Clive Barker's Jericho Squad Abilities: What Each Member Does
Each member of the Jericho squad mixes military training with supernatural powers, and you can switch between them during much of the game. Knowing which ability to use on which enemy makes the fights far easier.
In this article
Clive Barker's Jericho squad abilities come from a unit built for the unexplained, and they are the heart of this horror shooter. The Jericho Squad is a special operations unit trained in parapsychology and occult techniques [1]. Those skills set the squad apart from an ordinary strike team. Learn more in Clive Barker's Jericho Tips for Beginners.
Jericho is a horror first-person shooter developed by MercurySteam and Alchemic Productions and published by Codemasters [2]. Knowing that helps explain why the game leans on the supernatural rather than firepower alone.
This guide explains what each squad member can do and when to switch between them in fights and puzzles. If you want the whole route through the game, the pillar walkthrough, Clive Barker's Jericho Walkthrough, covers it from start to finish.
How do the squad abilities work?
Every squad member mixes military training with supernatural abilities, so no single character covers every situation. [3] You get a set of tools rather than one hero to rely on.
For much of the game, you can switch freely between members. [3] That freedom shapes how you play. Instead of pushing one character through every room, you pick the member who fits the moment.
Switching for fights
Switching is how you pick the right tool for a fight. Before you engage, look at the threat in front of you and ask which member's power deals with it best. If a group is closing in from one side, choose the member whose ability handles that kind of enemy, then move on to the next encounter.
Swapping before the shooting starts works better than swapping in the middle of it. A switch made mid-fight costs you time you may not have, while a switch made as you enter a room lets you open with the right ability.
Switching for puzzles
Puzzles reward the same habit. A barrier, door or mechanism may respond to one member's power and ignore the others. When you get stuck, check what each member can do before you backtrack through the area you already cleared.
Trying a different member is often faster than replaying the same section. The squad design gives you more options than the first character you picked, so use them.
Building the habit
Think of switching like changing your loadout in a team shooter: you choose the setup based on what is ahead. Treat each new room as a question about which member fits, and the habit becomes natural within a few encounters.
What is threading and why does it matter?
Threading is the game's name for combining the unique abilities of more than one member of the squad. Instead of relying on one member's power, you bring two or more together. [4]
How the squad makes it possible
The official Clive Barker website describes the Jericho squad as a seven-man unit. Threading draws on that whole group, so the more members and abilities you understand, the more combinations you have to work with. [4] Related reading: Is Clive Barker's Jericho Worth Playing Today?
The same page calls threading one of the game's complex gameplay features. That tells you it is meant to be a deliberate system, not a simple add-on you can ignore. [4]
Why it matters
A fansite for Clive Barker's Undying frames threading as central to getting through the game. It says that only by combining the unique paranormal abilities of the Jericho squad will you survive this hellish nightmare. [5]
Think of it this way: a single member's power may open a door or stop one enemy, but a combination can handle a situation that one power cannot. Threading is the reason the squad is more than seven separate characters with separate tools.
What to take from it
Threading rewards players who treat the squad as a team. When you look at a problem, ask which members you have available and what their abilities can do together, not only which single ability looks strongest.
Once that idea clicks, the rest of the squad's abilities start to make more sense. Learn each member's core power first, then start pairing them. The combinations are where the squad's design really shows.
Which abilities work best against cultists?
Black's Ghost Bullet is the ability to use on cultists when you are aiming for headshots [6]. Switch to Black when a cultist is at a distance and you can get a clear look at its head. Hold your position for a steady shot instead of firing while you move.
If a cultist gets close, a quick shot may be more practical than a precise one. Pick the option that fits the distance, not the one you used last time. That habit keeps you from wasting time in the middle of a fight.
Explosive cultists
Black's grenade launcher is the tool for explosive cultists [6]. Use it when you need to deal with an enemy that is dangerous at close range, since you can hit it from farther away.
Before you fire, check that you are not standing where the blast can reach you. A grenade that lands near your feet can cost you more health than the cultist does. Stepping back to the edge of cover before you shoot is a simple way to avoid that.
A defensive option
Blood Ward from Church is a useful defensive option [6]. Think of it as the choice for when you are under pressure and need a moment to reposition, rather than trading shots head-on.
Use it early in a fight, before your health gets low. Waiting until you are nearly down makes the ward less useful, because you need time to get back into the battle.
Putting it together
Use Ghost Bullet for headshots, the grenade launcher for explosive cultists, and Blood Ward when you need room to breathe. Most fights against cultists involve more than one of these, so swap between them as the situation changes. The squad is built around quick switching, and the abilities work best when you use them in the right order.
When should you switch squad members?
Switch to the member whose ability fits the enemy in front of you before you start firing. Swapping after you've taken damage costs you more time than the switch itself, because you're already exposed when you try it.
Match the ability to the enemy
Before you pull the trigger, take a second to read the situation. Ask what kind of enemy you're facing and which member's power suits it. A tactic that works on one foe can waste ammo and time on another.
Make it a quick routine: spot the target, pick the member, then fire. After a few encounters the choice becomes automatic. You'll also spend less time in the open, which is where most damage tends to happen.
Use threading when one power isn't enough
Some fights don't give way to a single ability. If the enemy stays tough no matter what you try, stop repeating the same move. Instead, look for a way to combine two members' powers on the same problem.
Threading works best when you plan it before the encounter starts. Position your squad so the second member can act while the first is still in play. If you wait until your health is low, you'll have much less room to set it up.
For example, say you're pinned down and your first approach keeps missing its mark. Pause, reposition, and bring in the member whose power covers the gap, rather than trying the same approach a third time.
Keep the squad in mind during puzzles
Puzzles are easy to overlook if you only think about combat. When you reach a locked door, a strange device, or an area that feels blocked, pause and ask whether one of your members has the right ability for it. The answer is often sitting in plain sight.
A useful habit is to scan each new room before moving on. Note anything that looks out of reach or oddly marked. Then switch to the member who might handle it and test the idea.
Build the habit early
The best time to practice is early, when the stakes are low. Try a few fights on purpose with different members and watch which ones handle each enemy type better. Those small experiments make harder encounters far more manageable later.
Which squad skills should you learn first?
Learn each member's core ability first, then practice threading. Threading only makes sense once you know what each member does on their own. Spend time with each one in easier fights until switching feels automatic.
When you feel comfortable, try a pairing in a fight you can afford to replay. Watching how two abilities work together early makes the harder encounters far less confusing.
For the full route, read the walkthrough, which goes through the game chapter by chapter. For tougher battles, the boss fights guide breaks down the squad setups that work best.