How to play Gibraltar in Apex Legends: Abilities, tips, more

Gibraltar offers great defensive and offensive options in Apex Legends, so find out how you can master the Shielded Fortress in Season 8. Apex Legends’ big Season 8 update brought with it the 30-30 Repeater, map changes, Legendary Magazines, and a new Legend, Fuse. Respawn even buffed and nerfed a number of existing characters to help shake up the current Legend meta. While Gibraltar was one of the few Legends that didn’t receive any tweaks, he is still in a fantastic place and remains a staple pick for many squads. Gibraltar is a defensive Legend that provides his team with damage-sponging shields and devastating aerial bombardments. While the gentle giant struggled to make his mark during Apex Legends’ debut, Gibraltar has firmly cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the game. Whether you’re looking to increase your survivability in Kings Canyon or just want to grab more wins, then these Gibraltar tips and tricks will enable you to do just that. 

How to make use of Gibraltar’s abilities

Passive: Gun Shield

Gibraltar’s passive enables him to deploy a small shield that protects his body when he aims down sights. This damage-blocking shield may only have 50 health, but it can give you the edge in particularly dangerous firefights. 

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Once the shield is broken, it takes nine seconds before it can be deployed again. Just be careful not to toggle the shield on when you’re trying to hide from enemy squads or about to launch a surprise attack. 

Tactical Ability: Dome of Protection

Dome of Protection is Gibraltar’s main source of protection. Not only does it block all incoming attacks for 12 seconds, it also makes healing items 15% faster when they are used within the dome. This makes it particularly useful when your squad needs to heal up or when you wish to counter aerial-based ultimates.    If that wasn’t enough, Gibraltar can also revive his fellow squadmates in just five seconds, making it particularly useful in clutch situations. While the dome may offer great defensive capabilities, it will also block your team’s outgoing damage, so just be careful when placing it down. 

Ultimate: Defensive Bombardment

Gibraltar’s ultimate sees the Shielded Fortress throw down a smoke grenade that marks a 24-meter radius. After a brief delay, the zone is bombarded with a deadly aerial bombardment that lasts for six seconds. Each mortar deals 40 damage per hit and can wipe teams if you throw it down during end-game firefights.

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Defensive Bombardment does have a long cooldown (270 seconds), so try not to waste it as you could be waiting a while before it’s available again. 

Gibraltar tips and tricks

1. Know when to use Dome of Protection

It can be tempting to simply throw down Gibraltar’s dome whenever you come into contact with an enemy squad, but this can prove detrimental to your damage. This is particularly true when you chuck it down without letting your squad know. It’s important to remember that the dome blocks both incoming and outgoing damage, so only place it down when you really need to.  Dome of Protection is best used in combination with Gibraltar’s ultimate as it can enable you to force your enemies into unwanted situations. You should also pop the dome down when you need to revive a downed teammate or provide yourself with cover during particularly desolate areas of the map.

2. Third party your enemies with your ultimate

Many players often struggle to use Gibraltar’s ultimate effectively. Not only does the aerial bombardment take a while to begin, it also gives your enemies a clear visual cue that they need to get out of the area. Because of this, Gibraltar’s ultimate is best used in situations where your foes can’t avoid taking damage. 

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Try to throw it down in late-game circles as the reduced size of the arena will make it easier to hit your targets. This is particularly true when you manage to catch any squads that are currently fighting. The majority of Apex Legends fights are won by those that can third party the other team, so always try to deliver an explosive victory whenever the opportunity arises.

3. Avoid overusing your Gun Shield

While Gibraltar’s toggleable gun shield may seem incredibly potent, it can prove detrimental to your team’s success. Not only can this glowing blue shield be spotted a mile away, it can also be heard by nearby enemies. This can make it particularly harmful when you’re trying to ambush an enemy squad or attempting to hide from danger.  It’s recommended that you deploy the Gun Shield when counter sniping as this will help reduce any frustrating deaths that come with cross-map squad wipes.

4. Best Legends to team up with Gibraltar

Due to his versatile kit, Gibraltar works well with the majority of the Legends in the game. However, his abilities really gel well with that of Lifeline, Caustic, and Bangalore. While the added healing from Lifeline can get you out a tight spot, Caustic can make countering Gibraltar’s dome incredibly difficult. 

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This is especially true when Caustic throws down his ultimate and traps inside the dome. Meanwhile, Bangalore’s ultimate can layer even more artillery over the ground, which can decimate whole areas of the map and killing anything that happens to get in the way. Of course, these aren’t the only Legends that work well with Gibraltar, so be sure to experiments and see what deadly combinations you can come up with. 

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If you follow these Gibraltar tips & tricks, you’ll be able to secure more wins in no time. Make sure you follow @TitanfallBlog for all the latest Apex Legends news and updates.