Sneak Guide: How to Use Stealth in Valheim
Sneaking in Valheim might seem like an afterthought but it has its uses. It might be very niche and somewhat of a "gimmick" if you think about it, but it is a very helpful skill if you're hunting and don't want to alert the animal being hunted. In this Valheim guide, we'll break down how Sneaking works, why you should Sneak in the first place, and how to level up this handy skill.
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How Does Sneak Work?
Sneaking works as soon as you crouch, the default keybind being the Left-Ctrl button. Once you're already crouching there should be a crosshair in front of you. This indicates whether the enemies around you have already detected you or aren't aware of you.
- Flat Line = Undetected
- Eye slightly opened = Enemies aware but not yet detected.
- Eye open wide = Enemies have detected you.
There will also be a bar under it. The darker the bar, the better as it means you're in darker areas and that the enemies won't be able to detect you that easily. However, in Valheim you cannot just sneak in front of an enemy or an animal. There is a preset line of sight for the enemies and you cannot just fool them by crouching.
This makes it even harder to sneak around enemies so make sure you're aware of your surroundings and your positioning. When you're already detected, you won't easily shake the enemies off by sneaking so your best bet is to run away.
Why Sneak in Valheim?
Sneaking is also another playstyle that people enjoy. But not just that, sneaking also goes hand in hand with the backstab. Most of the weapons in Valheim have a backstab multiplier. Some bows have a 3x backstab multiplier which means that all damage made while not detected using a bow is multiplied by 3.
Here are the backstab multipliers for each of the weapon types:
Weapon Type | Backstab Multiplier |
---|---|
Knives | 6x |
Flesh Rippers | 6x |
Tankard (Can't attack with this weapon) | 4x |
Bows | 3x |
Two-Handed Clubs | 2x |
Abyssal Harpoon | 1x |
All other weapons not mentioned | 3x |
These weapons, especially the bow can work wonders dealing massive preemptive damage to enemies such as Trolls where you can immediately shave off 1/3rd of their health if you catch them unaware.
How to Level Up Sneak
Leveling up the sneak skill in Valheim is as easy as sneaking around an enemy and making sure you're not detected by them. Each second adds an experience point to the skill. A trick used by other people would be to dig a hole and put a boar or a greydwarf inside it and just sneak around it. You can also just build a fence around a boar, deer, or a greydwarf and just sneak near it.
You don't need to move around, you just need to crouch somewhere you're not detected and you should be able to level up your sneak skill fast!