Apex Legends Gibraltar guide: Bubble up, brotha

Tom Bull

Tom Bull

Grab a shotgun, get that bubble down and go crazy.

Big Gibraltar is one of the chunkiest legends in the game. A huge tank that can protect his teammates and bombard enemies.

As a legend, Gibraltar can be difficult to play. His huge hitbox makes him very vulnerable in open spaces. This makes him an unpopular pick amongst more casual players. Don't be fooled though, Gibraltar can be a strong pick.

Unlock his secrets with our detailed Apex Legends Gibraltar guide.

Gibraltar artwork (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Gibraltar artwork (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Apex Legends Gibraltar guide: What makes Gibraltar a good legend?

The key strength of Gibraltar lies with his Dome of Protection. It can buy you crucial time to reset, revive and stabilise in an engagement. Additionally, if you master 'Bubble Fights' then defeating you is no mean feat.

Strengths:

  • Take close range engagements in your Dome of Protection.
  • Win your trades with the extra HP of the Gun Shield.
  • Siege enemies using your Defensive Bombardment, raining intense damage down from above.

Weaknesses:

  • Gibraltar has a incredibly large hitbox and is very difficult to use in open spaces.
  • The Defensive Bombardment requires good timing to be effective, and can be bypassed.
  • If you cannot find a strong shotgun then Bubble Fighting is much more difficult.
Dome of Protection (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Dome of Protection (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Gibraltar Tactical:

  • Throws a large disc, which upon landing projects a dome shield around it. The dome has a radius of 6 meters and lasts 12 seconds.
  • The dome shield stops all incoming and outgoing bullets and projectiles while allowing players to move through it.

The Dome of Protection is a deceivingly flexible ability. It feels like a primarily defensive ability, but in the right situations it can help you be considerably more aggressive than meets the eye. It also crucially can give you time and space in hectic fights.

Dome of Protection screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Dome of Protection screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Tips for Dome of Protection:

Tip #1:

The art of 'Bubble Fights' was once a key mechanic in the ALGS, when Gibraltar was meta. The principle is dealing big damage as someone enters the bubble, and dancing in or outside of it to quickly deal damage without the enemy shooting you back. It works especially effectively with high damage shotguns, like the Peacekeeper and Mastiff.

Tip #2:

Use the Dome of Protection as a way to calm down and reset in fights. It's pretty self explanatory that it can buy you time to pop some heals. But, it also allows you the time to work out what your next move can be. You could even pop a Wraith portal or Valkyrie Ultimate from inside the Dome if you feel you need to make a quick getaway.

Tip #3:

If you're using the Dome of Protection to revive your teammates, you could combine this ability with the Defensive Bombardment. The Dome will protect you from taking any damage from your own ability, and no enemies will be able to rush into your Dome without getting hit and stunned by the Bombardment.

Gun Shield (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Gun Shield (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Gibraltar Passive:

  • Aiming down sights deploys a gun shield that blocks incoming fire.
  • While aiming, Gibraltar will have an energy shield in front of him with 50 health that protects his upper body from incoming fire while allowing him to shoot out.
  • If broken, it has a 9-second cooldown before regenerating.
  • Any excess damage inflicted when destroying the shield will be transferred over to Gibraltar himself.

The Gun Shield helps Gibraltar absorb a little bit more damage. Without it, his huge hitbox would make him really vulnerable in all 1v1 situations.

Gun Shield screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Gun Shield screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Tips for Gun Shield:

Tip #1:

The Gun Shield glows really bright - so don't forget that you can turn it off if you're trying to hide and not be spotted. Else, don't be aiming down sights if you don't want to be seen!

Tip #2:

Snipers pair really well with the Gibraltar Arm Shield. The extra damage you can absorb helps you win your trades comfortably if you hit your shots reliably.

Defensive Bombardment (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Defensive Bombardment (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Gibraltar Ultimate:

  • Call in a concentrated mortar strike on a marked position.
  • The Ultimate has a 24 meter radius, reigns bombardments down for 6 seconds.
  • Getting hit by a Bombardment deals 40 damage and stuns enemies.

The Defensive Bombardment can do serious damage against players that are trapped in a confined area. If can remove teams from above you, protect you from a push or grief a fight.

Defensive Bombardment screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)
Defensive Bombardment screenshot (Image via Electronic Arts Inc.)

Tips for Defensive Bombardment:

Tip #1:

This ability also damages Gibraltar, and will stun your teammates. That means you have to be careful when you use it. You can't really push through the ability so bear that in mind when you choose what situations to deploy it in.

Tip #2:

This ability can really force a teams hand. If they are playing behind cover you can throw the Bombardment at them to make them move. If they choose not to move, they'll be farmed by the Bombardment and will be easy kills.

Tip #3:

If you want to get really toxic, you could even throw this ability at downed enemies to get your thirsts. It's maybe a waste of an Ultimate, but the level of rage your opponents will feel might just make it worthwhile.

Apex Legends Gibraltar guide: What legends work well with Gibraltar?

Gibraltar needs assistance with moving around the map. He is very vulnerable in open spaces thanks to his large hitbox and lack of mobility. It's important to play with legends that help him maneuver.

Aggressive Playstyles:

Mad Maggie excels with shotguns. Gibraltar can create close range Bubble fights. What is not to love? Valkyrie helps Gibraltar move around the map with her Skyward Dive, and Horizon can suck people into a Gibraltar Defensive Bombardment.

Passive Playstyles:

Wraith and her portal is a self explanatory combination. However Caustic and Wattson might not make much sense. Wattson and Gibraltar provides a lot of flexibility. If you're in open spaces the Bubble can help you stabilise, in zone Wattson's fence's mean you can lock down a position. Get Gibraltar a sniper and let him get to work at levelling those Evo Shields. Caustic and Gibraltar was a classic combination. You can push inside or outside with their Ultimates. Plus, getting Gas inside a dome can go absolutely crazy.

Gibraltar certainly has a small margin for error, thanks to his large size. However, if you master shotguns and don't mind being huge this legend has plenty to offer.

Thanks for reading our Apex Legends Gibraltar guide.

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