Gears 5: How to Chainsaw

There are few weapons as iconic as the Lancer from Gears of War. This machine gun features an almost ridiculous, but definitely awesome chainsaw attachment that has become synonymous with the series thanks to its amazing levels of gore and overall visceral feel. So it’s surprising that after multiple entries, the team at The Coalition decided to make changes to how this weapon works for Gears 5. It’s broken down in the tutorial, but just in case you skipped it, here’s how to chainsaw in Gears 5.

Previously players had to hold down B on their Xbox controller to trigger the chainsaw attachment on the Gears Lancer rifle. This has now shifted to RB instead, which also doubles as your reload button. So make sure, when you go in for that chainsaw kill, that you don’t tap RB. If you do so you’ll trigger a reload session that will prevent you from shooting or sawing your enemies, no matter how close they are. Holding it for less than a second and keeping it held until you get close enough to trigger the chainsaw effect is required instead. If the enemy has their chainsaw revved as well you’ll have to duel by pressing the on-screen button as rapidly as possible.

So, with the how explained, here’s why this was altered for Gears 5. Presumably it helps with tracking down the particular foe you wish to saw in half. With B players had to remove their thumb from the right analog stick and keep it off until the chainsaw found its target. With RB you can move and alter which way you’re looking or facing as the chainsaw revs up, allowing more mobility as you take out your enemies.

And that’s all you need to know about how to chainsaw in Gears 5, as well as why changes seem to have been made for this new sequel. Be sure to let us know if you have any other questions, or if you have a clip of a cool chainsaw move in a Gears 5 online match.