Welcome to the Intermediate Guide to Entry Point.
This is the sequel to my Beginner's Guide, which I recommend watching if you haven't already.
Anyway, this is part 1 of the video, which is all about minor
perks and their applications in stealth. I know I've made a few videos in the past
covering skill trees for different classes, but I believe that everyone should know how to make
at least a decent skill tree on their own. The first perk I'll cover is Out of Sight, which
makes NPCs detect you 10% slower per perk. This only applies when you have a red status,
like Suspicious or Armed, though this also includes the white Trespassing status.
Although red status detection is always fast, at least in upper difficulties,
having enough Out of Sight perks at least gives you time to react,
instead of being detected almost instantly. This also makes it easier to do a detection lure
without accidentally filling up the suspicion meter all the way.
Overall, this perk is crucial, and you should take most or all these on any stealth character.
Then there's Masquerade, which also slows down detection by 10%,
but only when you're disguised. Furthermore, the Thief class adds
50% disguise effectiveness, which is the equivalent of 5 additional Masquerade perks.
These perks make moving around a lot safer, so you should definitely go for all of them.
Next up is Fast Hands, which makes you lockpick and crack safes 10% faster.
This perk is straightforward, but it is a bit more important than it seems because the
faster you lockpick, the more likely you are to finish lockpicking without being interrupted.
If your character isn't a Thief though, then try to avoid this perk to the extent that you can.
It does also increase weapon swap speed by 5%, but that's not very significant in stealth.
Then there's Speedhack, which makes you hack 10% faster.
This applies to camera interactions, as well as hacking certain computers
in different missions. If you're a Hacker,
then this perk can save quite a bit of time, especially if you get all of them.
Even if you're not a Hacker, it will still speed up camera interactions, so it's recommended to
still take a couple, but getting all of them is definitely overkill for a non-Hacker.
Equipment Specialist makes you deploy and use certain items 10% faster, though the only relevant
one in stealth is the Keycard Scrambler. If you're a Hacker, then having a few of
these perks is good, but they're definitely not critical.
And if you're not a Hacker, then avoid this perk to the extent that you can.
The Overdrill perk makes you drill 10% faster. If you're a Thief, then this perk is basically
useless and should be avoided, because lockpicking is preferable to drilling whenever possible.
If you aren't a Thief though, then you should go for all or most of these.
Intimidation increases interrogation speed and intimidation range by 10%.
Like Overdrill, this perk is of lesser importance, though it can make the
difference between winning and failing if an NPC gets alerted from a distance.
Conditioning lets you sprint for 2 seconds longer, which is fairly straightforward.
Having a decent amount of Conditioning can make missions a bit faster,
though it's definitely not a priority. Finally we have Investment Opportunities,
which gives 5% bonus XP. These perks are OK
if you want to level up a bit faster, but they're totally useless for a maxed out character.
Finally, I want to talk about leveling up. Although there are a lot of useful perks,
obviously you can only have so many at a time. As you level up, you should prioritize making
your character a hybrid class and getting important major perks.
Those perks are Interference, Deception, Inner Pockets,
Precision Drilling, Surveillance State, and Explosive Entry,
out of which I think Interference and Deception are the most critical.
You can also get Firebug, but it's only important in the Black Dusk
so I wouldn't recommend taking it until you have most of the other perks you need.
While you're branching between major perks, you should go through minor
perks that are actually useful. Only the minor perks that I talked
about are useful in stealth, so avoid anything I didn't mention to the extent that you can.
And out of the minor perks, Out of Sight and Masquerade are the two most important,
while Fast Hands and Speedhack follow depending on your class.
Unfortunately, the default level cap is only 75, and you need to buy the
Legends gamepass to increase that to 100. This means that as a free player, you can't afford
to take many of the less important minor perks. If you do have Legends though,
then it's recommended to take Pistol Mastery and Steady Aim.
This lets you shoot and knock out while sprinting, which isn't a huge deal normally, but it can
make a difference in tight situations. Obviously skill trees are more complex,
especially for challenge runners, but this generally covers what you need to consider
for an all-around stealth skill tree. And that concludes part 1 of the Intermediate
Guide to Entry Point. Also, if you're 13 or older,
then you should consider joining the Unofficial Entry Point Server,
which is linked in the description below. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time.