Hey Everyone,
In my build I'm avoiding sneak based on feedback from friends who've played so far. They've told me the game gets too easy with sneak at level 100. We all know the stats, with the items and spells that make sneak even more powerful, and the youtube videos demonstrating this, but I wanted to know if you're playing your character with sneak at a low levels on purpose.

Also,
Do the higher game levels suppress levels for sneak, or are the enemies just harder?

Seems to me that active "role-playing" in Skyrim is needed. Meaning, you may need to set your own parameters in terms of character growth to get the most out of the experience.
Thoughts?


JS

Im just avoiding it as its overpowered, as far as i know, higher levels dont make it much harder as your literally invisible.

Everything is overpowered in this game if you use it right....

I wonder if Bethesda has any intention of addressing this. Seems like a serious balancing issue.

The thing is you have to go through 10s of hours of playing the game to get sneak up 100. It takes awhile, on my character with a shield, I was level 48 and only had 90 in block. I played for hours and hours. So 100 block is overpowered right? I mean I get to raise my shield and run at people and knock them over at 100 block? Yeah, but damn I spent a lot of time with that shield up, it'll be nice to charge people.

In other words, just enjoy the game. If you level sneak naturally and don't take the thief stone, you might find 100 sneak to be fun. After all the times you did get caught while sneaking was fun to you then don't buff sneak skill and don't take some perks in the tree.

Edit:

I also perked light armor and alchemy so I didn't always have to sneak and could go toe to toe with anything in the game. I had options. Makes the game more fun and ensured I didn't level one skill too fast. This way I didn't get "burned out" on sneak or archery or whatever. I have a level 35 with 50 sneak. I use invisibility potions to backstab. If I'm done, I stand up and start charging the place.

Yeah, I have had about 4 sneaky characters who were all retired because the game lost any kind of challenge. It kind of ruins the whole effect when you can sit 2 feet in front of someone in a brightly lit sunny field and they can't see you. Sneaking is the ability to be silent not invisible. There should be no sneaking in lighted areas at all, regardless of skill.

Exactly my point. Is overpowering these skills using them "right" or "wrong." Of course, this is a subjective matter, but just the fact the game lets you do this brings up the question of active rather than passive roleplaying.

Well, with Sneak at 100, you are a Expert at Sneak, you should be good at it.

I remember that from D&D. "Hide in shadows." Makes perfect sense, when there are shadows that is.

Indeed, but to Falmar's point, you shouldn't be able to sneak in open daylight, or at least there should be a penalty when doing so.

Why would sneak be overpowered? Is it because when you have 100 skill and perks people dont see you? How it should be?

Sneak is fine to me, just avoid enchant and be happy (thats the only gamebreaking skill i've found), thats what i did

It ruined my first character. Never taking sneak again unless they tone it down to more sane levels.

For starters, sneak damage multipliers should not be available 'out-of-the-box', meaning you have to perk sneak to get any bonus damage. Secondly, if an NPC is killed or wounded, all NPCs in the vicinity will seek you out for an hour or so. Finally, a single sneak attack will bring you out of stealth. To regain stealth, you must go out of line-of-sight of all NPCs and crouch for a few seconds. Oh, and get rid of those ridiculous DB gloves.

i find it funny ppl think bethesda need put restrictions on ou coz u have no self control.

Sneak is not overpowered compared to other thing that may synergize well... but as the poster above said, any skill is overpowered if you use it right.

I didn't find it particularly overpowered on my first character, who used it a good bit. But, then, it was just a skill I used, not a major character focus - I never got it to 100 (~90 hours of play), and only put a couple perks into it. I used it to scout around without being seen, and for initial bow shots to open fights (which, without many perks in Sneak or Bow, didn't one-shot anything but the weaker enemies.) Did a small amount of melee sneak attacks, but those were mostly waiting for someone to pass by in a dungeon hall. And half the time they saw me first.

No, I didn't make any deliberate effort to "self-nerf" it, but the playstyle I had for that character didn't max it out either.

Excellent summation of the problems with sneak. It's why I've only heard complaints about this one perk and not others. All the things you suggested make perfect sense, and follow very established role-playing conventions for a thief character.

I don't use sneak much, except for my thief/assassin and just got his sneak up to 100 after 90+ hrs. He's also wearing magically shrouded armor designed to improve his sneaking. I've got no issue with people not seeing him even out in the open. As far as I know, the armor makes him appear to be a snowberry bush, or a rock, etc. as long as he's still enough. Don't have it perked out fully yet, but he's pretty close to it. Fully perked, and without the armor, maybe it has the same effect. If you thInk it makes you "overpowered" then don't use it. It's fine for characters that use it as their M.O.

Stealth needs tweaks.

The main problem I think is that the hidden value assigned by 100 sneak skill is way too high, as it can rollover to 0 and start over again if you wear sneak enhancing equipment, without even taking the direct sneak enhancement perks.

The sensitivity to players is a bit too low as well, as the aforementioned ability to be sneaking right in front of someone in moderate to fully lighted conditions is more than a bit odd, and enemies in general seem to give up the search too easily.

Sneak attack windows are also too large, and sneak attack damage is a bit too high.

Shadow warrior is also cheezy, and does not work at all like it is described.

I have 100 Sneak but have only put 1 perk point into it. It's not overpowered. I can get by most things in the dungeons, but not all, and do get found in the daylight.

Compared to Oblivion sneaking in dungeons is easier at low levels while sneaking outdoor is harder. Else it work like Oblivion except the dagger perk.
Two other changes, weapons do more base damage in Skyrim, making the sneak attacks more effective, on the other hand in Oblivion I could kill any npc with an sneak attack with the ignore armor perk but npc in Skyrim have more health so you need a serious bow to do this.

I don't avoid it, but I keep my character Varied, She may sneak in and snipe the enemies or she may charge in Screaming "Dovakiin!" with a bound sword glowing and a Frost Atronach Following going "Clomp Clomp Clomp!" or maybe even charge in with a feral howl as she went from Khajiit to Were-wolf. I find the game a lot more fun and challenging by switching up styles.

At 100 I better be able to Sneak in bright daylight. I would not expect me to be able to if I was at say 80 or 90.

Glad you think it's funny because self control is the question I'm posing. In a game such as this, should there be a need for self-control? Certainly, most CRPGs have some exploits you can take advantage of, but if there are parameters on some skills, why not others?

You shouldn't be able to sneak in broad daylight no matter how sneaky you are. What you're basically saying is that you want to be invisible.

I have 100 sneak and I can be easily spotted in broad daylight (if I'm in direct line of sight), as it should be.

This is easily fixed by pressing the "unsneak" button (CTRL for the civilized amongst us) which announces your presence to all who would be alarmed or otherwise intrigued by it. Upon completion of that simple step, the mayhem (or dialog) begins.