Sneak (Skyrim)

''Sneaking is the art of moving unseen and unheard. Highly skilled sneaks can often hide in plain sight.'' "Hands to yourself, sneak thief."

- Hold guard

Sneak is a skill in and is one of the six skills that fall under the Thief adventuring style.

Changes from previous games
The sneak system in Skyrim is slightly different from that of previous games. Visibility is depicted through use of an eye that remains closed while undetected, but opens more and more as the likelihood of being detected increases. If the word "Detected" appears on the screen, a creature or character can see the Dragonborn, or has just seen them and knows where they are. If the word "Hidden" appears on the screen, no one is aware of the Dragonborn's presence.

People around the sneaker will also change "modes" depending on whether they view them sneaking. For instance, they will be passive if they are unaware, or cautious if they are aware someone is sneaking. Characters' and animals' ability to notice the Dragonborn is dependent on a large number of factors, including their Sneak skill, line of sight, the level of light on their current position, how heavy the sneaker's armor is, whether this armor is heavy or light, enchantments on the armor (muffle), spells cast (muffle), if weapons are drawn, if magic is equipped, how fast they are moving, and the effects of any active perks.

Sneaking now also depends on the hostility of opponents. Neutral or friendly characters will have a massively improved ability to detect, which can often make it difficult to sneak up on enemies who are technically not hostile yet.

Skill Books
The following books raise Sneak Skill:
 * 2920, Last Seed, v.8
 * Legend of Krately House
 * Sacred Witness
 * The Red Kitchen Reader
 * Three Thieves

Quests
The following miscellaneous quests increase the Sneak skill:
 * Return Noster Eagle-Eye's helmet to him in Solitude.
 * Retrieve a bottle of double distilled skooma for Stands-In-Shallows in the Argonian Assemblage in Windhelm.
 * Retrieve Finn's Lute for Inge Six Fingers at the Bards College in Solitude (also increases the Light Armor, Alchemy, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Speech skills).

Trainers

 * Khayla (Adept): Khajiit Caravans
 * Garvey (Expert): Markarth
 * Delvin Mallory (Master): Thieves Guild, Riften

Perks
The following are the perks available to be taken as the skill is leveled up

Not-Quite-Hidden Theft
Despite being hidden, certain characters may still know the Dragonborn has stolen something. They do not call the guards, so there is no bounty. Rather, they pay three hired thugs (one of which will have a contract in their inventory) to "teach a lesson" to the perpetrator. It is also possible to have hired thugs attack even if the contract giver was dead prior to the theft.

Almost any character in Skyrim can send hired thugs after the thief, including generic characters such as bandits or Forsworn. If an item owned by a character is stolen from a location or pickpocketed from them there is a chance of them sending hired thugs.

These encounters can happen in public, for example in Whiterun, the College of Winterhold and Dawnstar. Hired thugs may or may not be attacked by guards when they are attacking the Dragonborn.
 * See Random Encounters (Skyrim)

​Not-Quite-Hidden Murder
With a relatively high sneak, individuals standing just a foot or two away from a guard can be killed without receiving a bounty. The killer also can remain undetected as long as the guard is not looking directly at them. However, if they then walk past the guard and are detected, the guard may attack them. While fighting back gains no bounty, killing the guard results in the normal 1,000 gold bounty for murder. Other guards throughout the city/hold will not become hostile, so murdering the guard that witnessed their indiscretion may be a solution rather than leaving town for several days.

Leveling tips

 * One way of leveling this up is to find any of the Greybeards in High Hrothgar, sneak behind him and start attacking him with a dagger of any kind (an iron dagger will be better as it does less damage). the Dragonborn can level to 100 sneak skill rank very quickly, and also can level Restoration by healing the Greybeard with Healing Hands. This can be done at level one, but the Greybeards will become hostile towards the Dragonborn if they are caught. After they give full access to High Hrothgar (which is after they all speak a few phrases in the dragon language to recognize the Dragonborn as Dovahkiin), they can be attacked until they kneel before they retaliate.
 * Alternatively, during the opening quest Unbound, a similar tactic can be used to sneak attack Hadvar/Ralof to fast increase the sneak skill. As Hadvar / Ralof will not attack the player whilst inside of Helgen, this method is safer than using the Greybeards, but levelling up too quickly at such an early point in the game could cause problems with difficulty during subsequent quests. As a result, level up additional skills during this point (such as one-handed or destruction) before leaving Helgen Keep.
 * Successful sneak attacks will raise the sneak skill more quickly than simple sneaking, especially when executed with a melee weapon. Archery sneak attacks grant sneak experience as well, but at a much lower rate. Melee sneak attacks provide twelve times more sneak experience than a ranged sneak attack. The amount of damage done, Assassin's Blade perk and shrouded gloves have no impact on the experience gained.
 * Another way of leveling is sneak killing sleeping draugr. With a sneak over 25, it should be possible to sneak past draugr undetected and sneak kill them to get a large skill raise. (A sneak attack against a sleeping draugr may count as an assault under crime statistics.)
 * Use Farkas during the quest Proving Honor. In the room where he transforms to wolf form, sneak up and hit him before flipping the lever.
 * Sneak-running against a wall behind any character who is unlikely to detect the action. The Dragonborn will be harder to detect if sneaking backwards. Some potential targets include:
 * The sleeping bear encountered in the starting quest, Unbound.
 * The people in Dragonsreach (upper level works best).
 * The bartender of any tavern or inn.
 * Ulfr the Blind at White River Watch.
 * Aventus Aretino in Windhelm, at the beginning of the Dark Brotherhood questline.
 * The hostages in the Abandoned Shack, both during and after completing With Friends Like These or Destroy the Dark Brotherhood! if at least one hostage is kept alive.
 * Find a non-hostile target and repeatedly sneak-attack it. Some potential targets include:
 * Any character marked as essential (unkillable). Examples:
 * Aventus Arentino- during the introductory quest for The Dark Brotherhood
 * Sometimes Penitus Oculatus agents will respawn after completing Bound Until Death and can be killed with a sneak attack without gaining a bounty. However, other agents will attack the Dragonborn if they see them kill another agent, although guards won't attack.
 * Hadvar or Ralof- Only during the starting quest, Unbound.
 * ​Will not become hostile.
 * Arniel Gane - Only during Saarthal Excavation quest.
 * Will not become hostile.
 * Ancano at the College of Winterhold.
 * ​Will not become hostile. (Unless attacked constantly while downed.)
 * Astrid at the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.
 * ​May become hostile.
 * Karliah at the Thieves Guild in the Cistern.
 * May become hostile if attacked too many times in a small time frame.
 * The Legate of any Imperial camp.
 * May become hostile, but will usually accept a yield.
 * Jarl Maven Black-Briar.
 * While she is sleeping, attack her and she will not become hostile.
 * Any follower, summoned creature, or horse the Dragonborn owns. Examples:
 * Hirelings
 * Spouses
 * Conjured atronachs, zombies, dremora, or familiars.
 * Shadowmere
 * Works very well, as he has an excellent health regeneration rate.
 * Use Raise Zombie on inactive draugr and attack them while sneaking. They will not attack because of the spell's effects.
 * In The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, there is a dungeon with a portcullis. If a draugr is trapped behind it, it cannot harm the Dragonborn.
 * The secluded courtyard outside of Dragonsreach in Whiterun is patrolled by a single guard who walks the front half of the perimeter. Shadow this guard on their patrol route.
 * Enter Geirmund's Hall and drop through the hole to access the rest of the cave into a water-filled room with a closed door. Beyond this door are several Frostbite Spiders. While crouching, hit the door with a weapon to alert them. As spiders cannot open doors, they will be unable to attack, allowing sneaking with impunity. If the "detected" status is not fading, moving behind one of the rock walls on either side usually helps.
 * If Paarthurnax is not killed during the main quest, he will be perched on the Word Wall at the Throat of the World. Hide behind his right wing and sneak-attack him for massive damage and Sneak experience.
 * Use the Shout Throw Voice in a dungeon against enemies (best used if far away) and wait for the eye to close then use it again.
 * Join the College of Winterhold and at night sneak attack the non-killable teachers while they are in their beds. Pick two and go back and forth between them. They will not attack or send hired thugs.
 * Attack giants. Use a bow or crossbow, to shoot giants and then quickly hide.
 * Another fast way to level sneak is to go to Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. Kill the two dremora there. Have the Revenant spell, and resurrect the Dremora Kynval while in Sneak position. Let him raise, then sneak attack him. He will not turn to a pile of ashes like most resurrected characters, so this can be repeated over and over again.

Trivia
"Walk always in shadows, so that you will see your foes before they see you."

- Jenassa


 * When equipped with the Assassin's Blade perk, shrouded gloves (or shrouded hand wraps), and dual-wielding daggers, performing a successful sneak dual-power attack results in three consecutive sneak attacks, thus granting a possible ninety times damage multiplier in a single attack, which will kill most foes.
 * It is possible to sneak in heavy armor just as effectively as while wearing light armor or clothing. First, either use the Steed Stone or the Conditioning (heavy armor) perk. Then have relatively high sneak with most perks from the Sneak tree, including Muffled Movement and Silence. Lastly, equip the Shrouded Boots or any other footwear enchanted with Muffle, and/or acquire the Ebony Mail.
 * It's possible, though difficult, to sneak while in battle with Alduin, allowing a sneak attack for massive damage. This only seems to work with 90+ Sneak and all sneak perks up to that point.
 * If a shield or weapon is used to block (with the perks Block Runner and Shield Charge) while sneaking it is possible to double walking speed or perform a shield charge without breaking stealth. It will also allow an infinte run time.
 * With the Shadow Warrior perk, it is possible to stay invisible indefinitely during combat by quickly and repeatedly entering and leaving stealth. With third-person mode active the Dragonborn will look like black smoke flying through the air. (Does not always work.)
 * Also, with the Shadow Warrior perk, the invisibility effect, though lasting only one second, completely interrupts detection. If timed properly, it is possible to get a sneak attack critical even in a large group of enemies. This allows for more aggressive tactics of assassinations or clearing dungeons, or the ability to repeatedly get critical hits on stronger enemies, such as dragons, dragon priests, or draugr deathlords.
 * The above method may not work if the target is already in combat with a follower or another hostile.
 * Sometimes, with sufficient sneak skill and/or muffle active, after using a ranged sneak attack, the enemy may be unable to spot the attacker.
 * With a pickaxe, enter first person mode and approach some ore to mine. Start mining the ore while still in first person. The sequence will go into third person until the ore is mined. Once the ore is mined first person resumes, but the cross-hairs no longer indicate sneak mode. Walk forward and sprint and the Dragonborn will silent roll until they leave sneak mode or enter third person.
 * If the player is in sneak mode and fires an arrow and an enemy notices it, the enemy will search for the arrow rather than the player.
 * When attempting to score a melee sneak attack, the Silent Roll perk can be used to great effect. While a melee weapon is equipped and drawn, attacking during the roll itself will cause the Dragonborn to perform a rapidly advancing strike similar to a charging power attack. Due to the soundless nature of the Silent Roll and the rolling attack's swift travel speed, a character with a reasonably high Sneak skill can reliably sneak attack opponents head-on by ambushing them so suddenly that the strike lands before they're fully aware.
 * The rolling attack travels forward a bit before the weapon actually strikes, so this technique should be used from a short distance away, with preparation and careful aim.
 * Repeatedly tested with a variety of daggers and one-handed swords, in first-person view.
 * Without the roll perk, it is still possible to roll. Sneaking then moving forward and shouting at the same time, the shout will work and a roll forward will occur.
 * Another way to roll without the perk is by jumping then holding down the sprint button. Although not very stealthy due to the noise when landing, it still can be done.
 * With the silent roll perk, it is possible to hold down roll to roll repeatedly, but only in 3rd person mode.