Shape Jump

Shape Jump (Q on PC) is the "suddenly there" effect with actual rules — and knowing them precisely is what separates a Michael who teleports usefully from one who wastes cooldowns. Entering requires darkness. Reappearing requires all three of: no one watching you, darkness at the destination, and distance from any person. It runs on a cooldown, and lit houses can't be entered this way at all.

The rules in play

The three reappear conditions are the tactical meat:

• Unwatched means civilian eyes on a dark doorway genuinely block you — patience or a distraction opens it.
• Dark destination means your prep (cutting power, Blackout) is literally route-building. Every room you darken is a door you install.
• Not too close to a person means you can't materialize inside a group — and some civilian perks widen that denial radius. Reported

What civilians can see

Be honest with yourself about your signature: street lights flicker as you move invisibly through them — the best civilian tell in the game — and while invisible-but-standing-in-light you appear as a black arrow on their minimap. Reported Vary routes; don't commute down the same flicker line every time.

Using it well

• Navigate by the golden sky beams over Special Targets — jump along objectives, not scenery.
• Jump from darkness you control into rooms you scouted with Killer Sense; blind jumps burn cooldowns.
• Use it as the ambush opener and the exit, not the chase — you're slow on foot by design, and the jump is where your speed lives.
• Pair with Blackout (Ctrl+F) to manufacture entry points on demand.

If you're a civilian

The full defense — rules, tells, and habits — is at how to counter Shape Jump. One line: light the bathrooms.