Ring of Shadows

The Ring of Shadows is a Powerup in Quake that makes the player invisible except for his eyes, lasts for 30 seconds, and in multiplayer respawns after 5 minutes. The effects will also immediately wear off at the end of a level. It can be useful for getting the edge on a target, but remember that other players can still see your eyes! Note that it is rather difficult to see the eyes, especially when the player isn't moving or is in the air.

When wearing the ring, the player's view takes on a slightly gray, shadowy tint and vague whispers can be frequently heard while moving around.

Strategy
As stated earlier, the Ring can be useful for sneaking up on a target, but excels for ambushes. In Single Player, monsters will typically not see you unless you attack them. Even brushing by them usually won't make them notice you, and in addition, you automatically put your weapons away while you are using the Ring.

One strategy is to move as far through the level and pass by as many enemies as possible, picking up keys, opening locked doors, gathering supplies, and maybe even finishing the level. Of course, the challenge here is to make sure to find a relatively safe place to be when the powerup wears off. If you want to, you can then backtrack and attack the monsters you passed from behind, as they are usually surprised and more easily dispatched that way.

It's also useful for escaping. Simply rocket jump to another area if you're caught, and your enemy should lose track of you.

Trivia

 * While the eyes of the player under the effects of this powerup remain visible mostly due to gameplay and balance reasons, this also adds some realism to the game. The human eye works by refracting light through itself, however if it becomes completely transparent (invisible), it will not be able to refract anymore and thus the wearer of the ring would be completely blind.
 * Ranger bears a unique face when he has both the Ring of Shadows and the Pentagram of Protection equipped, where his eyes glow but the rest of his face is hidden.
 * This Powerup is possibly a reference to The Lord of the Rings, as the series' protagonist, Frodo Baggins, is able to turn invisible by putting on the ring (similar to the Quake ring's effects) and wearing the ring for too long could drive him to madness (the maniacal whispers heard when the Powerup is active, which are also featured in the Lord of the Rings movies).
 * The Ring of Shadows therefore works somewhat differently and more effectively than Doom's Blur Artifact, which reduces but does not eliminate the player's visibility and the accuracy of enemy attacks and is therefore unsuitable for sneaking through levels.

Timeout Message

 * Ring of Shadows magic is fading

Appearances

 * E1M3: The Necropolis
 * E1M4: The Grisly Grotto (Deathmatch only)
 * E1M8: Ziggurat Vertigo (Deathmatch only)
 * E2M5: The Wizard's Manse (Deathmatch only)
 * E3M2: The Vaults of Zin
 * E3M3: the Tomb of Terror (Deathmatch only)
 * E3M6: Chambers of Torment
 * E3M7: The Haunted Halls (Deathmatch only)
 * E4M1: The Sewage System (Deathmatch only)
 * E4M2: The Tower of Despair
 * E4M3: The Elder God Shrine
 * E4M4: The Palace of Hate
 * E4M5: Hell's Atrium
 * E4M6: The Pain Maze
 * E4M7: Azure Agony
 * E4M8: The Nameless City (Deathmatch only)
 * DM3: The Abandoned Base
 * DM6: The Dark Zone