Sneak

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Everything you need to know about sneak
# Oct 21 2004 at 8:32 PM Rating: Excellent
42 posts
Next to tracking (and in some situations, Feign Death) sneak is one of the most useful skills in the entire game. There is a lot of confusion about sneak, nobody is born knowing how it works, so here's some info which should clear things up. Even if you're familier with sneak, I hope you learn some tidbits which will prevent learning the hard way. (the first portion of this regards to sneak alone, not hide-sneak)

Sneak is a skill that makes you unheard, it is not the same thing as invisible. In some ways it is superiour to invis, in some ways inferior. When sneaking, your character will move at a very slow pace, most noticable without speed buffs. It can fail and does often if you are not a rogue. If you are a rogue, the game will tell you if your sneak fails or succeeds. If you are not a rogue, it will not.

When is succeeds, your character will slow in speed and the button will remain depressed until you turn it off or are hit by melee or magic, cast magic, or if you loot something. If you are a rogue, and it succeeds, you will be prompted "You are as quiet as a cat stalking it's prey".

When it fails, the button will pop up 6 seconds later to let you try again. If you are a rogue, and it fails, you will be prompted "You are as quiet as a heard of stampeding elephants".

The effect in game is as follows:

If you are in the rear 270deg arc of a mob, you will con indifferant. This mob cannot see you and will not attack as long as you stay behind it. This is treated as if your faction with that mob is indifferant. So if you are sneaking behind a quest NPC and need Amiable or higher faction, any turn-ins or hails you do will be rejected, usually with a message like "you need to prove your dedication to us..." or some such. Contrastly, if your faction is too low for the quest and indifferant is high enough, you can sneak behind the NPC and do turn-ins.

Sneak will not turn off unless you are hit by a spell, hit by melee, cast a spell, or if you loot. It will not turn off if you open a trade window like invis does. This means that from behind a dubious or lower mob; you can bank, shop, or do quest turn-ins and remain indifferant.

Some mobs (very rare) can see through sneak. You can recognize these mobs because when you are sneaking and con them, it will say 'You have a feeling that this creature can see you'. Beware of these mobs. Examples include: the worms in Akheva.

Sneaking does nothing to erase aggro you already have. Nor does hide or hide-sneak.

If you are in the forward 90deg arc of a mob's vision, and are KoS to that mob, it's aggro range will be decreased. This means you can get closer to the mob than you would normally be allowed without it attacking. However, if you linger too long in front of the mob, it will eventually notice you.

As I said, sneak is in some ways better, and in some ways worse than invisibility. Invis wears off over time (and normally at unpredicable times) whereas sneak will stay on naturally forever. Invis breaks if you attack, open merchant window, or open trade window... sneak will not. Sneak cannot be seen through by see invis mobs, as long as you stay behind them. The advantage of invis over sneak is obvious: you can pass in front of the mobs without being seen and you move at full speed.

Hide-Sneak (Rogue invis)
This info is for rogue only regarding their ability to use Hide and Sneak simultaneously to become invisible. If you are not a rogue, Hide and Sneak both act seperatally and this will not work for you.

It's not new information to most rogues that they can become invisible. If hide and sneak both work successfully, you will be able to move invisibly at sneak speed. However, here are some specifics about the ability.

Brief info on hide: Hide will only succeed if you are standing still, therefore you must stop completely to hide-sneak. Hide will break if you attack, are attacked, cast a spell, are hit by a spell, or move (without sneak on).

-Sneak will let you get past see-invis mobs as long as you stay behind them.

-Undead can not see through hide-sneak, unlike basic invis. Hide-sneak is treated as Invis+IVU.

-The re-use time of Sneak and Hide (6 seconds) will countdown even if they are depressed. Meaning if you activate hide-sneak and wait 6 seconds or more, you can turn it off and on near-instantly. Useful for looting something in hostile territory.

-If you hide-sneak, you can turn off sneak as long as you have not moved.

-If you hide-sneak and move, turning off sneak will also break hide.

-If you hide-sneak and open a trade-window or merchant window, both will break.

-If you turn off hide alone, your sneak will stay on. This is useful for banking or shopping in a KoS town, sneak-hide behind the NPC and turn off only hide.

-If you have an invis spell on, you can activate hide-sneak and get past undead or sneak behind see invis mobs. However, as soon as invis fades it will deactivate sneak (but the button will remain depressed). If you move after the spell has faded, hide will break. Be careful.

-Using defensive disciplines (Focus Will, Resistance) will not break hide-sneak. Feel free to heal up perfectly invis.

-Sneak Attack will activate after being hidden approx. 3 seconds or more. Activating it will break hide but not sneak.

-Bind wound will not break hide-sneak

-Intimidation will break hide-sneak if it works, even if you're far away from the mob, otherwise it will not. Beware when practicing.

-Sense Traps and Disarm Traps will not break hide-sneak

-Pick Lock will not break hide-sneak

-Using clicky items will break hide-sneak

-Attacking will break hide but not sneak, you can fight an entire battle while sneaking, as long as you are not hit. If your weapon procs as you are fighting, sneak will break.

-Pick Pockets will break hide-sneak. Turning off hide and leaving only sneak will let you pick pockets in safety.

-Falling damage will not break hide-sneak, nor will drowning damage.

-Rogues eventually get an AA called Shroud of Stealth (SoS) which lets them move undetected past see invis mobs. They also get an AA called Hastened Stealth which lets them move normal spead while sneaking.

Edited, Thu Nov 11 20:31:09 2004
RE: Everything you need to know about sneak
# Jul 08 2005 at 4:17 PM Rating: Default
You forgot to mention a few very powerful uses that each ability has.

With sneak, you can buy from merchants, train from GMs, and turn in quest items (as long as you only need indifferent) who are dubious or lower when you are behind them sneaking. They will count as indifferent. Also, because of the con adjustment you can sell things for higher to merchants like this. So use it even if they are apprehensive.

With hide, you can continue to activate it and check if it's working with /con on a normally KoS mob, if it works, they will be indifferent and is extremely vital for an AFK in hostile territory on the fly.

My druid considers these skills invaluable.
Sneak
# Apr 26 2003 at 1:37 PM Rating: Decent
How does the "sneak" work for Vah Shir Beastlords?
argh
# May 24 2002 at 4:11 AM Rating: Decent
to low a cap for bards me thinks:(
Sneak/Hide
# Mar 01 2002 at 2:34 PM Rating: Decent
Greetings,

I know that bards get both sneak and hide for skills. Can they do poor man's invisibility also, as a rogue can? Or is that a rogue only abilty, to sneak and hide at the same time?

Marare,

Illudius Laitaurlin
Songweaver of Kelethin, Loyal Alliance
Bertoxxulous Server
Sneak/Hide
# Nov 04 2020 at 8:20 PM Rating: Decent
4 posts
I realize this is an ancient post, but I think it is important to note that sneak/hide would hardly classify as a "poor man's" ability. Especially because it is better than invisibility in almost every way when it is used in coordination with hide. Ironically, I think you have a "poor man's" understanding of the term itself. The term "poor man's" works in situations like blind being used as a fear or aggro ability because it is worse than both in every way, not for something innate to a class like tracking, and sneak with distinct advantages that are innate to specific classes.

Edited, Nov 4th 2020 9:28pm by Shadowzeeb
RE: Sneak/Hide
# Oct 21 2004 at 7:37 PM Rating: Decent
42 posts
kinda an important bit of info... if you are a bard (or any non-rogue) and hit "Hide" you will always appear to be invisible to yourself, wether it worked or not. The only way to be sure you are truly invis is to (with no see invis items, spells, or songs) type /target <your name>.

If you target yourself, you are visible. If you are truly hidden, you will se "I dont see that player anywhere"
RE: Sneak/Hide
# Aug 21 2002 at 1:50 AM Rating: Good
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63 posts
Nope thats a rogue only invis. Other classes get that combo too, like rangers, but the only ones who can do both at once is rogues
RE: Sneak/Hide
# Jul 22 2003 at 1:21 PM Rating: Decent
Bah. Bards should be able to.
RE: Sneak/Hide
# Nov 24 2004 at 2:43 PM Rating: Decent
Agrred, Hide's not much use if ya can't move. Especially if you don't even know if yer hidden or not. If you could be sure that yer hidden 100% of the time it's only use would be for meditating in hostile territory.
Hide Sneek
# Feb 28 2002 at 2:42 PM Rating: Decent
Sneek Reduces the chance that a critter will agro on you do to distance, If they see you(your not invis w/ sneek) then they will probly wup you good :) if you sneek behind some thing they will con indif and you can sell to them if they dont normaly like you. The skill for going invis is Hide, In order to move while hiden you need to be Sneeking as well
how does this work
# Feb 11 2002 at 2:38 PM Rating: Excellent
Forgive my newbosity. How does this work?

1. Does it make me invisible to other players? I thought not until a little gnome thief I was helping to whack disappeared in front of my eyes. I thought something goofy happened with my memory leaking computer but someone said he was sneaking.... The lil' scamp then shouted something about how if you can't see a thief while he's sneaking, you're dead. Which leads me to #2

2. If it does make me invisible does it make me invisible to all? Or to just those who don't have a high enough skill in something?

3. If I'm turning tail and running my cute booty off away from a train of slavering, drooling, enraged Blackburrow gnoll guardsmen and I frantically mash the sneak button and it finally takes will they still "see" me if I just came from a battle with them and they saw me running? I understand it works somehow with the degree of proximity you can get to the monster.

4. If I sneak and then jump into water, will I still sneak?

5. Any other sneak features you can think of to help this NB (is that an acronym for newbie or did I just make that up? I can never get those acronyms right).

WFAGATMQ,

Aishwarya Roy
RE: how does this work
# Aug 21 2002 at 1:56 AM Rating: Excellent
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63 posts
Wow loads of questions.
1. If you are a rogue, yes. Sneak/hide = rogue invis. Works on undead too.

2. As long as they dont have see invis, you are invis. All levels

3. Once a mob aggros, it is on you. Period. Zone or die. Hide doesnt work, neither does sneak

4. Yes you sneak in water. Yes you can sneak/hide in water. In a duel agains a wizzy, this saved my tush, becaue he didnt have see invis (he forgot to get it and was still trying to duel a rogue the poor sop)

5. Despite you swimming skill, you still will move slower in water. Watch your air. Sneak can be used on any class to buy from merchants who wont sell to you by sneaking behind them.
Saved my bacon
# Dec 14 2001 at 2:41 AM Rating: Excellent
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316 posts
Raising the skill is drop-dead simple. Put the ability in your hotkey bank and mash that key every time it becomes active, at each level gained, until you reach the maximum skill increases possible for that level.

Regardless, it DID save me a horrid death, and worse corpse run, when I stumbled into Regis the Reverant while hugging the north wall in North Karana.

With the camera angle I was using, I was almost on top of him before I noticed him. He was red to me and conned scowling, ready to attack.

I hit my Sneak hotkey, it succeeded, and I moon-walked my narrow butt right on out of there.

Edited, Fri Dec 14 02:44:44 2001
RE: Saved my bacon
# Mar 06 2002 at 9:06 AM Rating: Excellent
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190 posts
Aye, sneak saved me a couple deaths in Kael in close to the same fasion...camo wore off when i was half-way to WL, had 3 wandering RED giants around me, hit HIDE then SNEAK and slow-walked my wayz to the zone and not one saw me.
RE: Saved my bacon
# Dec 20 2001 at 12:59 AM Rating: Decent
16 posts
Yeah, I can just picture that scene as you slammed on the brakes and slapped your butt into reverse... SLOWLY backing away. Funny.

P.S. I found the edit button so I can say that my cousin wrote that, Warric. Don't take offense at me for it or should I edit it away completely so I can put something there that is better because I can't think of something better to say right now and I was supposed to get off the computer a while ago. Let me know okay?

Edited, Thu Dec 20 03:07:39 2001
RE: Saved my bacon
# Mar 27 2002 at 6:33 AM Rating: Excellent
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190 posts
Rangers should get to be better at Hide and Sneak both...who else would you think would be better at them after the Rogue?
RE: Saved my bacon
# Aug 21 2002 at 1:59 AM Rating: Excellent
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63 posts
I disagree. That takes all the fun out of being a rogue. What i do think rangers (and other classes with hide AND sneak) should get is evade. if you dont know thats how rogues keep their aggro low when they are backstabbing a mob for 4 times what the warrior in front is hitting for.
RE: Saved my bacon
# May 27 2002 at 2:05 PM Rating: Excellent
I completely whole-heartedly 100% agree. It make sense from a profession's point of view (being master trackers) but also seems fair since we can't wear plate and therefore can't take as many hits, besides having joke attack spells for our level. Until we reach 30 when we can start running faster we need a few more survival skills to help us through the long journey to 30. I also think that we should be able to both hide and sneak simultaneously when we reach some level. Would be nice for group selling at evil banks when no rogues are around.
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