10 Tips & Tricks For Gibraltar in Apex Legends

Image: Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts via HGG

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Apex Legends has dominated the battle royale scene since its debut back in February 2019. In the time since its launch, the game has seen many newly added characters, as well as tweaks and re-balances to bring older Legends back in line with the meta. One of the Legends who’s been there since day one is the shielded fortress, Gibraltar.

While he wasn’t very effective during the start of the game’s life cycle, all of the buffs he’s received has made him one of the most powerful characters in the game! In today’s article, we’ll be going over the top ten tips and tricks for Gibraltar in Apex Legends.

Let’s get started!

Apex Legends Gibraltar: Character Overview

Before we get into our Gibraltar tips and tricks, let’s give a quick rundown of the history of this beloved character. Gibraltar’s full name is Makoa Gibraltar. He is a human male from the planet Solace. You’ll most certainly be familiar with this planet, as it’s the same one which the map King’s Canyon takes place on!

He once worked for the organization Search and Rescue Association of Solace, or SARAS for short. This volunteer non-profit group functions similarly to the Coast Guard, helping people in need and saving them from life-threatening situations — something that Gibraltar has a passion for doing.

Gibraltar joined the Apex Games after working with SARAS for a while. He saw many friends and acquaintances sign up for the blood sport and grew increasingly concerned with how many people threw their lives away in the arena. So he did what he always did best and joined the Games so he could help protect those he was close to from harm’s way.

Now, he permanently fights in the arena. Gibraltar doesn’t do it for for money or glory, just to help out his squadmates so they can live to see another day.

Much of the information above was sourced from the Apex Legends Universe Wiki. You can read more about this compelling character by following the link posted here.

Abilities & Playstyle

Gibraltar is a defensive Legend with some support capabilities. He’s a great pick if you enjoy covering your teammates with a deployable energy dome and using heavy artillery to send enemies packing. Due to his size and abilities, he has a more “slow and steady” playstyle instead of an agile and hyper-aggressive one, such as characters like Wraith. His abilities are as follows:

Passive: Gun Shield

When aiming down the sights with any firearm equipped, Gibraltar automatically deploys a special shield that protects only him. This shield is see-through and keeps his chest area and face (mostly) safe. It’s a great way to reduce incoming damage from enemy players and allows you to peek behind cover with less fear of being one-shot.

Tactical: Dome of Protection

After you press the tactical button, Gibraltar throws down a deployable energy bubble that’s completely impervious to all incoming firepower. While Gibraltar and his teammates are standing inside the bubble, Gibraltar receives a buff to his revive speed. This allows him to get his teammates back on their feet in a third of the time.

Ultimate: Defensive Bombardment

As of Season 13, Gibraltar is equipped with the Fortified perk. This is a passive ability that allows him to take 15% less damage for each and every incoming shot. This perk is given to him to counteract his larger hitbox. In short, he is easier to hit but takes less damage per shot. Keep this in mind while you’re playing him.

To learn more about Gibraltar’s abilities, check out the Apex Legends Wiki page for him here!

10 Tips & Tricks For Gibraltar, in No Particular Order

With all of that information covered, let’s get right into the main article!

1. Gibraltar’s Gun Shield Takes a Second to Deploy

One thing I often see other players forget in the heat of the moment is that Gibraltar’s gun shield does not deploy instantly. Once you aim down the sights, it takes a second for his shield to pop open and deploy. While this may seem like a very small and insignificant detail, it can often have big repercussions if you forget.

If you find yourself in a sniper battle with an opponent that has their sights aimed at you, peeking your head out of cover for even a second equals a bullet to the face. Try aiming down the sights first and waiting for your shield to deploy. Then, you can move your sights out of cover and aim back at the enemy firing at you. This allows you to stay protected.

2. Stay in Cover and Don’t Hip Fire

This may seem like a very obvious and cheesy tip, but it’s worth stating for a character like Gibraltar. He is big and tanky, not agile and nimble like a lot of Legends in the game. Not to mention his gun shield can only be deployed when aiming down sights. So don’t run out into the open, jumping and crouching to avoid gunfire while you shoot from the hip. This is a tactic best saved for someone like Wraith.

Gibraltar should be played slow and steady. You should creep around every corner carefully when you know an enemy is nearby, and almost all of your shots should be fired from ADS. Using hip fire takes away the advantage of his gun shield. You’ll need to use this passive as often as possible to counteract his larger hitbox, which already puts him at a big disadvantage.

3. Use the Right Loadout

Whenever I play as Gibraltar, I love to pick up a sniper rifle or a marksman rifle as my primary weapon. This is a great weapon to use, as his gun shield gives you added cover when aiming down sights. If you’re ever in a sniper battle with another opponent, you will more often than not win the fight. That is, provided you have decent aim. His shield can protect a good amount of incoming fire.

A good secondary weapon would be an assault rifle, such as the R-301 Carbine or the Flatline. Assault rifles are also good for aiming down the sights, which again works well with his passive ability. They’re very effective guns at medium range. If you’re looking for something that can be used in close firefights, consider picking up an EVA-8 or a Peacekeeper shotgun instead.

4. Be Very Careful with Where You Deploy Gibraltar’s Bubble Dome

If it weren’t already obvious enough, Gibraltar’s bubble dome is big, bright, and draws a lot of attention. If you deploy a bubble shield in a wide-open area, you can expect some nearby squads to notice it. This means you need to be careful with when and where you drop it down, or at least be prepared for another squad to show up.

If you are looking for a team to fight, you can throw down your bubble shield right out in the open and begins firing. This is a very interesting way to draw in some eyes and get the attention of any nearby squads in the area. You can camp in a high-up area and throw down the shield, then just snipe any enemies that are attracted to it for some easy kills!

5. Disable the Gun Shield to Stay Hidden

While Gibraltar’s gun shield is really handy for dishing out damage while minimizing risk, it actually has a big drawback — you’re much easier to see from a distance. Your shield will glow bright orange to enemies, which is a very easy color to spot. This is especially a problem in later rounds when it is best to stay low until there is only one other squad left.

Many people don’t know this, but you can actually deactivate Gibraltar’s gun shield. Doing this allows you to aim at your opponents without risking them seeing you. You’ll want to do this if you and your team intend to stay hidden and get the drop on the enemy. Once you fire off your first shots and the enemy starts to hit back, then you can re-activate it and resume your normal killing.

6. If You See a Downed Enemy Being Revived, Use Your Ultimate to Finish Them Off

If you manage to knock an enemy down or happen to third-party another squad with an already downed teammate, you can use your ultimate to your advantage. As soon as you see your enemy going for a revive, you’ll want to rain down some destruction atop them. Throw your ultimate at the enemy being revived. Chances are, you’ll kill them and damage whoever tried to get them back up.

Unlike Bangalore’s ultimate, the defensive bombardment from Gibraltar starts dropping artillery almost instantly. This makes it a great way to bait enemies into reviving their teammates only for them to be surprised by a bomb suddenly landing right on top of them. You can either kick back and watch the fireworks or start shooting to put them at an even bigger disadvantage.

7. Enter and Exit the Dome to Throw Off Your Opponents

Use the dome to throw off your opponents — *Image: Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross*

One of the most common (and effective) strategies I’ve seen people use with Gibraltar is ducking in and out of the shield dome to throw off your opponents. If you’re in a firefight with someone, you can use it as cover and peek out when they’re done firing to damage them. They’ll shoot back and hit the bubble shield, wasting their shots and allowing you the chance to peek out again.

You can also bait them into wasting their ammo if you aren’t interested in doing damage to them. Just walk out of the dome for a second, then walk right back in. They will start shooting, but most of their shots will arrive by the time you’re back safely inside. Just be careful with this! Some enemies may have a high-damage sniper rifle. And don’t do it for too long, or your bubble will run out of juice.

8. Crouch Down While Using the Gun Shield

If you use your gun shield a lot — especially to snipe — this next tip is great for you. The gun shield will only cover part of your upper body, making you vulnerable at your lower waist and your legs. To fix this little problem, all you need to do is crouch down — now your shield covers almost every inch of your body! This helps out a lot in sniper battles and long-range gun fights.

Just keep in mind that you move slower when you are crouched down. If you play Gibraltar very tactically, spend a lot of time peeking corners, and don’t rush out into the open, then this shouldn’t be a problem. If your gun shield runs out of health, you can go back to standing up, which opens your moveset and gives you the opportunity to jump around and dodge enemy fire if you don’t have cover.

9. Use Gibraltar’s Ultimate to Get Enemies Off Your Back

Use the ultimate — *Image: Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts via HGG*

While you may think that Gibraltar’s ultimate ability can only be used offensively, it also has a defensive function. One common play for Gibraltar mains is to drop a bubble shield at their feet, only to throw down their artillery right at the same spot. This calls down the swarm of missiles to land right on top of them. What this does is provide an additional level of protection against enemy squads looking to push.

Next time you and your team need a second to breathe, don’t be afraid to throw down your tactical and ultimate at the same time. Then, while you’re waiting for the defensive barrage to end, you can heal up, revive, reload, and do whatever it is you need to do. Using this tactic has saved my skin several times, and it’s something all Gibraltar mains need to know about.

10. Pair Gibraltar With the Right Legends

Last but not least in our article for the top ten tips and tricks for Gibraltar in Apex Legends, we should go over the best Legends to use him with. Apex Legends is a game all about synergy between different characters, and seeing who works best alongside whom. From my own experience, Gibraltar is a great character to use with characters such as Lifeline, Rampart, and Caustic.

While Gibraltar can revive people faster in his dome, the auto-revive feature Lifeline has is more useful, in my opinion. It’s nice to be able to throw a dome down on top of a fallen teammate. This protects them and Lifeline while they are being auto-revived.

With Rampart, Gibraltar can throw down his dome shield to cover her while she sets up her minigun and amped cover. This fixes one of her greatest flaws — the fact that her amped cover can be destroyed mid-setup.

Lastly, Caustic is one of the best counters to Gibraltar. He can throw his ultimate nox grenade inside an enemy’s bubble dome, flushing them out. Having a Caustic on your team who is immune to other nox grenades counters this somewhat. Additionally, he can put down some gas traps inside the shield, which discourages enemies from pushing inside of your dome and attacking you.

Join the High Ground

We hope you found this article for the top ten tips and tricks for Gibraltar in Apex Legends helpful! Be sure to leave some of your best tips for him down in the comment section below, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more regular content! We provide regular tips and tricks articles on all of your favorite characters in Apex Legends, including much more.

Happy gaming!

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