I recently started an Imperial Agent. So far I really like it, but I'm a little confused by the Cover Bar mechanic.

Firstly, what benefit does being in cover give me as a player? The downside is that it makes me immobile, and usually out of range of some skills (i.e. Shiv). Some of my skills are only usable in cover, so obviously getting access to those skills is a benefit, but at the cost of mobility. Am I missing anything?

And the cover bar is a tad confusing. It covers my main quickbar, so I obviously have to be careful what goes on which bar. Logic says that any skills that can't or shouldn't be used in cover would go on quickbar 1, and anything that is used only in cover goes on the cover bar. What I'm having a hard time understanding is that the numbers don't really add up (I'll have less available slots if I move things normally on quickbar 1).

I have several other characters, and I use Quickbar 1 as my primary attack bar, with my default attack skill in slot 1 on this bar. If I use this setup on my agent, my quickbar covers up some of the skills normally prefer to keep there (the blaster shot skill - forget the name - for example).

Anyway, if anyone has any tips (or links to external sites) that will help understand how these things can be improvements rather than handicaps, I'd appreciate it.

Cover gives you a defense bonus and access to your more powerful skills.

While in cover you cover bar becomes your main bar so you number keys will change to the cover bar so you can still press a button to use your abilities, they will just be different abilities. Since you can have multiple copies of each skill you can put your abilities on your cover bar in the same spot as on your quick bar.

Once you choose your advance class you will find that snipers use cover for almost all their abilities and gain other bonuses while in cover. Where as Operatives get very few(if any) skills while using cover and will only hop in for the defense bonus and to use Agent skills that require cover.

. Since you can have multiple copies of each skill you can put your abilities on your cover bar in the same spot as on your quick bar.

Or you can disable the cover bar entirely in preferences. Some players find it easier than dealing with an extra bar.

Or you can disable the cover bar entirely in preferences. Some players find it easier than dealing with an extra bar.

This is the direction I'm currently leaning, just because at low levels, I'm gaining new skills fairly quickly, I don't want to spend too much time fussing with the bar setup every time I train.

I still use the cover bar. My normal bar is optimized to when I'm attacking out of cover and cover bar optimized to when I'm in cover (natch); but for skills that work on both I have them mapped on both to the same place. So in cover or out of cover grenade is on 6 so I don't have to change my way of thinking every time I enter or leave cover, rifle shot always 1, overload shot always 2, etc.

I also keep keys the same across all my characters, AoE attacks are always the same key, grenades, healing, stun-breaker always the same key no matter the class. So when I get frozen on a huttball firepit that's about to go off hitting the key to break free and run is just a memorized muscle movement now. Doesn't matter if I'm a sorcerer or commando.