How to Be an Assassin in Skyrim

Last Updated: September 17, 2020

This article provides some advice for playing an assassin character in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. An assassin character build can deal lots of damage when used effectively. However, you have to be patient if you want to be an assassin; otherwise, you won't reap the benefits of sneaking, a slow pace of movement allowing you to be undetected.

Steps

1
Raise your Sneak skill. The higher your Sneak skill, the harder you are to detect and the more useful perks you can acquire. Sneaking without being detected raises the skill level, so practice often.
- Use invisibility spells or potions to help you sneak successfully. For example, the Shadow Stone grants a 60 second spell of invisibility that can be used once a day.
- You could also use the Thief Stone, southwest of Riverwood, which increases the speed of learning stealth skills by 20%. You can only activate each stone one at a time.
- Try sneaking around people who are sleeping - you're less likely to be detected!
- The Sneak skill trainers are Khayla (Adept) who can be found with the travelling Khajiit Caravans, Garvey (Expert) in Markarth and Delvin Mallory (Master) at the Thieves Guild, Riften.
- When you level up, allocate your Perks to Sneak skills such as Pickpocketing.
2
Use light armor. Light armor (Hide, Leather, Elven, Scale, and Glass armor) is less noisy than heavy armor, making sneaking easier. Some of the best armor sets in the game for assassins are given to the Dragonborn at various stages in the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves' Guild quest lines, for example, the Nightingale Armor.
- Raise your light armor skill, which increases the armor's effectiveness. You can do this by receiving damage while wearing light armor, or by using trainers or skill books.
- Light armor will be labeled as such when you look at your Items menu.
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3
Make use of sneak attacks. If you're undetected, these can cause much more damage than regular attacks. Perks in the Sneak tree, for example, Deadly Aim or Assassin's Blade, can raise the damage multiplier even higher. A bow, as a ranged weapon, is perhaps the best choice for a sneak attack. Poison your weapon for even higher damage.
- If you're using a close-range weapon, such as a dagger, sneak up on the target. Make sure you go undetected (if you're sneaking and you're detected, there will be an open eye icon that says "detected") before you strike. You will get a bonus for not being detected.
4
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Always be prepared for open combat with a decent melee weapon (daggers are a great choice, as they can be used for effective stealth kills and close-up combat; swords are also useful, as is destruction magic). Always have extra potions and poisons handy.
- When you're trying out sneaking as a beginner, this step is important. Shooting someone will definitely make them charge at you with weapons.
5
Establish an escape route. If you're about to attempt a kill that will have overwhelming consequences, find the quickest way to get out of the area before you kill your target.
- You cannot fast travel when being pursued by anything, so this is not an escape route option!
6
Keep an eye on your surroundings. Guards or witnesses could turn around corners at any second, and certain pathways or hard-to-reach areas may be helpful. Know who and what is around your character, and take advantage of things like high rock outcroppings above your target or access to a rooftop.
7
Invest in various perks. The Sneak, Light Armor, Archery, One-Handed, Lockpicking, and optionally some schools of magic should be your main skills. Perks for these skills will be very useful.
8
Stay undetected if you don't want to get caught. If you see the eye icon (which indicates whether NPCs are aware of you) open slowly, freeze. When the eye stops opening, quietly sneak into the shadows.
9
Join the Dark Brotherhood. The quests will allow you to practice your skills and technique and the rewards are well-suited for an assassin character build. Speak to Aventus Aretino in Windhelm to get started (you'll need to pick the lock to his house).

Community Q&A

Question

I'm a Khajiit bowman. Will this hinder my abilities as an assassin at all?

Community Answer

No worries! The Khajiit race makes some of the best stealth characters in the game, next to Bosmer. Their night eye ability and unarmed perks give them an advantage in fighting in dark or tight places. Skills: +10 Stealth, +5 Alchemy, Archery, Lockpicking, One-Handed, Pickpocket. With alchemy and pickpocketing, you can craft poisons and plant them in your mark's pocket. Archery is swift and silent, perfect for the long-range marksman or deadly assassin. You've picked the best race for an assassin!
Question

I am a pretty good assassin, but how do I make an escape route?

Community Answer

Escape routes in Skyrim are hard to come by unfortunately. The best thing I can recommend is to rely on your stealth skill to move quietly and quickly. Sneaking makes it harder for NPCs to detect you. You can't physically make escape routes; areas can be quite linear, so knowing the layout is a good advantage.
Question

Does being a wood elf offer any perks when it comes to being an assassin?

Community Answer

Being a wood elf is a very good choice since it provides you with the +10 to archery and the +5 to sneak.