Thieving Guide

Introduction

Thieves. Some consider them no good fiends, preying on innocent citizens. Some consider them heroes, their nimble fingers admirable in their speed. Others understand the brotherhood that is Thievery. Thievery is the members-only skill of becoming wealthy at the expense of others. Master this skill and you and can pickpocket any NPC, pick any lock, disarm any trap and steal from any stall. Thieving can reward you with heaps of money, stacks of runes and enticing valuables.

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Pickpocketing

Pickpocketing is the most basic method of thieving. To pick an NPC's pocket, right-click on it, and select the 'Pickpocket' option.

Thieving Right-Click

If you are successful, you gain some loot and thieving experience. If unsuccessful however, you will be stunned by the NPC for about 4 seconds and have damage done to you (the amount depends on the NPC). When stunned, you will see and hear birds circling your head and be unable to walk or pickpocket. Instead, use this time to heal your life points (by eating food or some other method) or drop unwanted bounty.

Pickpocket Stun

The higher your thieving level, the less likely you are to be caught by your victims. Additionally, level 54 hunters can make and wear gloves of silence. These gloves decrease the chances of being caught while pickpocketing, but can wear out after extended use. Luckily, they can also be repaired. See the item page and Thieving Aids section for more details.

Below is a table with properties for each thievable NPC.

NPCs to pickpocket
Picture Name and Location Skill Level Needed Exp. Damage if Stunned Loot
Pickpocketing Trainer Pickpocketing Trainer 1 60 1 1 hanky point
Woman Man/Woman
  • Throughout Runescape
1 8 10 3 gp
Farmer Farmer
  • Farms and wheat fields
10 14.5 10

Any seeds obtained cannot be sold to Seed Stalls for a short period of time, or the shopkeeper will call for a guard. This will span across any world you log into until the time is up. Times will vary.
9 gp, potato seeds, clue scrolls (easy)

After completing Buyers and Cellars quest: Acorn, Asgarnian seed, Barley seed, Cabbage seed, Cadavaberry seed, Guam seed, Hammerstone seed, Marigold seed, Marrentill seed, Nasturtium seed, Onion seed, Redberry seed, Tarromin seed, Willow seed
H.A.M. Female H.A.M. Member (female) * 15 18.5 10 - 20

If caught too much, you may be thrown outdoors or jailed. Pick the jail door lock (no lockpick required) to get out.
coins, tinderbox, logs, uncut gems, clue scrolls (easy), raw anchovies, cowhide, raw chicken, H.A.M. clothing, iron pickaxe, herbs, odd items (rusty swords, damaged armour, buttons, etc.

After completing Buyers and Cellars quest: Coal (noted), Iron ore (noted), Slayer staff, Steel studs
H.A.M. Male H.A.M. Member (male) * 20 22.2 20 - 30

If caught too much, you may be thrown outdoors or jailed. Pick the jail door lock (no lockpick required) to get out.
coins, tinderbox, logs, uncut gems, clue scrolls (easy), raw anchovies, raw chicken, H.A.M. clothing, iron pickaxe, rusty sword, damaged armour, buttons, cowhide, etc.

After completing Buyers and Cellars quest: Coal (noted), Iron ore (noted), Slayer staff, Steel studs
H.A.M. Guard HAM Guard * 23 22.2 10 - 30
bronze, iron, steel, or silver key (unlock gem and jewellery chests in the storeroom); clue scrolls (easy), coins, cowhide, herb, leather body, logs, needle, thread, tinderbox, uncut gems; raw anchovies, raw chicken, H.A.M. clothing; bronze iron or steel arrows, axe, dagger, pickaxe; buttons, damaged armour, rusty sword, etc.
Al-Kharid Warrior Al-Kharid warrior
  • Al-Kharid
25 26 20 18 gp, Court summons
Warrior Woman Warrior Woman
  • Ardougne
  • Varrock Castle
25 26 20 18 gp, Court summons
Rogue Rogue
  • Wilderness, level 54 (Rogues Castle and slightly south-west of Mage Arena)
32 36.5 20 25 gp, 40 gp, 45 gp, air runes (8), lockpick, iron dagger (p), wine, gold bar

After completing Buyers and Cellars quest: Adamant dagger (p)
Cave Goblin Cave Goblin 36 40 10

If you are caught, there is a chance that a Cave Goblin Guard may attack you.
24-50 gp, Unlit Bullseye Lantern, Cave Goblin Wire, Frogspawn Gumbo, Frogburger, Fingers, Bat Shish, Swamp Tar, Iron ore (1,2 or 4), Green Gloop Soup, Unlit Torch, Coated Frog's Legs, Crispy Frog's Legs, Tinderbox
Master Farmer Master Farmer
  • Draynor Market, North of Ardougne, South of Varrock
38 43 30

Any seeds obtained cannot be sold to Seed Stalls for a short period of time, or the shopkeeper will call for a guard. This will span across any world you log into until the time is up. Times will vary.
All types of seeds (except tree, fruit tree, spirit weed, wergali and evil turnip)
Guard Guard
  • Many towns
40 46.8 20 30 gp
Fremennik Citizen Fremennik Citizen **
  • Rellekka
45 65 20 40 gp
Pollnivneach Bandit 1 Bandit (level 41) **
  • Pollnivneach
45 65 50 40 gp
Desert Bandit Desert Bandit
  • Bandit Camp, West Kharidian Desert
53 79.4 30 30 gp, antipoison potion (1 dose), lockpick
Knight Knight of Ardougne
  • Ardougne
55 84.3 30 50 gp, Court summons
Pollnivneach Bandit 2 Bandit (lvl 56) **
  • Pollnivneach
55 84.3 50 50 gp
Yanille Watchman Watchman
  • Yanille Watchtower
65 137.5 30 60 gp, Bread
 Menaphite Thug Menaphite thug **
  • Pollnivneach
65 137.5 50 60 gp
Paladin Paladin
  • Ardougne
70 151.8 30 80 gp, Chaos rune(2), Court summons
Gnome Gnome
  • Gnome stronghold
75 198.3 10 200-400 gp, Gold nugget, Earth rune(1), Swamp toad, King worm, Fire orb, Court summons
Hero Hero
  • Ardougne
80 273.3 40 100-300 gp, Death rune(2), Blood rune(1), Jug of Wine, Diamond, Gold nugget, Fire orb, Court summons
Elf Elves **
  • Lletya
85 353.3 50 250-350 gp, Fire orb, Gold ore, Nature rune(3), Jug of wine, Death rune(2), Diamond, Unicorn horn, Dark wizard robe, Triskelion fragment 1, 2 or 3
Dwarf Trader Dwarf Trader *** 90 556.5 10 100-400 gp, Reed seed, Snape grass seed, Butterfly flower seed, Fly trap seed, Barberry seed, Sunchoke seed, Prickly pear seed, Grapevine seed, Potato cactus seed, Wishing well bush seed, Bronze bar(noted), Copper ore (noted), Iron bar(noted), Mithril bar(noted), Runite ore(noted), Court summons, clue scroll(hard), Triskelion fragment 1, 2 or 3

* Jagex has announced that wearing a full set of H.A.M. robes improves your ability to blend in at H.A.M. headquarters and succeed more with your thieving attempts.

** You must complete the Fremennik Trials quest to thieve from the citizens of Rellekka, the Feud quest to thieve from Pollnivneach Bandits and Menaphite Thugs, and must have begun the Mourning's End Part 1 quest to access the elf city Lletya in Tirannwn to thieve from elves.

*** You may pay your company director, in a method identical to their tasks in The Giant Dwarf, to stop the guards from attacking you when you pickpocket the traders of other companies for 10 minutes. This is very useful as the guards can deal a large amount of damage.

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Multiple Pickpockets

Agility plays a large role in pickpocketing. With certain Agility and Thieving levels, there is a possibility of doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling the loot you receive! The result is the same as pickpocketing the NPC 2, 3, or 4 times, but in the time in takes to pickpocket them once. No experience is granted for additional pickpockets. These levels are shown in the table below. Note that these levels are exact; you do not have any chance of performing multiple pickpockets until you reach the listed requirements.

Multiple pickpockets
NPC Base level 2x 3x 4x
Thieving Agility Thieving Agility Thieving Agility
Man/Woman 1 11 1 21 11 31 21
Farmer 10 20 10 30 20 40 30
H.A.M. Member (female) 15 25 15 35 25 45 35
H.A.M. Member (male) 20 30 20 40 30 50 40
Warrior 25 45 35 55 45 65 55
Rogue 32 42 32 52 42 62 52
Cave Goblin 36 46 36 56 46 66 56
Master Farmer 38 48 38 58 48 68 58
Guard 40 50 40 60 50 70 60
Fremennik Citizen 45 55 45 65 55 75 65
Bandit (lvl 41) 45 55 45 65 55 75 65
Desert Bandit 53 63 53 73 63 83 73
Knight 55 65 55 75 65 85 75
Bandit (lvl 56) 55 65 55 75 65 85 75
Yanille Watchman 65 75 65 85 75 95 85
Menaphite Thug 65 75 65 85 75 95 85
Paladin 70 80 70 90 80 -
Gnome 75 85 75 95 85 -
Hero 80 90 80 - -
Elves 85 95 85 - -
Dwarf Trader 90 - - -
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Stealing from stalls

Market stalls are another source of loot. The Ardougne marketplace contains the largest number of RuneScapes thievable stalls, but there are several others scattered across the land, such as those that can found in Draynor Village or on Ape Atoll. To thieve from a stall right-click on it, and select the 'Steal from' option.

Thieving Stall

Stealing from stalls does have its complications. The stall owner as well as guards, paladins, and warriors are out to apprehend us honest thieves. If a stall owner notices a thieving attempt, you will be blocked from taking the goods for a short duration and yelled at; hired guards that catch you will stop the attempt as well as attack you. Positioning is the key to stealing from stalls; if a stall owner or guard has their vision obstructed, they will not bother you. Use the stall and other pieces of scenery (crates, boxes, other stalls etc.) as cover and break line of sight.

After a stall has been robbed, it takes some time for its contents to respawn; the rate varies based on a number of factors, such as the type of stall and the number of people on the server. The values given in the table below are merely a guideline.

Stalls to steal from
Stall and Location Level needed Experience Respawn time (seconds, avg.) NPCs to elude Loot
Veg stall
  • Miscellania
2 10 1 Greengrocer, Skraeling Onion, Tomato, Cabbage, Garlic, Potato
Cake stall
  • Ardougne
  • Keldagrim
5 16 2.5 Baker, Warriors, Guards Cake, Bread, Meat Pie, Slice of chocolate cake.
General Stall
  • Marim
5 16 10 Monkey Archers Tinderbox, Hammer, Pot
Crafting Stall
  • Marim
  • Keldagrim
5 16 10 Monkey Archers, Black Guards Chisel, Necklace mould, Ring mould
Food Stall
  • Marim
5 16 10 None Banana
Tea stall
  • Varrock
5 16 2.5 Tea Seller Tea
Rock cake stall
  • Gu'Tanoth
15 10 5 Ogre trader and Ogre guards Rock cake
Silk stall
  • Ardougne
  • Keldagrim**
20 24 5 Silk Merchant, Warriors, Guards, Knights Silk
Wine Stall
  • Draynor Village
22 27 15 Fortunato, Market Guards Grapes, Jug, Bottle of wine, Jug of water, Jug of wine
Seed stall
  • Draynor Village
27 10 5 Market Guards, Olivia Seeds
Fur stall
  • Ardougne
  • Rellekka
35 36 15 Fur Merchant, Guard, Market guard Grey Wolf fur
Fish stall
  • Rellekka
  • Miscellania
42 42 15 Fish monger, Market guard, Skraeling Raw tuna, Raw salmon, Raw lobster (rare)
Crossbow stall
  • Keldagrim
49 52 20 Hirko, Black guard Bronze crossbow limbs, Wooden crossbow stock, Bronze bolts(3)
Silver stall
  • Ardougne
  • Keldagrim
50 54 30 Silver Merchant, Warriors, Guards, Paladins Silver ore
Magic Stall
  • Marim
65 100 60 Monkey Archers Air rune(1), Earth rune(1), Fire rune(1), Water rune(1)
Spice stall
  • Ardougne
65 81.3 80 Spice Merchant, Knights, Paladins Spice
Scimitar Stall
  • Marim
65 160 60 Monkey Archers Iron scimitar
Gem stall
  • Ardougne
  • Keldagrim
75 160 180 Gem Merchant, Knights, Paladins, Heroes. Uncut gem(sapphire to diamond)

**Note: the "Silk" stall in Keldagrim cannot actually be stolen from. A "steal-from" option will be displayed, but selecting it will only yield a message that there is nothing interesting and nothing will happen.

All repossessed goods can be sold to a general store or on the Grand Exchange or used yourself. Thieves must also wait ten minutes after pilfering a stall before attempting to speak to the stall owner, who will otherwise call the guards. You can bypass this waiting period by carrying a Vial of stench (a); see the Thieving Aids for more information. Fur thieves may want to resell grey wolf fur to Baraek in Varrock; to obtain his top price wear a Ring of charos(a).

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Picking locks and Disarming traps

Some of RuneScape's more selfish citizens try to lock their belongings away, unwilling to share. Being able to pick these locks (and disarm traps on chests) is a great way of getting some loot. Picking locks and disarming traps on doors can lead to interesting regions of RuneScape that would have been otherwise blocked. To picklock a door or disarm a chest trap, simply right-click and choose the relevant option. For some doors, a lockpick is necessary. These are thievable from Rogues or can be purchased from other players (or from Martin Thwait in the Flash Powder Factory if you are level 50). Lockpicks also respawn deep in the Yanille agility dungeon; level 57 agility is required.

Picking locks   Disarming traps

When you disarm traps on chests, the treasure will be automatically looted. Since chests take a while to replenish themselves, pass the time by pickpocketing NPCs or thieving stalls. Below is a table showing different chests and their details. Open up the world map to locate the exact positions of the listed chests.

Chests to thieve from
Loot Level needed Exp Location
10 gp 13 7.5
  • East entrance of Ardougne just before the market place, the building to the north of the road.
  • The second floor of the house just north of Ardougne church, the east chest.
  • Magic Axe house in level 54 wilderness.
Nature Rune and 3 gp 28 25
  • East entrance of Ardougne just before the market place, the north chest in the building to the south of the road.
  • The second floor of the house just north of Ardougne church, the west chest.
  • Upstairs in Skulgrimmen's Helmet Shop in Rellekka. The Fremennik Trials quest is required to access this chest.
50 gp 43 125
  • East entrance of Ardougne just before the market place, the south chest in the building to the South of the road.
  • West chest in the basement of Mourner's Headquarters in West Ardougne. You can only reach this chest if you are doing or have done Mourning's End Part 1. A complete Mourner's outfit (gas mask, cloak, gloves, boots, Mourner's top, and Mourner's trousers) must be worn to enter the building. If you change clothes while in the building, a level 108 mourner will attack. A lockpick is required and the chest must be searched for traps. Traps may hit for 140 damage.
5 Steel arrow tips 47 150
  • House in the town of Hemenster next to the fishing guild. Gives bonus 20 gp. Picklock needed for this one.
  • Centre chest in the basement of Mourner's Headquarters in West Ardougne. You can only reach this chest if you are doing or have done the Mourning's End Part 1 quest. You must wear a complete Mourner's outfit (gas mask, cloak, gloves, boots, Mourner's top, and Mourner's trousers) to enter the building. If you change clothes while in the building, you will be attacked by a level 108 mourner. A picklock is required, and the chest must be searched for traps. Traps may hit for 140 damage.
  • Swensen the Navigator's house in Rellekka. You will need a picklock to open this chest. You can only reach this chest if you are doing or have done the Fremennik Trials quest.
Oil lantern, bullseye lantern, cave goblin mining helmet, cave goblin wire, summoning charms, rope, frog armour, bone bolts, bone crossbow, bone dagger, H.A.M. clothes, spade, bucket, hammer, newcomer map, big bones, coins, clue scrolls (easy) 52 200
  • Located upstairs in Zanik's House in Dorgesh-Kaan, as well as other houses (usually those with green beds). A lockpick is required to open these chests.
Runes (air, earth, fire, water, body, mind, cosmic, chaos, nature, death or law), staff orb, talisman (water, air, earth or fire), Dorgeshuun light orb, summoning charms, empty light orb, cave goblin wire, Oldak's Marvellous Moving-over-distance Sphere 52 200
  • Located in Oldak's House in Dorgesh-Kaan. A Lockpick is required to open this chest.
2 Blood runes and 500 gp 59 250
  • There is a tower just north west of Ardougne. Picklock the door to enter, go down the ladder and the chests are found at the end of the passage guarded by ogres. Once looted, a magical trap will trigger (that cannot be disabled) and teleport you to a nearby building in Ardougne.
Adamant ore, raw shark, uncut sapphire and 1000 gp. 72 500
  • In King Lathas' tower in Ardougne, go upstairs. Picklock the door and go upstairs again to find this chest. After looting, you will be teleported to the ruins outside Witchhaven (east of Ardougne near the hellhound dungeon).
Uncut sapphire, uncut emerald, uncut ruby, uncut diamond, uncut opal, uncut jade, uncut red topaz, bullseye lantern, cave goblin mining helmet, frog armour, iron bar, Dorgeshuun light orb, summoning charms, empty light orb, 500-2500 coins 78 650
  • Chests beside pink beds (usually upstairs) in houses in Dorgesh-Kaan. A lockpick is needed to open these chests.

Below is a table showing the details of several doors you can picklock to access restricted areas.

Doors to picklock
Location Level needed Exp gained
  • East entrance of Ardougne just before the market place, the building to the north of the road.
1 15
  • East entrance of Ardougne just before the market place, the building to the south of the road.
14 15
  • The building just north of Ardougne church.
16 15
  • The room with the anvils just south of Yanille bank.
16 15
32 25
  • In level 54 wilderness, there is a house full of pirates.
39 35
  • In level 54 wilderness, there is a house full of Magic Axes.
42 23
  • The tower with chaos druids just North-west of Ardougne.
46 37.5
  • On the first floor of King Lathas' castle in Ardougne where many Paladins reside.
61 50
  • The door between the Agility dungeon and the Yanille building, which is a shortcut.
82 50
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Mayhem in the Desert (the Blackjack method)

You've picked some pockets, stolen from stalls, disarmed some traps and picked some locks and are now looking for something different. How about a more aggressive approach? With the Feud Quest, a new way of thieving was introduced. Upon completion, you'll have access to the thieving method known as blackjacking.

In the desert town of Pollnivneach, you can use the blackjack to knock out the NPCs and then quickly lighten their pockets. To do this, wield the blackjack, right-click on the NPC you want to hit and select "knock out". Once you've knocked the poor soul unconscious, pick his pockets to your heart's content until they wake up.

This table shows what the blackjacks look like, and provides other useful information on these club-type weapons:

Blackjacks
Pic Description Cost Bonus Where to obtain
Rubber Blackjack Rubber blackjack 1 gp none The Thieves' Guild, from Dodgy Derek.
Oak Blackjack Oak blackjack free +2 strength Pollnivneach, from Ali the Operator during the Feud Quest.
Willow-blackjack Willow blackjack 600 gp +8 strength Pollnivneach, from the Market trader located outside the Kebab shop. You must complete the Feud Quest before you'll be allowed to buy a willow blackjack.

Additional blackjacks, with different attack and defence stats, are available for purchase after you play complete the Rogue Trader minigame.

The Pollnivneach villagers and other NPCs do not particularly enjoy being hit over the head and robbed and they're always on the watch. As such, you cannot knock someone out within sight of other NPCs. If there are other NPCs around, you'll need to "lure" your victim away from the other NPCs prying eyes. To use the lure, right-click on your target, and select the "Lure" option. This will cause your intended victim to follow you. Head to a deserted location out of the sight of other NPCs, like into a building, then knock them out. Be sure to pickpocket him quickly before he regains consciousness. If you still have your hands in his pockets when he wakes up, you'll be attacked!

The coshing volunteers in the Thieves' Guild are a good way to learn to blackjack. They must be lured, knocked out, and then looted. Luring or knocking them out gives no experience, but each loot is worth 162 XP and 4 hanky points, redeemable for XP (these are explained in the Thieves' Guild guide). If you fail, they will stun you without hurting you.

Two levels of Bandits are found in Pollnivneach, level 41 and level 56 (refer to the NPC table in the Pickpocketing section for more thieving information on these bandits). Knocking them out gives 10 XP in addition to any pickpocketing you do. If any of the other Pollnivneach citizens catch you trying to knock the bandits out, you will be hit for 40 LP, stunned for a few seconds and then attacked.

Menaphite thugs require level 65 thieving to either pickpocket or knock out. A successful knock out will award you 20 XP in addition to the XP you will receive for your successful pickpocket attempt. Failure in pickpocketing or knocking out a Menaphite thug has the same result as if you fail when attempting to knock out or pickpocket a Pollnivneach Bandit.

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Monkey Knife Fighters

During the Do No Evil quest, you encounter a unique monkey NPC called the Monkey Knife Fighter. During the quest, you must loot monkey knives from them, but afterward you may return to thieve them for some of the best thieving experience rates in the game.

Monkeyfighterknife Requirements: Level 70 Thieving, Gorilla Monkey Greegree

Method: This process is very similar to blackjacking, except you use your gorilla fists to knock out the monkeys instead of a weapon. Enter the open room populated by the monkey fighters, and right-click "Punch" one of them. You will be able to pickpocket the monkey up to two times before having to punch them again.

Precautions: If you fail to knock out the monkey three times, guards will appear and try to send you to the jail. If you are quick you can avoid being captured.

Experience: 20 XP for successfully knocking out the monkey, 150 XP per pickpocket.

Possible Loot: 1-50 gp, Mithril, Adamant, Rune and Dragon Scimitars, 1-10 Black Knives, 1 Black Knife(p), 1 Black Knife(p+), 1 Black Knife(p++) and Lobsters.

Other Thieving Methods

If you're feeling adventurous or are just in the mood for something different, you can try these other ways of training your thieving skills:

Other ways to thieve
What? Picture Loot Level needed Exp. Location and Details
Builders Builders Triangle Sandwiches N/A 8 Having completed the quest Tower of Life, you gain the ability to pickpocket the four builders outside the tower. If you fail you can be hit for 10 damage.
Desert Phoenix Desert Phoenix Phoenix feathers N/A 26 The desert phoenix flies around in the desert north of the Dominion Tower on the west side of the River Elid. Phoenix feathers are untradeable Herblore seconds required to make super antifire potions. A failure results in damage and being stunned. The damage dealt is approximately 3% of your current lifepoints.
Dairy Cow Dairy Cow Cowbells 15 16 Dairy cows are tethered in cow pastures. If you fail you can be hit for 10 damage and the cow moos indignantly. Cowbells can only be played while wearing a penguin suit from the Cold War quest.
Candle Table Candles Candles 20 20 Located in the Entrana Church, which can reached by boat from Port Sarim or by balloon travel. This can be an alternative to stealing from stalls as there are no guards to stop you. If you fail "A higher power smites you", hitting for 10 damage.
Ogre Coffins Ogre Coffin Zogre bones, Fayrg bones, Raurg bones, Ourg bones, rusty sword, tinderbox, pickaxe, axe (hatchet), dagger, uncut opal, uncut jade, clue scrolls (easy), nails, miscellaneous junk 20 27 Zogre Cavern West of Gu'Tanoth. You can only thieve these coffins if you are doing or have done the Zogre Flesh Eaters quest. If you fail while thieving a coffin, it may drain 1 to 3 thieving levels, and you run the risk of getting diseased. Relicym's Balm will cure disease should you become infected. Refer to our Herblore Guide for more information on making Relicym's Balm. An enchanted ruby bracelet (Bracelet of inoculation) will protect you from disease when opening a coffin. Refer to our Crafting Guide for more information.
H.A.M. Storeroom Chests H.A.M. Storeroom Jewellery (from plain gold up to diamond), coins, and gems (sapphire to diamond) 23 0
The H.A.M. Dungeon, located between Draynor Village and Lumbridge, lowest level after completing the Death to the Dorgeshuun quest. You must thieve from the storeroom guards, and they may give you a metal key, herb, gem, coins, clue scrolls (easy), rusty sword, damaged armour, etc. The metal keys are used to open the four chests in the same room. The Bronze key chest is in the south-west room, the silver in the north-west room, the iron in the north-east, and the steel in the south-east.

The south-west room can be entered through a crack in the wall; the others must be picked. If the guards see you they will attack, so wait until a patrolling guard passes before trying to pick a lock. The two eastern doors are especially difficult; if the guard is standing still, you'll have to kill him and then run to picklock the door.
Flash Powder Factory Safes Wall Safe Coins, Uncut gems (sapphire to diamond) 50 70 Located in the Flash Powder Factory, which can be reached by entering the trapdoor behind the bar in the Burthorpe Inn. Having a Stethoscope in your inventory, which can be bought from Martin Thwait's shop, is proven to increase your chances of opening safes. (Don't bother to "use" it on the safe - tests show this is less effective.) If you fail you will be hit for up to 60 damage.
Customs Office Cabinets Cabinet Scimitars (up to Rune), Iron/Gold/Mith bars, Coins, Cooked sharks, Striped pirate shirts, eyepatches, pirate boots, Uncut gems (sapphire to diamond), clue scrolls (medium). 63 75 Customs Lockers can be thieved after completing the Rocking Out quest. These can be a decent profit, but take some time to regenerate. Speak to the Customs Sergeant in Rimmington with no items in ventory or equipped to return to the jail. Retrieve the crude pick from the bed, pick the lock, kill the guard and take his clothes and weapon. Go up two flights of stairs and enter the room with cabinets to loot from them.
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Flash Powder Factory

Alternative methods of raising thieving are available in the Flash Powder Factory, located under the trapdoor behind the bar in the Burthorpe pub. It is sometimes considered the unofficial "Thieving Guild", since it offers a bank, a fire, a "duty-free" shop (better selling prices), and two great ways to train. Note that level 50 Thieving and level 50 Agility are required to use Martin Thwait's shop. Buy a Stethoscope and train on the safes to obtain coins and gems as well as 70 XP per safecrack. As a greater challenge, you may wish to attempt the Flash Powder Factory maze. To enter the maze, you need 75 Agility, 75 Thieving, and 50 Herblore, and the willingness to put your puzzle solving skills to the test. It offers XP rewards, and those who find themselves successful within the maze may obtain some Factory clothing or a toolkit. For more information, check our Flash Powder Factory guide.

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Pyramid Plunder

One of the most popular methods for training thieving is by playing the Pyramid Plunder minigame. You can find this deep in the desert south of Al-Kharid in the city of Sophanem (must have completed Icthlarin's Little Helper quest). The object is to make your way through eight different levels of the pyramid in 5 minutes while collecting as much loot as possible. Come prepared for a fight as you will be attacked by poisonous scarabs, snakes, and mummies. Exceptionally lucky thieves may loot the valuable Pharaoh's Sceptre, a handy tool for teleporting into the minigame, while the most determined of plunderers may chance upon the fabled Sceptre of the Gods, an invaluable tool that unveils the more valuable hidden urns in the Pyramid. For more information, check our Pyramid Plunder guide!

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Sorceress's Garden

An entertaining way to practice thieving is stealing Sq'irks from the Sorceress in Al Kharid. This minigame is located north-east of Shantay pass, where the Sorceress's apprentice will gladly teleport you to the gardens. You will have the choice between four seasons of gardens, access based on level; winter requires the lowest level, then spring, autumn, and finally summer. In each garden, your goal is to avoid the guardians and obtain a sq'irk, after which you will be teleported back to the centre.

When a sufficient number of sq'irks are obtained, a pestle and mortar can be used to make sq'irk juice. This sq'irk juice can either be turned in to Osman for thieving experience, or you can drink them to replenish your run energy and temporarily boost your thieving level. For more information, please refer to our Sorceress's Garden guide.

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Thieving Aids

The Summoning skill provides users with two familiars to boost your Thieving level.

Thieving Familiars
Summon Level Pic Familiar Abilities Scroll
47 Magpie Pouch Magpie Does not fight
Forages jewellery
Thieving Fingers: Boosts Thieving level +2
62 Abyssal Lurker Pouch Abyssal Lurker Fights (level 93) Controlled
Carries 7 pure/rune essence
Abyssal Stealth: Boosts Thieving level +4 and Agility level +4

There are several other ways to boost your Thieving level. These include sq'irk juice, aquired while playing the Sorceress's Garden minigame, the Bandit's brew drink and Spicy stew.

Thieving Level Boosters
Pic Name of item Level Increase Information
Bandit\\'s Brew Bandit's brew 1 Drinking it will boost Thieving +1 and Attack +1, and lower Strength -8 and Defence -7. Can be purchased from the Bandit Camp located in the desert, on the G. E., or by trading with other players.
Spring Sq\\'irkjuice Spring sq'irk juice 1 Drink it to boost Thieving +1 and to restore 20% Run energy. Obtain this item by squeezing 4 Spring sq'irk fruits from the Sorceress's Garden minigame.
Autumn Sq\\'irkjuice Autumn sq'irk juice 2 Drink it to boost Thieving +2 and to restore 30% Run energy. Obtain this item by squeezing 3 Autumn sq'irk fruits from the Sorceress's Garden minigame.
Summer Sq\\'irkjuice Summer sq'irk juice 3 Drink it to boost Thieving +3 and to restore 40% Run energy. Obtain this item by squeezing 2 Summer sq'irk fruits from the Sorceress's Garden minigame.
Spicy Stew Spicy Stew -6 to +6 (Random) Made by using Yellow spice on a Stew. For more information on making Stews, please visit the Cooking Guide. This item is not tradeable.

There are also several items that, despite not boosting your Thieving level, may prove useful while Thieving.

Thieving Aids
Pic Name How to Obtain Use
Gloves Of Silence Gloves of silence Trade Fancy Dress Shop Owner in Varrock two Dark kebbit furs and 600 gp. Reduces the chance of being caught when pickpocketing. Requires 54 Hunter to wear. These gloves degrade over time, and are eventually destroyed. When equipped, inspect/operate the item to check how degraded they are. Users with at least 64 Crafting can repair the gloves by using a Dark kebbit fur on them while having knife, needle and thread in their inventory.
Ardougne Cloak 1 Ardougne cloak 1 Obtained by completing the Easy tasks of the Ardougne Tasks. Reduces chance of being caught while thieving stalls in Ardougne.
Ardougne Cloak 2 Ardougne cloak 2 Obtained by completing the Medium tasks of the Ardougne Tasks. Reduces chance of being caught while thieving stalls and pickpocketing in Ardougne.
Ardougne Cloak 3 Ardougne cloak 3 Obtained by completing the Hard tasks of the Ardougne Tasks. Reduces the chance of being caught pickpocketing and stealing from anywhere in Runescape. Magical traps on chests will teleport you to Ardougne's north bank instead of a random location.
Ardougne Cloak 4 Ardougne cloak 4 Obtained by completing the Elite tasks of the Ardougne Tasks. Reduces the chance of being caught pickpocketing and stealing from anywhere in Runescape. Magical traps on chests will teleport you to Ardougne's north bank instead of a random location.
Completionist Cape Completionist cape Obtained by completing the all the tasks required. Acts the same as an Ardougne cape.
Reduces the chance of being caught pickpocketing and stealing from anywhere in Runescape. Magical traps on chests will teleport you to Ardougne's north bank instead of a random location.
Vial Of Stench (a) Vial of stench (a) Obtained during the A Guild of Our Own section of the Buyers and Cellars quest; can be made after the quest using the Herblore skill. When in your inventory, you can interact (Talk or Shop) with NPCs whose stall you have just stolen from, bypassing the normal waiting period. To make a Vial of stench (a), use an Irit potion (unf) with a Chopped onion and bring it to Chief Thief Robin in the Thieves' Guild to have it enchanted.
Black Ibis Body Black Ibis Equipment Obtained from looting the urns and sarcophagi in Pyramid Plunder. While worn, these garments provide a boost to your Thieving XP. Wearing a full set will grant you a 5% XP boost. Note that this boost does not apply to Pyramid Plunder.
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Training and Tips

Levels Locations
1-5 Men and women are the main targets at early levels. Anywhere is fine since you'll only be there for a few minutes. They are common to Lumbridge and Edgeville. You may also try the Thieves' Guild.
5-20 Cake stalls are a good option at this level. Travel to Ardougne and get to work on one of the two bakery stalls (east or west one). Try to stand in an area where guards are least likely to notice.
20-40 Silk stalls are a good option level 40. If you prefer to pickpocket, then try either rogues or warriors. If you want clue scrolls (easy), pickpocket at H.A.M. Headquarters.
40-99 Master farmers are a great way to level and also make a profit. Except for Martin the Master Gardener, they are a one-click pickpocket. Seeds stack, but if your pack is full you can't get a seed you're not already carrying. Since you can't accidentally attack masterfarmers and no one can kill them, the sole drawback is that the loot is entirely seeds and a high chance of being caught at lower levels. However, persistent thieves may find themselves some valuable herb seeds, such as snapdragon or ranarr.
Guards are a simple but slightly annoying way to get to 55. Just either use Varrock castle (with a few hundred lobs) or Ardougne if you want to steal cakes for food. You could try Fremenniks at level 45, but the "talk to Fremennik" option makes them a bit hard to thieve fast. Many can be trapped in a house for easy thieving. Fish stolen from the market stall can be cooked in the nearby longhall to restore your LP. Fremenniks can be faster XP than guards.
51-99 Pyramid Plunder is one of the best ways to train thieving. At level 51 you can access up to level 4 in the pyramid, this is a good level to start in the pyramid as you will start to fail less. As your thieving level increases, the best technique is to search for snakes, then loot the urns in the last two rooms you can access. Opening the sarcophagus will slow you down during your run and is not recommended when training.
55-99 Knights are the best NPC to pickpocket for experience. Some may say to start at 60, but they are great right from 55. You can use Ardougne castle to thieve the lone knight there. Another great place is the building just above the two Bakery stalls in Ardougne.
Another good method is pickpocketing in the Thieves' Guild, the volunteers can be pick-pocketed at any level and at higher levels an experienced thief rarely gets caught. This is also an excellent place for skillers, since you only get hit for 1 LP if you get caught. A mixture of Pickpocketing/coshing here can add a nice variation to training, however it yields no profit.

Tips for more efficient thieving:

  • If you fail at pickpocketing an NPC a lot, try training on something with a lower requirement first.
  • When buying the Bandit Brew, don't wear any god items (holy symbols, Guthix, Saradomin or Zamorak armour) when visiting the Bandit Camp; bandits will attack players wearing anything affiliated to a god.
  • Try to find a good world and area where you won't get distracted or have people killing your thieving target.
  • Learning to alternate quickly between right and left clicking can increase thieving rates. You may be tempted to wait for the animation to finish, but it is possible to click a little bit in advance. You can attempt pickpocket again immediately after the message of a successful pickpocket appears in your chat box.
  • Trapping an NPC in a room is a good way to avoid people killing the NPC and to stop it running all over the map; use your body to block their movement and try closing doors.
  • If you find you accidentally attack your NPC too often, wield a bow without arrows.
  • To avoid using food, some players use a thieve-and-die strategy that takes advantage of their Lumbridge or Falador respawn point. Either bank or keep your loot before you are killed by a guard, then run back quickly before your grave disappears.
  • When stealing from stalls, clicking twice on a stall will allow you to steal the object even if spotted by a guard.
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Skill mastery and Beyond

Cape of Achievement

Once you have mastered the skill and reached level 99 you may want to buy yourself a Thieving Cape from Martin Thwait in the Rogues' Den below Burthorpe pub. Refer to the Achievement Capes guide for more details.

Thieving Cape

After obtaining 99 Thieving it becomes possible to obtain a hidden shard randomly, which can be combined with other shards from the other support skills (Agility, Dungeoneering, Slayer) to create a support cape and hood. The cape has the same stats as a trimmed skill cape and the hood is purely cosmetic.

True Thieving Mastery

Achieving 99 is the ultimate goal for many players, however the skill does not stop there. For players wanting to show off their dedication to a skill it is possible to obtain "True Mastery" by obtaining "120 Thieving" which is 104,273,167 XP. The Thieving master cape can then be purchased from Martin Thwait for 120,000 gp.

Thieving master cape

It is worth noting that beyond level 99 there is no additional content for Thieving as the level increases are invisible so training the skill gets no faster. To work out your theoretical Thieving level check out our XP table.

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Credits

Original Guide by: Nathaninch and Eeeeediot

Special Thanks to: Ard_Choille, Georgelemmons

Thanks to: 2hitwonder, acrotis, Adamskii, Albosky, AllBogs, Arkaios, Atestarossa, Baffler, binns, BloodAngel, bodder, Bows, Cameron, CentriX_2, chanier, Cowman_133, cronoschild, D0nk3y, daigotsu, Dalcyte, Danyo, darkblade986, DarkDude98, Dark_Spirus, dragonflan, emanick1, Esper_Jones, expall, Evaluate, fat_slug, Finsquirrel, flint1314, ForsakenMage, foxsoldier, Georgelemmons, godde1008, Greatno, Gugge, halo2_rocks7, hotdogcore, inferno_char, Jaffy1, Johannas, Kaejer, Kiara_Kat, learn2die101, lord_klorel, madchild, maxpower_111, MichaelWest, Minsc90, Mikey-X, Mirrorforced, misplacedme, Nabbagad, nanobot12, Nirvana05, Piquetear, Pirkka, pokemama, Pyre_of_gods, Racheya, Rare_Pain, Rcty, RegularCinderella, Sacrarment, SerpentEye, Siobhana, Sinkhan SirHemen, sjefderat, Smellysocks, Sonikku, spikerkid, spooferfish, SportsGuy, sunmann99, supersesm, Swainy, SwtKittN, Sy_Accursed, Taley666, tennispro16, tewas, TheBlazikenMaster, TheLeonardo, The_Zobel, timthebrave, tintmangbpack, tragicdreamz, Triplets_KGB, turtlefemm, ValidLogic, Vap137, vlad the old, Vox1st, wachtwoord, wee monky, wiseTSM, Wisse, WoodenFruit, Wouter828, wyvren2000, Zaaps1

Last updated by: Baffler

Last updated on: 12-Aug-2013

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RuneScape 2007
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