Best Stealth Sniper Build

This is a guide on how to make the best Stealth Sniper Build in Starfield. Find out the best background and combat skills, weapons and traits, as well as how to play as a Stealth Sniper!

Stealth Sniper Best Background

Cyber Runner for Stealth and Security Skills

Cyber Runner Starting Skills
Security	Stealth	Theft

The Cyber Runner is the best starting background for the Stealth Sniper Build so that you immediately get 1 Rank in the Security, Stealth, and Theft skills.

One rank in Stealth automatically makes your character 25% more difficult to detect when sneaking at the start of the game, and you'll immediately get a 5% sneak attack damage with your suppressed weapons.

How Does Security and Theft Benefit the Build?

One rank in Security allows you to hack Advanced Locks at the very start of the game, which allows you to potentially loot rare items and weapons that you can sell to get better gear. You may even find a powerful sniper rifle at the very start of the game locked behind an advanced lock!

Similarly, starting out as a Cyber Runner gives you one rank in Theft which allows you to pickpocket weapons or money from targets which you can then sell.

Cyber Runner Background

Stealth Sniper Best Skills

Best Physical Skills

Skill	Rank
Fitness	★★☆☆
Stealth	★★★★
Wellness	★★★☆
Gymnastics	★☆☆☆
Nutrition	★★☆☆
Concealment	★★★★
Rejuvenation	★★☆☆

The most important Physical Skills to take are Stealth and Concealment to boost the damage of our sneak attacks, with Rank 4 in Stealth providng 20% sneak attack damage with suppressed weapons.

The other physical skills are mostly for survivability, such as Wellness increasing your maximum health and one rank in Gymnastics granting you a combat slide that makes repositioning faster.

Best Social Skills

Skill	Rank
Commerce	★★★★
Scavenging	★★★★
Theft	★★★★
Negotiation	★★★★
Isolation	★★★★

Since the Stealth Sniper playstyle is a mostly solitary experience, getting Isolation to Rank 4 is important so that you get +40% weapon damage and 60 Damage Resistance when exploring the game solo.

Four ranks in Theft gives you the ability to pickpocket holstered weapons, while four ranks in Commerce allow you to sell your loot at better prices so you can buy better gear and ammo.

Best Combat Skills

Skill	Rank
Ballistics	★★★★
Dueling	★★☆☆
Rifle Certification	★★★★
Marksmanship	★★★★
Rapid Reloading	★★★★
Sniper Certification	★★★★
Armor Penetration	★★★★
Crippling	★★★★
Sharpshooting	★★★★

Since the Stealth skill offers bonuses to suppressed weapons, this Stealth Sniper build focuses on Ballistics which we'll bring to Rank 4 to increase its damage and range.

With snipers being your primary weapon, you should also max out Rifle Certification, Marksmanship and Sniper Certification to boost your damage.

Four ranks in Rapid Reloading also benefits this build since you need to make sure you can take another shot as soon as possible once you take out your first mark. Meanwhile, two ranks in Dueling grants you a 20% run boost when you kill an enemy with melee weapons and allows you to flee enemies easier if they manage to get close.

Best Science Skills

Skill	Rank
Medicine	★★★★
Research Methods	★★★★
Weapon Engineering	★★★★

Four ranks in Medicine is vital to your survivability since you'll be spending a lot of your time alone and patching yourself up.

Four ranks in Research Methods and Weapon Engineering is also required so you can craft powerful master-level weapon mods for your sniper rifle.

Best Tech Skills

Skill	Rank
Boost Pack Training	★★★★
Piloting	★★☆☆
Security	★★★★
Engine Systems	★★★★
Shield Systems	★★★★

Getting four ranks in Security allows you to use a digipick that eliminates the need for keys when unlocking Advanced Locks, which may contain powerful weapons, mods, or resources that you can use for your build.

Additionally, since you'll spend most of your time engaging enemies on the planet's surface, the tech skills for your ship are mostly focused on evading pursuing enemies such as Boost Pack Training, Engine Systems, and Shield Systems.

List of All Skills

Stealth Sniper Best Weapons

Beowulf Rifle

Beowulf Overview
Weapon Type	Base Damage	Mag
Rifle	Phys 109	30
Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy
50	40	69.1%

The Beowulf Rifle is a great starting weapon for the Stealth Sniper thanks to its well-rounded stats and good range.

Its relatively high fire rate means it's also possible to "run and gun" with the weapon, which is more useful when you don't have the right perks yet for the full sniper build at the start.

How to Get Beowulf

Stealth Sniper Best Traits

Best Stealth Sniper Traits
Introvert	Wanted	Terra Firma

The Introvert trait greatly benefits the solo-stealthy playstyle of the Stealh Sniper build, and you'll have better survivability when adventuring alone.

Pickng the Wanted trait may seem counterproductive to your stealth build, but the damage bonus to being cornered when at low health gives you a nice boost when enemies manage to track you down. The loot you'll get from taking out those armed mercenaries is not bad either!

Finally, you'll want to take the Terra Firma trait for increased healthy and oxygen on the surface. Since most of your battles will take place on planets, the extra health and oxygen is great for long trekking and repositioning when playing as a stealth sniper.

List of All Traits

How to Play as a Stealth Sniper

Focus on Getting Headshots

The Stealth Sniper playstyle rewards getting headshots to quickly take out powerful enemies at range, and then repositioning so you can take out the next set of enemies.

Getting the Sniper Certification is vital for this playstyle since the first rank increases the steadiness of your weapon, while additional ranks allow you to hold your breath longer and increasing damage when using a scope.

Use the Terrain to Your Advantage

Before you engage enemies, make sure you scope out the terrain so that you can use it to your advantage.

This is especially important in planets where there's a lot of open space and not much to hide. When in doubt, it's always a good idea to get to a high ground where you can scope out enemies from range!

Go Light Armor

You'll spend most of your time out of combat while sneaking around and repositioning, so it's a good idea to go light armor for extra mobility.

While this means you're easier to take out if enemies find you, your high Stealth skills mean that you'll have a higher chance to break away from their line of sight and aggro range since you can run faster.

Starfield Related Guides

List of All Builds

All Background Builds

Other Builds