Strafe Attack

### Effect

You will automatically attack the nearest enemy when moving towards or strafing.

### Book

Tome of Athletics

The Strafe Attack talent lets you attack while moving.  The attack is made with your currently equipped weapon, and you have no direct control over which enemy you attack, if any--it happens automatically.  Whether you target an enemy depends on the direction you move as well as the direction they move.

## Requirements for attacking

You can attack an enemy with Strafe Attack if:

* You move towards the enemy
* You move around an enemy (e.g. circling around an immobile enemy like a turret or statue) without moving directly away from them
* The enemy is next to you diagonally, you retreat vertically or horizontally, and they follow you
* The enemy is next to you vertically or horizontally, you retreat diagonally, and they follow diagonally
* The enemy is next to you diagonally, you retreat sideways-diagonally, and they follow vertically or horizontally. Sideways-diagonally means either of the two diagonals that are neither directly toward nor directly away from them.

Strafe Attack will not cause you to attack enemies that aren't aware of you yet. It will attack Crystal Golems, but not if you're wielding a ranged weapon.

If you are using Swiftness or an item that confers that benefit, you will only strafe attack on the second move you make, not every time you move.  Otherwise, you strafe attack every time there's a valid target for it.

## Zig-zag retreat

The safest means of using Strafe Attack is to retreat with alternating left-right (or up-down) diagonals. This allows you to retreat in a generally vertical or horizontal direction (and still attack your pursuers) as long as your path is at least two tiles wide.

The zig-zag retreat also works against enemies that are slow and cannot move diagonally; you will strike them with every other move that places you directly vertical or horizontal to them. Against slow enemies, you can even change your retreat direction every other turn; if you move twice along each sideways-diagonal, you can retreat in circles around them.

When using a ranged weapon, you will still do Strafe Attacks while zig-zagging, but only if your foe is right next to you while you retreat, and only every other turn (when they are at a right angle to you).

Zig-zagging is not 100% safe against fast or hasted enemies (such as Mana Leeches or Cheetahs) but is still probably better than going toe-to-toe with them, especially if you can retreat in a safe direction, and it may also trigger strafe dodging.

The zig-zag retreat is also good to use when being chased by enemies with ranged attacks; it doesn't trigger strafe attacks but still permits strafe dodging.

## Hazards

If you've equipped a weapon that can hit multiple squares, like the Greater Staff of Storms or bombs, this can sometimes result in you attacking yourself (or allies) if you happen to target an enemy right next to yourself.  Weapons that hit all adjacent enemies (i.e., axes) will also trigger adjacent hazards such as Fire Pots. You can avoid this by equipping a different weapon before moving when an enemy is right next to you.

Strafe Attack also works with projectiles, making it easy to use them all up accidentally.