So, I thought it would be fun to max out my sneak skill tree just because sneaking is fun. Only about 14 points to go till 100 Anyway, I have the Silence perk, and it says "Walking and running does not affect detection." .. I don't think that's right, because I can walk and run and people see me just fine. Does it really mean you don't make any noise when you sneak around? I still hear my footsteps even when I sneak, and my daggers make that same noise when I equip them, so does the game just play the sounds for your footsteps, etc, anyway, but in the game you're actually really quiet?

Also, I have Dark Brotherhood armor and the boots also have what seems to be the same ability. If I have silence, plus those boots, am I even quieter? Is it possible to be quieter, or is there just 1 kind of quietness? or are they both the same and I can just wear any other boots if I have the perk?

Also if silence makes me silent, does that mean I can wear heavy armor, and still not make any noise when I sneak? Or if I had all heavy armor, except I wore the Dark Bros boots with it?

It means that moving the stick very lightly to slowly creep foreward and mashing it foreward to go maximum sneak speed has no effect. If you are being spotted, you are coming at the people head on, in the light, or you are using heavy armors that give away your position regardless. You have the armor talents that decreases the weight of the gear right? because that plays into both sneaking AND pickpocketing (the more weight, the more of a chance to fail)

There are many factors that result in whether you are detected or not and this just nulls one of them.


- The brighter you are the easier you are to detect
- If you are in the enemies line of sight you are much easier to detect <- Invisibility nulls this.
- If your weapon is drawn you are easier to detect
- If you are running while sneaking you are easier to detect <- Silence nulls this.
- You are easier to detect while moving <- Silence nulls this.
- If you make noise you are easier to detect <- Quiet casting nulls this for spells.
- If you move objects (such as walking into bones, pots, etc) you are easier to detect
- The closer you are to the easier you are to detect
- The heavier your boots are the easier you are to detect

Oh.. no I don't have the lighter armor perk, I'll work on getting that next then.. didn't think of that.

OK, so Silence just means I can sneak at full-sneak-speed. Do the dark brotherhood boots do the same exact thing, so I can ditch them for something better? Or do I want to keep them? I actually have the upgraded armor from the Assassin of Old side quest, but both sets seem to have the same quiet footsteps effect.