Properly using stealth

[krachall]

My PC is a rogue (which is all I've ever played in 35+ years of RPGs) and I've got a lot of points in stealth. But I'm sure I'm not using it effectively. Any tips?

I use stealth to sneak my entire party into encounters and my rogue, stays in stealth longer than the rest but never long enough to engage an enemy from stealth and trigger a backstab (or is it a Sneak Attack?). So that's not working.

I've tried sneaking him ahead of the party to initiate combat with a stealthed attack but you can image in the results when my fragile rogue gets instantly engaged with 4 enemies.

I've found good use of stealth is disarming traps and scouting but nothing that effectively uses stealth to enable Backstabs consistently.

Even the vanish ability is so quick that I rarely get a stealthed attack off.

tips?

[ÄmJii]

It feels like Stealth is ment to be out-of-combat skill, so that you can scout ahead and prepare for an upcoming encounter.

Sneak Attacks fire off whenever you attack a helpless opponent (prone, stunned, paralyzed etc.) and shows off in combat log. If you want to go on Sneak Attack streak you'd better have a Mage or Cipher doing the CC'ing before moving in.

EDIT: As for Vanish, it's more of an escape hatch than "auto Sneak Attack".

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Well, as in the various older topics.

There is: https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Sneak_Attack
It doesn't claim that it would be based on Stealth skill. It's a combat style to depend on status effects.

And there is: https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Backstab
It refers to Stealth and invisibility (through talents, abilities or spell holding items), but since one cannot re-enter Stealth mode during combat, all that it can do is to serve as a combat opener. And, yes, you need an escape plan as not to be engaged by multiple enemies mauling you to knockout. So, prefer ranged weapons. Such as arquebus.

[Heresy]

When not indoors and in tight areas you can simply position your rogue behind your enemy. Engage the fight then have him flank from behind.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

If it's an opponent with a low engagement limit, sure. It doesn't need to be strictly "from behind" though. It is more lax:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1288492012

[krachall]

That helps a bunch. Thanks all!