Running

If you're spotted by a Gatherer, run.

Running is one of two ways (the other being hiding) to avoid getting caught by the monsters in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Amnesia: Justine, and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. To run, hold the left shift key by default.

Tips

• Faster movement is unlimited and can only be blocked when Daniel's or Justine's Health is on "Barely conscious". Oswald does not have it blocked regardless of his health.
• Monsters will not chase Daniel, Justine, or Oswald through loading screens (with the exception of the Kaernk). If a clear run to a door that leads to a loading screen is available, go for it. Doing this is an absolute necessity in some parts of the game.
• Don't try to fortify an area when a Gatherer is giving chase. It will be a fatal end before this can be accomplished, the fortification can be torn down, regardless of size.
• Make sure to be as healthy as possible! Having a badly bleeding wound makes it harder to sprint away from danger. Use Laudanum if anywhere at that level of health before running.
• Do not look back at the monster while running from it, as this will inevitably slow the protagonist down significantly momentarily.
• Running makes much more noise than hiding, so only run if already seen.
• If running is desired but a monster impedes the path, wait until just before it swings, then dodge to either direction. This often makes them miss and allow a gap of time to run past them.
• If trapped in a room with only one door with an alerted monster on the other side, escape is still possible. After breaking down the door, the monster will wait a second before attacking again, giving the opportunity to sprint past it. Doing so is risky, but often the only option.
• Make sure the lantern is off. If it is on, there is zero chance of escaping, since the creature can still see the source of light; however, when the lantern is off, the challenge of keeping track of the player is presented.
• Try to cut corners and take the most direct route down passageways to avoid injury from a pursuer.
• Don't forget to close doors, if possible. The monsters all move faster than Daniel, Justine, and Oswald can, so at some point, it's necessary to slow them down in order to survive the encounter.

Daniel runs from a Servant Grunt.

• The Terror Meter sounding will warn about getting chase without fault. This is the cue to run.
  • Inversely, when the terror meter stops, the monster has lost sight. Take this as an opportunity to find a hiding place (or just keep running, making a large space between him and the monster).
• Do not attempt to pick up items that would slow down flight; the player can always return to pick them up later.
• If a Gatherer can be heard snarling and swinging its claws, that means it's directly behind Daniel. Head for the nearest exit if possible, but don't use doors that open outwards, since this offers just enough time for the Gatherer to strike.
• If the Gatherer hits Daniel, don't stop, since it will slow down for a while before it picks up its pace. Being healthy allows taking two hits before death.
• Even though being in the darkness, do try to keep an eye on the surroundings/know where the protagonist is heading. It is possible to run into a dead end.
• Moving in a zig-zag pattern decreases speed, but it reduces the Gatherer's accuracy, and it will often miss when it's trying to attack.
• Brutes and Suitors can run faster than Daniel and Justine, so direct running from them is very difficult should they spot them, hiding is more effective to avoid them in the first place.
• Whenever a Manpig spots Oswald, instead of the Terror Meter going off, the abomination's high-pitched shriek will be heard. This is the cue to run; however, since Manpigs are much faster, hiding is heavily more advised. As well, Oswald isn't nyctophobic like Daniel, so he can hide as long as the player desires with no effect on his sanity.
• Some players tend to grab objects and put them in the path as a means to slow down the Gatherer this is a dual-edged plan as it slows you down (and the Gatherer could walk around it unless the object is big enough and the area is narrow) but at the same time could buy you time as they cant jump over it and must smash through (unless the object is small or light in which case they just push through it).
• Please note that there are some points in Amnesia: The Dark Descent in which Daniel cannot escape the threat due to the storyline, so it's important to discern what can and cannot be avoided as to not waste Laudanum needlessly.