Problem with No-Sneak Playthrough.

[Kama Nightfire]

Decided to do a strict 100% Mage, no Thief/Warrior skills leveled, and I've already ran into a problem.

After being unbound in the start, I check my skills to find I have 1/10th of my Sneak bar already filled, yet I haven't done any sneaking at all, and even unbound my Sneak button so I wouldn't accidently do so before or during my playthrough.

Is there anything during the initial cutscenes that forces your character to enter sneak-mode and gain experience unwillingly, even when bound?

P.S. Does anyone know a console command to remove this experience from the skill itself?

[Kama Nightfire]

Upon restarting from a save before being unbound, I did not have the experience. Currently progressing through and the bar hasn't changed. I'm still very confused at what gave the experience, if anything. I noticed the gain within seconds of being unbound last time. * shrugs. *

[Lucifer ★✬]

good luck with that. with mage sucking a$$ and sneak shots being a good way to take out all mobs...

i see the only way of doing it is beign over leved, and even then it being hard unless you got alot of magic regen

[avenger]

have you been reading books? some books will give you skills, and also completing some other quests levels you on skills as well, especially side quests.

I don't know a command to reset your skill but I'm sure you could figure it out if you searched google for things like "skill console commands skyrim". Hopefully oldrim commands would also work on SE. In the bad side, I am afraid that there's only ways to level forward, not backwards.

As a possible hint to "forget" learned skills mid-level, spending time in prison does decrease partially filled skill bars; so that's probably what you want to run from console (instead of having it called by serving prison time, which would take away partial progress on any/some skills).

Not sure the trouble resetting the skill is worth, as you get just a little rising up like that. Usually books fill an entire bar level, so that's probably not the issue you're facing.

Another possibility is you hit somebody unaware of the blow -- and that naturally rises your sneak skill.

[casualsailor]

Major Slack reported that when he was doing a Zero Start and for him reloading his game removed the Sneak xp.

He has a pure mage build on his channel if you want to see that. And this video shows how you can basically run thru Helgan without gaining any XP at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hct0X2lYXI&t=1076s

[Kama Nightfire]

Originally posted by avenger:

have you been reading books? some books will give you skills, and also completing some other quests levels you on skills as well, especially side quests.

I don't know a command to reset your skill but I'm sure you could figure it out if you searched google for things like "skill console commands skyrim". Hopefully oldrim commands would also work on SE. In the bad side, I am afraid that there's only ways to level forward, not backwards.

As a possible hint to "forget" learned skills mid-level, spending time in prison does decrease partially filled skill bars; so that's probably what you want to run from console (instead of having it called by serving prison time, which would take away partial progress on any/some skills).

Not sure the trouble resetting the skill is worth, as you get just a little rising up like that. Usually books fill an entire bar level, so that's probably not the issue you're facing.

Another possibility is you hit somebody unaware of the blow -- and that naturally rises your sneak skill.

This was at the very start of the game, when you're untied after the execution cutscene, so wouldn't have been any books or strikes of any sort. I'm just confused at how you can gain sneak experience without sneaking as you're unable to do so before being untied. I'm guessing it's an error on Skyrim's part, as loading my save right before being untied had myself with no experience, which was the same time I checked in the first palce and noticed I had some.

[Kama Nightfire]

Originally posted by casualsailor:

Major Slack reported that when he was doing a Zero Start and for him reloading his game removed the Sneak xp.

He has a pure mage build on his channel if you want to see that. And this video shows how you can basically run thru Helgan without gaining any XP at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hct0X2lYXI&t=1076s

Thanks for the information! Seems it was an error from the game, then. :P

[casualsailor]

Originally posted by Kama Nightfire:

Originally posted by casualsailor:

Major Slack reported that when he was doing a Zero Start and for him reloading his game removed the Sneak xp.

He has a pure mage build on his channel if you want to see that. And this video shows how you can basically run thru Helgan without gaining any XP at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hct0X2lYXI&t=1076s

Thanks for the information! Seems it was an error from the game, then. :P

Yeah, I remember him commenting on it several times because in most of his walkthoughs he attempts to do a zero start so that those who wish to follow along don't have issues if they fail to level something up during the Helgan run. He's also pretty consistant in his walkthoughs about only using items which spawn everytime rather than random drops since those trying to follow him probably won't get the same item.

[Jouni]

Do you count Alchemy as a thief skill or a mage skill? Your spell damage is going to suck at higher levels without potion boost.

[alexander_dougherty]

Don't some of the races start with ranks in sneak?
10 points sounds about right for a race that starts with sneak!

[casualsailor]

Originally posted by alexander_dougherty:

Don't some of the races start with ranks in sneak?
10 points sounds about right for a race that starts with sneak!

Khajiit's start with Sneak of 20. But what he is referring to is that if you look at the xp bar under Sneak you will see some XP there even if you don't crouch down your entire way thru Helgan Keep.

[DrNewcenstein]

During the run to the Keep, after you jump from the tower and drop through the Inn, where Hadvar is trying to get Hamming to cover before Alduin lands, if you follow Hadvar from that point and he says "Stay close to the wall", upon which Alduin lands, you're counted as Sneaking.

If you simply haul a$$ as soon as Ralof says "Come on, the Gods won't give us another chance" and don't stop for anything except Alduin busting through the tower wall, the parts where you are obscured from Alduin's sight - i.e. running through the Inn, running under the bridge as he swoops down to snatch an archer - count as Sneaking, since Alduin lost sight of you.

Don't focus so much on 0 Experience in Sneak. If you want to walk around upright through the whole game, fine, but understand you're going to have at least some gains in it that aren't enough where you could say "I totally snuck that guy", just because losing line-of-sight is counted as Sneaking. Even if you flee the scene and the enemy stops chasing you at the end of their patrol box, it counts as Evasion, which counts as Sneak.