Shadowstep Dodge

Shadowstep Dodge is an enemy-exclusive passive ability that allows certain enemies to reactively teleport up to 1 tile away when attacked. Unlike a standard dodge that simply negates damage, Shadowstep Dodge physically relocates the enemy, changing their battlefield position as part of the evasion. This makes follow-up attacks harder to land because the target is no longer where you expected it to be after your first strike.

Enemies with Shadowstep Dodge are frustrating to pin down with melee-focused teams, since each attack attempt may cause the target to slip away before damage connects. The 1-tile teleport range is short, but in tight corridors or near terrain hazards it can reposition the enemy behind cover or out of your remaining cats' attack ranges. AoE abilities and multi-hit attacks are more reliable against Shadowstep Dodge users, since even if the enemy shifts position during the first hit, the area effect may still catch them. Abilities that apply Immobile, Stun, or Root before the attack lands can also prevent the dodge from triggering.

As a player, recognizing which enemies carry Shadowstep Dodge helps you plan your turn order. Lead with crowd control or debuffs to lock the enemy down before committing your heavy hitters. If you cannot prevent the dodge, try to position your team so the enemy has no safe tile to teleport to, surrounding them and cutting off escape routes. Shadowstep Dodge is the enemy counterpart to the player-accessible Shadowstep movement ability, but it functions defensively rather than as an offensive repositioning tool.