Am I missing something. I've tried to use this to esCape dangerous situations and it does nothing. I understand if I would get hit occasionally, as I still am able to hit stealthed targets when I see their distortion, but the enemies continue to hit me as if nothing changed. If it is just to improve stealth while already sneaking...what's the point? I can't think of a situation where I couldn't sneak up on someone without it, given the right perks.

It greatly improves stealth, but you have to be at least trying to be stealthy. You can't expect to sprint away and have it do any good.

Yes. Pointless. Never use them and haven't in any Fallout Game. Don't need them. The are worth good caps though. Just sold the 30 that I had stashed and made a few thousand.

It should do some good. When Coursers or Kellog use it I can still hit them, but not using vats obviously, and it makes it considerable harder to hit an almost completely invisible target. But I can still see the distortion and hit them, but with reduced accuracy. This should be the same for NPCs. I disappear in front of them they should still be able to hit me, but not with a 100% accuracy. Hell, there are times I think npc accuracy is ridiculous even when I am completely in the open. (On top of CIT ruins and getting hit by raiders with pip weapons from across the map, seriously....pipe weapons accuracy should be absolutely garbage.


EDIT : unsure if this should go in spoilers due to Kellogg fight info...

The good thing using stealthboy is that enemies can't use VATS against you

That's why I brought Dogmeat along with me to kill Kellogg, he instantly grabs hold of him rendering his little stealth boy trick pointless.

I sell them. A decent AGL and three ranks of Sneak is way better than any Stealthboy.

Using it while in combat already is useless, yes. Once you've been made that's it. I never use it in this one but in previous games if you had it on a got shot it disabled it and you were plain as day. So I would imagine the same goes for this. If already being shot at and you turn one on the enemy already knows where you are and if you get hit once it turns it off.

Also, do they only last a few seconds, or was the one I've tried so far just a dud?

Haven't used one yet and based on how I can still 'see' and hit characters using it I doubt it's any good. I'll be selling mine as well.

It works just fine. I have used it to sneak past little groups and I was almost touching them.

I can't say the stealth boy is useless, although I have only used it once and that was get around the sentry bot on the top of the 35 court building to get the (you know what) but it worked like a charm on that situation.

I use it for almost 0% detection while sneaking. It works. It enhances sneak.

Try having no sneak skill, go to the Glowing Sea, pop on a stealth boy and you can move unseen as long as the enemy can't hear you. The usual stealthboy lasts too little, try a railroad stealthboy instead.

Right. I think Deacon actually says at one point that people can still hear you with a stealthboy active.

Stealthboys only work before you get spotted or start shooting...they aren't a magical invulnerability cloak. You can use them to sneak around, but once the opposition is looking for you, or you go into stealth in plain sight, they will still see/track you.

Opponents can use them against you, as well. I've had a few coursers that have stealthed me, and until I realised it, they chewed me up badly.

I've used them to reach Power Armor frames that foes would otherwise climb into...

I find them useful for pickpocketing someone out in the open or in broad daylight. The only problem is finding a reason to pickpocket anyone in this game.

Nobody every has anything.

That's how I raised money for Overseer's Guardian at below level 10.

The only thing I ever tried to pickpocket was a fusion core from a PA gunner, just to see if I could. I could not. He caught me every single time.

I didn't have any perks in pickpocket though, so I am sure that is why I was caught. Even so, I would have thought with a lot of sneak perks and a stealthboy I should have had a shot at it. Nope.

I ended up with about 12 power armor frames on that character anyway, without pick-pocketing them from enemies. Definitely not going to invest any perks in pickpocket. Not needed in this game.

They don't seem to work if the enemies are alerted to your presence. They know you're there, they can see the distortion and they can hear you. You have to be reasonably good at sneaking and have not alerted them.

Planting grenades is always good fun

Bingo. Never stole a thing, never needed to.

I never bothered using a stealthboy... and that goes back all the way to Fallout 1.

Give a settler a stealth boy and watch the game crash when they use it.