Blink

Blink is a supernatural ability in Dishonored, its DLCs, and Dishonored 2 that allows Corvo Attano and Daud to rapidly traverse mid-sized distances in an instant. Blink consumes 20% of the user's total mana, making it one of only four powers (along with Dark Vision, Void Gaze and Far Reach) that can be used indefinitely without running out of mana.

Tier I - (0 runes)
With Tier I of Blink, Corvo or Daud can move up to 10 meters almost instantly. Corvo is given this power as a basic ability near the end of the first mission, and Daud already possesses Blink in the DLCs The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. The variation that Daud has allows him to stop time if he's not moving.

Tier II - (3 runes (Corvo) / 4 runes (Daud))


With Tier II of Blink, Corvo and Daud can move up to 15 meters almost instantly.

Dishonored 2
In Dishonored 2, Blink can be cast through glass surfaces, letting the user pass through windows, breaking them in the process.

In mid-air, casting Blink at a ledge so that the user will climb up upon arrival will cancel falling damage. This is more useful with the Redirective Blink upgrade, letting the user easily adjust and re-think their final destination to a ledge.

Usage tips

 * The reach of Blink takes the form of a squashed sphere; this means it extends significantly further horizontally than vertically.
 * The ability Agility is useful when combined with Blink, as it allows for significant extension of the power's vertical range.
 * Like all tools carried in the left hand, this ability can be used while carrying bodies.
 * If the marker denoting the user's destination changes into an arrow pointing up, the user will immediately climb on top of the targeted object after he blinks. This can be important when scaling tall buildings or when trying to stay above guards in a narrow corridor.
 * In Dishonored, the user cannot climb while holding a body. In Dishonored 2, they can.
 * Provided the user waits for their mana to refill between uses, Blink can be used without having to consider long-term mana management.
 * Mana does not recharge when time is stopped because of Blink.
 * The bone charm Spiritual Pool is particularly useful for minimizing downtime between blinks. Void Surge and Void Favor both give the user a chance of not consuming mana when a power is used, allowing for a much shorter downtime between blinks.
 * Any physical object in the path of Blink will be treated as if running into it at high speed.
 * This includes walls of light, which will kill Corvo or Daud if they attempt to blink through them. The same is true for arc pylons; however, if the arc pylon has not already fired when they blink, they will avoid damage.
 * In Dishonored 2, Corvo can pass through glass, smashing it but taking no damage.
 * If an enemy is in the user's path while blinking, the opponent will be pushed with low force. If the path manages to only overlay with an enemy's head, he will knock them down onto the floor for a short time.
 * Aiming Blink close or directly at a foe allows Corvo or Daud to deal a critical blow with a well-timed sword slash. This is also possible for tallboys.
 * Blink can be used to mitigate fall damage as blinking does not count as falling. However, it does not reset the fall counter. Using Blink to climb a ledge will completely negate any fall damage.
 * A useful strategy when attempting a stealth playthrough is to blink behind an opponent, incapacitate them, blink back to safety then repeat. This allows for relatively risk-free and resource-light clearing of guarded areas.
 * The black bone charm Fading Light is very helpful for this as it prevents Blink from consuming mana if Blink is used within a second of assassination.
 * The time stop ability only functions when no movement controls are being held, including the jump button.
 * The ability to stop time allows for more flexibility in terms of destinations, such as blinking around corners, or reaching ledges only accessible at the very peak of a jump.
 * While time is stopped, Daud can still look around and interact with items (pickpocket, open chests, carry bodies etc.). He can use this feature as a free Bend Time to rapidly interact with objects before quickly escaping with Blink, thus making it an excellent power for stealth oriented playthroughs.
 * Corvo, while still free to look around, is unable to interact with anything.
 * Although this requires fast reactions, it is sometimes possible for Daud to negate the effects of a broken tripwire by catching the trap's ammunition in mid-air: Once the trap is sprung, Daud should initiate his time-stopping Blink ability. This should be followed by Daud facing the projectile while making micro-movements towards it until it is in reach to pick up.
 * Blink Assault is very useful during combat, allowing Corvo to kick enemies out of the fight for a short time. While it will not always kill them if they fly into walls, a well-aimed Blink Assault can knock them over ledges to their death or into a breakable surface, knocking them unconscious or killing them.
 * Witches will Blink when kicked, negating the effectiveness of this strategy.
 * If an enemy is kicked into a whale oil tank, it will explode. This can quickly take out large numbers of enemies.

Dishonored

 * Void Channel - Increased range for Blink.

Dishonored 2

 * Fading Light - Far Reach and Blink consume no Mana if used within a second of Assassination.
 * Relocation Sickness - Witches sometimes stumble off-balance after magical relocation.

Trivia

 * Blink is the only supernatural ability given to Corvo for free, when he first meets the Outsider during either game.
 * Several other characters in the games also use Blink, including Granny Rags, the Brigmore Witches, the Whalers, and the Envisioned.
 * This decision was reached towards the end of Dishonored's development, with one of the developers asking "Why don't we give all the characters Blink?"
 * Each group of Blink users associated with a particular marked individual has their own blink animation and sound, with the effects change over time in some cases.
 * During the events of the original Dishonored, Corvo seems to vanish and appear in a ball of white light. During the events of The Wyrmwood Deceit escapade, vanishes and reappears in blueish-white light. By 1852, Corvo's Blink appears as him rapidly moving in the original direction of travel for a moment before fading out in a blue blur. He appears in a cloud of blue smoke. In New Game + and Mission +, his doppelgängers also have this animation but this is non-canonical.
 * When Daud and his assassins blink, they will fade into ash. After changing her allegiance, Billie Lurk's blink has the same effect but she also vanishes in a ball of white light and leaves behind yellow leaves. In 1852, Daud's Blink shares the same animation as Corvo's latter Blink.
 * Galia Fleet, having been given the power from Zhukov, disappears in a swirl of black shadows.
 * Granny Rags will fade into grey smoke and feathers. In combat, her blink also creates an omnidirectional shockwave that damages, stuns, and knocks her enemies back.
 * Delilah Copperspoon and the Brigmore Witches fade into balls of green light and rain of petals. By 1852, witches from the new coven have varied blink effects, the details of which can be found here.
 * Blink Tier II is the only supernatural ability to cost more runes for Daud than for Corvo.
 * While blinking, time briefly slows down, as represented by the distortion of sound around Corvo. After Blink ends, time around Corvo slowly revs back up.
 * When using Blink, a voice will mutter phrases as Corvo aims and executes this ability. Daud has a loud percussive noise play when he aims his Blink, with the travel sound being wind rushing around him.
 * When Corvo blinks, he feels a wind that does not exist in the world.
 * Skilled users of Blink can change direction multiple times, which is how Granny Rags manages to reach the bottom of her staircase in a single Blink, and how the Whalers have a much greater range. This is because viewing the destination with one's eyes limits the power. Less skilled users can only travel in a straight line to a visible destination.
 * The Whalers and the game's files refer to Blink as "Transversals".
 * In the debut trailer for Dishonored, Corvo blinks and smashes through a window. In the games, he does not gain this ability until Dishonored 2. However, wood and glass can be broken by blinking into it while performing a slide.
 * Originally, Blink and Far Reach were going to remain active during the mission A Crack in the Slab. This was changed during development so that all active supernatural abilities are disabled.
 * In Dishonored 2, Blink will use no mana if used in the Void, while it does in Dishonored.
 * Daud's Blink marker is a darker shade of blue than Corvo's, and also lacks the vertical light between the top and bottom marker.
 * Daud's Blink travels faster than Corvo's, it does not have the blue smoke effect after arriving at the destination, and it does not have any time dilation effects after using the ability.