Your best bet for staying flexible in combat starts with mastering the perfect block timing, which becomes really obvious when you see enemies shift their weight just before striking. Keep your distance around two sword lengths away and watch for that slight shoulder rotation, that's your cue to counter. Getting the timing down makes a huge difference especially against multiple opponents

For stealth routes you'll want darker clothes obviously but the real trick is switching between three main loadouts - I've found noble gear works great for talking your way past guards while keeping some bloody armor handy can actually help intimidate people which is pretty neat. The new crossbow is fantastic for silent takedowns just remember to aim slightly above targets beyond 20 paces since the bolt drop is pretty significant

Combat-wise, you've got specific timing windows to exploit. After a perfect block there's about a one-second opening for a riposte, and during clinches if you're quick with directional input you can actually control where your opponent staggers. Really important detail - maces absolutely wreck plate armor so keep one ready when you spot heavily armored enemies approaching. The stamina drain is pretty brutal though so make sure you're managing that bar carefully

A nice thing to remember about stealth fails is you can usually salvage the situation. Guards typically search in predictable patterns, spacing out every 15-20 seconds which gives you perfect windows to either slip away or set up for some speech checks. Just keep an eye on your reputation meter since it affects merchant prices and quest availability pretty significantly