How to quietly defeat Sleepers in GTFO

GTFO players can attest that Sleepers are one of the more unnerving and unpleasant monsters in gaming’s recent history. These translucent humanoid aberrations come in many forms and sizes, their twisted forms littered across the game’s claustrophobic environments. As their name suggests, Sleepers are typically encountered in a dormant state and won’t attack players unless they’ve been woken up. Unfortunately, almost everything wakes them up, so it is critical for GTFO players to get used to taking Sleepers out quietly to avoid messy fights against the horde.

Weapons and stealth

The basic and most resource-efficient method to defeat Sleepers in GTFO is to approach them without waking them and then kill them with a single charged attack with your melee weapon. In order to kill in one hit, the weapon needs to connect with the Sleeper’s head or nape. While the Hammer and Spear deal the most damage per hit, all melee weapons can one-hit regular Sleepers, provided the strike lands in the right spot. Larger enemies may require multiple hits (four at a maximum), so killing them quietly requires perfect coordination with teammates. Large enemies are not as commonly encountered as Sleepers, which makes these opportunities rare.

Landing the killing blow to quietly defeat Sleepers in GTFO isn’t very hard, but getting to them without waking them is the tricky part. Touching them, running near them, hitting anything in their vicinity with a melee weapon, or failing a lock test will instantly wake a Sleeper. They will also awaken if a nearby Sleeper screams, or if a Scout in their area is alerted. Naturally, the sounds of gunfire or explosions also wake them. Avoid these instant-alarm situations, and approach Sleepers slowly and quietly.

Red light, green light

When you first get close to Sleepers in GTFO, they enter a heightened awareness state indicated by a pulsating glow emanating from their body. This state is also triggered if you shine a flashlight on them or make noise from far away. The heightened awareness state lasts a couple of seconds, and while in it Sleepers will awaken if you continue to move near them (unless crouch-walking) or cast light on them (except with Glowsticks). In this state, they can also sense other nearby Sleepers, and will wake up if a Sleeper is stealth-killed in their field of view.

As you can see, to defeat Sleepers in GTFO quietly you need patience, situational awareness, communication with your team, and more patience. This part of the gameplay is very rigid and methodical, though it gets much easier with practice. Eventually, taking Sleepers out quietly becomes second nature and you can focus on the other equally rigid and methodical parts of GTFO.