When am I supposed to use cover?

[Ragology]

Cover would be so much better if it had
- more range
- a better visual cue
- also blocked magic
-much shorter cooldown

The most recent use of cover that I've seen is in Palace of the dead. There's a boss that targets the party member with a rectangular aoe connecting the two of them. If the targeted member stays far away from the boss, the aoe covers a lot of ground and has a high chance of hitting other party members on the path. Because of this, targeted people tend to run towards the boss, shortening the AOE range and reducing the odds of getting a team mate injured.

If a Paladin is in the party, they can use Cover on the targeted person after they run up to the boss.

[RiisWolf]

Cover can be used to save someone from physical damage or a really nasty hit.

Sophia EX: If you cover someone and use tempered will, then you AND the person you've covered cannot be moved. Real useful for making sure your BLM never moves during that part with the head blowing people away. Alternatively you could tank the tankbuster, thus eliminating the need to switch for a while, and yes the auto attacks are magic, they cannot hurt you.

Dusk Vigil: 1st boss, cover the targeted player, no problem.

PvP: find and protect the ally directly.

PvE: If you are the OT, then cover can be used to buff your DPS, as you can still block the attacks, thus enabling you to use shield swipe without being the MT. Otherwise same as usual.

You won't be using this often, cause NORMALLY others are out of your range or are never being hurt, much less physically sometimes.