Cover System
Slide into cover at mach speeds—your shield will thank you.
The Cover System in the Tribes franchise is a fundamental gameplay mechanic that allows players to take defensive positions behind terrain, structures, or deployable shields. Unlike traditional cover systems found in slower-paced shooters, Tribes' implementation is uniquely integrated with its high-speed, jetpack-based movement, enabling players to slide into cover while skiing at extreme velocities. This system is critical for survival in the chaotic, open-world battles of Tribes: Ascend and earlier titles, providing brief respite from incoming fire without breaking the flow of combat.
- Role
- Defensive positioning and tactical advantage
- Key Feature
- Integration with skiing and jetpack mechanics
- Primary Use
- Shielding from enemy fire while maintaining mobility
- Related Mechanic
- Deployable force fields and base turrets
Lore & Background
In the brutal, resource-driven conflicts of the Tribes universe, survival depends on turning the landscape into a weapon. The Cover System was born from raw necessity: a desperate dance of hugging rock formations, base walls, and debris to escape the relentless spinfusor disks, chaingun streams, and sniper rounds that define Tribal warfare. On battlefields like Katabatic or Drydock, veterans learned to slide into cover while skiing at breakneck speeds, using the game's physics to maintain momentum and break line of sight. This technique became a hallmark of skill, separating those who could turn a boulder into a fleeting sanctuary from those who stood still and died.
In Their Own Story
The sun bled orange over the canyon as Blitz slid behind a crumbling pillar, the heat of a plasma bolt singing his armor. His HUD flickered—shield at 15%. He heard the thrum of an incoming mortar, pressed his back against the stone, and felt the explosion shake the ground. For a heartbeat, the world was silent. Then he kicked off, skiing into the open, the cover system saving him for one more pass at the flag.
Reader's Guide
The Cover System in Tribes doesn't rely on a button press—it's all about positioning and movement. Use hills, rocks, and base walls to break line of sight with enemies. The trick is to combine cover with skiing (sliding down slopes to gain speed) and jetpack boosts, letting you slide into safety and burst out like a rocket. This enables hit-and-run tactics: peek out, fire a spinfusor disc, then duck back behind cover before the return fire lands. To use it effectively, never stop moving. Stop, and you're a sitting duck. Slide into cover, let your shield recharge for a second, then explode out with a jetpack jump. This system shines in Capture the Flag, where flag carriers must weave between cover to survive. Master it, and the environment becomes a living shield—making you nearly untouchable in the right hands.
Did You Know?
- Skiing into cover is a technique that emerged from the game's physics engine, not a designed feature, and was later embraced by developers.
- In Tribes: Ascend, the Cover System is often used to dodge the slow-moving but devastating mortar rounds.
- Deployable force fields in the series function as artificial cover, allowing players to create safe zones on open maps.
More in Gameplay & Mechanics
Elsewhere in the Tribes universe
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