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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Hints

Stealth Skills

  • 1 of 8: Sneak is easy to practice, and it goes up fairly quickly. You can get a huge head start on it during the first Main Quest.
  • 2 of 8: When you want to practice it later on, go to the guard barracks in any city and constantly sneak-walk into the darkest corner. There will probably be at least a few guards in the barracks all day long, so your Sneak skill will keep going up.
  • 3 of 8: Several inns, including the Wawnet Inn that's a bit west of the Imperial City, have back bedrooms down some steps behind the front counter that no one ever enters. You'll still be close enough to the innkeeper (and possibly others) to get Sneak practice, so set your character up to sneak-walk against the bed.
  • 4 of 8: If you have the "Vile Lair" DLC module installed (see the separate UHS hint file "The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine"), you can get unlimited Sneak practice in the jail cell in Deepscorn Hollow's cloister area after buying the cattle cell upgrade (since that puts an ever-sleeping prisoner in the cell).
  • 5 of 8: Security doesn't ever really need any practicing due to the almighty Skeleton Key artifact. See the Lockpicking Tips for info on it and how you can get by before you obtain it.
  • 6 of 8: If you really want to practice Security for some reason, you can do so easily if you have the "Thieves Den" DLC module installed.
  • 7 of 8: After fully upgrading Dunbarrow Cove, buy a bunch of lockpicks from the cove's merchants, drop the Skeleton Key if you have it, and repeatedly pick the lock on the training chest. Don't forget to get the Skeleton Key back after you're done!
  • 8 of 8: NOTE: You can keep picking the training chest's lock with the Skeleton Key in your inventory if you want to, but the skill increases will come much more slowly due to the huge +40 skill bonus that the Skeleton Key gives.