Followers breaking stealth is worse than I thought and it's ruining my build

[WhiterunModder]

I'm on my second stealth archer run and I'm losing my mind. I've got Aela following me because I wanted to try the Companions questline this time, and she keeps triggering combat the second we're anywhere near enemies. Like, I'll be crouched, hidden, lined up for a sneak attack, and she just walks directly at the target. Detection meter goes red instantly.

I know followers have their own AI and they're not gonna sit still, but this feels genuinely broken. Is there a perk or something that makes them less aggressive? Or am I just supposed to dismiss them for dungeons and only use them for roleplay? Because if stealth archer requires solo play to actually work, that's a pretty massive limitation nobody talks about.

 

[RiftenWanderer]

yeah this is the classic stealth archer problem. followers are basically designed to be loud and aggressive, and there's no perk that tones them down - you're stuck with their default behavior. Aela especially is a melee fighter so she's gonna charge in no matter what you do.

honestly your options are pretty limited. you can dismiss them before entering dungeons (annoying but it works), or you can just accept that stealth archer + followers means you're gonna get spotted sometimes and adapt your build to handle combat when it happens. some people swap to a different follower that's less aggressive, but idk if that actually helps much or if it's just placebo.

the other thing is - and I know this sounds weird - but sometimes stealth archer works better when you're NOT trying to be pure stealth. like, if Aela charges in and breaks your cover, you've still got a bow and perks like Impact or the ones that stagger enemies. you can lean into the chaos instead of fighting it. might not be the fantasy you want though.

fwiw I gave up on follower stealth archer runs years ago and just play solo when I want that playstyle. it's not a broken build, it's just not compatible with how followers work in this game.