Lugaru/Stealth

Lugaru is known for its martial arts fighting and quick reversals. You can go from level to level, defeating anyone that stands in your way and leaving a trail of blood behind you. But this head on approach is not the only way to dispose of your enemies. Some people prefer to walk in the shadows, instilling fear into their adversaries as an unknown silent threat. As an alternative to combat, Lugaru offers players the choice of stealth; kill your enemies one by one without their friends knowing a thing. One thing you must know is that the practice of stealth is not that simple in Lugaru, as there are many elements that come into play.

Moving around
Holding crouch $($Shift$)$ and moving allows you to sneak around. The speed is slightly faster than a walking enemy, but can still take forever. Rolling (tap crouch and move) is quick and silent. Rolls move a certain distance forward, so try to time it so that you don't roll out in front or into an enemy.

Weapon of choice
Be careful in choosing which of the three weapons you have on you when trying to perform a sneak kill. You can always go unarmed, but if you feel in the mood for some variety pick one up and give it a go. To perform a stealth kill you must get close enough and stand up behind your enemy and press. You do not have to stand still, just sneak until you're close enough to run and attack. A "run" should consist of standing, moving no more than a step and attacking.

Unarmed
An unarmed sneak attack causes a spine crusher. You will throw your opponent over your shoulder and behind you, killing him. This produces no blood whatsoever, so there's no need for a clean up. Just throw and go.

Knife
Knives are the ultimate stealth weapons. They are the most effective when used up close. A close up sneak attack with a knife is called a Tracheotomy, which is a throat slit. If you don't feel like sneaking, you can always throw the knife for a one hit kill (unarmored rabbits only). The problem with this attack is the blood. If you have any wolves around, be sure to clean your knife after every kill.

Staff
If you don't know how to use it properly, it's best to put it down and leave it alone. It's not silent, but it gets the job done. The staff doesn't have a true stealth attack, but an instant kill move you can use is the running staff hit. Sneak up behind and enemy do a quick run while holding and the strike done by the staff results in a brutal blow to the back of the head. It is especially pleasant if there happens to be a hard surface or low area next to you, which results in a touch of death.

Sword
Swords play out like knives, with the exception of throwing. A sneak attack with a sword causes a Back Stabber, which looks brutal. Blood, again, is the problem. Clean after every use.

Double the arsenal
If you're caught between two weapons don't fret, carry them both. When you pick up one weapon sheathe it with E and save it for later. Then your hands are free to pick up another. When you have two weapons, pressing E will make you switch between the two. There is a special case for knives. Usually with a weapon in your hand you are not allowed to run on all fours. When you have a knife, crouching and pressing E will allow you to sheathe it, even if another knife is on your waist, allowing you to run on all fours. You cannot however, crouch, sheath two knives and pick up another weapon. An important note is that staffs cannot be sheathed and can only be used as is.

Race
There are two races in Lugaru: rabbits and wolves. The first element in stealth to consider is what kind of enemy are you facing. Each race has different weaknesses and strong points when it comes to how easy it is to sneak up on them. Remember them well if you want to get close enough to finish them up for good.

Rabbits
Rabbits are the most versatile of the races; on easier difficulties they are easy kills, but become stronger on harder difficulties. They are very agile and can run quickly. Those big ears are not just for show; rabbits have exceptional hearing, making them difficult to sneak up on. You must sneak quietly in order to get behind them. Moving through bushes and tress will make the leaves rustle and give your position away quickly. Beware of jumping from high heights in order to get the jump on them. If you miss, the sound of your feet thumping the ground will be heard by rabbits. A weak point for rabbits is their ability to notice. Their line of sight seems to be a little dull. Every once in a while you can get away with sneaking at the corner of their vision.

Wolves
Wolves are generally the most brutal and strongest fighters of the races. They don't pickup weapons and prefer to use their claws when they kick and punch; however, they will use any weapon they grabbed from a reversal. They cannot hear as well as rabbits, but make up for it with their nose. Wolves are near impossible to sneak up on. Their noses will smell you before you can get close. Another burden to worry about is blood; they can smell that even further away. If you want to have any chance of sneaking up on them, wipe their blood from your weapon with Shift. If you have been cut and you are bleeding, you will never be able to sneak up on one. One weak point is their reaction time. When wolves notice you they growl for a second before attacking. The best strategy is to jump as close as possible and sneak attack them before they have the chance to react.

Detection
No one's perfect. One day you will be caught and the enemy will be on your fluffy little tail. The important thing is that detection doesn't mean the end, and that you don't have to abandon all stealth. You just need to try again.

Running away
This is a good option in some cases. If there are a lot of structures around, run on all fours (while sneaking, release Shift and continue to move) to elude your follower. Running on all fours is a lot faster than regular running. Jump on top of things to make your enemy follow and before they can drop down, cut some corners. Look at the radar. Red means alert, yellow means cautious, green means unaware.

Confusing the enemy
Flipping in mid-air {ShiftSpace} confuses the enemy and makes them stand still for a second. Try to jump over them while they baffle at what just happened. Wall jumps typically have the same results. Use this window of opportunity to get out of there. Make sure not to overuse it; enemies will get smart and start rolling to evade it.

Ninja style
Time to use that knife. Instead of going into a knife fight, flip in mid-air and throw the knife like a real ninja should. Throwing knives in mid-air is a lot more inaccurate than throwing them while staying still. Make sure you're close when attempting this.