I’ve been leveling/loving an archer in Skyrim with a stealth focus yet haven’t found more than a handful of random suggestions on this class so I decided to write my own guide. If you’re a number crunching gamer this might not be the guide for you, I’ll be talking tactics rather than specifics. The following guide is simple suggestion and you should keep in mind the fun of Skyrim is that you can play your character any way that is fun for YOU.
First off, nice choice on going archer! You will not regret it; I am seriously digging it. Let’s dive right into character creation – I went with Wood Elf to get the native archery bonus. In retrospect I would have chosen a different race; the bonus becomes almost negligible later in the game. You’re going to get so mean on bows later on… I don’t know, damage just isn’t an issue for me and I keep wishing I had a cat head. You have the choice to increase either Magic, Health, or Stamina each time you level. Health is going to be the right choice most of the time. I throw in a Stamina every fifth level to prolong Steady Hand, Magic might be fun if you use Illusion spells but really you want health. So what to do with the Perks?
Stealth goes well with archery! If you dig thinking your way through dungeons and dropping foes from the safety of the shadows than this is the way to go. The bread and butter of your skill points will be Sneak, Light Armor, and of course Archery. You NEED to grab everything in the Archery tree as soon as possible but some of the best perks are Overdraw, Eagle Eye, and Steady Hand. In the sneak tree you want to get the first level of Stealth ASAP so that you even stand a chance of sneaking. Deadly Aim is the jewel in this tree but I strongly suggest taking Backstab as well (purely from a fun stand point). In Light Armor grab Agile Defender, Custom Fit, and Unhindered early on.
So how to play this powerful and entertaining class? Let’s talk tactics. You won’t be bum rushing corridors and spastically trading blows with the enemy. Instead you will be crouched in sneak mode most of the time, creeping around the edges, staying out of the light, avoiding debris on the ground that might alert others to your presence. The developers were kind enough to include plenty of hidden areas and chests that only the circumspect sneaker will find. You’ll discover paths and hidden perches from which to fire from before stealthing away to other hidden vantage points, culling your confused foes one or two at a time. You sneak up to encampments taking in their unaware conversation, figuring out guard routes, and planning ambush points. You’ll fire at empty walls to create distractions and when the group turns to investigate you’ll drop one from behind and disappear, keeping the enemy off guard and vulnerable.
When you get forced to fight in the open you need to drop the ninja crouch and change tactics. Two terms you should get familiar with: strafing and kiting! When fighting mages and other archers you’re going to want to strafe back and forth as you line up your shots, dodging return fire (here’s where the Steady Hand perk comes in handy). As for those pesky melee baddies? Kite ‘em! Run back through the cave you’ve cleared turning and firing every chance you can until they drop. If you can kite them around a large stone or column even better! The key is not to stop and trade blows with them… unless of course you’re leveling up your One-Armed skill to better Back Stab fools.
The Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quest lines are good ones to knock out early on because you get fantastic sneak/archery gear and the missions pretty much teach you how to stealth effectively. I went Dark Brotherhood first just to get the Whisper Aura shout (you pick it up during one of the quests) which in my opinion is the most useful shout in the game PERIOD. This shout let’s you see through walls, levels, anything to CLEARLY see all life forms, including undead and mechanical! I’m a bit of a scary game sissy (the music swells just kill me) and this power turns the tables. Instead of timidly peaking into each dark corridor sure of instant ambush, I get to be the stalker in full control, aware of each threat with a plan for bringing ‘em down. Whisper Aura is a must have shout for the brave but skittish.
Let’s talk money, most games make it expensive to play archer and Skyrim does a pretty good job of eliminating that. I found there to always be plenty of arrows on the ground/dead. In fact I only started buying arrows when I wanted to be firing all Glass Arrows (still somewhat rare for my level at the time) and I was already stupid rich. Another thing, don’t miser your coin – the game gives you TONS of money as a sneak archer so go ahead and fully furnish the Dark Brotherhoods new digs, treat yo self! Just make sure you have ample lock picks on you at all times.
Lastly let’s talk about items briefly. I hardly ever use poisons on my arrows but you will need to eventually. After awhile you come up against some pretty big baddies that don’t drop as easily as their minions. Unless your Sneak level is through the roof it isn’t going to help you much at times like these. Dive into your menu and prepare for battle! Throw on your resistance armor. Lace your arrows with a heavy poison. Put on every piece of +Archery gear you have. Drink that potion of True Shot. Drop into third-person mode to better navigate the field of battle. And start notching arrows into that fools heart! Aim a little low for what you want to hit, make sure your bow is drawn all the way back before firing (patience), account for movement, smile as the arrow lodges in your foes neck, put another two arrows in his chest while he recovers, now RUN! Rinse and repeat
This is my first time writing a guide, I hope you enjoyed it, cheers!
-Byron