I'm evaluating different armor types and mods to figure out what works best as for my stealthy character. Unfortunately, in comparing one armor set with another I've only found anecdotal advice:
- less weight is better
- "lighter build" mods help
- "shadowed" mods help
- "padded" mods help
But I can't find any numbers for an actual comparison, so I'm reduced to saying things like "gosh, it seems like I'm getting detected a little less often now, I think, maybe".
Ideally I'd like to find out the stealth value/bonus/penalty of a specific piece of armor or—just as helpful—of my current character taking armor and other factors into account.
Is there a console command, or some less direct method, that will tell me how stealthy an item is? The console command player.getav will show current character variables, but I've only found two that sound promising, and neither changes when I switch armor:
- MovementNoiseMult
- Mod_StealthMove_AV
Best Answer
Avoiding detection while sneaking relies on the same stuff as before; equipped armor weight, proximity to enemy, light levels and movement speed. The closest thing to a number value (assuming the armor has the same mod ie. padded, shadow ext) is the weight. The lower the weight the better for sneaking.
There are no skills anymore, you can't invest into sneaking early on and play a ninja/sniper from the get go. You can grab stealth related perk as your Agility allows, but the essential sneaking tools (suppressors, agility stat, higher sneaking efficiency and better sneak attacks) are locked behind high levels, making stealth play a tedious chore.
As for the factions, Your best bet is to find the group Railroad, get the suppressed 10mm pistol which is one of the best in the game. after completing the initial joining quest and buy the suppressed sniper rifle they have on sale. Or else, you won't be able to play a sneaky ranged character when starting out.
Melee has an easier time when starting out since melee weapons are already "silent". They also have much higher sneak critical multipliers.
Speaking of multipliers, Ninja perk is bugged as of(1.30) and does not grant any bonus to melee sneak attacks at level 1. At level 2, it grants 4x multiplier instead of 5x. Level 3 works as intended with a 10x multiplier.
Blitz perk that is obtainable at 9 Agility and allows you to VATS into enemies from a distance with melee weapons is also a godsend, since otherwise you get immediately detected when you sneak into melee range at lower levels.