle card to increase burning damage, as well as the All The Glory card to make them explode.
There are plenty of great cards with this class, so it is hard to narrow down to just five, but the Killing Time, Soothing Warmth, and Pyromaniac Cards mix well.
Gunner Build
Must-Have Cards
| Reflect Shredder | Hits reflected by Reflective Shell do 20% bleeding damage |
|---|---|
| Serrated Edge | Torque Bow deals 15% bleeding damage |
| Grace Period | 2s immunity on revival |
Standout Optional Cards
| Sole Survivor | Reflective Shell recharges at 150% when lone survivor |
|---|---|
| Blast Shield | 20% explosive resistance for you and nearby allies |
| Team Resist | Reflective Shell reduces damage by 50% to allies for 6s |
The Gunner class is an excellent tank class for more daring players. Its primary ability is to create a deflective shield around you for several seconds. Pair this ability with the Reflect Shredder card to increase the damage to enemies while active.
The Grace Period card is also unique as it will give you temporary immunity after being revived. It is then best to mix these cards with Either the Sole Survivor card and the Blast Shield or Team Resist Card. It's up to you and your playing style to pick which suits you best.
Pilot Build
Must-Have Cards
| Silverback Salvo | Silverback Salvo hits increase Silverback duration by 0.3s |
|---|---|
| The Hammer | 30% extra damage and 1.5s of stun |
| Healing Trishot | Equip a Trishot which heals the Silverback for 50% of damage dealt |
| Cold Finish | Damaging an enemy with Low Health freezes it for 20% |
Standout Optional Cards
| Rear Armor | 30% Damage resistance from behind |
|---|---|
| Exploding Buzzkill | Equip a Buzzkill with 50% splash damage on kills |
The Pilot's Silverback ability will let you summon a mech onto the battlefield. The best cards for this build are the Silverback Salvo, The Hammer, Healing Trishot, and Cold Finish cards. These cards will allow you to get in close and beat up enemies efficiently.
Pair these cards with either Rear Armor or Exploding Buzzkill, and you've got one threatening mech on your hands.
Veteran Build
Must-Have Cards
| Band of Brothers | Living Legend generates 25 Stim per second |
|---|---|
| Defensive Stim | Stim Capacity is increased 40% |
| Headshot Master | 10% extra critical damage |
| Focus | Ultimate duration increased by 25% |
Standout Optional Cards
| Extended Rifle Mag | 40% larger assault rifle magazine |
|---|---|
| Last Ditch | 25% increased damage when at low health |
The Veteran class thrives at achieving critical hits. Each card you pick should focus on increasing critical shot damage and giving you more opportunities for criticals.
The Band of Brothers card and Defensive stim will grant that extra health to stay out in the open. Plus, the Headshot Master card and the Focus card will deliver the damage. The last slot can either be the Extended Rifle Mag card or the Last Ditch card, depending on what you prefer.
Combat Medic
Must-Have Cards
| Get Up | Team Revive gives you and teammate 30% stim |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Kills revive teammates within 10m of the kill |
| Overdoing It | Team Revive heals revived friendlies for 4s |
Standout Optional Cards
| Healing Bounty | Anyone who kills your mark heals 800HP |
|---|---|
| Razors Edge | 20% damage resistance when under 50% health |
| Helpful Headshots | Headshot hits provide 5HP Stim to self and nearby allies |
Everybody loves the Combat Medic. The best upgrades for this class include the Get Up, Intervention, and Overdoing It cards. These cards all focus on increasing your revive strength and health bonuses, so definitely equip those.
The optional cards can either increase your healing abilities or balance out your combat strength, depending on what you want to do.
Jack Build
Must-Have Cards
| Backstab | Hijack kills extend Hijack by 10% |
|---|---|
| Rampage | Deal 20% bleeding damage during Hijack |
| Explosive Hijack | Hijacked enemies explode and deal 20% additional damage |
Standout Optional Cards
| Healing Upgrade | 20% increased healing rate |
|---|---|
| Portable Resupply | Regenerate ammo on carried weapons |
| Zapper Upgrade | 20% increased damage |
The Jack class is unique as it is mainly a support-only class — that is, unless you hijack an enemy's mind and take down their allies. The best cards increase the length of your hacks as well as the damage you can deal during the hack.
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You can balance this out with other support cards like Portable Resupply or double down on damage with the Zapper Upgrade.
Mechanic Build
Must-Have Cards
| Shredder Rounds | Turret deals 5% bleeding damage |
|---|---|
| Healing Repair | Repairing provides 2% Stim |
| Overload | Fortifications over 50% health do 15% more damage |
| Reinforced Fabrication | 50% increased fortification health |
Standout Optional Cards
| Armor Plating | Fortifications over 50% health resist 20% damage |
|---|---|
| Overclocked Locker | 10% increased Weapon Locker reload |
The Mechanic build works best with the Shredder Rounds, Healing Repair, Overload, and Reinforced Fabrication cards. All of these cards will increase your fortifications damage and health. Plus, the Healing Repair card gives a nice bonus for repairing damaged items.
Optional cards include the Overclocked Locker and Armor Plating. The former will increase the effectiveness of weapon lockers, and the latter will further boost fortification health. Both are great options to have in your deck.
Robotics Expert Build
Must-Have Cards
| Bloody DR1 | Summoned DR1s cause 20% bleeding damage |
|---|---|
| Global Overclock | All Weapon Lockers reload 20% faster |
| Experimental Weapons | 50% increased DeeBee weapon damage to heavily wounded enemies |
| Homebody | 20% damage resistance near energy Taps |
Standout Optional Cards
| Precision Repairs | Precision kills heal all fortification for 700HP |
|---|---|
| Bloody Support | Precision damage causes 10% bleed damage when Reinforce Dr1 is ready |
The Robotics Expert is all about using unique weapons to take down waves of enemies. In particular, you can spawn a DR1 robot to come to assist you.
The most important card to equip will be the Bloody DR1 card, as it will massively increase the damage your robot does. The other cards worth having are Global Overclock, Experimental Weapons, and Homebody. They're all different in what they do, but they all have convenient and powerful buffs.
Tactician Build
Must-Have Cards
| Cooperation | Teammates deal +5% damage to your mark |
|---|---|
| Resupply Healing Module | Resupply reduces damage by 20% |
| Interrogation | Meat shields mark all targets within 20m |
| Resupply Amplifier | 50% increased Resupply radius |
Standout Optional Cards
| Situational Awareness | Automatically mark aggressive enemies for 2s |
|---|---|
| Eagle Eyes | Mark 2 additional Targets |
The Tactician build is all about being the best teammate in the world. You will want to increase your support strength with the Cooperation, Resupply Healing Module, Interrogation, and Resupply Amplifier cards. With these cards, you will be able to mark enemies quickly and drop useful buffs for your nearby teammates.
The cherry on top is up to you. Would you prefer to increase your total marks or increase the effectiveness of marking?
Architect
Must-Have Cards
| Regenerative Field | Regenerate 2 stim per second while avoiding damage |
|---|---|
| Hologram Extend | Ballistic hits extend hologram by 50% |
| Hologram Lifetime | 40% longer Hologram duration |
| Deception | 100% extra damage when flanking |
| Armor Plating | Fortifications over 50% health do 15% more damage |
The Architect class allows you to spawn a hologram to distract the enemy. By using the cards above, you can turn this hologram into a useful weapon. The Deception card will give you a boost for flanking the enemy.
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This card, paired with all the other cards, makes this simple flank maneuver devastating. If you get creative and use some turrets to help you deal damage, these rewards can multiply.
Protector Build
Must-Have Cards
| Regenerative Field | Regenerate 2 stim per second while avoiding damage |
|---|---|
| Close Range Recharge | Kills within 5m recharge Drop Shield by 15s |
| Drop Shield Duration | 50% increased Drop Shield duration |
| Bloody Blade | Melee hits cause bleeding for 50% of damage |
| Big Knife | 20% increased melee damage |
The Protector build is perfect for those who want to protect taps. The options for cards are small for these promotional classes, but they are all pretty practical.
The cards above will let you use your shield to increase damage against the horde rather than only provide cover. If you use this build, melee attacks and close-up shots will become way more effective.
Slugger Build
Must-Have Cards
| Impact Receiver | Active shotgun hits within 10m stun drones for 1s |
|---|---|
| Grenade Proficiency | +50% damage and +25% explosive radius |
| Lethal Preparations | Plant 1 extra grenade trap |
| Power Shot | Ballistic Rounds penetrate targets and deal +10% damage |
| Grenade Capacity | Grenade capacity increased by 1 |
The Slugger build is all about crowd control and lugging grenades. The cards above increase your ability to stun enemies and blow them up with grenades. It's a fairly standard, tank-like class, but this setup will make you a highly efficient killing machine.
The best strategy for this build is to bunch enemies up with your ballistic weapons and finish them off with a grenade.
Striker Build
Must-Have Cards
| GSD | Enemies killed by melee explode for 50% damage |
|---|---|
| First Strike | Deal +50% damage to undamaged enemies |
| Melee Armour | Resist 10% melee damage |
| Melee Rush | Melee kills cooldown ultimate by 20s |
| Blunt Instrument | Breaker Mace deals 50% bleeding damage |
Last but not least, the Stiker build is all about melee. With the card deck above, you will have no issue ripping enemies to shreds with your knife. Plus, you will have a slight resistance to melee damage yourself, making close-quarters combat more feasible.
If you use your breaker mace, you will be able to take advantage of bleeding damage, so if you don't kill them with one strike, they should die quickly afterward.