Stealth

**Stealth** is one of the 6 core stats in the game currently. Stealth relates to how effective the player is at hiding from enemies, whether it be sneaking up on them or hiding from an encounter.

Of the six base stats in the game, stealth is perhaps the hardest one to optimize. Mastering stealth can open up countless new options in gameplay. It allows builds with low HP to avoid potentially game ending encounters. It allows builds with lower mobility to get in range of players that could easily out speed them. And it can enable DPS mains to strike before a tank player has the chance to raise their defenses. Stealth functions as one of the few counters to team strategies. Because if the targets teammates don't notice a problem, they won't come to the aid of their ally.

## Abilities

Like other stats, high stealth allows for certain unique abilities that can greatly help in match ups against other players.

### Color Change

A common example of a high-stealth ability is Color Change. This skill is seen on many cephalopods and other aquatic builds, while terrestrial color-change builds include the Chameleon and the White Crab Spider.

### Silent Movement

A useful ability for terrestrial stealth builds, the silent movement related skills allow many players to move through normally loud environments with little to no noise as a result. The Lynx, an arctic cat build, uses this ability to silently move through snow and sneak up on other players. This ability is also shared by most other cat players like the Jaguar and Leopard and even some aerial builds like the owl or even some bats.

### Patterns

An extremely useful ability for predatory stealth builds operating the terrestrial servers, and this ability allows players to blend in with surroundings and even move fairly well as long as the pattern effectively matches the surroundings. The Jaguar and Tiger, both high stealth builds, use patterns (rosettes/spots and stripes respectively) as camouflage in order to sneak up on other players. Two patterns are used the most frequently: spots and stripes.

### Ink

This is an ability exclusive to aquatic stealth builds, due to the nature of shooting liquid everywhere being different on terrestrial servers. The ink ability gives the user a temporary maximum stealth stat, and blinds the enemy. This gives the user enough time to escape from the encounter. The most well-known user is the Octopus.

### Shape-shift

This highly coveted ability allows the player to change the shape of their body and skin to allow for ridiculous levels of camouflage. However, since the ability is so powerful, it is only available to the Cuttlefish, the current highest stealth build in the entire game.

## High-Stealth Builds

### Aquatic

As previously mentioned, the highest stealth build in the game, the Cuttlefish, is part of the aquatic server.  However, many other builds have a high-stealth stat and the ability to change color. Examples would be squids, octopides, and many other mollusks have this ability. They also share the Ink ability, which is very useful for escaping after their cover is blown. Some Sharks such as the Tiger Shark have high stealth as well. In river biomes, Crocodilians have the highest stealth which allows them to ambush prey that is drinking from a river or lake.

### Terrestrial

The Chameleon is the highest stealth build on land, even though most chameleon players like to live in arboreal servers. It can change color to blend in with it's surroundings. Cats also tend to have high stealth which allows them to be excellent ambush hunters. Some Rodent builds, such as the Rat, have high stealth, so they can evade larger, more aggressive builds.

### Arboreal

Due to the fact that foliage already provides a significant stealth bonus, speccing into stealth is much less important in the arboreal zones. A few builds such as Squirrels that need to venture on the ground have higher stealth than most other builds there. The arboreal build with the highest stealth is the sloth build, which was forced to spec into it to compensate for it's abysmal mobility. Stick insects have great stealth as well, being able to blend in with branches and leaves.

### Aerial

Flying builds generally have average stealth, but builds like the owl have high stealth stats. Their high stealth is also benefited by the fact that they are nocturnal. This allows them to use their exceptional eyesight and hearing to be effective ambush hunters.

## Counters

### Night Vision

Night vision counters patterns, color change, and shape-shift. Night vision is a trait held by Owls, many big cats, raccoons, and many snakes. The trait is caused by putting evolution points into eye sight until you see the upgrade pupil dilation, or light receptors.

### Heat Vision

Counters everything apart from cold blooded animals. This trait is held by some snakes, mosquitoes, and vampire bats. It is caused by the upgrade protein channels.

### Electro-reception

Electro-reception is an ability utilized mainly by most Shark builds, the Platypus build, as well as the banned Spinosaurus and certain builds of Rays. It allows the user to sense all movement in a 360° angle by detecting electric waves given off by animals.

### Echolocation

Echolocation is an ability used mainly by Bats, Shrews, and most Cetaceans. It is a form of sonar that is sent directly forward. When the sound projected bounces off of objects in the path of the sound, they will return to the caster, who will be able to determine the size and distance of the object, among other things.

### Bloodsense

Bloodsense is an ability that allows the caster to detect any amount of blood in a large body of water, utilized mainly by Sharks. The Great White Shark's bloodsense is strong enough for the build to detect a single drop of blood in 25 gallons of water.