Skyrim: Best Stealth Archer Build Guide

Stealth Archer Build Guide lists all key aspects required to become a powerful bow master in Skyrim with a touch of magical and sneaking skills.

Best Stealth Archer Build Guide for Skyrim

The Stealth Archer build in Skyrim combines the best of archery, stealth, and magic to create a highly effective and enjoyable playstyle.

It is designed to maximize damage while minimizing risk by staying far from enemies and avoiding direct confrontation. This build focuses on archery, stealth, and complementary magic skills to create a versatile and powerful character that excels in dealing serious damage without getting hurt. This beginner-friendly build offers a safe yet effective way to tackle Skyrim’s challenges.

Stealth Archer Build Pros	Stealth Archer Build Cons
Fantastic damage	Lower defences
Easy to play	Requires support of allies
Ranged	Requires multiple skill trees
Outspeeds enemies
Versatile gear with crafting

Build Key Aspects

Pick up this guide’s stealth archer for Skyrim if you want a build that:

Race

Each race starts with +10 to one skill and +5 to five other skills. However, Skyrim doesn’t have a class system. With time, you can learn and max out every skill. Consequently, extra skill points are helpful but not critical, and what matters in racial choice are racial passives and effects. Each Skyrim race has a unique passive effect and power.

Khajiit is the best choice for the sneak archer. It provides fantastic power and extra starting skills such as +10 Sneak, +5 One-Handed, +5 Archery, +5 Lockpicking, +5 Pickpocket, and +5 Alchemy. Moreover, it’s great for roleplaying, as the Khajiit race is known for its sneaking abilities.

For Stealth Archer Build Build in Skyrim, we recommend the following races:

1. Khajit: Thanks to the Night Eye, you can have Night vision for 60 seconds, which will help you aim in dark areas at night. Sadly, you won’t use +15 extra unarmed damage for Stealth Archer Build, but it’s an alternative combat method you can utilize.
2. Nord: Battle cry will allow you to Frighten nearby enemies for 30 seconds, in case you find yourself surrounded, and that’s enough big window to escape and survive. An additional 50% frost resistance is a welcome addition.
3. Breton: This race is always a great choice, thanks to its versatile 25% magic reduction buff, including dragon breaths. Additionally, magic absorption from all incoming spells for 60 seconds.

Race is your only influential choice in the character creation menu.

How to Play Stealth Archer Build?

Here are the top 12 essential gameplay pieces of advice for Stealth Archer Build:

1. Take every opportunity to sneak behind hostile enemies (marked red dots).
2. Use sneak and illusion spells to remain undetected.
3. Open combat with sneak attacks to maximize damage.
4. Use conjuration to summon allies and illusion to control enemy movements. Keep your summons active to level up conjuration and decrease the chances of being hit by enemies.
5. Use Poisons and Potions. Alchemy enhances your damage output and survivability.
6. When losing health, heal instantly, even if you can survive without it. When replenishing health, you level up restoration skills.
7. Use smithing and enchanting to keep your equipment up to date with your enemies and your level.
8. Use Soul Trap often from the Conjuration skill tree to quickly level it up and have a supply of soul gems for leveling enchanting.
9. Keep your distance. Use companion and conjured attronachs as your shield.
10. Ensure you use trainers’ services each time you level up.
11. Collect all crafting materials; they will be useful for leveling Enchanting, Smithing, and Alchemy.
12. Try to enchant more expensive gear you find before selling it to get more gold.

Start of the Game

The first thing you want to do once you begin the game and enter the keep is equip Healing to one of your hands from Restoration Magic School and the one-handed weapon to the other. Heal yourself when you receive damage to survive and increase your proficiency with Restoration. Also, quickslot your racial power and healing for easier access once you obtain the bow.

The second important Kickstarter you can do is crouch when encountering spiders and a bear in the caves. Kill spiders one by one from afar. Be aware of the opening eye so the animals won’t detect you. It should give you a few new sneak skill points and archery points. It will be a one-shot kill on a low difficulty. Once you reach the bear cave, sneak and start hitting Ralof or Hadvar(depending on who guides you) with a melee weapon, preferably daggers. They won’t die, and you can level successfully stealth attacks as high as you want.

The famous Bleak Falls Temple is the second great place to speed up your sneak ability leveling. It’s located just next to Riverwood, Camilla can show you the path. Draugrs, similar to the bear in the cave, sleep. As a result, their detect radius is much smaller than other enemies you will encounter later. Approach each sleeping on stone shalve Dragur crouching, as close as possible. Kill them with the bow to the head or a melee weapon (for example, dagger or sword), depending on whether you want to level up a secondary weapon.

Next, head to Whiterun to grab the best early-game bow (check the weapon section).

Playstyle

From now on, your playstyle will look like this: approach unsuspected enemies and kill them with a bow and the best arrows possible. Cast atronachs far away from you and close to enemies. Enemies should focus on your summons and you can use Slow Time shout if you already have it and eliminate them one by one. You can utilize illusion control spells to add mayhem to it or become invisible if necessary. Be aware of your resources. Always keep around 30% stamina in case you will need to back up and escape quickly. The same can be said about magic. Keep 30% of your mana to heal or save yourself in challenging situations.

The more perks and levels you will get, the more damage you will deal. Eventually, you will be able to get one-shot kills from hiding, even dragons or the most challenging enemies. Use magic as support and, in your free time, level up your crafting skills.

Leveling

You start on level 1. When leveling, we will focus on skills in this order:

Archery: Every attack and successful skill with the bow will level it up. Also, don’t forget about trainers, and you should master this skill tree naturally as you play.

Sneak: skill level rises naturally as you play by successfully sneaking past enemies unnoticed and successfully landing stealth attacks on enemies while crouching and undetected.

Conjuration: Casting a Soul trap to get gems and conjuring allies to defend you against melee enemies will greatly increase your proficiency. However, remember to keep up your conjuration spells.

Illusion: While you can skip Illusion because you don’t need it to succeed with this build, it is a fun school to utilize. Approach a group of enemies in stealth, cast an illusion spell, and watch as mayhem arises. There are many fun spells to use that can force them to flee, attack each other, and much more. Each successful cast will increase your Illusion skills.

Smithing and Enchanting: Successfully crafting and enchanting items will improve those skills. You must collect every possible crafting material and ensure you have a supply of soul gems (Conjuration and Soul Trap spell). Enchanted items sell for more, so you can craft and enchant them for extra gold and spend money on buying more materials.

Alchemy: It’s a very useful ability you can learn, and it’s also quite profitable. In Skyrim, you will find tons of materials, and sell all unneeded for extra gold. Some potions are extremely powerful, so keep every ingredient and craft as much as possible.

Restoration: You level up restoration by healing yourself and others. An early game trick is to have a companion with you, for example, Lydia, and allow her to fight with someone challenging and constantly heal her. They should focus on damaging her if you don’t attack the enemy.

Mundus Stone

When you leave the caves just after the start of the game and the dragon attack, you will see the first mundus stones icon on your compass, and we marked the location on the map above. Choose the Thief stone from three mundus stones located southwest of Riverwood, by the roadside, and one of the Guardian Stones. It will give you 20% faster leveling of Sneak, Archery, Pickpocket, Alchemy, Lockpicking, Light Armor, and Speech skills. Keep this stone as long as you want to level up those skills.

Alternatively, you can use Lover Stone, standing outside of Markarth, if you want to level up other skills too and not focus on a specific archetype.

1. Thief Stone: 20% faster leveling of Sneak, Archery, Pickpocket, Alchemy, Lockpicking, Light Armor, and Speech skills
2. Lover Stone: 15% faster leveling of all skills.

Once you reach 80 – 100 at archery and Sneak, swap Mundus stone to Lord Stone for extra armor bonus and magic resistance, especially if you struggle with survival or aren’t the Breton race. If you don’t need extra defensive capabilities, use Lady Stone for faster stamina regeneration or Shadow for Invisibility. Adjust to your playstyle:

1. The Lord Stone (East of Morthal, northeast of the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, about one and a half times as far as Stonehills, up on the mountain. Follow the path starting north of the Hall of the Vigilant to the Shrine and the Stone): Resist Magic, 25%, Armor, +50 pts
2. The Lady Stone (On an island in Lake Ilinalta, directly north of Falkreath): Regenerate Health 25% faster, Regenerate Stamina 25% faster
3. The Shadow Stone (South of Riften, near Nightingale Hall): Invisibility, for 60 secs

Trainers

Trainers can teach you skills and are scattered around Skyrim. It’s a nice boost to the leveling, and it can be a free service if you don’t mind saving scam methods.

In Riverwood village, speak with Faendal in a “secluded place” (across the bridge where he gathers wood). Ask him to teach you archery. However, it’s costly, so you can cheat the game a little if you are patient. Quicksave the game, ask him to teach you one level, leave the conversation, and pickpocket from him what you just paid. If you fail, you can load the quicksave and try again. Repeat the process each time until you reach the maximum of what he can teach you or what you can steal and pay. You will quickly level up pickpocketing and archery.

Alternatively, Faendal is also a potential companion. If you help him earn Camilla’s attention, he will join you. As a result, you can take from his inventory every sum you pay him for training by asking him to show you his equipment and carry items.

You can train five times per level and take advantage of those mechanics with every teacher you encounter.

All Trainers and their Locations for Skyrim Stealth Archer build:

Here is a list of trainers useful for the Skyrim Stealth Archer build:

• Archery:
  • Faendal in Riverwood (Common)
  • Aela the Huntress of the Companions in Whiterun (Expert)
  • Niruin of the Thieves Guild in Riften (Master)
  • Sorine Jurard in Fort Dawnguard (Master)
• Sneak:
  • Khayla with the Khajiit Caravans (Common)
  • Garvey in Markarth (Expert)
  • Delvin Mallory of the Thieves Guild in Riften (Master)
• Light Armor:
  • Scouts-Many-Marshes in Windhelm (Common)
  • Grelka in Riften (Expert)
  • Nazir in Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, west of Falkreath or north of Dawnstar (Master)
• Restoration:
  • Aphia VelothiDB in Raven Rock (Common)
  • Keeper Carcette in the Hall of the Vigilant (Expert)
  • Colette Marence in the College of Winterhold (Expert)
  • Danica Pure-Spring in Whiterun (Master)
  • Florentius Baenius in Fort Dawnguard (Master)
• Conjuration:
  • Runil in Falkreath (Common)
  • Phinis Gestor in the College of Winterhold (Expert)
  • Falion of Morthal (Master)
  • Talvas Fathryon in Tel Mithryn (Master)
• Illusion:
  • Atub in Largashbur (Expert)
  • Drevis Neloren in the College of Winterhold (Master)
• Smithing:
  • Ghorza gra-Bagol in Markarth (Common)
  • Balimund in Riften (Expert)
  • Eorlund Gray-Mane in Whiterun (Master)
  • Gunmar in Fort Dawnguard (Master)
• Enchanting:
  • Sergius Turrianus in the College of Winterhold (Expert)
  • Hamal in Markarth (Master)
  • Neloth in Tel Mithryn (Master)
• Alchemy:
  • Lami in Morthal (Common)
  • Arcadia in Whiterun (Expert)
  • Milore Ienth in Raven Rock (Expert)
  • Babette in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (Master)

Sneak and archery levels up fast, so to balance this, focus on using trainers who provide harder-to-increase skills, such as magic schools, especially restoration, or skills that require materials to level up, such as crafting-related skills.

Resources (Attributes)

Try to balance your points between Magicka and Stamina equally from the start to mid-game, and add Health only if you struggle with survival. Later, you will focus on Magicka.

Magicka

Magicka will allow you to cast more spells, heal for more, cast the Soul Trap, and conjure allies. There are many useful spells you can utilize and find useful even as a stealth archer in Skyrim. As a result, having a big pool of mana will not only help you defeat your enemies but also make exploration and combat more fun. For example, the illusion skill tree has some fun options and spells that allow you to sneak and spread chaos before killing everyone in the room. On the other hand, Restoration and Conjuration schools are a must-have for a squishy archer and easy to kill.

Stamina

Stamina increases your carry capacity. As a result, you keep more supplies and crafting materials for smithing, alchemy, and enchanting. Additionally, you will use a big chunk of it each time you zoom in with the bow.

Health

In an ideal scenario, you don’t need much health. With this stealth archer build, you should kill everyone from a distance so they will never come even close enough or notice you to hurt you. However, because the leveling process can be challenging and sometimes unexpected situations can occur, adding a few points if you struggle is possible.

Skills

Ideally, for Skyrim Stealth Archer Build’s best results, you want every perk from all skill trees described below. However, because leveling in Skyrim takes time, we listed perk priorities under each skill you should take as soon as possible. Also, keep in mind that some perks require the perk below in the skill tree to unlock, we listed the crucial perks for the guide that will make Skyrim Stealth Archer Build stronger.

Archery (Level 100)

Archery is the cornerstone of the Stealth Archer build. It is one of the damage skill trees in Skyrim and one of the highest damage-producing playstyles. Also, it allows you to deal significant damage from a distance. The key perks to invest in are:

• Overdraw 1-5: Bows do 20%/40%/60%/80%/100% more damage.
• Critical Shot: Gives a chance to deal extra critical damage.
• Eagle Eye: Allows you to zoom in with your bow, making precise shots easier.
• Quick Shot: Can draw a bow 30% faster.
• Steady Hand 1-2: Slows time while aiming, giving you more control over your shots.
• Bullseye: Gives a chance to paralyze targets.

Sneak (Level 70)

Sneak is the easiest method to increase damage with a bow. And because you can attack from a distance, you will keep up unnoticed status almost all the time. Focus on these perks:

• Stealth 1-5: Increases your ability to sneak, and makes you harder to detect.
• Deadly Aim: Triples sneak attack damage with bows.
• Muffled Movement: Wearing armor makes half as much noise when you move
• Silence: Moving silently allows you to get into optimal shooting positions. Walking and running does not affect detection.

Light Armor (Min Level 60)

Stealth Archer Build has fantastic damage but leaves you vulnerable to attacks. Light Armor will get you some extra protection without hurting your sneak skills. Below is a list of crucial perks:

• Agile Defender 1-5: Increase armor by 20%/40%/60%/80%/100%
• Custom Fit: 25% Armor bonus if wearing all Light Armor: head, chest, hands, feet.
• Wind Walker: Stamina regenerates 50% faster in all Light Armor: head, chest, hands, feet.

Restoration (Level 60)

Restoration is a quick and always accessible method to get health quickly or heal others. It’s useful for some escort quests, too. The following list includes useful perk options:

• Novice to Master Restoration: Reduces the cost of spells.
• Regeneration: Increases the healing you receive by 50%.
• Recovery 1-2: Magicka regenerates faster.
• Respite: Healing spells also restore Stamina. This gives you both important resource pools.

Conjuration (Level 100)

Conjuration will allow you to summon allies to aid you in combat and, alongside your companion, protect you from harm while you deal massive damage from backlines. We want to focus on summoning attronachs and Bound bow. However, if you want, you can rely on undeads, too. Perks required from Conjuration for Stealth Archer Build are:

• Novice to Master Conjuration: Reduces the cost of Conjuration spells.
• Conjuration Dual Casting: It will increase the time of your summoned atronachs.
• Mystic Binding: Bound weapons do more damage. It is recommended that you use the Bound Bow spell that summons a powerful bow, perfect for stealth archers.
• Soul Stealer: Bound weapons cast Soul Trap on targets.
• Summoner 1-2: Increases the range at which you can summon creatures.
• Atromancy: Increases the duration of summoned creatures.
• Elemental Potency: Conjured Atronachs are 50% more powerful.
• Twin Souls: Allows you to have two summoned creatures at once.

Illusion (Level 50)

The most valuable perk for this build is Quiet Casting. However, this school’s Invisibility and Muffle spells will help you execute strategies with this stealth archer build. It will allow you to cast spells quietly, including the fantastic Conjured Bow. But the whole skill tree is fun to use. You need the following perks from Illusion School:

• Novice to Adept illusion: Reduces the cost of spells.
• Quiet Casting: Makes your spells silent, ensuring you stay hidden. All shouts are also silent.

Smithing (Level 70)

Smithing will let you improve weapons like Auriel’s Bow, Skyrim’s most powerful range weapon, get great armor, and earn extra gold. Pick up those perks:

• Steel Smithing: Unlocks the ability to create and improve steel weapons and armor.
• Arcane Blacksmith: Allows you to improve magical weapons and armor.
• Elven, Advanced, and Glass Smithing: Provides access to higher-tier light armor and weapons.

Enchanting (Level 100)

Enchanting is similar to Smithing. With it, you can earn coins and enhance any armor or weapon you want, adding powerful effects. Here is a list of perks you will need:

• Enchanter 1-5: Increases the strength of your enchantments.
• Insightful Enchanter: Improves the effectiveness of skill enchantments.
• Corpus Enchanter: Boosts health, magicka, and stamina enchantments.
• Extra Effect: Allows you to place two enchantments on the same item
• Fire, Frost and Storm Enchanter: Makes elemental effects 25% stroinger

Alchemy (Level 100)

This skill tree will give you access to many useful potions, including the smithing and enchanting portions that increase your crafting skills and extra damage potions, poisons, or healing elixirs. Below is a list of crucial perks:

• Alchemist 1-5: Increases the potency of created potions and poisons by 20%/40%/60%/80%/100%
• Poisoner: Poisons are more effective.
• Concentrated Poison: Poisons applied to weapons last for more hits.
• Physician: Potions you mix that restore Health, Magicka or Stamina are 25% more powerful.
• Benefactor: Potions you mix with beneficial effects have an additional 25% greater magnitude.
• Purity: All negative effects are removed from created potions, and all positive effects are removed from created poisons

Shouts

The best shout for stealth archer build in Skyrim is Slow Time. It slows time for everyone around but you. With a fast bow, you can kill many enemies before they even pull their weapons. The effect lasts longer and slows time more, depending on how many words you know. With complete shout – Tiid Klo Ul – it slows time to 10% of normal speed for 16 seconds.

Here are three locations where you can get the Slow Time Shout:

• Hag’s End
• Korvanjund (quest locked)
• Labyrinthian (quest locked)

Blessings

Blessings are short-term bonuses you can get from God’s Shrines. They last 12 playing hours. It might be annoying or impossible to keep one blessing at all times, but if you manage to do it, the Blessing of Auriel adds 10% damage to the bow but requires the Dawnguard DLC. Alternatively, you can go with Akatosh, Nocturnal, or Mara.

• Blessing of Auriel: You are 10% more effective with missile weapons.
• Blessing of Akatosh: Magicka regenerates 10% faster.
• Blessing of Nocturnal: You are 10% harder to detect.
• Blessing of Mara: Healing spells restore 10% more.

Armor

Several aesthetically appealing armor options in the game complement this specific build very well. For example, Nightingale Armor or Dark Brotherhood armor are both rewards for quests and guilds.

Yet the best results you will get from crafting and enchanting the next available armor set piece for you. Consider pairing it with the Krosis mask or Ancient Shrouded Cowl. This unique mask, obtained by vanquishing Krosis at Shearpoint, a dragon lair, is a bronze dragon priest mask with an enchantment that boosts the user’s Alchemy, Archery, and Lockpicking skills by twenty points. Additionally, you can improve it through Tempering with iron ingots. Secondly, the ancient Shrouded Cowl is the headpiece found on a dead assassin in Hag’s End Nordic Ruins west of Solitude. You will also get the first word of the Slow Time Shout there.

Weapons

Starting Bow: The first best bow to get early in the game is an elven bow that you can steal from Aela’s room in Jorrvaskr in Whiterun. You will visit this city after Riverwood anyway to meet Jarl and tell him about the dragon attack. You can enchant it with “Fiery Souls” from Ironbind Barrow (Barrow next to Riverwood; speak with Camilla in Riverwood for directions) and get both soul trap and fire damage. It’s the easiest first powerful bow in Skyrim.

Mid-Game: Next, you want to get the Bound Bow, Skyrim’s best mid-game range weapon that doesn’t require arrows. The only downside is that unless you have Quiet Casting Perk from Illusion School, you will make noise when summoning it. That’s why we encourage you to level up Illusion. You can get the Bound Bow using two methods:

• Slower and expensive: Level up your Conjuration skill to level 50, and buy the book from Wizard vendors, for example, in the College of Winterhold.
• Cheaper: Head to Fort Amol, located south of Windhelm and east of Whiterun. Kill all enemies inside and book it for free inside the bucked underneath the latter.
• Alternatively, you can create a powerful mid-game weapon using Smithing and Enchanting.

End Game: The best end-game bow you want to progress toward is Auriel’s Bow. You can receive it from Gelebor during the Touching the Sky quest. This weapon is extremely fast and pairs well with Slow Time Shout. However, it requires Dawnguard DLC. The second option is the Nightingale Bow, which you can get as a reward from Karliah for completing the Blindsighted quest.

Best Weapons’ Stats for Stealth Archer Build in Skyrim:

Weapon:	Elven Bow	Bound Bow	Auriel’s Bow	Nightingale Bow
Base Damage:	13	18	13	19
Effect:	–	– Equips 100 Arrows on Cast. – Cast Soul Trap on strike (with Soul Stealer perk), – Cast Banish and Turn Undead on strike (with Oblivion Binding perk) – Doesn’t make a noise on Cast (with Quiet Casting perk).	– Sun Damage, 10 pts for 2 secs, – Sun Damage, 20 pts for 2 secs; if the target is Undead.	– Frost Damage, 30 pts, – Shock Damage, 15 pts for 1 sec, – Slow, 50 pts for 3 secs
Speed:	0.69	0.5	1	0,5
Weight:	12	0	11	18
Requirement:	Steel Smithing perk (Smithing level 30)	–	Dawnguard DLC	–

Ensure you upgrade Auriel’s Bow and Nightingale Bow at a blacksmith to increase their power.

Companions

You want a melee-focused companion with as high a level as possible and the block and the heavy armor skills so they can keep enemies away from you. The choice doesn’t matter as long as they will fulfill the role of a classic tank for you, and even the famous Lydia will be a good choice. From our experience, conjured companions are far more useful, and we explain more in the Skills section. Regardless, having a human follower is a good idea because they can also carry items for you.

Vilkas is a decent option, as well as a male Nord Warrior (2H) and master two-handed trainer. He and all Housecarls have a maximum level of 50 and are proficient in Heavy Armor and Block, except Valdimar(Hearthfire DLC).

Best Stealth Archer Build for Skyrim Summary:

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