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Chapter 1 of 15

Gears 5: Act I, Chapter 1: Shot in the Dark walkthrough

Delta drops into the ruins of Azura to recover an old Hammer of Dawn prototype.

  • About 45 min in the videos
  • 4 parts · 15 steps
  • 1 boss

Compiled from 2 playthrough videos and 5 guides · checked Oct 19, 2026

0 of 4 done
Video: Lone Wolf on YouTube (solo run). Loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.

What each player can do here

P1 · JD
  • The Lancer's built-in chainsaw cuts the cables that block several paths here.
P2 · Jack or Del
  • A co-op partner can play Jack as a support seat.
  • Jack fetches items from ledges, scans for Swarm and opens locked doors and safes.

If your skill levels differ: Uneven pair: the newer player can take Jack, the support robot (scans, fetches, opens doors and revives), while the steadier shot takes a soldier seat and carries the gunfights. How to split the roles

Into the ruins

Part 1 of 4. Get from the water into the ruins and through the first Swarm.

  1. BothThere is one path up from the water into the ruins; follow it.
  2. BothSupplies on ledges you cannot reach: zoom in on them and order Jack to fly over and bring them back.
  3. BothCables across a doorway: hold reload so the Lancer's chainsaw cuts them.
  4. BothBefore each fight, have Jack scan the area so the Swarm behind the next wall shows up, then pick your cover.
  5. BothLift the grate together with Kait and drop down; two Grenadiers in helmets wait below, so shoot their bodies rather than their heads.

Where people tend to fall

  • A Swarm nest opens in the next room: a Frag Grenade thrown into it seals it and stops the reinforcements.

Del's silo: the tunnels

Part 2 of 4. Take the right-hand route with Del and fight through the flooded tunnel.

  1. BothThe squad splits at a fork: Kait and Marcus go left, you and Del take the right-hand route to the other silo.
  2. BothIn the dark tunnel, fast Juvies come in three groups and can reach you from odd angles; back up as you shoot and watch both sides.
  3. BothOrder Jack to open the metal door at the far end of the tunnel.
  4. BothThe next room overlooks a big Swarm group with Kait and Marcus on the far side; the hanging pods can be shot down.

The Carrier

Part 3 of 4. Kill the first big Swarm beast with Baird's help.

  1. BothBaird offers two kinds of support during this fight; pick one and turn it on the big creature.

Data and launch

Part 4 of 4. Get the lost data from the office, then force the rocket hatch open.

  1. BothAt the locked compound door, send Jack through the gap in the wall to open it.
  2. BothA tough Scion leads the next group inside; shoot the red canisters near it for heavy damage.
  3. BothThe office door is locked too: send Jack through the vent, then have him open the safe for the data.
  4. BothJoin Kait and Marcus in the control room, clear it, and let Jack start the launch from the console.
  5. BothThe launch fails: have Jack use the panels on the pillars to bring the platforms across, fight up the stairs, and climb the ladder to open the hatch.

Where people tend to fall

  • Juvies pour in at the hatch; fall back while firing until the cutscene starts.

Boss

CarrierThe first big Swarm beast

  1. Flying Swarm: It is heavily armoured and keeps releasing small flying Swarm; shoot those down first, then return to the big target.
  2. Spread: It covers a wide area around your cover with a damaging mess; when that happens, move to new cover.
  • It takes the most damage when its chest cavity opens.
  • A Boomshot lies against cover before the ledge; save it for this fight.

Extras and notes

  • The campaign takes up to three players, online or split-screen.
  • IGN's guide counts 7 collectibles in this chapter.
Sources (7)

Steps compiled from 2 playthrough videos and 5 text guides, checked Oct 19, 2026, and written in our own words. We did not play the game for this guide. A step marked “single source” rests on one guide so far.