Paladin "Cover"

How come I never see anyone use this skill? I use it all the time and it alleviates a lot of stress of the healers. I've gotten really good at using it and I get a lot of comments about what skill was that, clever idea, and even some people freak out that there's a mysterious green chain on them and run around like nuts lol.
Am I the only one using this skill?

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Originally Posted by Kazzoey

How come I never see anyone use this skill? I use it all the time and it alleviates a lot of stress of the healers. I've gotten really good at using it and I get a lot of comments about what skill was that, clever idea, and even some people freak out that there's a mysterious green chain on them and run around like nuts lol.
Am I the only one using this skill?

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you just don't notice when good PLD use it. I usually cover the healer or a dps that can KO the last boss, but the healer don't notice my cover and I end up dying :D. After those experience I just use it if I think I can survive getting dmg+the person I am using cover (dmg)

I just try not to let other party members get hit?

Because people who don't know about it will run away the instant they see they have a tether attached to them.

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Originally Posted by Urthdigger

I just try not to let other party members get hit?

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that is the normal thing to do, but how can u " not let other party member get hit" when there's an aoe? and dps keep standing on aoe detonators? and that debuff not just u the tank but the other party members standing close by:) cover is a nice skill to use in those certain moments

Fun fact about Cover: If the guy you are covering gets hit by Titan's Landslide you get to fly!

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Originally Posted by Moonleg

Fun fact about Cover: If the guy you are covering gets hit by Titan's Landslide you get to fly!

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really? that sounds like fun and hilarious to watch.

Cover was used three times in my static's T13 strat. I'd cover the Black Mage or melee during Earthshakers, the White Mage when the Storm of Meracydia spawned, and the Warrior when he Holmganged the second Akh Morn. I thought about using it for the first Prey in A1S since it's a physical attack but ultimately decided it would be too confusing with everything else that's going on. I'll use it in A1 normal if a DPS has to bring the adds right beside me or if someone's low on HP right before the Oppressors land from a jump.

Honestly, I like the skill and wish it had a shorter cooldown.

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Originally Posted by Moonleg

Fun fact about Cover: If the guy you are covering gets hit by Titan's Landslide you get to fly!

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In other words: Use at your own risk in pugs? I wonder what the group reaction was. I sure would have laughed, hard.

I am not entirely sure, but I think I was covered once or twice in the Vault, when the first boss starts to limit break people. Seems pretty nifty. Probably would have run away, though, if I hadn't known that the boss himself doesn't do no tether. I reckon the skill is best used with a macro in pugs.

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Originally Posted by Zojha

In other words: Use at your own risk in pugs? I wonder what the group reaction was. I sure would have laughed, hard.

I am not entirely sure, but I think I was covered once or twice in the Vault, when the first boss starts to limit break people. Seems pretty nifty. Probably would have run away, though, if I hadn't known that the boss himself doesn't do no tether. I reckon the skill is best used with a macro in pugs.

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Ahh. Yeah, I use it there too if he targets the melee or if a caster happens to be standing close-ish to me.

I have a mouseover macro for it, it makes it much easier. :3

I like cover skill cuz, in another mmo, as a PLD tank (support oriented)I got to use cover skill, but in the other mmo it was called sacrifice. It would last 30 secs on lvl 1 and would increase the duration time up to almost 2 mins on lvl 6 sacrifice. That was a Paladin Pure support class. Paldin class was able to become pure dmg/support/ or hybrid.

I really like using cover given the situation arises when its worth doing haha. Never use it regular mob pulling unless someone is close to death for some reason (which is rare since being a tank is all bout making that not happen).

Often times I find myself using it when a member (often healer) is down to a sliver of health about to die usually from a mess up on dodging aoes or say boss mechanics that catch them off guard. Feels good being able to save someone with it haha. Though will say I'd imagine I've only really saved someone 2-3 times out of the probably 50 times I've used it, but it does give a nice breathing room to anyone who is almost dead to relax a bit knowing they're covered.

Will say I only used cover terribly once during a ultros/typhon fight where his aoe stacked with the person I was covering doubling up the damage on me leading to death (as mt), and as a result a chain reaction of the plague enveloped everyone until we wiped completely soon after haha.

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Originally Posted by dekal

After those experience I just use it if I think I can survive getting dmg+the person I am using cover (dmg)

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This is the problem - you have to survive the damage. I've used it and ended up dying instead myself.

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Originally Posted by Saccharin

This is the problem - you have to survive the damage. I've used it and ended up dying instead myself.

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cover by itself is not the problem, but not teaching other players playing other roles that PLD is there to use skills like cover

cover was useful in T13

When I get covered I usually can't keep the blush in and run away. LOL. Joking. Kinda. Well, anyway Cover is one of the few things I miss from playing Paladin. I'd like to see it more used too.

I saved someone's life in Snowcloak with Cover once, on the last boss of the dungeon. Some dude failed to hide behind the pillar in time, and I instinctively clicked Cover as fast as I have ever done in my entire life. He took no damage from the following pounce attack the boss does.

I felt so damn pro.

I use cover a fair bit as well, for example when melee DPS go to LB. However, I do wish it would have longer range. There's been times I've tried to cover a ranged dps/caster and wouldn't have time to run to them, pop cover, and have the effect apply in time for the hit. Aside from that it's a nice skill to have.

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Originally Posted by Kazzoey

...Am I the only one using this skill?

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I like to use it very much, when a member is going to take unavoidable dmg but I don't have cover as a tank, I feel so helpless.
However, eveytime when the boss dies but the cover still active, I feel the link between us are too sweet and very embarrassing ^^;

I mainly use it to cover the healer if they pull agro, or if they are mana bombing a whole lot of adds. Occasionally I'll use it on the other tank If I'm OT and their hp drops low, however I'm rarely healed when I do.

As said, it's very useful in fights like T13, pretty useful on A2S and good all-around if the healer/dps can take a lot of dmg.

Cover range is just a tas bit too short imo, as in pug parties your group can be all over the place to make actual use of it.

Well only works against physical attacks so no point on using it if we are being hit by magic and many AoEs are magic based. Also the range is super small so the person you cover have to be close to you. Most of the time Mages are out of the PLDs range.

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Originally Posted by ShaneDawn

As said, it's very useful in fights like T13, pretty useful on A2S and good all-around if the healer/dps can take a lot of dmg.

Cover range is just a tas bit too short imo, as in pug parties your group can be all over the place to make actual use of it.

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I agree with this. Cover should have a longer range. cover is not practice on the field cuz it pretty much just force the party member to be close to the tank. IT would be a good thing to cover someone for 10 secs while bring/luring something /that's an idea/ or if they are getting ready to LB and the dps/healer is far away, you can't use cover if they are out of range.

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Originally Posted by myahele

Because people who don't know about it will run away the instant they see they have a tether attached to them.

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"Halp! There's a Sims on me! Get it of! Get it off!"

While leveling a DRK first thing i missed was Cover, it has multiple uses from saving a person, delaying/skipping tank swap due debuff trasfer, cheesing a mechanic or when you just feel too lazy to provoke mob off from healer/dps. But yeah its kinda annoying/funny when you cover a person and they start to run away from you in panic, this happens alot in pvp and it also gets you killed insanely fast in there aswell.

This typical attitude of having ppl running for the person protecting them is somewhat unique to this game community. In other mmos, I haven't got those at least they are fresh new (in their lvl10-13) or they actually listen/run the party chat and go back if they are told to come back or stop running. /I'm just saying my opinion and what I experienced in this game/

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Originally Posted by Moonleg

Fun fact about Cover: If the guy you are covering gets hit by Titan's Landslide you get to fly!

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Also if slapped with gaol, the PLD is also slapped with it..

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Originally Posted by dekal

you just don't notice when good PLD use it. I usually cover the healer or a dps that can KO the last boss, but the healer don't notice my cover and I end up dying :D. After those experience I just use it if I think I can survive getting dmg+the person I am using cover (dmg)

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PLD also use Cover on the MT in Titan EX to take a stack without tank swapping as well.

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Originally Posted by dekal

This typical attitude of having ppl running for the person protecting them is somewhat unique to this game community. In other mmos, I haven't got those at least they are fresh new (in their lvl10-13) or they actually listen/run the party chat and go back if they are told to come back or stop running. /I'm just saying my opinion and what I experienced in this game/

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I agree, people really don't like to stand still in this game I have noticed. I can understand if you have to move from a mechanic, but when there is nothing happening they still running all over the show, its puzzling.

Problem with cover is the PLD is melee and the ones who benefit most always are healers and casters who stand well of out range...and most people don't see the tether and run away...i normally use it when i off tank to help lessen the damage to the main tank.

But can't Hollowed Ground → Cover.

Cover is another gimmick that doesn't do anything most of the time on a class filled with gimmicks that don't do anything most of the time. It was cool in Bahamut Prime mostly because it stopped the puddles from forming, but it doesn't prevent secondary effects from happening like anywhere else in the game. If the devs have to invent weird situations like that for your ability to be useful, it's probably not very good.

Basically, cover is pretty good when you get to use it. It's just that 90% of the time you don't. It could use some tweaks to make it more of a benefit in everyday fights, but you could say that about a lot of paladin stuff.

Shorter cooldown; redirects magic damage as well as physical so it's useful all of the time, and not just some of the time; reasonably longer range but not so long as to be ridiculous in concept. Boom - I'm happy.

I think I've used it once doing Titan HM a while back. Was only me the other PLD who was MT and 1 DPS left, everyone else dead. Titan was almost dead and instead of a wipe I used it on the MT to take the damage off him. Once it ran out I started healing the MT was just enough to get the clear. Other than that, never used it, found no need to. I really only run the 4 man content and no one usually standing close enough for me to use it or even taking damage that I need to "cover" them.

Go pally OT in T9 DF and cover the maintank for ravensbeak ;) had a lot of fun with that.

Same reason why Black Mages never Aether Manipulate. Or DRKs forgetting about Sole Survivor. Or DRGs neglecting Illusive Jump. Or MNKs questioning the application of one-ilm punch. (It's good for PvP!)

It's just one of those skills that are really nice to have, but are super situational so it never really gets beaten into your head like the muscle memory you have on your rotation. So most players tend to forget they even have it, despite the amazing utility you can have with it if you remember its even on your bar.

Cover needs more work on it. I has potential, but I think the dev team stopped working on it and just throw there just to keep it. Cover in this game is more for emergency. I wish it could have more uses. As I said cover is a good skill. I wish it could be more similar to sacrifice skill from the other game I played.

use it all the time, NEEDS TO INCLUDE MAGIC COVERAGE!!!

I use cover all the time, or at least try to. The second I lose aggro, or an add spawns in a boss fight while a regen buff is up, I immediately try to use it on the person who gained aggro. However, I often don't actually use the skill. Why? Because when people take aggro, they run away. Cover has a fairly short range. No matter who your tank is (well, unless it's Titan-egi), when you pull aggro, run TO the tank, not AWAY from the tank. If the enemy cleaves, stack on the tank and run through the enemy the second your aggro bubble changes.

Also, important point the OP appears to be missing - Cover only works on physical damage. Magic damage doesn't transfer. The vast majority of non-primary target damage is magical, not physical. There are only a few fights where you want to use Cover on someone who doesn't have aggro. Like, some of Cerberus's damage is physical (the rush attack, the tail swipe, and, surprisingly, ululation. The second boss of Qarn HM - the needle attacks are physical (3,000 needles, 5,000 needles) and will usually one-shot a non-tank. So if you know the healer is bad at dodging and targetted by one, cover them in case they don't get out in time (I've done this to great effect, saving the group, when I knew my wife was in a lag spike). I believe in Steps, the "underfoot" attack is physical, but only careless DPS get hit by that. Captain Morgan in Sastasha HM's gun shots are physical, and covering a healer who gets targeted is great, but I find cover is best saved in that fight for the final phase when you get swarmed (run to the healer before you're locked in place and cover them until you can get free to pull aggro). The first boss of the Vault (I think?) has an attack that targets someone and hits them with a bunch of attacks. Cover will negate the pain from that entirely.

But, those are exceptions. Physical secondary-target damage just isn't common at all, which is why most PLDs don't bother.

Also also? Never, ever, ever, ever use it during Titan. Even if it helps with the stomps, as stated, landslide's knockback transfers. It's only funny when it happens to other people.


The best way to use the skill, as others have said, is to make a mouse over macro and put it on your middle mouse button. The macro is just:

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/micon "cover"
/ac "cover" <mo>

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Originally Posted by Kotemon

I mainly use it to cover the healer if they pull agro, or if they are mana bombing a whole lot of adds. Occasionally I'll use it on the other tank If I'm OT and their hp drops low, however I'm rarely healed when I do.

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Right, but you can stay at the edge of cover range, and when your health gets lower than theirs, back up a step out of cover range. If you get healed, step back into cover range. Gives you nice control over who takes the damage, essentially doubling the tank's health for the skill's duration.

I hope SE take a look in this. Cover is a skill with great potrntial, as I mentioned, but it was not refined. Another thing to added to the things pld need fixed.