Shadow Stride: Instantly teleport to an enemy target. Can be used to get back into Guard range or CC an incoming enemy. Does not break stealth.

Force Pull can be used to peel for an ally or move an enemy out of position for a kill.

Defensive Cooldowns

Force Speed: The One with the Shadows utility causes Force Speed to grant 60% damage reduction for its duration. Use to mitigate burst damage directed at you or your guarded target. Use on cooldown when under heavy fire.

Force Potency: As well as being a powerful offensive cooldown, Force Potency additionally grants 30% shield absorption for 20 seconds (via the Mental Fortitude passive).

Resilience: Use to purge debuffs, resist big yellow damage and resist stuns. Because of its short, 1-minute cooldown (further reduced by shielding/parrying/deflecting attacks via the Rapid Recovery passive), you can use Resilience liberally.

Battle Readiness: Use when you need longer-lasting damage reduction (+25% for the duration via the Shadowsight passive). Make sure not to pop it too early as it also heals you for 15% of your maximum HP on activation. Because it provides flat damage reduction (from all sources), it is particularly useful for mitigating damage taken though Guard.

Deflection: Deflection increases your chance to parry melee and ranged attacks by 50% for 12 seconds. Because you can parry melee/ranged attacks against your guarded target, it’s useful when you or your guarded target are taking heavy white damage (e.g., from Marksmanship Snipers).

If you or your guarded target are taking heavy yellow damage, use Battle Readiness instead.

The debuff (from Pulsating Force) applied to enemies within 15m mitigates single-target yellow damage directed at any of your teammates (not just you and your guarded ally). However, 15% damage reduction is fairly small. Ideally, you will use Deflection when you or your guarded target are under focus fire and you’re in a position to debuff multiple enemies—but you will sometimes be forced to use it for one situation or the other. Note that, because you can’t dodge attacks while hard stunned, this cooldown is especially effective when you have full resolve (are “white-barred”).

Force Cloak: Force Cloak has three main uses. Firstly, when you need to disengage from a fight. Secondly, when you need to temporarily reduce pressure on yourself and give your healers breathing room. Note that, in both instances, you first need to deactivate Guard to prevent getting decloaked by Guard damage or (somewhat less importantly) getting stuck in combat. Thirdly, you can also use it at as a second, shorter Resilience. However, you should only do this if you are confident you won't need the cooldown as an escape (as in the first two examples) anytime soon. Force Cloak also “resets” your Warzone Medpac, which has a cooldown of 1.5 minutes but also requires you to break combat to use it again. In theory, Shadows can use their medpac every 1.5 minutes with Force Cloak.