How to play Gibraltar in Apex Legends

To become an Apex Legend, players must learn everything about the game’s characters and their abilities.

A strong defensive character that’s built like a brickhouse, Gibraltar boasts abilities that help protect his squad and are all about outlasting the competition. With one of the strongest tactical abilities in Apex Legends, Gibraltar is a good addition to any team. He excels, however, in close quarters, both fighting and when a team needs to make a quick dash through open ground.

Learn how to use him, and you’ll be a great asset to your allies in securing that precious battle royale victory.

Gun Shield: Passive

Gibraltar’s passive ability spawns a small shield in front of him whenever he aims down the sights of his weapon.

This gun shield, along with the Fortified passive ability that reduces incoming damage by 15 percent to larger characters, makes Gibraltar a beast to fight up close. And, since so much fighting with Gibraltar happens in and around his Dome of Protection, it can give him the upper hand when battling enemies at short distances.

The shield won’t make you invincible though, so being aware of when the gun shield gets cracked is incredibly important. The gun shield will passively recharge after it’s broken by not aiming down sights.

Dome of Protection: Q

Gibraltar can drop a massive dome shield at any given time to protect himself, his allies, or defend an area.

It’s a big shield and can function as something of a “get-out-of-jail-free” card. One of your teammates gets knocked? Throw down the shield and revive them, which Gibraltar does 33 percent faster than all other legends when in his dome. Feeling the pressure of an enemy ultimate, like Bangalore or even Caustic? Throw down the dome, which doesn’t allow any projectile through it, and even cuts off Caustic gas. The dome functions as cover from nearly all abilities.

The dome doesn’t last forever, though, so make sure you position it well to get the full effect. And there are two direct counters to the dome to look out for: Mad Maggie’s Riot Drill, which can get inside a dome shield, and Crypto’s EMP, which will delete the Dome of Protection completely.

Just remember the dome shield is a two-way streak. While enemy bullets can’t pass through it, you can’t shoot at anyone outside the dome, either. Enemies are also free to enter the dome shield themselves, which is why most Gibraltar players opt to use shotguns in their weapon loadouts. Fighting in the dome shield is almost inevitable, so it’s good to have weapons that excel at close range.

Defensive Bombardment: Ultimate

Gibraltar’s ultimate calls down a deadly concentrated mortal strike on a marked position that could easily wipe out an entire team in an instant—if it wasn’t so slow to come down and set off.

Unlike Bangalore’s bombardment ability that gradually fires more forward, Gibraltar’s bombardment fires all in the single area where you throw the ability’s grenade, making it perfect to use if you find yourself surrounded, or needing to flush out a team with little cover.

The combination of the ultimate and tactical abilities, however, makes for a powerful defense. Throwing Gibby’s ultimate at his feet while in the dome shield will keep you protected from the ongoing ultimate ability while giving your opponents a choice: Run towards your shield, giving you a chance for a clean kill, or run away, giving your allies a chance to escape. The combination of these abilities, and your quick thinking, can be all the difference in those clutch team fights.