Skill Sneak

Sneak enables you to move silently and avoid detection. When a Sneak is successful, it is immutable, and the effect lasts so long as an NPC has their "back" turned to you.

Classes & Races

• Halflings Level 1 (Max 50)
• Rogue Level 1 (Max 200)
• Monk Level 8 (Max 113)
• Ranger Level 10 (Max 75)
• Bard Level 17 (Max 75)

Overview

Sneak is a non-combat ability that silences your footsteps. Sneak functions differently from Invisibility or Hide. In ways, it is superior to Invisibility; in other ways, inferior. NPCs affected by Sneak will consider Indifferent, but only if they are not facing you. With regard to aggro, vendoring, and questing, Sneak operates like any other spell/song/illusion that grants Indifferent faction... provided you don't let the mob see you.

While Sneaking, your character moves at a greatly reduced speed. Speed buffs do improve movement speed while sneaking. Without speed buffs it's faster to strafe sideways (or forward+sideways) than to simply move forward.

Sneak can fail - and often does - especially if you are not a Rogue. Chance of success is based on Sneak's skill. When it succeeds, your speed is reduced, and the button remains depressed until disabled or until certain game mechanics "break" your Sneak. When it fails, your movement speed does not change and the button depresses after 10 seconds. Classes besides Rogue must use in-game feedback (movement speed or Consider) to determine if Sneak was successful (or wait 10 seconds to see if the Sneak button resets). Rogues see the following success or failure messages when activating Sneak: "You are as quiet as a cat stalking it's prey" or "You are as quiet as a herd of stampeding elephants".

In-Game Effects

270°

• If you are in the rear 270° arc of a mob, you will con Indifferent. (The mob in this picture would be facing the bottom right corner.)
  • Because the mob is Indifferent, it will not attack as long as you stay beside or behind it. (Social aggro will override this.)

• You will be treated as if your faction with that mob is indifferent.
  • If your faction is too low for a quest and indifferent faction is sufficient, you can sneak behind the NPC and do turn-ins. Be aware that hailing and speaking to an NPC in /say may cause it to turn towards you.
  • Similarly, merchants will sell to you. They may turn to face you, but the window will remain open and merchants never attack players. Wait for the merchant to turn back or you will get Apprehensive vs Indifferent prices on the transaction.
  • Bankers will work with anyone, regardless of faction, but Sneak is still useful for avoiding aggro on them.

• Sneak will turn off when you are hit by a spell, hit by a melee attack, or cast a spell (including weapon procs and click effects). Looting will not turn off Sneak. Attacking will not turn off sneak. If it isn't broken, Sneak has infinite duration.

• It will not turn off if you open a trade window like invisible does. This means that from behind a dubious or lower mob; you can bank, shop, or do quest turn-ins and remain indifferent.

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

• It is possible to swim with sneak on, albeit very slowly. Take care when diving underwater for any significant distance.

• If you are in the forward 90° arc of a mob's vision, and are KoS to that mob, it's aggro range will be slightly decreased, similar to Lull or Harmony.
  • 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.

• Sneak affects see-invisible and see-Hide mobs. If you can stay out of their visual cone, then you can sneak past.

Rogue Only

Hide-Sneak

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 separately 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.

Introduction to Hide-Sneak

You stand completely still, similar to casting a spell, to Hide-Sneak. Hide will break if you attack, are attacked, cast a spell, are hit by a spell, or move. If you use Hide with Sneak active, some of these conditions are negated. See Hide and Sneak for more information.

• Undead do NOT see through Hide-Sneak, unlike basic invisible. Hide-Sneak is treated as Invisible+IVU.

• A select few mobs can see through Hide. You can Sneak safely beside or behind them.
  • Some notable examples include: Royal Guard (Crushbone), A ghoul assassin (Lower Guk), and A Chokidai Mangler.

• The re-use time of Sneak and Hide (10 seconds) will countdown even if they are depressed. Meaning if you activate Hide-Sneak and wait 10 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 yet. Otherwise Hide will turn off when you turn off Sneak.

• If you Hide-Sneak, turning off Sneak will also break Hide as soon as you move.

• If you Hide-Sneak and open a trade-window or merchant window, both will break. Turn off Hide first if you want to maintain Sneak.

• If you turn off Hide alone, your Sneak will stay on. This is useful for looting, banking, or shopping in a KoS town, Hide-Sneak behind the NPC and turn off only Hide. Then turn Hide back on after opening merchant/bank/loot window.

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

• Defensive disciplines (Focus Will, Resistance) will NOT break Hide-Sneak.

• Sense Traps / Disarm Traps will NOT break Hide-Sneak.

• Bind Wound will NOT break Hide-Sneak.

• Pick Lock will NOT break Hide-Sneak.

• Falling damage will NOT break Hide-Sneak, nor will drowning damage.

• Apply Poison will NOT break Hide-Sneak (on success or fail).

• The Sneak Attack ability arrived Post-Velious and is not implemented on Red/Green/Blue. Sneak Attack WILL activate after being hidden approx. 3 seconds or more. Activating it will break Hide but not 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.

• 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.

Skills