How to use cover in a shooter

Cover is something solid between you and where the shots come from. Using it well comes down to three habits: know which direction the shots come from, shoot from the edge that shows the least of you, and pick your next spot before you leave this one. Most deaths behind cover break one of those, not the cover itself.

I play Overwatch as Zarya (Master, 1200 DPI), and a bubble is not cover. It’s a short absorb, while the wall is still there after it pops. The longer write-up is the Zarya guide, and where your crosshair waits at that edge is covered in crosshair placement.

Cover is from somewhere

A wall is only cover against shots that would have to go through it. If the enemy is in front of you and the wall is in front of you, you are covered. If a second player is off to the side, the same wall does nothing about them. Before you settle behind something, name where the shots are coming from.

When there are two directions, look for a spot that blocks both. A corner can. A dip in the ground can. A single flat wall usually cannot. If nothing nearby covers both, the spot is temporary. Use it to break sight and move.

On Zarya, a bubble that faces one direction does not save you from the second. A trade from the side is still a trade.

Cover and concealment

Cover stops shots. Concealment only hides you. The difference matters more than people expect. In many shooters, thin walls, wooden boards, glass, and foliage hide your body without stopping every bullet. An enemy who saw you go behind a bush can still hit you through it.

Thick walls, rock, and the shape of the ground are the safe guess. If you are not sure whether the game stops shots through a material, treat it as thin until you know. Use concealment to get out of sight and keep moving. Use real cover to sit, reload, and fight.

Overwatch payloads and barriers look like cover. Some of them are. Some of them are moving scenery. If the beam still ticks you, it was concealment.

Peek from the right edge

Cover has edges. Each one shows a different amount of you when you lean or step out. Shoot from the edge that shows the least of your body while still letting you see the enemy. Showing a shoulder and the head is better than stepping out with the whole body.

Many shooters also let you shoot over low cover. Standing up from behind a waist-high wall shows the head and some of the chest. That is often less than stepping around the side. If the game has a lean or a mount, it exists for this. Overwatch does not give Zarya a lean. The step is the lean.

Behind the edge, the crosshair should already be at head height on the spot where they will be. That way the peek is short, and you are back behind the wall sooner. Holding an angle is that wait. Peeker’s advantage is why the wait should not be on the lip.

What to do behind it

Cover is where the slow actions go. Reload behind it, not in the open. Heal behind it. Swap weapons behind it. Each of those is a moment where you cannot shoot back, and the wall is what keeps that moment safe.

Do not sit in the same spot forever. Once the enemy knows where you are, they can line up the edge you keep using, throw something at it, or walk around to the side you are not watching. A known spot is weaker every second you stay.

On Zarya, energy is why you leave early. Dying behind a known wall still dumps charge. Back off before zero.

Leaving cover

The time you get hit most is between two pieces of cover. Before you leave, look for the next one. Then cross in one move, without stopping halfway to look around. Open ground is not a place to think.

Leave when a second direction opens up, when an explosive is about to force you out, or when the fight has moved past you. Leaving for a spot you picked is a decision. Getting pushed out into the open is a death you saw coming. High ground is a cover you can drop from.

When they are the one in cover

The same rules read the other way. An enemy behind a wall shows you a small edge, reloads safely, and picks when to come out. You are standing in the open, showing your whole body. That is a fight you start behind. Do not stand and trade shots with someone in cover. Get to cover of your own first, so both of you are showing an edge.

Then look at the direction their cover does not block. If you can reach a spot off to their side, the wall stops protecting them. If you cannot, wait behind your own cover for the edge they keep using. Watch for the spot they will cross to next. Someone leaving cover is in open ground, just like you were.

Battlefield and Call of Duty

I do not have a ranked log in those two. The idea is the same; the size is not. On a large map, the next spot can be far away, and crossing to it is the risky part. Plan the route between pieces of cover before you need it. Against a vehicle, the cover that stops a rifle may not stop what the vehicle fires. On a small map, the cover is often the corner itself, and the time you spend exposed is short. The habit that matters most is not re-peeking the same edge after the enemy has seen it. Battlefield vs Call of Duty.

What cover does not do

Cover does not make you safe from every direction. It does not stop every shot through every material. It does not win a fight on its own. A Zarya bubble does not replace it. It gives you a place to make the next decision from. Name the direction, use the small edge, and pick the next spot.

How to review an Overwatch loss: “I peeked the wide edge twice” is a sentence.

Related: PvP, Tracking vs clicking aim, and how they differ, Overwatch guides, aim tools.

Common questions

How do you use cover in a shooter?

Keep something solid between you and the enemy, and peek from the edge that shows the least of your body. Reload and heal behind it, and pick your next cover spot before you move so you cross open ground in one go.

What is the difference between cover and concealment?

Cover stops bullets, while concealment only hides you. Bushes, thin walls and wood often block sight but not shots, so they're risky places to stay in a long fight.

Why do I still die behind cover?

Usually because you're being shot from an angle your cover doesn't block, you stayed after the enemy knew your spot, or you peeked from the wide side. Figure out which one it was so you can fix it next time.

When should I leave cover?

Leave when a second angle opens on you, when an explosive or push is about to flush you out, or when the fight moves elsewhere. Always move to a spot you've already picked, not into open ground.

Does Zarya's bubble count as cover?

Not really. A bubble absorbs damage for a couple of seconds and then disappears, while a wall stays put. Use walls to stay safe between fights and save bubbles for the moments you choose to engage.

Should I stay behind the same cover the whole fight?

No. Once enemies know where you are, they'll pre-aim your peek or flank you. Change position once your spot is known.