A Guide To Sneaking Through Prey (Relatively) Unscathed

Welcome to Talos-1! This sprawling space station orbiting the Earth’s moon operates on the cutting edge of bioscience. The state-of-the-art laboratories and Neo Deco aesthetics are a sight to behold in those brief moments between dangerous encounters with the Typhon alien threat. 

The mimics, phantoms, and nightmares roaming the halls are not the welcoming committee – get too close and they will F you up with fire, electricity, or sheer physical dominance. Ammo is scarce and protagonist scientist Morgan Yu’s no super soldier, so we strongly recommend you develop a gameplay style that incorporates stealth elements to increase your chances for survival. Here are some tips for sticking to the shadows. 

GENERAL ADVICE
Some of this goes without saying, but minimize the noise you make moving through environments by crouching until you know what you’re up against. If you see an item that looks out of place, it’s probably one of those pesky mimics just waiting to pounce on you. Once you acquire the Psychoscope, you can sweep a room visually to see if that nearby chair is actually a threat in disguise. To do this, press the Z key on PC or press the right analog stick in on consoles. Once mimics are detected, you’ll see their tag even if they shapeshift into another form.

You start out with minimal resources in Prey, leaving you with a simple wrench to fend off threats. This makes getting a jump on enemies a critical factor in surviving combat encounters. When you first spot a Typhon, make a note of the white, arc-shaped detection meter. As long as it doesn’t turn red you can execute a sneak attack, which gives you a 150-percent attack bonus.  If you’re using the wrench, make sure to charge up the attack for even more damage. 

Like many immersive sims, Prey offers multiple ways to move through the environments, some of which allow you to avoid high-traffic areas more apt to have a large Typhon presence. Before you move into open spaces, be sure to look up, down, and behind objects to find alternate routes such as maintenance tunnels or pipes. 

RECOMMENDED ITEMS
Prey’s arsenal ranges from the trusty wrench up to larger damage-dealing weapons like the shotgun and Q-beam. If you don’t want to go loud, you have some quieter weapons that can keep you from attracting more enemies. 

The Nerf-like Huntress Boltcaster seems like a waste of inventory space, but it can be a key cog in a stealth player’s arsenal. Those foam darts make just enough noise to attract nearby Typhon, giving you an opening you need to move through a high-traffic area undetected. It can also hit buttons and computer touchscreens that are otherwise out of reach, opening closed doors. 

The silenced pistol is also valuable for stealth players. Freezing an enemy with the Gloo Gun and then unloading a magazine of bullets goes a long way toward taking out more fearsome predators should you blow your cover and get drawn into an encounter. 

The Typhon Lure is another great diversionary item that comes in handy. Its visible pulse lasts around 20 seconds, buying you enough time to hack that hard-to-get-to computer in a Typhon den. 

PRAY FOR STEALTHY CHIPSETS 
One of the more annoying features of Prey is the chipsets you use to improve your spacesuit and Psychoscope are randomized. The chipsets are always found in the same places, but each time you play through the game a different chipset may be at that location. That being the case, we can’t guide you to the most valuable ones for a stealth playthrough, but if you get these ones, be sure to equip them to enhance your skills. 

Suit Chipsets
Prowl S-6400 – Gives a small boost to your movement speed while sneaking.
V-Amp .23 – Gain back some health every time you perform a sneak attack.

Scope Chipsets
Farscan 002SI – Allows you to scan areas for Typhons from farther away.
Mimic Detection Gen 1 – Outlines hidden mimics.
Mimic Detection Gen 2 – Lets you detect hidden greater mimics.
PSIV-AMP .24 – Performing sneak attacks restores Psi.
Speedscan 001SI – Decreases the time a scan takes.

Spec’ing Yu Out
Neuromods are your primary path toward upgrading Yu’s skills. You can do this along two tracts – human abilities and Typhon abilities that alter your DNA and turn the turrets against you. You are free to mix and match upgrades from either category. These are the ones we found most helpful for stealth players: 

Hacking – The four tiers of hacking are useful for breaking into computers, taking control of turrets, and breaking into safes. 

Leverage – Being able to lift heavy objects seems superfluous to stealth play, but it actually comes in handy for uncovering new routes to destinations. In a pinch you can also use leverage to hide from a predator by tucking behind a vending machine or sofa. 

Conditioning – Several neuromods in the conditioning tree are useful for stealth. Be sure to invest in Mobility I and II, as they speed up your movement while sneaking and eventually grant you superhuman running and jumping abilities. 

Combat Focus – Stealth players try to avoid combat, but sometimes it’s inevitable. This neuromod slows you down slightly, but inhibits enemy movement even further, allowing you to dodge oncoming attacks or race away to cover. Combat Focus II is even more valuable, because the 120-percent damage bonus it imparts stacks with your 150-percent attack bonus for executing a sneak attack. 

Stealth – I know, shocker. These essential ninja neuromods make it harder for enemies to detect you, and decrease the noise you make while walking, running, and sprinting.

Sneak Attack – Another no brainer. This two-tiered neuromod starts with a 200-percent bonus to sneak attacks, and upgrades to a 250-percent bonus.

Kinetic Blast – In those instances where a Typhon is bearing down on your position, the Kinect Blast abilities can be a lifesaver. In addition to dealing some damage, the blast also knocks back the enemy, giving you an opportunity to flee the scene and regroup.

Mimic Matter – A stealth essential. This versatile ability lets you morph into a nearby object, like a mug or chair, to avoid detection. 

Phantom Shift – Another evasive skill useful for escaping combat, the Phantom Shift lets you jump to another position outside the range of close-quarters combat. 

Phantom Genesis – If you like to create diversions, Phantom Genesis is a good one to pursue. The three-tiered neuromod allows you to create your own phantoms to attack nearby enemies, giving you that window for moving through while the Typhons are preoccupied. 

Remote Manipulation – Sometimes you can’t interact with a computer or door without drawing attention to yourself from its position. This is where remote manipulation comes into play. If you upgrade to the third tier of this neuromod, you can grab objects or interact with devices up to 30 meters away.

Follow these tips and you should have a fighting chance against the Typhon. Do you have other stealth advice for players? Share in the comments sections below.