Stealth

gunsofdeschain

Hey guys,

I was wondering if Stealth has any place in PvE combat, besides the opening shot? For instance, is there any way the stealth mechanics tie into combat once you have that first fully charged shot off? Is there any way you can stay hidden after the first shot?

Perhaps it's more useful in PvP, but from a purely PvE leveling standpoint, is it a waste of skill points to try and enhance stealth? I'm playing as a Nightblade Woodelf archer / 2h.



Also, is there a way to show some sort of icon over vendors, like a little coin icon or something similar? I am unable to tell if any of the NPC's in small and fringe towns and camps are actually merchants of some sort, unless I talk to each and everyone of them. I find myself running over to one of the capital cities to offload junk and mats way too often.


Thanks all.

Hawke

Once you engage in combat, you are no longer sneaking. Even after you make your kill, there is a time period between 30-60 seconds where you are unable to sneak.

Nightblades can go stealth for 2.5 seconds or so... but everyone else just has the opening shot.

Vikova

For the first bit, yes it can get an aggro dump.

For the second, the vendors will still have an indicator on the map that a vendor is in the area - it doesn't pinpoint it exactly, but it can rule out having to talk to everybody.

kitsinni

It seems like in groups if you are far enough behind a boss when you are fighting them you can go in to sneak as you are pulling your bow to full charge and get the bonus damage. I'm not sure if you are supposed to be able to or not. If you are too close to the boss you will still be detected. If you are close to full range you can drop in to sneak. You can actually even start to pull your bow back and drop in to sneak while the bos is going in to full charge.

kitsinni

Of course for this to work you have to be in a group that is holding the bosses agro.

nerevarine1138

Hawke wrote: »

Once you engage in combat, you are no longer sneaking. Even after you make your kill, there is a time period between 30-60 seconds where you are unable to sneak.

Nightblades can go stealth for 2.5 seconds or so... but everyone else just has the opening shot.

What is this about not being able to sneak post-kill? As soon as I'm done slitting throats, I go right back into the shadows and slit some more. Never seen any "cooldown" period on sneaking.

Hawke

Everytime I make a kill in Cyrodiil, I have wait a while because I am (Detected) even though there is no one around.

PvE is slightly different.

kitsinni

It lets me go back in to sneak during combat I have never seen a cooldown either.

BlackSparrow

NIghtblades do have the Shadow line, which does have a 2.5-second invisibility spell. Unfortunately, I've found that 2.5 seconds is not generally long enough to be much use in combat, despite all the neat tricks that skill line gives you to do while stealthed. I suppose someone could make a character based around that ability, but I find it more practical to sneak attack in and then just Assassinate and Flurry them until they lay down and die.

If you mouse over the NPCs, it will say "merchant" or something similar under their names. You won't see it on the map, but it's a good way of finding those handy traveling merchants that wander the middle of nowhere so you can offload your junk.

Hawke

kitsinni wrote: »

It lets me go back in to sneak during combat I have never seen a cooldown either.

In Cryodiil?

kitsinni

Hawke wrote: »

kitsinni wrote: »

It lets me go back in to sneak during combat I have never seen a cooldown either.

In Cryodiil?

I have not tried it in Cryodiil specifically. I was speaking in more of PvE terms since the OP asked about the place of stealth in PvE.

Hawke

Yeah I was speaking with PvP in Cyrodiil with the whole not being able to sneak after killing your enemy. Sorry I was not clear.

NordJitsu

Well that opening shot can't be over looked.

Also for PvE, you can just sneak right past a lot of mobs.

Yankee

The Nightblade can get multiple openings from stealth/invis and crit about every time. I one-shot normal mobs from behind with veiled strike from stealth. If I immediately use Shadow Cloak (morphed for 100% crit) I can open on the second mob before it turns around. One or two veiled strikes (which keeps it stunned) and maybe mix in some stamina skills and it is dead. Only the third mob has time to react. I prefer dual wield over 2 hand myself.

It seems to matter for damage if you stay behind the mob. Build up your crit with weapons and passives and crits happen a lot.

If you get all the stealth bonuses from one of the two races, and then the medium armor bonuses, it is very nice in PVE. Shadow Cloak time can also be extended to almost 3 seconds with passives.

At level 43 I can stealth right through packs of mobs in dungeons, I just get close, shy of discovery, and Shadow Cloak through them. This is handy when there are other players in the dungeon and you want to get away from them.
It is also nice for solo gathering skyshards in the public dungeons that have the 6+ mob packs.

Not sure how good it will be in the VR zones, but I find stealth on the Nightblade indispensable for questing/PVE.

Vikova

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

Hawke wrote: »

Once you engage in combat, you are no longer sneaking. Even after you make your kill, there is a time period between 30-60 seconds where you are unable to sneak.

Nightblades can go stealth for 2.5 seconds or so... but everyone else just has the opening shot.

What is this about not being able to sneak post-kill? As soon as I'm done slitting throats, I go right back into the shadows and slit some more. Never seen any "cooldown" period on sneaking.

I'm fairly certain this is the whole point of sneaking.

gunsofdeschain

Cheers for all the replies guys. I can now make a decision tonight about how I want to level my character.

Regards
K