Shortlings
Shortlings are lurking creatures in the alpine fortress ruins of Fatekeeper, shown skittering through shadows in the gameplay reveal.
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Shortlings are lurking creatures shown in the eight-minute Fatekeeper gameplay reveal. They inhabit the ruins of the long-dead alpine fortress where the demo takes place, skittering through shadows and waiting for anyone bold enough to step into their domain. Shortlings are the most-named enemy in pre-launch material because they appear in the showcase environment.
Lurking. They wait in shadows rather than charging on sight.
Mobile. They skitter and reposition, reading more like fast scouts than slow brutes.
Group threats. They appear in groups in the showcase footage, suggesting pack tactics rather than solo encounters.
Spacing. Use dodge or telekinesis to keep them from swarming.
Area damage. Wide-arc swings (axes, halberds) and handbombs punish their tendency to cluster.
Magic. Multi-projectile fire spells cover the ground around the Druid.
Shortlings are described in pre-launch coverage with shorthand (lurking, skittering, hidden in shadow), but their full bestiary entry, weakness type, faction allegiance, and lore origin have not been disclosed. Whether they are tied to
the Underdwellers, to corrupted wildlife, or to a third faction is unconfirmed.
Shortlings appear specifically at the alpine fortress ruins per the 2025-11-20 reveal blog: "Shortlings lurk in the shadows, waiting for anyone bold enough to step into their domain." That makes them the most-named enemy in pre-launch material, because the alpine fortress is the showcase environment of the eight-minute gameplay reveal.
Shortlings appear in groups in the reveal footage. Pack tactics suggest the Druid should avoid getting surrounded: dodging to reposition, telekinesis to disrupt formation, and multi-projectile spells from the spell-alteration branch to cover ground around the Druid all serve as area-control answers.
Heavy commit weapons (hammers, two-handed) risk recovery exploitation by skirmishing packs. A hammer Druid in a Shortling fight should pair the heavy weapon with a fast slot-2 weapon for swarm cleanup, or open the encounter with a handbomb to thin numbers before committing the first heavy swing.
Wide-arc weapons (axes, halberds) clear grouped Shortlings efficiently because the swing catches multiple targets at once. A halberd sweep in particular leverages the Shortling cluster habit, hitting several lurkers at the same time without committing to any one of them.
Wind magic gusts push enemies back and create breathing room. Against a Shortling pack closing on the Druid, a wind cast opens distance for a follow-up volley or for a melee reset. Wind magic and pack enemies are a natural pairing.
The full bestiary entry, the weakness type, and the faction allegiance of Shortlings have not been disclosed. Whether they are tied to the Underdwellers, to corrupted wildlife, or to a third faction is unconfirmed; pre-launch coverage uses shorthand (lurking, skittering, hidden in shadow) rather than committing to lore origin.
Official Early Access material describes Shortlings as small, goblin-like enemies. An early update also gave them a new reaction: a Shortling now sometimes becomes frightened when another Shortling is killed close to it, which can briefly break up a pack’s coordination and create an opening. See Patch Notes for details.