Gears of War E-Day: All Tactical Gear List (Every Ability and Its Mods)

• There are four Tactical Gear abilities in Gears of War E-Day — one for each Horde Siege class.
• Every Tactical Gear is a short cooldown ability that activates on demand and changes how your class plays in Horde Siege.
• Each Tactical Gear has its own set of Tactical Gear Mods that improve its cooldown, range, duration, or effects.
• All players can equip the same Tactical Gear if they choose to — it is not locked to a specific player slot.
• Tactical Gear Mods are equipped under the Gear tab in the Classes menu between missions.
• Tactical Gear is available in both the campaign and Horde Siege. In the campaign, you can swap your Tactical Gear at Supply Cache points.

What Is Tactical Gear in Gears of War E-Day?

Tactical Gear is a new system introduced in Gears of War E-Day. Each class in Horde Siege comes with a signature active ability — a piece of Tactical Gear that you deploy when the moment is right. It works on a cooldown timer, so you can use it multiple times per mission if you manage it well.

This is one of the biggest additions to the series. Earlier Gears games did not give you a class ability like this. E-Day builds its entire co-op identity around Tactical Gear — each piece covers a different gap your squad might have, and choosing the right one for the mission matters.

There are four Tactical Gear items in E-Day, one per class. Each one also has its own set of Tactical Gear Mods that you unlock through class progression. These mods improve the ability in meaningful ways — more duration, reduced cooldown, or added effects on activation.

For the full breakdown of mods across all mod types, see our Gears of War E-Day all mods list.

All Tactical Gear in Gears of War E-Day

1. Sonic Disruptor (Assault Class)

Sonic Disruptor

The Sonic Disruptor is the Tactical Gear for the Assault class. When deployed, it sends out a sonic pulse that stuns Drones and disrupts other enemies in a forward cone, interrupting their attacks and stopping their advance.

This is a crowd control ability. You pop it when a wave of Locust pushes toward your position. Every stunned enemy stands still for the stun window — which gives your whole squad time to shoot freely without worrying about incoming fire. Stunned enemies also take increased damage, so the Sonic Disruptor does not just stop the push, it turns it into a free kill window.

It is especially powerful on defence objective missions where enemies come through a single lane or choke point. The Assault player holds the angle, deploys the Disruptor just before the wave arrives, and the squad pours fire in.

Class passive bonus: Increased damage while in cover.

Sonic Disruptor Tactical Gear Mods:

• Retention Battery — Increased Disruptor duration. The stun lasts longer, giving your squad more time to shoot. The single best mod on the Sonic Disruptor.
• Burst Capacitor — Improved Disruptor cooldown. You can deploy it more often. Unlocks at Level 9.
• Proximity Trigger — Changes the Disruptor to a proximity trigger. It fires automatically when enemies are nearby, and the cooldown is improved. Good for defensive positions.
• Reload Servo — Deploying the Disruptor grants a full Perfect Magazine on your current weapon. Excellent for combining with Full Metal Jacket mods.

Best mod to run first: Retention Battery. More stun time directly means more free damage for your squad. Everything in the Assault loop gets better when the stun lasts longer.

2. Adrenaline Injector (Breacher Class)

The Adrenaline Injector is the Tactical Gear for the Breacher class. When activated, it instantly restores your health, reduces incoming damage, and increases your overall damage output for its duration.

This is a self-sustain ability. Breacher is built for close-range aggression — pushing into dangerous spaces, getting executions, and holding flanks. The Adrenaline Injector is what keeps you alive while you do it. You activate it when you are taking heavy fire at close range, or right before pushing into a Boomer’s position where you know you are going to take a hit.

Unlike the other three Tactical Gear items, the Adrenaline Injector does not help your squad directly. It is entirely focused on keeping the Breacher player in the fight longer so they can apply constant pressure up front.

Class passive bonus: Better resistance to status effects and melee damage.

Adrenaline Injector Tactical Gear Mods:

• Stability Compound — Improves the Injector’s effect output and keeps you stable during its active window. Best early-game pick for Breacher.
• Burst Capacitor — Improved cooldown on the Adrenaline Injector. You can activate it more frequently. Best mod overall once you unlock it.
• Reload Amplifier — Kills during the Adrenaline window reload your weapon. Keeps you shooting during the ability’s active phase. Unlocks at Level 9.
• Adrenal Cascade — Enhances the reload effect triggered during the Injector’s active window. Good for classes that fire frequently.

Best mod to run first: Stability Compound until you unlock Burst Capacitor. Once you have Burst Capacitor, switch to it. Being able to pop the Injector more often gives Breacher a much higher sustain floor in longer fights.

For tips on surviving tough enemy types while using the Adrenaline Injector, see our Gears of War E-Day how to kill Jammer and Seeder enemies guide.

3. Pulse Drone (Marksman Class)

The Pulse Drone is the Tactical Gear for the Marksman class. When deployed, it emits tactical pulses that tag and reveal all Locust enemies within a radius, making them visible to your entire squad — even through walls and cover.

This is an information ability. Enemies marked by the Pulse Drone take increased critical-hit damage, and your squad can track their movements before they reach your position. For a Marksman sitting at range with a Longshot, knowing exactly where every enemy is at all times is a massive advantage.

The Pulse Drone benefits the whole squad, not just the Marksman. Your teammates can see tagged enemies through walls and plan their moves accordingly. On higher difficulties where elite Locust or boss units push alongside regular waves, the Drone turns a chaotic fight into a manageable one.

Class passive bonus: Increased critical-hit damage.

Pulse Drone Tactical Gear Mods:

• Retention Battery — Increased Pulse Drone duration. The drone stays active longer, giving more time for your squad to act on the information. Best early pick. Unlocks at Level 2.
• Energy Siphon — Pulse waves collect energy as the drone pulses. Helps the team’s economy during sustained missions. Unlocks at Level 7.
• Focal Lens — Increases the range of the Pulse Drone. Enemies further away get tagged. Essential if you are playing a long sightline. Best overall mod on the Drone.
• Combat Reload — Deploying the Pulse Drone grants a full Perfect Magazine. Makes your Longshot or Breechshot immediately ready for a powerful follow-up shot.

Best mod to run first: Retention Battery, then switch to Focal Lens. The longer range means the drone’s tags match your actual sightlines as a Marksman.

4. Stim Vaporizer (Medic Class)

The Stim Vaporizer is the Tactical Gear for the Medic class. When deployed, it creates a large gas cloud that heals all Gears within range and revives downed teammates — including players from the other two squads in Horde Siege.

This is a recovery ability. The Stim Vaporizer is the single most impactful team ability in the game because it can prevent a full squad wipe. If multiple players go down in the same fight, the Medic can pop the Vaporizer and get everyone back up at once without exposing themselves to a manual revive on each individual player.

The cross-squad revive range is one of the most useful properties in Horde Siege. Because three squads of four operate across the same map, there are moments where a squad from another area gets pushed into yours. If they go down, the Medic’s Stim Vaporizer can still help them.

Class passive bonus: Faster health regeneration.

Stim Vaporizer Tactical Gear Mods:

• Retention Battery — Increased Stim duration. The healing field stays active longer. Best early mod for Medic. Unlocks at Level 2.
• Vitality Emitter — Increased Stim wave healing. Heals allies for more per wave while the Vaporizer is active. Essential mod for a dedicated support Medic. Unlocks at Level 4.
• Burst Capacitor — Improved cooldown on the Stim Vaporizer. You can use it more often. Best overall mod once unlocked. Lets you use the Vaporizer as an early revive tool rather than saving it for critical moments.

Best mod to run first: Retention Battery, then Vitality Emitter. Once you have Burst Capacitor, that becomes the most impactful upgrade — more Stim activations per mission is always better than more healing per activation.

How to Unlock Tactical Gear Mods

Tactical Gear Mods unlock through your class progression track in Horde Siege. Every class levels up separately to a cap of Level 30. As you gain levels, you unlock new weapons, weapon mods, armor mods, and Tactical Gear Mods on that specific track.

Reaching the required level makes the mod available. You then need to purchase it with Weapon Parts before you can equip it. Unlocking and purchasing are two separate steps — check your class track and confirm the Weapon Part cost before planning your build.

Weapon Parts come from Secondary Objectives, COG Resupplies, and other mission activities in Horde Siege. You can also earn some weapon mods and equipment through Hard Cases and secondary objectives in the campaign, which carry into Horde Siege. See all locations in our Gears of War E-Day secondary objective locations guide.

Each class’s track is separate. Maxing out your Assault class does not unlock anything for your Medic. If you want access to Stim Vaporizer mods, you have to level the Medic class independently.

How to Equip Tactical Gear Mods

In Horde Siege, Tactical Gear Mods are equipped in the Classes menu under the Gear tab between missions. You can change them any time you are not in a live match.

In the campaign, Tactical Gear and its mods are swapped at Supply Cache points. These are green equipment cases found throughout each chapter. Interact with one to access your loadout, change your Tactical Gear, swap mods, and refill ammo at the same time.

For a full picture of how to unlock more mod slots to expand your build further, see our Gears of War E-Day how to unlock more weapon mod slots guide.

Tactical Gear Quick Reference

• Sonic Disruptor (Assault) — Stuns enemies in a forward cone. Best for wave defence and objective holds.
• Adrenaline Injector (Breacher) — Heals you, reduces incoming damage, boosts output. Best for close-range aggression and solo survivability.
• Pulse Drone (Marksman) — Tags and reveals enemies through cover. Applies a critical-hit damage bonus to tagged targets. Best for long-range squads and tactical awareness.
• Stim Vaporizer (Medic) — Heals and revives Gears in range, including cross-squad players. Best for sustained team recovery and squad wipe prevention.

Each of these covers a different failure point. The Sonic Disruptor controls incoming waves. The Adrenaline Injector keeps the frontline player standing. The Pulse Drone gives the squad information. The Stim Vaporizer undoes the damage when a fight goes wrong. A full squad with one of each is the strongest setup in the game.

For a full breakdown of how these Tactical Gear choices fit into complete class builds, see our guide on Gears of War E-Day all chapters and acts — knowing the act structure helps you plan which Tactical Gear to prioritise for specific mission types.

Where to Play Gears of War E-Day

Gears of War E-Day is available now on Xbox Series X|S and PC. It is included with Xbox Game Pass at no extra cost.

• Official Gears of War website
• Xbox Store
• Steam

For our full verdict on the game, read the Gears of War E-Day review.

Frequently Asked Questions