Jagged Alliance 3 Cover Guide: How Does Cover Work?

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How Does Cover Work in Jagged Alliance 3

Cover is an important mechanic to understand in Jagged Alliance 3 as it will help your squad be protected during the enemy’s turn.

Your cover will depend on the shield that you’ll see when trying to move somewhere. It’s essential to end your turn while covered and ideally crouched.

In this cover guide for Jagged Alliance 3, I will explain how cover works and provide some tips on how to use this mechanic.

For more early-game guides, check out our article on the best mercenaries to start with in Jagged Alliance 3.

Cover Explained in Jagged Alliance 3

How Does Cover Work in Jagged Alliance 3 - Half Cover.
If you move to this position, you’ll have half cover from enemies in front of you. Crouch for maximum cover and make sure enemies aren’t flanking.

When moving your units, a shield icon will be displayed in front of them to showcase if they are covered or not. Specifically, there are four potential cover icons that may appear in Jagged Alliance 3:

  • Full Shield – Your unit will have full coverage from all incoming shots in front of them.
  • Half Shield – Your unit will have half coverage from all incoming shots in front of them. Expect an average of 50% of bullets blocked due to cover.
  • Red Shield – Your unit would have full coverage in this location but an enemy unit is flanking and thus there is no cover. Take out the enemy unit to have cover.
  • No Shield – Your unit has no cover in this area.

However, cover is not as simple as that and there are some extra things to keep in mind.

First, cover only works in front of your unit. If you have full cover and a unit moves to your side, you won’t have cover anymore. Thus, when getting in cover, it’s important to try and anticipate the enemies’ movements.

Second, half cover is only an estimate of how many bullets you could dodge. It’s not a guarantee that half of the bullets will miss. Instead, if enemies take time to aim their shots, expect to be hit by almost everything.

If you’re not sure about your current cover, I highly recommend utilizing crouch and prone, as they are extremely helpful when your unit isn’t in cover.

Crouch and Prone Explained in Jagged Alliance 3

How Does Cover Work in Jagged Alliance 3 - Full Cover.
If you move to this position, you’ll have full cover from enemies on your left but no cover from enemies in front or on your right.

At the cost of some Action Points, you can also command your unit to Crouch or Prone at the end of the turn.

Crouching is ideal if you’re behind half cover, as it will make you significantly safer.

On the other hand, going prone is your best choice if you have no cover nearby. Even if your unit is in the middle of the fight, going prone will reduce their chances of getting hit by a lot.

However, both moves will cost AP and reduce your overall movement. Finding full cover is preferred but these are useful alternatives if you have no other option.

Wrapping up

To sum up this cover guide for Jagged Alliance 3, players can understand how protected they are when moving to a new position based on the shield in front of their unit.

Try and always have full cover, crouch with half-cover, or prone when you have no cover at all and you’ll be able to survive without getting hit.

What do you think about the cover system in JA 3? Is it too realistic or is it just right? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you enjoyed reading this article, also check out our guide on how to make money in Jagged Alliance 3. After all, you’ll need to pay your mercenaries.

Harry
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