Sneak (Oblivion)



The sneak skill provides the opportunity to pick pockets and move unseen in the shadows. The skill plays an important part in stealth. While pickpocketing, you can plant objects on others in the same manner you put items in a container.
 * Governing attribute: Agility

Skill levels

 * Novice (0-24): Attacks while undetected gain 4x bonus for one-handed weapons/hand to hand or 2x bonus for marksman.
 * Apprentice (25-49): Attacks while undetected gain 6x bonus for one-handed weapons/hand to hand or 3x bonus for marksman.
 * Journeyman (50-74): The weight of your boots no longer affect your sneaking ability.
 * Expert (75-99): No detection penalty for moving while sneaking.
 * Master (100): Attacks while undetected ignore the target's armor rating.

Sneak combat

 * When undetected your melee and ranged attacks do far more damage to your opponent. Try to at least start every fight with an undetected ranged attack. If your sneak/chameleon is high enough, and if the foe's own skill is low enough, they might still not detect you if you back up a bit (even when running towards you, they often still can't see you so don't panic and run). With a decent marksmanship level, most humanoids go down in 3 undetected shots.
 * An attack with a short sword whilst undetected does even more damage. Try to sneak up into a dark corner behind your opponent and either go for it, or wait for him/her/it to come to you (this may take a while). Also, a power attack does the same amount of damage, so refrain from using it in stealth. Something to try is to force your opponent against the wall so he/she/it can't see you, or takes longer to do, but it will make the kill much easier.
 * Also, it is worth waiting to see if any opponents standing close together will eventually spread out. If you can hear them talking you can be almost assured that they will split after their short conversation and enable you to kill them separately. With a very high sneak skill, it is possible to maneuver enemies by pushing them from behind (by walking into them), often into favorable positions (e.g. a dark corner). Enemies can be a bit slippery, but this can be very useful in applying the above strategy of melee sneak attacking that avoid detection.

Tips for sneaking
The most important rule to remember is:
 * To an extent, the majority of rules that apply to not being seen in real life, apply in Oblivion.

Many environmental factors influence your success at remaining an enigma in the eyes of your enemy:
 * The light in the area plays an important factor. Hiding in the shadows is obviously more advisable than standing right underneath a fully-lit chandelier.
 * If your stealth mission involves working outside, it is advisable to wait until nightfall when there are fewer citizens about to notice you, and more shadow cover.
 * If you are unsure whether you can be seen, switch to third-person view and see how clearly you can see yourself. If you blend in relatively well, chances are the NPCs won't be able to see you, even if they walk directly past you. Your sneaking eye icon will tell you if you are hidden.

The clothes you are wearing can also play an important part in your not being seen:
 * Whilst the color of your clothes seems to make no difference, some items of clothing are enchanted with a Chameleon spell which can make it harder for guards to notice you. It is possible to enchant an outfit to turn you fully invisible, once you reach or exceed 100% Chameleon.
 * The Ring of Khajiiti offers 35% Chameleon with 10 pts to Speed.
 * If you have NOT reached the rank of Journeyman (skill 50) in Sneak, the weight of your boots impacts your stealth. Light Armor boots or no boots at all are quieter than Heavy Armor boots.

How you move will also make a difference until you reach lvl 75 in sneak:
 * Being stationary, sneaking, walking, running, and jumping all have varying levels of noise.
 * Being stationary creates no noise at all and whilst not moving you are relatively safe from guards.
 * Sneaking and to some extent walking are perfectly safe providing the enemy is looking the other direction.
 * Running and jumping will normally cause an enemy to hear you which will immediately scupper your stealth attempts.
 * If you have trouble keeping a slow pace you can take out your shield/weapon and hold block to maintain a reasonable speed.


 * Spellcasting has an impact
 * Casting a spell while nearby another person increases the chances of being noticed.
 * Casting a light spell such as Starlight also increases the chances of being noticed.
 * Casting chameleon or invisibility will make your character less noticeable. Invisibility will make you totally invisible that wears off when you perform an action while chameleon will give you partial invisibility for the duration of the spell.
 * Casting chameleon or invisibility will make your character less noticeable. Invisibility will make you totally invisible that wears off when you perform an action while chameleon will give you partial invisibility for the duration of the spell.


 * Leveling Easily
 * Go to the arena spectating stand an simply sneak and back into the corner with auto run on and you can level up very fast.
 * If you have just one conjuration spell sneak and start moving which is the easiest way other than joining a guild and sneaking while they are asleep.
 * Rent a room in an inn with two levels, rent a room, close the door behind you and start walking towards the wall. If you are close enough to people you will gain experience and nobody will be able to see you. Better still, on the Dark Brotherhood quest 'The Assassinated Man' when Francois Motierre is in the Chorrol Undercroft lying in the Eastern side after being struck with the Languorwine Blade, he will be in a "sleep like" state. If you sneak towards the bottom of his feet (perhaps placing a weight on the controller) you can level up to Master of Sneak within a couple of hours. (Most people tend to think that Rufio does not wake, but he does after awhile, so this may be good for an hour or two, but Motierre is the best for leveling Sneak since he doesn't wake until you use the Languorwine Antidote on him)
 * Find a spot around a corner from stationed guards where they cannot see you, and walk against the wall or another object that you cannot pass while sneaking. Find a way to tie down your left joystick and let it go on its own. (One great place to do this is the west gate of Cheydinhal on the north side of the gate [outside of the city]. There is rock right next to the wall that causes a little barrier that you can't walk passed where the guards can't see you.)
 * If you find yourself in jail, you can sneak into a corner and just keep moving (possibly wieght the joystick). The stationed gards will still detect you occasionally unless you have high enough sneak.
 * Possibly easiest area is in the tutorial section of the game. After you finish off the goblins and their witch, the nest room leads out to a ledge area where, if you jump down, you meet up with Uriel Septim and The Blades again. Do not jump down. Stay on that ledge but farther back on it to avoid detection and use a rubber band to pull your move left analog (move) to the bottom hook of L2. Your character will walk in a diagonal line, so position the camera to an angle. You will gain sneak because the game will not continue until you jump down.
 * It is also possible to use the room you begin the game in; before the dialogue with Valen Dreth (the elf that lets you know the guards are coming), quickly run to the corner near the jail cell door where the hanging shackles are and begin to sneak. If you are fast enough you will not trigger the opening event and you can use the aforementioned rubberband or weight trick to level your sneak before the game even begins.
 * It is also possible to use the room you begin the game in; before the dialogue with Valen Dreth (the elf that lets you know the guards are coming), quickly run to the corner near the jail cell door where the hanging shackles are and begin to sneak. If you are fast enough you will not trigger the opening event and you can use the aforementioned rubberband or weight trick to level your sneak before the game even begins.

See Also: Cheats

Sneak trainers

 * Refer to the Trainers page.

Books that permanently increase the Sneak skill

 * Sacred Witness
 * The Wolf Queen, v 6
 * 2920, Last Seed (v8)
 * Legend of Krately House
 * Purloined Shadows

Leveling text

 * Apprentice-level text
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become an Apprentice of Sneaking. When you are sneaking, you now do extra damage while attacking a character that does not detect you.
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become an Apprentice of Sneaking. When you are sneaking, you now do extra damage while attacking a character that does not detect you.


 * Journeyman-level text
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become a Journeyman of Sneaking. The weight of your boots no longer affects your ability to remain undetected.
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become a Journeyman of Sneaking. The weight of your boots no longer affects your ability to remain undetected.


 * Expert-level text
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become an Expert at Sneaking. You can now move silently. Running or walking no longer affects your ability to remain undetected.
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become an Expert at Sneaking. You can now move silently. Running or walking no longer affects your ability to remain undetected.


 * Master-level text
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become a Master at Sneaking. While sneaking, any attack on an opponent that does not detect you ignores their armor.
 * Stepping softly, hiding in the shadows, you do everything in your power to remain undetected. You have become a Master at Sneaking. While sneaking, any attack on an opponent that does not detect you ignores their armor.

NPC Dialogue
When your sneak skill is 70 or higher, NPCs will say "You're a sneaky looking sort."If you are in sneak undetected and become detected the NPC that detected will say "[gasp] Didn't see you there"

Usefulness
Many of the less aware opponents will allow you to get multiple Marksman sneak attacks on them before they discover your position. Close range sneak attacking is considered extremely useful when you have the Expert Armorer perk, the Master Sneak perk, and a Mace. This is because Maces are the most damaging one handed weapons in the game. Using the Mace/Armorer combo you can get a very powerful sneak attack.

In Skyrim
See: Sneak (Skyrim)