JD or Del? Who to Save in Gears 5

Gears Of War has always included binary choices, but one particular decision in Gears 5 has a much bigger impact on the continuing story line. Whether to save Del or JD at the end of the campaign isn’t an easy option.

Having trouble choosing which character to save? Obviously, there are major spoilers coming up, slow up and stop reading if you don’t want to know about the game’s ending!

The Real Question: Choosing to Save JD or Del In Gears 5

After the lengthy intro, Gears 5 moves away from JD as the main character to let Kait’s connection to the Locust take the stage.

However, near the end of the campaign, you have a sudden and devastating choice to make: stop Queen Reyna from killing either JD or Del by slicing off one of her tentacles. Depending on who you choose, one or the other will be dead. 

The actual impact of either character’s death is more effectual for the player than a major change to the game’s ending. You’ll get slightly different dialog depending on which choice you make, a mildly different scene where either JD or Del’s tags are picked up, and obviously, a different reaction from Marcus, who isn’t happy if you let JD die. 

No matter which cast member you choose, though, you still unlock the Discovered the True Threat to Sera achievement at the end, or, alternatively, All Aboard The Crazy Train if you are playing on Insane difficulty.

What’s in Store for Gears 6? 

The real question lies in how choosing JD or Del will impact the trailers, cut scenes, and character choices in the next Gears Of War. So which Gears 5 ending is canon?

As there’s no indication (at this point) as to whether one character death is canon or if Gears 6 will read your save file to determine who you chose to save, we don’t know. 

Of course, it’s driving the player base nuts, as it seems likely we’ll be waiting a minimum of three years to find out the answer if the development time between Gears of War 4 and Gears 5 is any indication.

Like with the previous entry developed by The Coalition, there aren’t any plans at this point for story-based expansions to expand the plot, which have been noticeably missing from the franchise since it left Epic.

Who did you choose to save, and do you think The Coalition will force one option as the true choice for Gears 6? Gears 5 is currently out for Xbox One and PC. It is also available on Game Pass. 

Stay tuned for out official review in the coming days.