Hello Everybody.
Today I made ( for the first time ever, even outside of TES ) a Thief character.
After my first impressions I must say that Sneak combat feels much more complex and deep than Melee and even than Archery.
You can actually hide better in dark places( to the point when the enemy can walk past you without noticing )
The arrow distraction is very useful and many other things make it feel better than most other combat systems.

How well you thing Sneaking is in Skyrim ? ( And realistic ? )

So good to the point that it makes everything easy.

it's easy to get highly overpowered

It's fun when your sneak skill is relatively low. Eventually, though, it becomes outlandishly easy. You will find that Sneak gains levels much, much too quickly, even if you're not using the Thief stone. It's a play-style that, while appealing, I have found can force a quick pace of levelling. I love playing a good 'agent', 'nightblade' type character, but the pace of levelling spirals out of control far too quickly. If you agree, I'd recommend looking at using (or making) a simple mod that slows Sneak levelling, maybe by half, and see how that suits you.

Sneaking is really easy.

Once you have a high level in Sneak you're practically invisible.

Rule of all games: stealth breaks the game.

It doesn't matter what type of game it is, if it has stealth, it's more likely to break the game. Being able to sneak around highly-aggressive enemies messes with their AI, and this is without getting any perks... 15x multiplier on sneak attacks with dagger, movement not counting against stealth... the fact that they have to STOP and SEARCH for you if you enter sneak mode with the right perk...

I'm not talking about that.
Why everybody always takes it to the "Level-Power" discussion..
I'm talking about complexity and realism in comparison to the other combat systems.

I agree with Crónsídhe on it being fun when your skills are low. Then chances are you're still getting caught and gives you a sense of danger xD but having everything leveled up makes it too easy

It's a little over exaggerated IMO, yes the dark will keep you hidden to a point but when a person is within inches of you they will see you no matter what the conditions are. Mostly though I have a problem with just how dumb the NPC'S can be, example would be killing one NPC with an arrow while the other states that it must have been the wind Far cry and or metal gear did this right, the NPC's would actively search you out and not give up as easily as the NPC's do in Skyrim. Had they been a little smarter sneak would be much more entertaining, as it stands right now it's a perfect way to stroll through the entire game without any real challenge. IMO. Not saying that I don't enjoy the sneak skill or playing an assassin/thief but the game become easy and boring once your sneak skill is high enough.

Realistic? Absolutely not.

It is a mixed balance skill. Low skill levels, it's utterly worthless as even the weight of your jewelry affects being detected. In the middle of the skill spectrum, it is quite balanced. Once you get in the 70s and beyond, it looses it's luster as it becomes absurdly overpowered.

There is no real reason to take the left side, other than RP. At most, for an Assassin...1/5 and the right side. Beyond that you can't be detected in broad sunshine and standing in their face.

Nothing realistic about that at all.

fixed