Stealth Help (what’s non-negotiable)

Long time player first time stealth build user, however. Running Bow and one chameleon with 4 nocturnal on civil engineer (no access to covert armor).

It’s sort of just a hard mechanic for me to wrap my head around what’s the best way to do it. I’ve seen some say run chameleon on everything, or make sure to keep weight down. Wondering what everyone’s thoughts are.