Followers Bad for Sneak Character

[Necromis]

Not sure if anyone has noticed this or not. I have come to the realization that followers are actually a detriment to a sneak character. The reason I think this is because when you are trying to sit back and snipe at them instead of just running up and engaging them it never fails that your follower will just wade right in to combat. Thus completely ruining your sneak tactics.

Perfect example. I had run into Meeko the other day and said what the heck I will let him join me. Then ran off to complete a quest involving a large group of foresworn. Well I am sitting there just snipering away at briarhearts and others, then sliding over and coming back to attack and what does he do, just runs right in and starts attacking the big mob. Totally had to bail out on that fight because we were over matched straight up fighting.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

 

[Eva]

Yup, that's why I don't use a follower.

I used to have one and would just park him/her at the beginning of wherever I was currently exploring/questing/dungeoning (like at the mouth of a cave) so I could run back to her and give her things if I found lots of stuff, but I got the pickpocketing perk to carry more so I ditched her. Sad, she wanted to marry me too.

 

[Slow Rider]

I am weird about my followers dying. I really hate for any of them to die. Heck I even hate it when my horse dies. So I generally travel alone. I know, it's weird. At level 50 though, with legendary daedric armor and weapons, I pretty much don't need any followers.

 

[Gurgeh]

Aela and I make a pretty good sneaking team. She hardly ever gives away our position. Uses a bow as much as I do.
I don't like followers dying either, but I only go so far. Every follower gets 3 chances (reloads). If they're killed after that, I figure it's just their fate and I did as much as I could.
The latest casualty was Njada (the block trainer). Hated to see her go, but she couldn't stay alive for more than 2 quests, and usually only got about 3 swings in before she cowered.
On the first few deaths she got in the way of my arrows, but on her final death, she was nowhere near me ... succumbed to falmer poison, I think. I left the dragon bones on her corpse as a sort of tombstone.

 

[teamxtreme41]

Faendal in Riverwood uses archery and he's pretty sneaky i think.

 

[Seth]

I never use followers when being sneaky, I tried the spectral assassin once and he wouldn't shut up while I was trying to be stealth in the shadows so I sent him to the void.

 

[KrazyLizard]

Nothing is worse then trying to line up a stealth shot on a giant when Cicero breaks into his "I'm a Flying Chicken!" routine. First time I heard it, I laughed and loosed the arrow too soon, and the time after that I decided the Sanctuary is the best place for him.

I did take a Dark Brotherhood Initiate with me on an assassination job, and they follow sneak orders, backstab and stealth arrow shots better than most followers

 

[conchvegas]

I haven't had any trouble sneaking with my follower. I sneak, she sneaks and she's always behind me. She's never actually run ahead of me. The only problem is a couple times trying to sneak by a fort I don't want fight at the moment, and when I think I'm clear, she's back there firing arrows at the guys up on the walls. "Oh, crap, I think, now I have to clear the fort, cuz I'm not going to be able get her to move until all the enemies are dead."

 

[MushroomGenius]

I typically ran into problems with followers setting off traps. Usually pressure plate ones. My Sneak is 100, and I selected that perk that allows you to just run over pressure plates, sadly my Followers do not have this advantage.

Early on, as I was still learning the game, I just used my Followers as mules. I'd leave them at the entrance, telling them to wait there while I scoured the Dungeon/Mine/Hideout/Ruin solo. I've had too many bad experiences with me dropping the final blow, mistakenly, on a kneeling Follower, and having to reload a previous save to get them back.

I don't like losing Followers either, lost only that Mage from one of the Daedric Quests after I went back and asked him to follow me. He died on his own though, I think a DOT killed him.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

I had a lot of problems with traps at first. Lydia would run right over them. She died. Didn't have another follower until Jordis, who also has a knack for doing this, making it necessary for me to track a little wide where possible to skirt the pressure plates. She usually follows my path and avoids. Only time there's nothing I can do about it is in narrow doorways and such. But with Healing Hands, she's never in danger.

As for the blowing my cover part, I haven't really had to deal with her doing that, except in certain circumstances. Usually when she sees someone coming that I don't, while I'm stalking another target. Many times now hearing her drop into Stealth Mode via the rumble sound from her Ebony Mail has saved me from attacks in high grass that I simply didn't see coming. Good trade off for the occasional stealth bow shots she spoils.

 

[Dagmar]

I never use followers when being sneaky, I tried the spectral assassin once and he wouldn't shut up while I was trying to be stealth in the shadows so I sent him to the void.

Talking doesn't seem to affect your likelihood of being detected. Cicero does this a lot and it doesn't get you detected and Barbas has this annoying habit of barking a lot and that doesn't seem to get you detected.

 

[Necromis]

Yeah, I noticed that no talking by your NPC gets you noticed, just movement and the such. I think that was a smart thing as characters talk or what not all the time.

 

[Seth]

Talking doesn't seem to affect your likelihood of being detected. Cicero does this a lot and it doesn't get you detected and Barbas has this annoying habit of barking a lot and that doesn't seem to get you detected.

I know it doesn't effect actually getting detected, Just kind'a ruin's the whole point of being stealth for me personally. I'm all about silence when I'm stalking my prey

 

[Jersey Dagmar]

Cicero will follow your Sneak movements. After all, that's what he's good at. He's so good at it, half the time he's spooning me .

But, yea, he doesn't shut up. But, I've learned to tune him out.

 

[Jaeger]

Dog barking: the Uesp says it does give you away.

Companions could be the bait. Enemies pass me right up to go after the companion. I turn around and sneak attack them with daggers.

Having said that, I like transversing on mountains (protection) - followers don't.

 

[Kaymindless]

There's nothing worse than having a nice perch on a mountain, sniping away to find that that last target you hit is your companion. Though, I've noticed that if I stay far enough back and whoever is acting as my mule runs forward after I start shooting, I tend to stay in the half eye position while they are focusing on my mule until she/he is on their knees.

 

[Neriad13]

I am weird about my followers dying. I really hate for any of them to die. Heck I even hate it when my horse dies. So I generally travel alone. I know, it's weird. At level 50 though, with legendary daedric armor and weapons, I pretty much don't need any followers.

I'm kind of like that too. It's sad when someone who trusted you dies because of you. In one game, I had married Farkas and because of his follower status, had a bit of marital crisis. You see, I originally wanted to leave him in the safety of our home while I went out adventuring, so he would never have a chance to get killed. But, he's a warrior and an adventurer just like me. He isn't the sort to sit around minding a shop. Every time I came home I could hear the desperation in his voice. "Good to see you, dear." he mumbled halfheartedly as I passed him by, heading to the enchanting table or crashing in bed after a hard fight or just stepping in to grab some smithing materials. He was dying in there, despairing in his idleness. So...I made him a suit of daedric armor enchanted with as many health enchantments as I could cram in and we set out together. Our marriage was never happier.

 

[Jersey Dagmar]

Cicero is my follower, because I am the Listener and he the Keeper. My real husband is a shopkeep from Windhelm. I merely married him for the sake of a steady income. As Cicero and I's love would never be acknowledged in the Temple of Mara, we 'Unofficially' married before the Night Mother and Sithis himself. It's been murdering bliss, ever since!

 

[Chukkles]

I think the worst one for this is, when you get Nightinggale armor and you have your two partners on that mission with you. They say, "It's your choice, we fight or sneak around" so I try sneaking but they jsut fight.
WTF that wasn't what I chose to do.

 

[RebeliousKing19]

On my bosmer i was using sven from river wood and im trying to sneak about and what does he do he starts playing the freaking flute!