How to make dagger sneak attacks stronger early game?

[FakeSympathy]

So I've been asking around on how to build a "mage assassin". One of the advice that I got from my first post was to use muffle (the illusion spell) +sneak using daggers. While the idea sounded fun on paper, I am finding that to be rather hard. Because I am still in the early games, I am getting detected before getting close enough to use daggers on the enemies. Because of this, I find myself sniping enemies from a distance, which gets boring real quick.

The second problem, and the main thing mentioned in the title, is that the daggers doesn't seem to do a whole lot of sneak damage. Again, maybe it's because I am still in the early game and the daggers that I find are either iron or steel, but anything more than low level draugur or bandit don't take significant damage.

Now, I am well aware that there's the Assassin's blade perk in sneak skill tree, but that requires 50 levels on sneaking so it's gonna time some time for me to get to that far. I am trying to figure out ways to make the dagger sneak attacks stronger at my current character level (13). Crafting the better daggers is out of the options, since I don't plan on investing points into smithing.

The immediate solution I can think of are either craft strong poisons to help me kill the enemies faster, or invest some points into armsman perk in one-handed skill tree.

[Vlad 254]

When you say early how early? This matters for many reasons because for example by simply sneaking around or sneaking as close as you can to an enemy or any npc (as if for example you were about to pick pocket) and then just staying put for as long as possible will raise your sneak level.

Why no points invested in smithing at all?? at least do a few so you can improve steel daggers or dwarven. And maybe even enchanted. This way you can put a few points in enchanting and enchant them.

There are so many things you can do to build up a stealth character but it takes investing time. Reminds me of Assassin's Creed Odyssey players who complain about farming and sucj to build up their characters. You have to invest time in a RPG.

And eventually you'll get to 50 and be able to obtain that assassin's perk you speak of. maybe not soon but eventually. you think you need it now, lol just wait.

And yes use poisons but please don't forget that alchemy can be a bit over rated.

Be smart where you put your points.

[Voided-Brain]

I've got mixed feelings about your avatar's name.

And I mean both of you.

[Call Sign: Raven]

You can immediately make daggers more powerful by joining the Dark Brotherhood, and equipping the gloves they give you. Wear the boots and you will also be muffled. Remember, the muffle effect only 100% silences you if you are using two sources of it. Each source muffles by 50%, so the Dark Brotherhood boots will muffle you completely after you cast the muffle spell.

Getting Sneak to 50 is super easy. You actually gain the most experience for sneak by successful sneak attacks with daggers. When you are in attacking range, perform a power attack and you'll get the most damage possible.

Prioritize getting sneak to 50. It's much easier than it sounds. Usually takes me about 20-30 minutes, and that's just playing casually. Power leveling it is even faster.

Seeing as you aren't doing smithing, which is totally fine, I skip it all the time...I recommend you go to Solstheim and buy Bound Dagger, a novice conjuration spell. Very, very OP at your level, and costs very little magic. It becomes even better if you get Conjuration to 20, and invest a perk in Mystic Binding, which makes the dagger you summon more powerful.

Combine it with the perk Quiet Casting from illusion, and you'll be a sneak mage in no time. :)

[Call Sign: Raven]

When you land in Solstheim, go East from Ravenrock to the far end of the island, lower right corner. You'll find a giant mushroom house called Tel Mythrin. Do the quest for the dude outside who is practicing a spell by talking to him, then going inside the mushroom and talking to his teacher. You don't have to do anything special, just talk with him. When you leave, the guy who was casting the spell will ask for your help with a monster he summoned. Get ready for a fight, he's tough. However, after you beat that monster, you can buy spells from the dude and get Bound Dagger and some other good stuff. It would be a good fit for your build, and funnily enough, I'm on the same build right now. :) Have fun!

[Vlad 254]

Originally posted by Harrison Ford:

You actually gain the most experience for sneak by successful sneak attacks with daggers.

Mostly good advice. But remember this^ is what he is trying to get to.

And yes it is much easier than it sounds. Actually it's the first thing I start working on in my game.

I have not started a game from scratch in maybe 7 months or so so I'm a bit hazey on what I do as far as the finer details are concerned. And although my characters are always well rounded stealth is my number 1 thing in just about any game I play. I love it. Just put in the time.

Edit: shoot, we've been in Covid for like 7-8 months now. Damn it's been more like 12-15 months (or more) since I started a new load order. Maybe like 9 months since I really played Skyrim more than just testing mods and such.

[Zod Rau]

The Shrouded Gloves from the Brotherhood only give double damage, so they're only really useful when combined with the Sneak Perks Backstab and Assassin's Blade (6X and 15X damage and then doubled with the gloves).

Backstab only takes one rank of Stealth and 30 Sneak to unlock, so with the Shrouded Gloves that'd be 12X damage.

For getting up to where you'd want to be in Stealth for Assassin's Blade, go to barrows and backstab sleeping Draugr with a dagger. As stated already, backstabbing with a dagger is the quickest way to rank up Sneak.

[lizrdfishr]

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