A player successfully pickpockets a guard with Gloves of silence.
Thieving is a members-only skill that allows players to obtain coins and items by stealing from market stalls, chests, or by pickpocketing non-player characters (NPCs). This skill also allows players to unlock doors and disarm traps. The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 859,929) on the hiscores for Thieving is level 15.
Pickpocketing
A player successfully pickpockets a guard.
This is the act of walking up to an NPC and right clicking them, then selecting Pickpocket. If successful, you will gain thieving experience and possibly coins or various items.
However, it is possible for the NPC to notice a pickpocket, in which case the NPC will yell "What do you think you're doing!", or Master Farmer says: "Cor blimey mate, what are ye doing in me pockets?" or some other surprised saying and stun you for four seconds, which will take off a few of your Hitpoints. Because of the possibility for damage, it is recommended that players bring food.
The equipment that a player wears does not affect the success rate, aside from H.A.M. robes (when pickpocketing H.A.M. members) or Gloves of silence. However, equipping a bow without arrows makes it impossible to accidentally attack an NPC.
Thievable NPCs
Image NPC name Level Exp. Possible loot Stun time (seconds) Stun damage File:Thiefman.PNG Man/Woman 1 8 3 coins 5 1 File:Thieffarmer.PNG Farmer 10 15 9 coins, potato seeds 5 1 File:Thiefhamwoman.PNG Female H.A.M. member 15 18.5 coins, tinderbox, logs, uncut semi-precious gems, level 1 clue scrolls, steel pickaxes/ raw anchovies, raw chicken, H.A.M. clothing, iron pickaxes, low-level herbs and other items. Wearing H.A.M. clothing increases the success rate. 4 1-3 File:Thiefhamman.PNG Male H.A.M. member 20 22.5 coins, tinderbox, logs, uncut semi-precious gems, level 1 clue scrolls, raw anchovies, raw chicken, H.A.M. clothing, bronze pickaxes, iron pickaxes, steel pickaxes, low-level herbs, rusty sword and other items. Wearing H.A.M. clothing increases the success rate. 4 1-3 File:Thiefwarrior.PNG Warrior woman/Al-Kharid Warrior 25 26 18 coins 5 2 File:Thiefrogue.PNG Rogue 32 35.5 25-40 coins, wine, air runes, poisoned iron dagger, lockpick 5 2 File:Thiefcavegoblin.PNG Cave goblin 36 40 30 coins, Oil Lamp, Bullseye Lantern, unlit torch, tinderbox, swamp tar, cave goblin foods, 1-4 iron ore 5 1 File:Thiefmasterfarmer.PNG Master Farmer 38 43 Various Allotment, Flower, and Herb Seeds. Potatoes most common, rarity increases with the farming level of the seed. 5 3 File:Thiefguard.PNG Guard 40 46.5 30 coins 5 2 File:Thieffremenik.PNG Fremennik Citizen 45 65 40 coins 5 2 File:Thiefbandit.PNG Bearded Pollnivnian Bandit 45 65 Antipoison, Lockpick, 40 coins 5 5 File:Thiefdesertbandit.PNG Desert Bandit 53 79.5 30 coins, Antipoison, Lockpick 5 3 File:Thiefknight.PNG Knight 55 84.3 50 coins 5 3 File:Thiefbandit.PNG Pollnivian Bandit 55 84 50 coins 5 5 File:Thiefwatchman.PNG Yanille Watchman 65 137.5 60 coins, bread 5 3 File:Thiefthug.PNG Menaphite Thug 65 137.5 60 coins 5 5 File:Thiefpaladin.PNG Paladin 70 151.75 80 coins, and 2 chaos runes 5 3 File:Thiefgnome.PNG Gnome 75 198.5 300 coins, 1 earth rune, gold ore, Fire orb, swamp toad, King worm 5 1 File:Thiefhero.PNG Hero 80 275 200-300 coins, 2 death runes, blood rune, Fire orb, diamond, gold ore, wine 6 4 File:Thiefelf.PNG Elf 85 353 250-350 coins, Fire orb, gold ore, Wine, 2 death runes, cut diamonds, unicorn horn, dark wizard robe, 3 nature runes 6 5
Stalls
A player stealing Silk.
There are a large number of stalls throughout RuneScape, although many of them are in the Ardougne Market. To steal from a stall, simply click on it. The player will then attempt to steal the item.
If he is in the line of sight of the stall owner or any nearby guards, he may be prevented by stealing and attacked. Because of this, it is recommended that the player thieve from a side of a stall that is well-hidden from the owner and guards.
When the item is stolen, it will take a short period of time to respawn. However, the higher thieving level it takes to steal from a stall, the longer its respawn time will be. It should be noted you may not buy from or sell to the stall owner for 5 minutes after last theft from their stall type, or else the merchant will shout for the guards.
In order to avoid guards from attacking you while stealing from stalls, a convenient method is to allow the guard to attack, then enter the nearest building, allowing the guard to follow you in. Then take one step outside and close the door, thus effectively trapping the guard and leaving you free to steal from the stall uninterrupted.
In RuneScape Classic, the player has to wait 24 hours. Also in RuneScape Classic, the baker in Ardougne will not know if a player steals his cakes.
Thievable stalls
- Note: "E.P.S" is "Experience Per Second," which means: how much experience you would get per second based on if you are thieving as fast as possible, and only stopping due to respawn time. All E.P.S. values are rounded to one decimal place.
- Note: Based on E.P.S., the Baker's Stall is by far the quickest for gaining experience, for any level thief.
- Note: In Keldagrim, stalls often differ in respawn time and their experience given. The gem and silver stalls respawn twice as fast, but yield half the experience. The bakery stall, however, respawns twice as slow, but gives twice the experience.
Chests
A player successfully disarms, and steals from a chest.
There are chests scattered throughout RuneScape, and some of them have traps. To disarm them using the Thieving skill, right-click on the chest and select "Search for traps" to allow you character to disarm the trap and obtain the items inside.
After a player thieves from a chest, he will need to wait for a short period of time before he can do so again.
Thievable chests
Chest Level Exp. Items Location Respawn Time 10-coin chest 10 7 10 coins Ardougne, Rellekka 7 seconds Nature-rune chest 28 25 3 coins, Nature runes Ardougne, Rellekka 8 seconds 50-coin chest 43 125 50 coins Ardougne, Axe hut 55 seconds Pirates' Hideout 39 7-8 from 2 chests, ? from second 2 chests 500 coins, runes Pirates' Hideout ? seconds Arrowtip chest 47 150 5 Steel arrowtips Hemenster, Rellekka 210 seconds Dorgesh-Kaan (Average chests) 52 200 Coins, Oil lantern, bullseye lantern (extremely common), cave goblin mining helmet, frog armour, cave goblin wire, gold charm, crimson charm, blue charm, green charm Zanik's house only: rope, bone bolts, bone crossbow, bone dagger, clue scroll, H.A.M clothes, spade, bucket, hammer, newcomer map, big bones. Oldak's house only: runes (air, earth, fire, water, body, mind, cosmic, nature, death, law), staff orb, talismans (air, earth, fire, water), light orb, empty light orb, Oldak's Marvellous Moving-Over-Distance Sphere Dorgesh-Kaan 210 seconds Blood rune chest 59 250 500 coins, 2 Blood runes Chaos druid tower 135 seconds Paladin chest 72 500 1,000 coins, Raw sharks, Adamant ores, uncut sapphire Ardougne Palace 120 seconds Dorgesh-Kaan (Rich chests) 78 650 500-2,500 coins, uncut sapphire, uncut ruby, uncut diamond, uncut opal, uncut jade, uncut red topaz, bullseye lantern, cave goblin mining helmet, frog armour, iron bar, Dorgeshuun light orb, empty light orb, charms (all types) Dorgesh-Kaan 400 seconds
Doors
Certain doors in RuneScape can not be opened by players unless the lock is picked. In order to pick a lock, right-click on a door and select "Pick Lock". If the player has the required thieving level, the door will then be opened. Some doors will require a lockpick to successfully pick the lock.
Pickable doors
Door Level Exp. Location Door to 10-coin chest 1 3.5 East Ardougne Door to Nature rune chest 14 15 East Ardougne Ardougne house door 14 15 East Ardougne H.A.M. trapdoor 17 4 East of Draynor Axe hut door 32 25 Level 54 Wilderness Ardougne sewer gate 32 25 Ardougne sewers Pirates' Hideout 39 35 Level 54 Wilderness Chaos druid tower 46 37.5 North of Ardougne Paladin door 61 50 Ardougne Palace Yanille dungeon door 82 50 Yanille
Other
Name Level Exp. Location Possible Loot Stun Time (seconds) Stun Damage Candle table 20 20 Entrana church Candle 1 1 - A higher power smites you.
Training strategies
- For any level, you can pickpocket anyone with ' ' in their name(e.g. 'The Guns') in the Tower of Life south of Ardougne. They drop triangle sandwiches, only hit for 1 damage, and give 8 experience each.
- For levels 15 and up pickpocketing H.A.M. members can prove to be profitable because you can get clue scrolls while pickpocketing them
- From level 1-10, pickpocket men in Edgeville (3 coins/pick) (there are many men in the building that is north of bank).
- From level 10-20, steal cakes from the Baker's Stall in East Ardougne or tea from the Tea Stall in Varrock. Note that there are not guards or "law enforcement" at the Varrock Tea stall,so every attempt is guaranteed experience and a cup of tea. However, respawn is slightly slower at Varrock.
- From level 20-35, steal silk from the silk stalls in East Ardougne. After ten minutes of not stealing from these stalls, you can sell the silk back to the merchant for 60 coins each (cannot be sold noted).
- From level 35-45, the fur stall in East Ardougne will prove a faster source of experience and coins than the silk stall. After stealing grey wolf fur, these can be banked, and later sold to Baraek in Varrock, who will buy each pelt for 120 coins each (or 150 coins each if the Ring of Charos (a) is equipped).
- From level 45-55, pickpocket Master Farmers
- From level 55-80, pickpocket Knight of Ardougne.
- For levels 65+, pickpocket Menaphite Thugs (with a Maple blackjack for best results). With good timing, the thug can be knocked out and then pickpocketed twice before he wakes up.
- From level 71-99, play the Pyramid Plunder minigame. Note that this can be done at lower levels but is much more difficult.
- From level 80-99, pickpocket Paladins in Ardougne.
- Playing the Sorceress's Garden minigame can be a useful source of both thieving and Farming experience, as well as a possible source of herbs. It is also the only method of training where no damage is received to hitpoints, so may be a useful training alternative for those with low hitpoint levels.
Power Training
If players wish to gain a lot of experience in a small amount of time, and doesn't really want anything except for experience, this guide should be followed.
- From level 1-42, follow the general training guide.
- Complete The Feud, to get 45 Thieving and a Willow blackjack.
- Complete the blackjacks part of Rogue Trader to gain access to offensive, defensive, and Maple blackjacks. Buy a Maple blackjack.
- From level 45-55, blackjack Bearded Pollnivnian Bandits with a Maple blackjack, bought from Ali Morrisane.
- From level 55-65, blackjack Pollnivian Bandits with the same method as with Bearded Pollnvinian Bandits.
- From level 65-91 or 99, blackjack Menaphite thugs just like with the bandits.
- At 91 Thieving, Pyramid Plunder starts to give the same experience as Menaphites. This can be used to get from 91 to 99, however Menaphites are just as fast. Pyramid Plunder will cost more, because of the food and antipoisons, but it will be more fun, and less right clicking is required. This method is recommended for laptop users.
Note: For those who do not wish to continually right-click for thieving and blackjacking, you may set your mouse to one button, so you only have to left-click.
Tips
- When pickpocketing, a failed attempt results in the character being stunned for a few seconds. While stunned you may not move or pickpocket. However, you can drop unwanted items AND more importantly you can eat food in order to regain some health. Therefore, it is recommend waiting until you are stunned before you eat food to regain hitpoints.
- Certain locations are better suited to thieving than others. For instance if your respawn point is set to Falador, the Faladorian guards make excellent marks for training your thieving. Just divest yourself of all items and pickpocket away. When you eventually die, you will be respawned in Falador square. Due to its proximity to a bank, the Draynor Village farmer's market is an excellent location to thieve. Note that you WILL want to use food here.
- When a guard attacks you, just lure him into a nearby house and close the door. Do this until all guards are gone, and now you will not be interrupted while stealing.
Temporary boosts
A player wearing the Thieving cape.
- A Bandit's Brew, purchased at the desert bandit camp for 650 coins will boost thieving by one.
- A yellow spicy stew has the potential to raise or lower the thieving level by up to 6 levels.
- The summer sqi'rk juice from the Sorceress's Garden minigame increases Thieving level by 3 levels.
- The Thieving Fingers special move of a magpie will boost thieving by two levels.
- Gloves of silence improve the success rate of pickpocketing. Gloves of silence are automatically destroyed after around 50 times getting caught while pickpocketing. However, they can be repaired by using dark kebbit fur on them with a needle, thread, and knife.
- An Abyssal lurker's special move can increase both thieving and agility by 4, although the pouch is difficult to obtain and it requires medium summoning level.
Random events
A player is trapped in a pillory.
There are four different random events that are specific to thieving.
- Watchman - A watchman may attempt to arrest a player and begin to attack him or her. This event has been discontinued.
- Poison Gas - When thieving from a chest, a poison cloud may appear, which will poison your character.
- Pillory - It is possible that your character will be teleported to a pillory in Yanille, Varrock, or Seer's Village, where shapes must be matched in order to pick the lock and return to where your character was thieving. It is possible for players to throw food at the trapped player, although it wont do any damage.
- Rick Turpentine - It is possible that you will meet him when thieving NPC's. Just simply talk to him and you will be rewarded and he will disappear.
Thieving minigames
A player attempts to steal from the safe in the Rogue's Den.
There are a number of minigames that are based on, or include Thieving:
- Pyramid Plunder - the desert city Sophanem has a pyramid where you can thieve for artefacts. As you get further into the Pyramid, higher thieving is required but it brings increasing amounts of Thieving experience. One of the fastest methods to train Thieving.
- Blackjack - Another Thieving activity in the desert where you can knock out and pickpocket bearded bandits, Pollnivneach bandits, Menaphite thugs, and villagers.
- Rogue's Den - Traverse a maze with Thieving and Agility obstacles, earning modest experience in each skill, and also the chance of gaining Rogue equipment. Perhaps more interesting for thieves are the safes located within the dungeon. Good for experience and for the gems that you obtain as loot.
- Sorceress's Garden - An interesting game where you dodge guards and try to get fruits to make sq'irk juice. Requires patience, pestle and mortar, beer glasses, a bit of skill, and experience, but yields excellent experience, with moderate Farming experience also gained. Has four levels each giving increased experience at levels 1, 25, 45, and 65. Empty beer glasses can be obtained for free at the shelves at the Sorceress's house. Also, a possible alternative source of Herb collecting. (Note: Completion of the Prince Ali Rescue quest is needed to play.)
See also
References
- RuneScape Game Guide
Template:Wpalso
| Combat | |
| Gathering |
 Mining Fishing Woodcutting Farming Hunter Divination Archaeology |
| Artisan |
 Herblore Crafting Fletching Smithing Cooking Firemaking Runecrafting Construction |
| Support |
 Agility Thieving Slayer Dungeoneering |
| Elite |
 Invention |
| Upcoming |
|
| Former skills |
 Hitpoints |
