Teleportation/blink
Instant relocation to a nearby point, bypassing normal movement, usually with a short cooldown and used for repositioning, escape, or surprise attacks. Dishonored's Blink power defines the entire stealth-action toolkit around instant, silent repositioning, while Overwatch 2's Tracer uses Blink for high-mobility, hit-and-run offense. Designers use blink/teleport abilities to enable movement options impossible through normal locomotion (through gaps, onto ledges, past enemies), to create high-skill-ceiling mobility that rewards spatial awareness, and to add an escape or engage tool distinct from running. Key decisions: range limits and line-of-sight requirements (can you blink through walls, or only to visible points?), cooldown and charge-based systems (multiple stored charges create burst-mobility windows), whether it can be used defensively mid-combat to dodge attacks, and clear telegraphing so opponents can react to a blinking target. Pitfall: unlimited-range or cooldown-free blinking removes positional risk entirely from a game built around risk — the mobility needs a real cost (cooldown, resource, limited range) to remain a decision rather than a free escape button.
- Dev effort: Small
- Timing: Real-time
- Common in: stealth, hero-shooter