Exploring Skyrim Part IV: Sneaks, ‘Sins, and Schmoozers of Skyrim

I remember walking into Solitude for the first time, agog at how big and fancy everything was. I was still wearing some bandit furs and had a bit of coin, so I walked over to the local clothing shop…and had to sit through the shop keep berating my dress and acting generally like a stuffy nit. I didn’t feel like getting my hands dirty (that much), so instead of starting a fight I decided to clean her place dry. I waited for her to pass, crouched down, and snuck my way into her bedroom. There I found a chest with some nice items and proceeded to line my pockets. Boy, did it feel good.

Even the strongest fortresses are an open book for a great Thief.

In general, the stealthy skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim can be broken down into four skill trees:

Sneak

Lockpicking

Pickpocket

Speech

Sneak: Probably just a mouse, right, Tim? …Tim?

There are a lot of problems that can be solved in Skyrim by running in and Shouting your head off, but for everything else there’s Sneak. This skill lets you skirt an enemy’s vision silently and deliver a critical strike to unwary opponents.

When I was playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, sneaking about the Yiga Clan Hideout, I jumped off a rafter and landed a sneak attack at the last second to take out a tough-looking guard and duck into the hallway with a sigh of relief. When I watched the guard’s death animation, I recalled my Norse rogue Skyrim character’s close call in a large bandit stronghold. The last room with the chieftain was filled with tough-looking outlaws at all angles, but I had quite a few pillars and heaps of broken stone around to work with. I crouched down and, with a few quick rolls between debris, snuck around to the chieftain and stabbed him right in the kidneys, removing the biggest threat in the room. I then looted his war chest in the corner and ran away like a ninny.

Sneak attacks also work with bows for a long-range sniper feel, with one of the most satisfying THUD sound-effects I’ve ever heard in gaming. If you want to be the silent assassin type, you’ll want to skill this up, and the only way to learn is by doing—so get to stabbing things! Did I mention that, though not as effective as daggers, this works with battleaxes and bows too?

This poor lowlife is poisoning himself already… I’m just here to finish the job.

Lockpicking: Safe? What safe? You mean this conveniently placed gold dispenser?

Lockpicking as a skill that’ll get you into the most lucrative safes and coffers much easier. It also can open some interesting options and alternate pathways in dungeons, so it’s always a good idea to have a decent supply of lockpicks in your inventory.

I can’t help myself when I see something shiny in a display case…

I got a chance to try picking locks using the motion controls and HD rumble built into the Joy-Con controllers. Picking a lock in Skyrim while putting my ear up to the system and feeling the lock out really put me in that sneaky, thief-y mood, and using my left hand to slowly adjust the pick angle while pressing the right analog stick to open the lock felt pretty smooth. You can use motion controls or analog sticks for either action, but a mix of the two felt natural to me. I recommend trying them out in a dark room. Have someone come up, tap your shoulder, and ask, “What’re you up to?!” for maximum effect.

Pickpocket: What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours…is also mine!

The Pickpocket skill is used by sneaking up to an NPC and pressing the “use” button to steal directly from their person. You can place items back into their inventory as well…which has certain interesting effects like gifting someone a nice poison in the pocket. Guards won’t be happy to catch you in the act though, so you need to be careful where and when you decide to steal. Also worth mentioning is that one of the perks of this skill tree increases your carrying capacity by 100, which is a great quality-of-life boost.

The Jarl really did trust me too much.

Speech: a silver tongue can open doors as well as any key

The Speech skill could be one of the more overlooked skills in Skyrim, but you can really feel the benefit even if you’re not playing the aristocrat. Depending on your skill’s level and perks, options to intimidate or persuade people in dialogue add interesting twists to quests, and it never hurts to talk your way out of a hefty fine when caught committing a crime. Otherwise, Speech lends itself to selling items at better prices and potentially convincing wary merchants to take your stolen wares.

Riften here is a den of thieves and con-artists, but a Dragonborn with a quick tongue could talk their way into the city instead of paying the customary ‘fee’.

That about wraps up the non-combat skills of Skyrim, though this only scratches the surface of what you can do when you really start to use these skills in combination with one another. The types of lives you can play out are nearly endless, which is exactly why I enjoy spending my time at the crafting bench or around town just as much as I do bashing enemies in the face.

Now how about you put your skills to work?

—James M.