hey guys i have a sin alt and whenever i go to use stealth to sneak by a mob whether they are weak standard silver or gold an orange circle appears over their heads and they aggro me and they dont have advanced stealth detection either so someone tell me is this a glitch or bug with stealth?

Stealth is not the press-1-to-win skill you expected it to be and it shouldn't be. Keep this in mind when stealthing around.

1) Enemies that are a higher level than you will see through your stealth easier.

2) Approach from the back - they seem to have less detection (idk if this is true but I always do it)

3) Do not hesitate when approaching a target that is when they'll see you and aggro

4) Some Champions/Elites & Droids can detect stealth

 

Using sleep dart or mind trap etc. is your friend when stealthing around to avoid combat. Also keep in mind that when you are within around 10m or so of an enemy that is when they can notice you. You'll get used to moving around undetected.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Kamay

Stealth isn't useless, though it has quite a few limits and possibly even bugs in SWTOR.

 

If you need to sneak through an area, try to keep as far away from the mobs as possible (detection is range based), stay away from droids (droids have more anti-stealth abilities than other types of mobs), dismiss your companion (they seem to be detected easier than player characters), use your stealth CC (a CC'd mob can't spot you), approach mobs from the back or sides (detection is weaker), and use your increased stealth ability for tight spots.

 

And if you get detected, be prepared for bugs like not being knocked out of stealth yet put into combat and for your in-combat stealth ability to fail or put you into stealth yet not drop combat.

If I recall, there is a skill point and ability (in the 20s) that will make you harder to detect as well. Stealth in PvE is mostly just to skip a lot of trash clearing, which honestly you should not do, most of those mobs trigger bonus quests, some chain into good exp / rewards Edited April 21, 2014 by Hoshkar

There are also skills that passively raise your stealth level, such as Infiltrator, that make it harder to be detected. You can also dramatically increase your stealth level with abilities like Sneak.

 

If you want to bypass a group of mobs, your best bet is to hit Sneak and then run past them.

 

At higher levels, you also unlock Cloaking Screen, which will drop you into stealth even when in combat.

2) Approach from the back - they seem to have less detection (idk if this is true but I always do it)

Detection range is greater in a cone in front of the npc. Standing right behind a hostile mob isn't exactly safe either but you can definitely get away with more by sneaking behind them than in front of them.

 

Also, when you see the orange circle on the head of an enemy, you have about a second to get out of range until they become hostile, you can use a high-mobility abilities like force speed or scamper (or even rocket boost!) to pass through npcs that would attack you if you were to just walk past them.

I found this very confusing in the game (compared to others I've played). Usually in other games, you can sneak up and backstab them (usually for a big damage). But not in this, they detect you before you can pull that off.

 

Which is confusing, since you typically fight several enemies at once (unless they are elite), it seems like you should be able to insta-kill one of a group. Especially as some classes have powers that can potentially kill a whole group (Death From Above, for instance will do so for much of the early game)

But not in this, they detect you before you can pull that off.

No, they definitely don't if they're not equipped for it and you use your sneak ability, which increases your stealth level by ridiculous amounts for a few seconds. Then you can pretty much /dance in front of a bunch of npcs and they won't notice you.

I play my Shadow since release and never had a issue with stealth in SWTOR. I have done entire heroic 4 missions without a single fight, since I avoided every mobs there, not go too near to mobs you don't want to fight, staying behind them helps a lot. Use the ability that increases your stealth rating for a few seconds when needed and mezz the mobs which you what to pass close by. Also, as sin, use you speed boost, since the amount of time or how fast you pass a mob while in stealth is also a factor, so don't dally too long near them.

I found this very confusing in the game (compared to others I've played). Usually in other games, you can sneak up and backstab them (usually for a big damage). But not in this, they detect you before you can pull that off.

 

Which is confusing, since you typically fight several enemies at once (unless they are elite), it seems like you should be able to insta-kill one of a group. Especially as some classes have powers that can potentially kill a whole group (Death From Above, for instance will do so for much of the early game)

 

You can pull it off, it just wont be as easy as in other games. To pull it off you may have to spec some talent points, and you may even have to do an extra step that you arent used to. But if you want to make it work you'll stop worrying about how others games do it and how this game is differrent and instead you'll find ways to make it work.

 

Here is something that will work for Shadows and Scoundrels. Shadows have the ability 'blackout' which increases your stealth level making it harder for npcs to detect you. Now take a look at the middle talent tree Infiltration and look towards the bottom at the third tier and you will see a talent called 'masked assault'. Normally blackout has a 45 second cooldown, but if you spend 1 talent point in masked assault then when exiting stealth the cooldown on blackout is reset. That means if you kill packs really fast you can still go from pack to pack and blackout will always be available for use. So while you are stealthed just pop Blackout to increase your stealth level, get behind the mob and backstab. As soon as you are able to restealth again Blackout will be available for use (assuming you spec'd that 1 talent point into masked assault.

 

Scoundrels can do the same thing...the ability that increases their stealth level is called Sneak. The talent that resets its cooldown when you exit stealth is also in the middle tree Scrapper and it's called "Fight or Flight" and it also just takes 1 talent point. So just like above...make sure you are stealthed start your approach and hit Sneak to increase your stealth level and attack. Sneak has a 1 minute cooldown but just like above, Fight or Flight will reset that cooldown the instant you leave stealth.

 

Now trying to navigate through an area and avoiding combat is a different story. If it is a single mob by themselves you can just use Tranquilizer or Mind Maze and when you walk past them use it again on the next person in your path. If there are a bunch of strong/elites and even CCing one will still get you detected by the others you can use the Blackout/Sneak reset trick mentioned above. While in stealth use blackout/sneak and then sneak all the way past the mob or pack. Make sure that you are not within aggro distance of anything. Now unstealth and the cooldown on blackout/sneak will be reset. Wait a few more seconds and restealth and repeat for the next pack that is in your path.

 

Yah it sucks, maybe we shouldnt have to do all that, maybe BW should fix it. But in the meantime you do still have ways of dealing with it.

I play my Shadow since release and never had a issue with stealth in SWTOR. I have done entire heroic 4 missions without a single fight, since I avoided every mobs there, not go too near to mobs you don't want to fight, staying behind them helps a lot. Use the ability that increases your stealth rating for a few seconds when needed and mezz the mobs which you what to pass close by. Also, as sin, use you speed boost, since the amount of time or how fast you pass a mob while in stealth is also a factor, so don't dally too long near them.

 

This is good advice. Sometimes just using your speed boost can help you avoid the mob in stealth. If you use mind snap on the character you want to maul or spike, that also usually helps to ensure that the move will come off successfully. But like other have said - stealth is not a guarantee that you will be able to skip mobs.

Force Speed and Rocket Boost while stealth will get you past most any mob without issue. Mind Trap on the outermost enemy and then moving along the edges is also a good bet. One thing as well, you need to remove DoTs before using blackout, etc, or you will pop right back out of stealth once you take damage from the next tick.

I play my Shadow since release and never had a issue with stealth in SWTOR. I have done entire heroic 4 missions without a single fight, since I avoided every mobs there, not go too near to mobs you don't want to fight, staying behind them helps a lot. Use the ability that increases your stealth rating for a few seconds when needed and mezz the mobs which you what to pass close by. Also, as sin, use you speed boost, since the amount of time or how fast you pass a mob while in stealth is also a factor, so don't dally too long near them.

 

This. Sorry, Op, yours is a learn-to-play issue...

This. Sorry, Op, yours is a learn-to-play issue...

 

considering I can walk past mobs while using force camo, OP should easily be able to walk around at will with actual stealth ability. Yes if you are underleveled for an NPC then they can and sometimes do detect you. which is why there are stuns and stealth boosts.

hey guys i have a sin alt and whenever i go to use stealth to sneak by a mob whether they are weak standard silver or gold an orange circle appears over their heads and they aggro me and they dont have advanced stealth detection either so someone tell me is this a glitch or bug with stealth?

 

I don't think its a bug. I've stealthed around NPCs that a lower level than I am and had them sometimes detect me. I don't know if its a randomly calculated chance that they'll detect you or that they have a high degree of detection. But I do know sometimes it works and a few times I get detected.

 

Keep in mind if you are moving too slowly or stop too close to them they'll detect you most times. Are you sure they don't have those little detection droids that drop down every few seconds?

If anything, stealth is far more useless in pvp than pve. Any living person with eyes can see a stealthed character rollingup.

You must be a low level. There are skills that increase your stealth ability has you progress.

 

Basically, stealth is one of the reasons Assassins and Shadows are great to level. You can easily get to objectives and on occasion solo Heroics without much problem using stealth. Personally, I have never had a problem. But... it is stealth not invisibility. If you get too close to mobs and stand there you will be detected.

Use Black Out.

You must be a low level. There are skills that increase your stealth ability has you progress.

 

Basically, stealth is one of the reasons Assassins and Shadows are great to level. You can easily get to objectives and on occasion solo Heroics without much problem using stealth. Personally, I have never had a problem. But... it is stealth not invisibility. If you get too close to mobs and stand there you will be detected.

 

Ha...one night I ran right up to a mob, planning to wipe them out and then remembered....I forgot to hit stealth. Made me wish they had a Monty Python "Run Away! Run Away!" emote.

There are also skills that passively raise your stealth level, such as Infiltrator, that make it harder to be detected. You can also dramatically increase your stealth level with abilities like Sneak.

 

If you want to bypass a group of mobs, your best bet is to hit Sneak and then run past them.

 

At higher levels, you also unlock Cloaking Screen, which will drop you into stealth even when in combat.

 

^This. Stealth is great, but when you want to skip a large group or a tougher enemy, you should sneak and then use the speed burst thingy. You want to get out of their detection range as fast as possible. As someone else mentioned, mind trap is useful, too. Just be sure to get our of range before it drops.

Ha...one night I ran right up to a mob, planning to wipe them out and then remembered....I forgot to hit stealth. Made me wish they had a Monty Python "Run Away! Run Away!" emote.

I would pay for this, along with a "'tis but a flesh wound" emote.

If anything, stealth is far more useless in pvp than pve. Any living person with eyes can see a stealthed character rollingup.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with this. You can catch people daydreaming and not paying attention to objectives all the time. Stealth is great in PvP!

I'm going to have to disagree with this. You can catch people daydreaming and not paying attention to objectives all the time. Stealth is great in PvP!

 

Its not bad in open world pvp. I've been on the receiving end of stealthed enemies even when I was aware that they could be around....and I've snuck up on the other side too with ease. One time there was an opposite faction player I could tell was actively looking for me and I managed to sneak up behind him three freaking times and kill him. (I killed him once in an attack of opportunity and he returned to the area twice for payback. We were equal level, too)

I have a Shadow tank and have ZERO issues with Stealth - Provided the mobs are not several levels above me. You can usually walk right past them. But for good measure use your advanced stealth skill and soft CC abilities freely.

I'm going to have to disagree with this. You can catch people daydreaming and not paying attention to objectives all the time. Stealth is great in PvP!

 

It is great for capping nodes, but I've rarely been ambushed in pvp. Of course, I don't pvp all that much anymore. Mainly get my weeklies and not much else. Never been a big pvp fan anyway.