I'm going to sound like an idiot here... But how does stealth work in this game?

ck37090

I've just been doing over since I've come back but I thought I would mess around a little with a nightmare in pop a little... I used to play an infiltrator in daoc way back when... But I'm pretty sure stealth doesn't work anything here like it did in daoc.... How do you become invisible to other players in this game? Is it just that two second stealth ability? I'd that the only true invisibility? Does crouching have any impact? Does that medium armor cloud ability do anything? I've gone out a little and it did seem some people were completely stealthed and attacked... When your screen says hidden does that mean players can't see you either? I know I sound like an idiot but if anyone wouldn't mind giving me the basics of how the system works I would really appreciate it... Thanks

Lysette

People from your own faction can see you no matter what - they see you as a dark shaded character. But to the enemy faction you are invisible as long as you keep enough distance to them. There is basically a detection radius, line of sight does not seem to matter (but I could be wrong with this). Well, it does, when you try to pickpocket or stealth kill NPCs, i.e. when you approach them from behind. Just not in trespassing areas, there the radius is the only issue what matters (those guards with a lantern have 360 degree vision).

Samadhi

Crouching down with and achieving a 'Hidden' state will make you invisible to NPCs and hostile players in Cyrodiil, so long as you are not actively in combat
this invisibility is only good to a certain range -- get too close to NPC or player and they can see you

The 3 second invisibility skill available to Nightblades can be used to become invisible to other players and NPCs in combat

Medium Armour passives makes you more difficult to detect while crouching -- it adds more range

Some skills and potion effects can be used to see through all forms of hidden/invisibility

Sylvermynx

You know, I was in stealth all the time when I first started playing, because I figured the aggro radius was about like RIFT's (last MMO I played). Once I was waiting for a 3-bandit group to turn away some, crouched behind a tree hoping I could get the runestone on the other side, and another player just casually strolled up and grabbed it. I was like - huh. So after that player left, I canceled stealth, walked out toward the bandits, and got within about 5 feet before I chickened out and ran.

That's a really narrow aggro radius. Works for me though!

Salvas_Aren

Sneaking reduces the distance necessary to be seen by others, but only if these are hostile. So sneaking in PvE hides you from NPC enemies and combatants in duel mode, but not from neutral or friendly players. In PvP you are hidden from hostile NPCs and players of other factions.

The distance necessary to be seen can be reduced by using specific set items that grant lower detection range. The same is true for the med armour perk.

In opposition sets can be used to improve your ability to detect foes.

The NB skill grants you complete invisibility, but that too can be negated by attacks that either detect hidden players, negate stealth effects of specific players by marking them or do aoe damage to them.

Furthermore there are potions to grant full invisibility like the NB skill and also to improve detection.


The difference between sneak stealth and invisibility? Run into a player, the exact same position. If he is in sneak, you will see him, if hidden by a skill/potion, you won't.

Ratzkifal

Line of sight matters for both NPCs and players!
Bosmer and Khajiit get reduced detection radius, Medium armor does the same (it stacks with racials), vampires get "Hidden" faster during the night but only with a vampire stage at 3 or greater, they also have no movement penalty while sneaking.

Nightblades have the only two skills that grant invisibility, one is cloak, the other is the ultimate from their shadow skills - Consuming Darkness- which has a synergy that grants invisibility.

Everyone has access to invisibility potions which can have quite the long duration, but also have a long cooldown before you can drink the next. Sneaking while invisible is not required to remain hidden, but if you don't it's possible that you are briefly visible after invisibility ends if you don't start sneaking before. As pointed out, while "Hidden", you are invisible to enemy players but visible to allies.

There are four skills that directly prevent players from turning invisible: Flare (and it's morphs) from the alliance skill line, Mage Light from the mages guild skills, Expert Hunter from the fighters guild skills and the Nightblade skill Piercing Mark (Mark Target morph).
Detection potions increase your detection radius and reveals invisible enemies while detection poisons prevent people from entering stealth.
Damage breaks invisibility -> damage over time and AoE is very effective against NBs.

There exists two sets that increase the radius in which you detect stealthed enemies and two sets that reduce the radius in which you get detected. (Sentry and Way of the Air detect; Nightshade and Night Terror hide).

That is about everything you need to know about stealth in ESO.

NBrookus

There's also a CP passive in the green tree under Shadow

Shadowstrike
When you kill an enemy with a Heavy Attack, you become invisible for 2.5 seconds. This effect can occur once every 5 seconds.

Every time I see my DK go invisible in combat it kinda wierds me out.

ck37090

Thank you all for the info... I really appreciate it