Understanding Line of Sight in Gloomhaven — Rules, Tips & Edge Cases

In Gloomhaven, line of sight (LOS) is one of those rules that can feel confusing at first — especially with walls, doors, and odd corridor layouts — but it’s actually a very precise system once you know how it works.

This guide explains:

• What LOS is and when it matters
• How to check LOS clearly
• What does and doesn’t block LOS
• Common mistakes and tips for avoiding them

Let’s break it down so you’re always confident when attacking.

What Line of Sight Actually Is

Line of sight is a requirement for all attacks and any ability that specifies a range. If you don’t have LOS to your target, you cannot make that attack or use that ranged ability.

Corner-to-Corner Method

Gloomhaven uses a specific LOS rule based on hex corners:

• Each hex has six corners
• You can choose any corner on your hex and any corner on the target hex
• If you can draw a line from one corner to another without touching any part of a wall, you have LOS

Key points:

• The line cannot touch or cross a wall at any point
• Touching the very edge of a wall still means no LOS
• This applies even if a tiny corner needs to get around a wall to make the line work

What Blocks Line of Sight?

Only walls block LOS — not figures, terrain, obstacles, or other objects:

Blocks LOS

• Full walls and closed doors
  (These are literal walls on the map and count as blocking.)

Doesn’t Block LOS

• Characters (players or monsters)
• Summons or allies
• Obstacles (tables, crates, barrels, chairs)
• Difficult terrain (mud, rubble, etc.)

Even though obstacles and terrain affect movement or actions, they do not block LOS by themselves. Only walls matter for LOS.

What LOS Affects

LOS in Gloomhaven matters for:

Attacks

All melee and ranged attacks need LOS to the target.

Abilities with Range

Any ability that says “Range X” must check LOS before you can use it.

⚠ Potentially: Looting

Looting technically involves targeting a specific tile or token at a distance, so LOS can matter for certain loot interactions.

Range vs Line of Sight

LOS is separate from range:

• Range is measured in hexes and tells you how far away you can hit
• LOS tells you whether you can target that hex at all

Even if the target is within range, you still need LOS. If a wall blocks your sight, range doesn’t matter.

Corners and Walls — Why It Gets Weird

A common confusion is when you think you should see a target because it looks close, but LOS fails:

• The LOS check is based on corners, not centers
• If every line-of-sight corner pairing touches a wall, then LOS doesn’t exist

This can produce unintuitive situations where characters seem “next to a door” but can’t see each other because the LOS corner paths are blocked.

Examples of LOS in Play

Example 1 — Straight Corridor

If there’s a straight open corridor with no walls between you and your target, LOS is usually clear — you can draw a line from a corner on your hex to a corner on theirs without hitting a wall.

Example 2 — Behind a Wall

If a wall sits directly between you and the enemy, any corner-to-corner line touches the wall, so you don’t have LOS — and you can’t attack until the wall is gone or repositioned.

Example 3 — Around a Corner

Even if the target hex looks visible around a corner, if no corner-to-corner line avoids a wall, there’s no LOS. This is the tricky part of Gloomhaven’s grid.

Common Misunderstandings

“All obstacles block LOS”

Not true — only walls block LOS. Even figures (players, monsters) don’t block LOS on their own.

“You need a perfect straight path with no walls in between”

This is accurate, but it’s about line drawing from corner to corner, not center to center. The corner method makes LOS a bit more permissive in some cases and stricter in others.

“LOS is only for ranged attacks”

No — melee attacks also require LOS. Without LOS, you can’t make the attack even at adjacent range.

Quick LOS Checklist