Originally posted by dunbaratu:

Originally posted by Midas:

It depends on playstyle because if you use stuff like stealth you'll lean on bursts and hit-and-run tactics, which requires a larger pool of stamina, but demands less sustain.

So, yes, it's a matter of playstyle. Because your tactics and weapon choices will also determine fight duration. Not all weapons are equally-effective against all targets.

You're implying you can re-hide from an enemy after your first initial hit calls out your location to them. I've never seen that work, ever. Once the first hit gets a backstab bonus, after that my stealth is blown for the rest of the fight. I've never been able to break away from them, and it feels like the game ignores things like line of sight and soft cover so the only thing that works is to run really really far away so it effectively is a second new fight when you come back a few minutes later.

I'm implying that getting a good stealth attack off does several attacks worth of damage in a single hit potentially, and when utilized properly can allow you to kill enemies in a single bar of stamina without needing any recovery at all. Also depending on the enemy, you can land several backstabs on several enemies before they actually engage you, like Draugr. You can also potentially kill enemies quickly enough to not alert nearby enemies so long as you can return to a sneaking state and get out of LoS before they get too close.

So, yeah, play-style.