Like most things in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, stealth is terrible and frustrating at first, but becomes very powerful once you level it up and understand how it works.

This stealth / rogue build engages in frontline combat as little as possible, treating it as a last resort. Instead, it relies primarily on the dagger to kill enemies in one swift motion, and secondarily on the bow (which can be used from stealth).

Note daggers cannot be equipped; you must simply have one in your inventory, which, in combination with the Stealth Kills perk, will allow you to kill enemies from behind. Done properly, you can take out an entire camp of enemies using only a dagger, without ever being seen.

The rest of the build can go in two different directions (or be a hybrid of both): the hunter or the thief. Whatever you choose, you're sure to have a steady supply of Groschen and food. You can also add Herbalism and Alchemy to the mix, which will grant you access to useful potions (most notably Nighthawk for night vision), although you can just buy them instead from the Apothecary in Rattay if you prefer. Lastly, Maintenance is an option for some extra Stamina and Stealth bonuses, as well as more self sufficiency.

Strategy

The real struggle with a stealth build for an unknowing player will begin in would-be combat situations with multiple enemies. It will likely seem impossible and broken and like the developer -- Warhorse Studios -- has not properly supported stealth in this game at all; you will likely be discovered and forced into hand to hand combat over and over (which you are not well-equipped to deal with), and you will likely want to just say to hell with it and throw on plate armour and faceroll combat like everybody else.

However, stealth not only works, it works great. The thing is, you must follow some principles and rules to make it work as intended.

Be extremely aggressive with your equipment standards i.e. keep Noise, Visibility, and Conspicuousness at an absolute minimum (0 if you can help it); you won't be engaging in combat much if at all, so you really don't care about armour boosts. The Dark Saxon gambeson found at the Rattay armoursmith and Dark Silent Shoes found at cobblers are critical for this (at least early to mid game). Dark equipment in general is best, especially at night. If you're getting noticed too easily, it's because you haven't leveled up Stealth enough, haven't used Padfoot potion, your equipment isn't stealthy enough, and/or you don't have enough perks that boost Stealth. The full list of perks that boost your stealth is as follows: Cloak and Dagger, Forester, Crouching Chameleon, Ordinary Mug, and Slim Fit. While you don't need all of them to succeed, the more you have the better. Make it a constant goal to acquire them. To deal with multiple enemies in the wild without engaging them all at once, the best tactic is to isolate an enemy by calling your horse (X key on PC) in one direction and going another, then killing an isolated target (either the one that went after you/the horse, or the one left back by himself) and hiding the body (or, depending on the location, letting an enemy find it and stealth killing them as they investigate). Also, find isolated enemies on patrol and/or returning from where you called the horse and kill them and hide their body. If you're having trouble, see #2 and #3. Using the bow from stealth lets you pick off enemies that aren't isolated in one shot, and without exposing yourself. Headshots (one shot kills, at least with the correct arrows) are extremely important to maximize stealth, so make sure you're leveled high enough and are confident in your abilities before using the bow in such a situation.

Weapons and Armour

Dark and light are the key words when it comes to your armour. Namely, aim for Quiet Dark shoes (found at Cobbler in Rattay) and Dark Saxon Gambeson (found at the armour smith in Rattay and on some bandits, among other places). Also useful: Black Hood, Hunter's Gloves, and Tight Red Hose (other colours will do instead, and possibly offer even more stealth). Basically, anything that keeps noise low and you inconspicuous.

Shortswords and hunting swords should be used for forced close quarters combat (e.g. battle with Runt, some road encounters, etc) as they are dependent on agility, which you already invest in for the bow. The bow can suffice in these situations but is somewhat awkward. The Master Huntsman's sword is recommended for a hunting sword, and Razor for a shortsword (the latter has more damage overall), and can be bought from swordsmiths across Bohemia, among other places.

The bow -- which can be used while in stealth mode -- is a crucial tool for adding versatility to our kit as it can distract enemies and allows us to pick off enemies that aren't isolated, and without exposing ourselves. Once the bow skill is leveled high enough, we can headshot with relative ease, increasing our efficiency. It's also a great weapon for hunting, which grants access to the all important Forester perk. The Cuman bow (74 damage version) is recommended. Be sure to always carry a wide variety of arrows (ideally the 'better' versions).

The dagger of course is the centerpiece of the kit, allowing us to kill enemies with one swift movement guaranteed, the downside being we need to be next to an enemy and not expose ourselves to others in order to pull it off.

With these tools combined, you'll find yourself a well-rounded rogue able to take on any situation.

Potions

Nighthawk is the most important potion for rogues, as with night vision you have a great advantage on enemies and NPCs when attempting stealth kills or thievery. It can be difficult to judge your stealth limits in pseudo-daylight, but once you adjust, this potion is extremely powerful.

Padfoot improves your hearing, lightens your step, and increases Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, and Stealth, and as such is the second most useful potion for rogues. Very key in the early game, and somewhat in the mid game.

Bowman's Brew increases your bow skill, better enabling you to land those critical headshots. Very handy for keeping you in stealth, especially in the early and mid game.

Poison is helpful when attempting to sabotage bandit camps and the like, taking out one target per potion. Simply drop it into a pot or some wine, then wait in the shadows for your target to ingest it. You can also apply it to your hunting sword situationally.

Cockerel is a useful quality of life potion that reduces the need for sleep. It works even better for rogues as when the need for sleep hits you at night time, you can ignore it and continue going about your business.

Aesop can be used in specific situations where a dog might alert others to your presence. Use these instead of taking the Dog Person perk, at least until the late game.

Perks

Below is a list of perks that every stealth build should consider, and some you must take (noted with an asterisk).

To summarize, the critical perks all rogue builds should use are as follows: Cloak and Dagger, Witcher, Forester, Crouching Chameleon, Stealth Kill, Ordinary Mug, and Slim Fit.

Main Level Perks

Perk Description Reasoning Night Rider Stamina regenerates 20% faster at night but 10% slower during the day. You'll be conducting a lot of your business at night so being able to run for longer and use the bow more before being attacked is useful. Scout I/II/III Slightly increase the sight distance of Fast Travel and boosts Evading chance (on world map) by 10%. Discovering Fast Travel spots is nice for any build; the draw here is the evasion buff. Since we're sneaky and don't necessarily want to engage in straight combat, it's welcome, particularly if you're really into role playing. If you plan to use the bow, however, avoid these as encounters are useful for leveling up the Bow skill. Insomniac Last longer without sleep. Your Energy level falls 25% more slowly. Increases time amount of time you can exploit Night Rider and conduct your business at night. Cloak and Dagger * +2 Stealth -1 Strength -1 Speech. Can't be combined with Ken, Brute, Juggler, or Golden Tongue. You don't care about Strength or Speech much, so "free" Stealth is huge. Contemplative Remaining still will prevent your tiredness and hunger levels from increasing. Since you'll be spending a lot of your time waiting for things to happen before making your move, passing time until nightfall, and/or lockpicking and pickpocketing, this perk allows you more "uptime". Best combined with Night Rider, Insomniac, and Crouching Chameleon.

Strength Perks

Perk Description Reasoning Gravedigger Carrying bodies costs zero Stamina and burdens you half as much. Not essential, but can be useful in specific situations where you need to move a body quickly in order to avoid being caught. Mule I/II/III Carry more weight (60 pounds more in total). If you go the lockpicking route, you'll have tons of loot to sell; Mule enables you to store and sell more of it. Depending on your build, you may only want to take level I of this.

Speech Perks

Perk Description Reasoning Trustworthy Middleman Merchants are more willing to buy stolen items from you. A bit anti-synergistic and therefore optional, as Cloak and Dagger is more important than this perk and discourages an investment in Speech. Nevertheless, it's possible to do both if you desire to. If you do, selling your many stolen wares will be easier.

Alchemy

Perk Description Reasoning Witcher * Potions fill you up 30% less, so you can drink more of them and more often. Allows you to use Nighthawk, Bowman's Brew, and Padfoot potions all at once and on a regular basis, with no ill effects. Even if you don't wish to invest in Alchemy, do it just for this perk alone. Routine You can now auto brew potions you've brewed once before. With the level II perk, three potions are produced instead for the price of one. If you plan on getting into Alchemy, these perks are great for keeping your potion supply stocked up with minimal effort and cost.

Hunting

In the context of a stealth build, the primary point of hunting is to acquire the Forester perk. However, it can also serve as a steady stream of Groschen and food. Should you choose to use it as such, invest in whichever perks you see fit. If you like, you can invest in Lockpicking for the purpose of Groschen instead, or do a mix of both.

Perk Description Reasoning Forester * Become much less conspicuous and visible in the woods. Especially useful for stalking people. An absolutely critical skill for any stealth build, this makes you practically invisible in the wild. Useful not just for hunting animals, but stalking people (namely bandits), both of which are great ways to level up Stealth.

Lockpicking

The primary point of lockpicking is to have a steady stream of Groschen and food. If you like, you can invest in Hunting for this purpose instead, or do a mix of both.

Perk Description Reasoning Lasting Lockpicks Your lockpicks become more durable and last twice as much time. Makes lockpicking considerably easier and more reliable, while all but ensuring you won't need to buy or find more lockpicks. Pairs well with Deft Grip. Deft Grip The starting position when lockpicking will be closer to the end of the lock, making it easier to pick. Makes lockpicking considerably easier and more reliable, while all but ensuring you won't need to buy or find more lockpicks. Pairs well with Lasting Lockpicks. Silent Fiddler You're almost completely silent when using a lockpick, even when it isn't going well. Also, the noise a snapping pick makes is reduced by 90%. Keeps you stealthy, even allowing you to lockpick chests right next to NPCs. Master Thief You are able to unlock easier locks automatically. Doubles as a quality of life perk and a stealth perk (in that locks unlock more quickly, so there's less chance of you being caught).

Maintenance

Perk Description Reasoning Seven Mile Boots While wearing boots you repaired yourself, sprinting costs 20% less Stamina. Synergizing with Night Rider and Gravedigger especially, this perk grants you even more Stamina, allowing you to better get away with crime and murder. Also makes you more self sufficient, which works well in combination with Night Rider, Insomniac, Contemplative, and Hunting skills. Not essential, however. Stuffing When you repair your own armour, you pad it such that it jangles less and doesn't lower Stealth. Allows you to use a greater variety of equipment without sacrificing Stealth. Not essential. Well Groomed Your attire suffers 15% less wear and tear. Again, this perk fits well with the optional self sufficient survivalist sub-theme, so you can spend more time stalking, killing, and thieving, and less time on mundane tasks. Not essential.

Pickpocketing

Pickpocketing isn't a very useful skill in general as it's far outclassed by lockpicking and the massive amounts of loot that will get you. However, Hidden Pockets is very useful for a lockpicking focused build as well, and as such, it's worth considering leveling pickpocketing to 8 to acquire it.

Perk Description Reasoning Hidden Pockets When arrested or searched, you'll keep some of the stolen items in your inventory. Due to the strict save system, you're bound to get caught committing a crime now and then, so it's helpful to be able to keep some of your hard stolen goods when you do. Goes well with Magistrate and Ordinary Mug.

Reading

Perk Description Reasoning Magistrate I/II/III Because you're well-learned, gain a Speech bonus when persuading guards. If you're planning on going the lockpicking and/or pickpocketing route, these skills in combination with Hidden Pockets and Ordinary Mug are important for surviving the hard life of a thief. Cartographer The entire map is revealed to you, including settlements, hunting spots, and caves. A rogue would likely know the lay of the land well, so this serves as a role playing perk. Pairs well with the Scout perks. Very much optional.

Stealth