Stealth has always been a fan-favorite in most Bethesda titles, going all the way back to Skyrim. However, Stealth in Starfield is rather complicated and doesn’t offer too many benefits. Still, if you manage to pull out a sneaky attack or evade your enemies undetected, you will feel unstoppable for a while. Furthermore, the game doesn’t offer a dedicated sneaking tutorial, leaving you completely on your own.
Basically, the key to Stealth is understanding how the mechanics work, which factors affect your visibility, and how to improve your chances. Lastly, you must come up with various sound strategies according to the situation to maximize your efficiency. Therefore, this article provides a complete Stealth guide to equip you with the right tactics for every situation.
Table of Contents
Starfield Stealth Guide:
Stealth in Starfield is based on an array of mechanics and factors. In order to stay undetected, you must consider the settings, enemy awareness, your gear, the sounds you make, and even your weapons. Even the slightest miscalculation can give away your position, making it impossible to remain silent.
In my case, I had to replay the first mission several times before understanding the real problem. Basically, every time I tried to enter the ship, the pirates would quickly detect my presence. Finally, the real culprit was my heavy spacesuit, which created slight noises whenever I shifted covers. In short, you must pay great attention to details when playing with a Stealth build.
Here are a few strategies that can greatly improve your Stealth maneuvers:
Invest in Stealth Skills:
You can try sneaking right from the first mission, but it isn’t always fruitful. Firstly, you must unlock the Stealth meter that shows the awareness level of all nearby enemies. Therefore, investing in the Stealth skill will not only unlock the meter but also improve your sneak maneuvers. For best results, you should choose either Ronin or Cyber Runner, as they are the best backgrounds for silent assassins.
Secondly, you should try to upgrade the Stealth skill early on in the game so that you can focus on other related skills later. Here are the boosts that you get for each rank in Stealth skill:
- Rank 1: Adds Stealth meter, reduces the detection while sneaking by 25%, and increases the damage with suppressed weapons by 5% while sneaking.
- Rank 2: Upgrades Stealth meter, reduces the detection while sneaking by 50%, and increases the damage with suppressed weapons by 10% while sneaking.
- Rank 3: Reduces the detection while sneaking by 75% and increases the damage with suppressed weapons by 15% while sneaking.
- Rank 4: Reduces the detection while sneaking by 100% and increases the damage with suppressed weapons by 20% while sneaking. Moreover, interacting with doors will no longer alarm enemies.
Lastly, you should also consider investing some skill points in the best Stealth-related skills. Here are a few suggestions that can greatly improve your gameplay experience:
- Concealment
- Commerce (for selling your filched goods)
- Deception
- Martial Arts (for melee stealth weapons)
- Pickpocket
- Theft
Avoid Heavy Armor:
Suppressing your movement sounds play an important role in every Stealth maneuver. Judging from my personal experience, even the slightest miscalculation will blow your cover. Therefore, you should avoid sturdy armor and heavy spacesuits as they make a clunky footstep sound.
Alternatively, if you still need some protection, you can carry a spare lightweight spacesuit and change your gear just before the mission. In short, the lighter your spacesuit is, the harder you are to detect, making it even more useful for sneaky attacks.
Control the Movement Speed:
Movement speed will drastically expose your Stealth strategies. Even if you are sprinting just in your undergarments, the enemies will still hear your footsteps. Moreover, running while crouching also doesn’t suppress your movement sounds. Therefore, it is important to manage your movement speed when nearing a target.
You can move quite slowly and without making any sound by gently tapping the movement controls. On the contrary, sudden movements and sprinting will quickly give away your position. So, it would be best to manage your movement speed when moving behind covers.
Use the Environment for Stealth:
Shadows and obstacles are your best friends in sneaky maneuvers. Generally, moving in shadows and hiding behind obstacles prevent the enemies from detecting your presence. You can always use boxes, machines, and even rocks to suppress your movements. Also, the time of the day will drastically affect the enemy’s attention; consider operating when it’s dark outside.
Lastly, your enemies need light to spot you, so try to stay away from light sources. Don’t try to break the bulbs with your weapons, as it will quickly alert all nearby enemies. However, if you take out the light when no one is around, you can create useful shadows to support your maneuverability. Similarly, you can also use cover to stay hidden while lockpicking and stealing ships in Starfield.
Choose the Right Tools:
Another probable miscalculation on your part is that players often ignore the importance of arsenal management. What good is your Stealth if the blow from your shotgun will give away your position? Therefore, it is important to pay great attention to your weapons. In this regard, you should pick up a weapon for every possible situation.
For instance, you should always start with a sniper rifle to take out the loners from a distance. Next, you can use any best modded weapon with a suppressor attachment to take out the remaining foes. Lastly, if you are feeling a bit adventurous, you can try to sneak killing with a reliable melee weapon. Oh, and always carry an automatic rifle for when things go bad. Remember, you must always aim to kill, even if you wield a mere silenced pistol.
Unlock Starborn Powers for Stealth:
Starborn Powers are the real game-changers in Starfield. No matter which Starfield build you play, you will always rely on at least two of these powers in your strategies. The same goes for any Stealth character in the game. For instance, you can use the Phased Time power to slow down all enemies, kill them, or just move past them undetected.
Similarly, the Sense Star Stuff power will reveal the location and movement of all nearby enemies for a duration. You can use this vital information to plan your movement or even initiate a chain assault. Void Form is yet another priceless power for your stealthy maneuvers. You can check the list of all powers in Starfield to choose the best ones for your build.
Judge the Situation:
Investing in Starfield skills will equip you with the right tools for every Stealth encounter. For example, you can use the handy detection meter to judge the current situation. This meter will slowly fill up as the enemies start noticing your presence. This meter has three levels: the green hidden feedback shows that you are undetected, suspicious means that the enemies are looking for you, and the cautious feedback implies that the hostiles will attack on sight.
The good news is that you don’t need to turn on your Tank mode just yet. The best way to evade an incoming hostile situation is by creating a distraction. Try throwing noisy objects, shooting barrels, creating environmental explosions, and activating nearby devices. The minute someone gets danger close, create a distraction and quickly move to a better spot.
Patience is the Key:
Have you ever seen an impatient, silent assassin? That’s mainly because holding your stead will reveal patrol routes and present precious opportunities. Therefore, the best approach to any situation is to inspect the enemies and their routines first and look for breaks to cover your advance. Rather than rushing head-on, you should slowly move behind cover and create one where necessary.
Lastly, the enemies will make the same noises that you do, e.g., footsteps, chattering, coughing, sneezing, and whatnot. So, if you are stuck behind a cover with zero visibility, you can utilize these sounds to plan your next move. Patience will also allow you to ambush an enemy from behind the cover and kill him with a swift, sneaky attack.
Conclusion:
Starfield isn’t really a Stealth-based game, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t try becoming a silent assassin; it’s an open-world RPG, after all. However, before you can become the king of the unseen, you must first understand the various factors that power the Stealth mechanics. Therefore, this article proudly presents a comprehensive Starfield Stealth guide to equip you with the right tactics for every situation.
