How to Stay Undetected in Stealth Zones

Mastering stealth is a commitment to precision, patience, and meticulous planning. In games defined by their stealth zones, staying completely undetected—or “ghosting”—requires a deep understanding of the enemy’s sensory limitations: sight, sound, and the time required for detection. Successful stealth is less about quick reflexes and more about gaining complete control over the environment and the enemy’s predictable patrol patterns.

1. The Observation Phase: Mapping the Enemy Grid

Never move aggressively into a new stealth zone. The first few minutes should be dedicated purely to gathering critical intelligence to build your pathing strategy.

• Map the Patrol Loop and Blind Spots: Watch every guard’s full, repeatable path. Identify their turning points and, most crucially, the timing window between their furthest points of travel. The safe route is never the shortest path; it is the path that exploits the longest window where the guard’s back is turned.
• Understand the Vision Cone and Range: Critical Vurgu: Note the enemy’s full vision cone. In many games, detection is distance-based: an enemy may see you instantly at close range, but only slowly detect you at the far edge of their cone. Always cross a vision cone at its widest, farthest point, minimizing the time you are visible.
• Analyze Security Systems: Identify static threats that do not move: security cameras, tripwires, laser grids, and floor sensors. These often have predictable blind spots (e.g., immediately beneath a mounted camera). Plan your route around these static threats first, as they are the hardest to disable or bypass dynamically.
• The “Wait Time” Principle: If an enemy is blocking your only path, do not try to rush or force a takedown. Retreat to a safe spot and wait for the next full patrol cycle. Patience prevents panic, and panic is the single biggest cause of detection.

2. Sight Control: Mastering Light and Line-of-Sight (LOS)

The player’s primary defense against vision is manipulating light and ensuring hard barriers block the enemy’s Line-of-Sight.

• Prioritize LOS Breaking Over Shadows: While shadows are useful, their effectiveness can vary based on lighting conditions, enemy type, and difficulty level. Hard Cover (solid walls, pillars, boxes) is absolute. Always use corners and geometry to break the enemy’s LOS instantly, forcing them to re-establish vision or allowing you to safely retreat.
• The Shadow Mechanic: When using shadows:
  • Note the Intensity: Be aware that “dimly lit” is not the same as “absolute darkness.” Enemies may still detect you in light shadows if you move quickly.
  • Check Your Own Visibility Indicator: Rely on the game’s built-in detection indicator (if available) that shows how visible your character is. Never assume a spot is dark enough.
• Moving Near Windows and Doorways: Treat open windows and glass doors as active threats. Even if you are in shadows, an enemy on the other side may see your silhouette if they are looking directly at the opening. Crawl or crouch past these areas to minimize the profile of your character.
• Recognize Alert States (Yellow vs. Red):
  • Yellow/Caution State: The enemy is suspicious and searching. Immediately break LOS, stop moving, and wait. This state allows time to return to the undetected state.
  • Red/Hostile State: The enemy has seen you. If this occurs, immediately flee the area and use an escape route (vents, vertical climbing) to force the enemy to lose track of your last known location.

3. Sound and Motion: Minimizing the Audible Signature

Sound can travel through walls and alert enemies far outside their visual range, often leading to the initial “yellow” alert state.

• Master Movement Speed Control: Never use the run button in a stealth zone unless you are actively fleeing an alert. Use the slowest available movement speed (crouching, crawling, or slow walking). This reduces your audible signature, especially on noisy floor surfaces.
• Avoid Noisy Surfaces: Be acutely aware of the ground beneath your feet. Surfaces like broken glass, metal grating, water, or debris create high-decibel sounds that can alert multiple enemies simultaneously. If you must cross them, move one step at a time, or use a sound-dampening mechanic (if available).
• The Danger of Verticality: Climbing or vaulting often creates a loud, distinct sound cue (thud, scrape, grunt). Only use these movement options when the nearest enemy is focused away or is at the farthest point of their patrol loop.
• Managing Knockouts/Takedowns: Never perform a noisy takedown (a quick kill or loud knockout) on an enemy who is near another patrol or security camera. Drag the target to an inaccessible, deep shadow or ventilation shaft before performing the takedown to prevent the body from being discovered, which triggers an immediate, sustained alert.

4. Predictive and Resource Management

Utilize your tools and knowledge to actively control the enemy’s movement and attention.

• Strategic Distractions (The Funnel): Use noisemakers (e.g., throwing a coin, shooting a distant object) not just to distract, but to funnel the guard into a pre-determined, safe corner where you can perform a takedown or slip past them.
• Resource Prioritization: Save your best stealth tools (e.g., powerful cloaking devices, silent crossbow bolts, high-power EMP grenades) for the final, unavoidable bottlenecks where multiple enemies are stacked, or a crucial camera cannot be bypassed. Do not waste them on easy solo guards.
• Critical Vurgu: The Door Peeking Rule: When entering a new room, never open the door fully and walk in. Use the peeking mechanic (if available) or hug the wall and open the door just enough to observe the enemy layout and lighting conditions before committing to the room.

By patiently mapping the environment, meticulously controlling your light and sound profile, and using non-lethal distractions, you can consistently bypass entire stealth zones without ever triggering a single detection metric.