ThievingEdit This Entity
- 1.0 - Introduction
- 2.0 - Lock Picking
- 3.0 - Chest Looting
- 4.0 - Stall Thieving
- 5.0 - Pickpocketing
- 6.0 - Multiple Pick Pocketing
- 7.0 - Training Methods
- 8.0 - Other Information
- 9.0 - Quests for Experience
- 10.0 - Frequently Asked Questions
In RuneScape, Thieving is a very diverse skill. You can pick locks, loot chests and pyramids, steal from stalls, and even pickpocket certain people. All of these acts can be very rewarding; however, it's still dangerous as there are always characters on the lookout for annoying thieves. There are many tips and tricks you can use to your advantage when Thieving!
When it comes right down to it, Thieving is a relatively easy skill to level and to train. The only drawback is that it requires constant attention, unlike other skills such as Fletching and Cooking, where you can do other things in the meantime.
Throughout the RuneScape world, you will find that you are unable to open certain doors. If you are lucky, the door you are trying to pass through can be pick locked. To pick a lock, simply right click on the door and select "Pick-lock." If you are successful, the door will open you will automatically walk through. If you fail, you will have to try again.
Successfully opening some locked doors requires you to have a Lockpick in your inventory in order to pick their locks. You can obtain Lockpicks from other players, or pick pocketed from Bandits and Rogues. Martin Thwait in the Rogues' Den also sells Lockpicks.
| Door | Location | Required level | Experience | Lockpick use | Location picture |
| Door to 10gp Chest | East Ardougne | 1 | 3.5 | No | Picture |
| Ardougne House Door | East Ardougne | 13 | 15 | No | Picture |
| Door to Nature Chest | East Ardougne | 16 | 15 | No | Picture |
| H.A.M. Trapdoor | East of Draynor Village | 17 | 4 | No | Picture |
| Axe Hut Door | Level 54 Wilderness | 32 | 25 | Yes | Picture |
| Ardougne Sewers gate | Ardougne Sewers | 31 | 25 | No | Picture |
| Pirate hall | Level 54 Wilderness | 39 | 35 | Yes | Picture |
| Chaos druid tower | North of Ardougne | 46 | 37.5 | No | Picture |
| Paladin Door | Ardougne palace | 61 | 50 | No | Picture |
| Yanille Agility Dungeon Door | Eastern Yanille | 82 | 50 | Yes | Picture |
Unlike doors, the chests you are able to thieve from in RuneScape are not safe. If you do not take care when thieving from chest, the traps hidden in them will hurt you. To find a trap on a chest, right click on it and select "Search for traps." Your character will automatically find the trap and disarm it if your Thieving level is high enough.
Please note that when you loot the Paladin and Blood rune chests, you will be teleported outside their containing buildings. For the most part, chests do not give very good experience. The only chest that is really worth thieving is the Blood rune chest since it produces a fair amount of profit on top of the experience given. (NOTE: When thieving the Dorgesh-Kaan chests, you will need a Lockpick).
| Chest | Location | Required level | Experience | Item(s) thieved | Respawn time | Location picture |
| 10gp chest | Ardougne (x2) Rellekka Axe Hut (x3) |
13 | 7.5 | 10 coins | 7 seconds | Picture |
| Nature chest | Ardougne (x2) Rellekka |
28 | 25 | 3 coins, Nature rune | 10 seconds | Picture |
| 50gp chest | Ardougne | 43 | 125 | 50 coins | 70 seconds | Picture |
| Arrow tip chest* | Hemenster Rellekka |
47 | 150 | 5 Steel arrow tips, 20 coins | 210 seconds | Picture |
| Average chest | Dorgesh-Kaan | 52 | 200 | Oil lantern, Bullseye lantern, Mining helmet, Frog armour, Cave goblin wire, Rope, Bone bolts, Bone crossbow, Bone dagger, H.A.M. clothes, Spade, Bucket, Hammer, Newcomer map, Big bones, Coins, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Body, Mind, Cosmic, Chaos, Nature, Death, and Law runes, Water, Air, Earth, and Fire talismans, Dorgeshuun light orb, Empty light orb, Clue scroll, Gold charm, Green charm, Crimson charm, Blue charm | 165 seconds | N/A |
| Blood rune chest | Chaos druid tower | 59 | 250 | 500 coins, Blood rune (2) | 180 seconds | Picture |
| Customs lockers | Rock Island Prison (x17), Must have completed Rocking Out | 63 | 75 | Rune scimitar, Uncut diamond, Uncut ruby, Uncut emerald, Uncut sapphire, Shark, Mithril bar, Gold bar, Pirate boots, Steel sword, Iron bar, Pirate shirt, Eye patch, Steel scimitar, Iron scimitar, Bronze scimitar, Clue scroll, 300 coins | 200 seconds | N/A |
| Paladin chest | Ardougne Palace | 72 | 500 | 1,000 coins, Raw shark, Adamant ore, Uncut sapphire | 240 seconds | Picture |
| Rich chest | Dorgesh-Kaan | 78 | 650 | Uncut gems, Bullseye lantern, Mining helmet, Frog armour, Iron bar, Dorgeshuun light orb, Empty light orb, 500-2500 coins, Gold charm, Green charm, Crimson charm, Blue charm | 510 seconds | N/A |
* Requires Lockpick to open chest.
In the past, you could only thieve stalls in the city of Ardougne, but now there are many stall-thieving activities around the globe. Stealing from stalls is a lot like chest looting; however, there are no traps on the stall. Instead, certain in-game characters will be on the lookout for thieves like you and will fight you or knock you out if they catch you.
To thieve from a stall, right click and select "Steal from." If nobody catches you in the act, you will take the items from the stall and they will appear in your inventory.
You may be caught by the stall owner or any guard type NPC surrounding the stall. To avoid this, try to stay out of their lines of sight.
When training the skill of Thieving, the stalls that require a high Thieving level to steal from are not very useful because of their slow rates of respawn. I would recommend thieving from the Vegetable, Baker's, Tea, Silk, Seed, and Fur stalls for the best experience.
Please note that the time listed is when stealing from a stall on a crowded world. An emptier world will have a slower respawn time.
| Stall | Required level | Location | Experience | Item(s) thieved | Respawn time |
| Vegetable stall | 2 | Miscellania | 10 | Onion, Cabbage, Potato, Tomato, Garlic | 2 seconds |
| Baker's stall | 5 | Ardougne Keldagrim |
16 | Cake, Chocolate slice, Bread | 4 seconds |
| Crafting stall | 5 | Ape Atoll Keldagrim |
10 | Chisel, Uncut emerald, Ring mould, Necklace mould | 7 seconds |
| Monkey food stall | 5 | Ape Atoll | 16 | Banana | 7 seconds |
| Monkey general stall | 5 | Ape Atoll | 10 | Pot, Hammer, Tinderbox | 7 seconds |
| Tea stall | 5 | East Varrock | 16 | Cup of tea | 5 seconds |
| Rock cake stall | 15 | Gu'Tanoth | 10 | Rock cake | 6 seconds |
| Silk stall | 20 | Ardougne Keldagrim |
24 | Silk | 6 seconds |
| Candle stall | 20 | Entrana | 20 | Unlit candle | - |
| Wine stall | 22 | Draynor Village Market | 27 | Jug of water, Jug of wine, Grapes, Jug, Bottle of wine, Uncut sapphire | 14 seconds |
| Seed stall | 27 | Draynor Village Market | 10 | Herb seeds, Allotment seeds, Flower seeds, Bush seeds, Hops seeds | 11 seconds |
| Fur stall | 35 | Ardougne | 36 | Fur, Gray Wolf Fur | 12 seconds |
| Fish stall | 42 | Rellekka | 42 | Raw salmon, Raw tuna, Raw lobster | 10 seconds |
| Crossbow stall | 49 | Keldagrim | 52 | 3 Bronze bolts, Wooden stock, Bronze limbs | 10 seconds |
| Silver stall | 50 | Ardougne Keldagrim |
54 | Silver Ore | 30 seconds |
| Spice stall | 65 | Ardougne | 81.3 | Spice | 80 seconds |
| Magic stall | 65 | Ape Atoll | 100 | Air rune, Earth rune, Fire rune, Water rune, Law rune | 80 seconds |
| Scimitar stall | 65 | Ape Atoll | 160 | Iron scimitar | 80 seconds |
| Gem stall | 75 | Ardougne Keldagrim |
16 | Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond | 180 seconds |
Pickpocketing is one of the major aspects of thieving since there are so many characters to pick pocket around RuneScape. To pick the pocket of a NPC, right click on it and select "Pickpocket."
If you are successful, you will have gained some loot and thieving experience. If you fail, the NPC will stun you. When you are stunned, you will be unable to move.
Remember the higher the Thieving level you have, the lower the chance that you will fail.
Pick pocketing will usually bring the best experience for thieving enthusiasts. The best NPC's to thieve from for the most efficient training would be Men/Women, Warrior women, Warriors, Rogues, Master farmers, Guards, Desert bandits, Knights of Ardougne, Yanille Watchmen, and Paladins.
| NPC | Required level | Experience | Stun effects | Location |
| Man/Woman | 1 | 8 | 5 seconds 10 damage |
Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador, Edgeville |
| Possible loot: | 3 coins | |||
| Farmer | 10 | 14.5 | 5 seconds 10 damage |
Lumbridge, Falador, Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | 9 coins, Potato seeds, Onion seeds | |||
| Female H.A.M. follower | 15 | 18 | 6 seconds 10-30 damage |
H.A.M Hideout |
| Possible loot: | Bronze-Steel Dagger, Bronze-Steel Pickaxe, Uncut jade, Uncut opal, Damaged armour, Rusty sword, Bronze-Steel Arrows, Clue scroll (level-1), Grimy herbs, Bronze-Steel Hatchet, Needle, Thread, 5-16 coins, Iron ore, Coal, H.A.M. hood, H.A.M. shirt, Gloves, Ham skirt, Boots, H.A.M logo, H.A.M. cloak, Anchovy, Feathers, Hardleather body, Cow hide, Logs, Raw chicken, Buttons After Buyers and Cellars, the loot also includes: Slayer staff, 18-31 coins, Iron ore (noted), and Coal (noted) | |||
| Male H.A.M. follower | 20 | 22 | 6 seconds 10-30 damage |
H.A.M Hideout |
| Possible loot: | Bronze-Steel Dagger, Bronze-Steel Pickaxe, Uncut jade, Uncut opal, Damaged armour, Rusty sword, Bronze-Steel Arrows, Clue scroll (level-1), Grimy Herbs, Bronze-Steel Hatchet, Needle, Thread, 2-22 coins, Iron ore, Coal, H.A.M. hood, H.A.M. shirt, Gloves, H.A.M. skirt, Boots, H.A.M Logo, H.A.M. cloak, Anchovy, Feathers, Hardleather body, Cow hide, Logs, Raw chicken, Buttons After Buyers and Cellars, the loot also includes: Slayer staff, 18-31 coins, Iron ore (noted), and Coal (noted) | |||
| Warrior (woman) | 25 | 26 | 5 seconds 20 damage |
North Ardougne, Varrock Castle |
| Possible loot: | 18 coins | |||
| Warrior | 25 | 26 | 5 seconds 20 damage |
Al-Kharid |
| Possible loot: | 18 coins | |||
| Rogue | 32 | 35.5 | 5 seconds 20 damage |
Rogues' Castle |
| Possible loot: | 2-50 coins, Air Runes (8), Lockpick, Jug of wine, Iron dagger(p) | |||
| Cave goblin | 36 | 40 | 5 seconds 10 damage |
Dorgesh-Kaan |
| Possible loot: | Coins, Iron ore, Tinderbox, Swamp tar, Oil lantern, Torch, Green gloop soup, Frog spawn gumbo, Frog burger, Crispy froglegs, Bat shish, Wall beast fingers, Bullseye lantern, Cave goblin wire | |||
| Master farmer | 38 | 43 | 5 seconds 30 damage |
Draynor Village Market, North Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | Herb seeds, Allotment seeds, Flower seeds, Bush seeds, Hops seeds | |||
| Guard | 40 | 46.8 | 5 seconds 20 damage |
Varrock, Falador, Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | 30 coins | |||
| Fremennik | 45 | 65 | 5 seconds 20 damage |
Rellekka |
| Possible loot: | 40 coins, Steel nails(1) | |||
| Bearded Pollnivnian bandit | 45 | 65 | 4 seconds 50 damage |
Pollnivneach |
| Possible loot: | 40 coins | |||
| Desert bandit | 53 | 79 | 5 seconds 30 damage |
Bandit Camp (Desert) |
| Possible loot: | 30 coins, Lockpick, Antipoison (1) | |||
| Knight of Ardougne | 55 | 84.5 | 5 seconds 30 damage |
Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | 50 coins | |||
| Pollnivnian bandit | 55 | 84 | 5 seconds 50 damage |
Pollnivneach |
| Possible loot: | 50 coins | |||
| Watchman | 65 | 137.5 | 5 seconds 30 damage |
Yanille Watchtower |
| Possible loot: | 60 coins, Bread | |||
| Menaphite thug | 65 | 137 | 5 seconds 50 damage |
Pollnivneach |
| Possible loot: | 60 coins | |||
| Paladin | 70 | 151.75 | 5 seconds 30 damage |
Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | 80 coins, Chaos rune (2) | |||
| Gnome | 75 | 198.5 | 5 seconds 10 damage |
Tree Gnome Stronghold, Tree Gnome Village |
| Possible loot: | 300 coins, Swamp toad, King worm, Gold ore, Fire orb, Earth rune | |||
| Hero | 80 | 275 | 6 seconds 40 damage |
Ardougne |
| Possible loot: | Coins, Fire orb, Jug of wine, Death rune (2), Blood rune, Gold ore, Diamond | |||
| Elf | 85 | 353.5 | 6 seconds 50 damage |
Lletya |
| Possible loot: | Coins, Jug of wine, Gold ore, Diamond, Death rune (2), Nature rune (3), Fire orb | |||
| Dwarf Trader | 90 | 556.5 | 6 seconds 10 Damage |
Keldagrim |
| Possible loot: | 100/400 coins, Bronze bar (noted), Iron bar (noted), Steel bar (noted), Mithril bar (noted), Adamantite bar (noted), Runite bar (noted), Tin ore (noted), Copper ore (noted), Iron ore (noted), Mithril ore (noted), Adamantite ore (noted), Runite ore (noted), Coal (noted), Clue scroll (level-3) | |||
On January 10, 2010, Jagex released an update to Agility that would make things more beneficial. Thieving was one of the 3 skills that would receive benefits, alongside Fishing and Hunter. Now, you have the opportunity to pickpocket some NPCs multiple times instead of just once! The higher the Thieving level the NPC requires, the higher your Agility level has to be.
In order to double pickpocket, your Thieving level needs to be 10 levels higher than usual, and your Agility 10 levels below that. For triple pickpocketing, your Thieving level must be 20 levels higher than usual, with your Agility level 10 below that once more. Last but not least, in order to quadruple pickpocket someone, your Thieving level must be 30 levels higher than usual, and Agility 10 behind again. However, when you get to higher level NPCs, you won't be able to necessarily double, triple, or quadruple pickpocket them.
You'll know when you successfully pickpocket someone multiple times because if you double pickpocket, you will have both of your hands pull out an item, triple being three items, and quadruple four. Additionally, your chatbox will say when you have done so. You can click to pickpocket someone again, even while this emote is going on.
| NPC | Level | x2 Thiev. level | x2 Agil. level | x3 Thiev. level | x3 Agil. level | x4 Thiev. level | x4 Agil. level |
| Man | 1 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 31 | 21 |
| Farmer | 10 | 20 | 10 | 30 | 20 | 40 | 30 |
| Female H.A.M. follower | 15 | 25 | 15 | 35 | 25 | 45 | 35 |
| Male H.A.M. follower | 20 | 30 | 20 | 40 | 30 | 50 | 40 |
| Warrior | 25 | 35 | 25 | 45 | 35 | 55 | 45 |
| 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 |
| Bearded Pollnivian bandit | 45 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 65 |
| Desert bandit | 53 | 63 | 53 | 73 | 63 | 83 | 73 |
| Knight | 55 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 65 | 85 | 75 |
| Pollnivian bandit | 55 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 65 | 85 | 75 |
| Watchman | 65 | 75 | 65 | 85 | 75 | - | - |
| Menaphite thug | 65 | 75 | 65 | 85 | 75 | - | - |
| Paladin | 70 | 80 | 70 | 90 | 80 | - | - |
| Gnome | 75 | 85 | 75 | - | - | - | - |
| Hero | 80 | 90 | 80 | - | - | - | - |
| Elf | 85 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dwarf trader | 90 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The following steps are a guide to help you level Thieving as fast as possible. Remember that they are just guidelines.
When you first start out Thieving, there is no choice of what to thieve. You must start out thieving Men and Women because they are the only thing you can steal from at levels 1-4. Once you have reached level 5, make your way to the Baker's stall.
After reaching level 5 Thieving, you can now thieve items from the Baker's stall, which is the best experience at your level for a while. It is recommend thieving from the Baker's stall until about 25 Thieving. Then you can take your shot at Warriors.
Finally, you can thieve more things around the RuneScape world. You should start thieving Warriors to get your level up, then when you reach 32, you can try Rogues' Castle in the Wilderness. Rogues are good experience, but Warriors continue to be a great source of experience. They are both fast XP up until you reach level 42. Alternatively, you could also steal from Master farmers in Draynor Village at 38, but to successfully thieve from them regularly, it is recommended you start at around 40.
These levels will most likely be the most monotonous. But at least they can be summed up into two words: Master farmer. The Master farmer does not give the most experience you could get, but is the fastest way to raise your level. Rapidly clicking him over and over not only gives you an easy target to steal from, but also, at some times, very good seeds such as Ranarr and Snapdragon. He is a very good choice over most other things during these levels.
By now you are bored with the Master farmer; this is good because now you get to work on some Guards. Just like levelling back in classic RuneScape; not by killing them though, only stealing. At this level, you will not get caught nearly as much and a full inventory of food can be brought due to the Guards only giving one loot type: Coins.
You can thieve without having to waste your own food! You should head down to the Yanille Watchtower or teleport over there if you have completed the Watchtower quest and begin. If you escape detection every time you steal from a Yanille Watchman, they will give you some bread and coins. Although that sounds like a good deal, you should probably bring 10 units of food until you steal from a few Watchmen or are a higher level.
Should you have done the Feud, The quest, you can thieve Menaphites, provided you have access to the Menaphos desert city, using a Blackjack at level 65. This can get you up to 150,000 XP an hour, depending on your Thieving level.
You can now thieve Paladins at 70 Thieving, but you have a few options here:
- If you want to make a bit of money, you could thieve Paladins to whatever level you wish.
- If you want to make less money and get the best experience, then you should go find a Knight and begin thieving or pursue other methods of training such as those which are discussed below. Whatever you choose it only gets easier from here to thieve things with every level.
Pyramid Plunder
The best and fastest way to train your Thieving at this level is to use Pyramid Plunder. As a quick rundown, Pyramid Plundering involves going through a series of rooms and looting the treasure that you find. You will find a Gold chest in each room, as well as a Sarcophagus, and an assortment of Urns. It's usually a waste of time to look for snakes in the urns, so just try looting them. Should you not be able to loot one, or if you're running out of time, then you should consider checking for snakes.
Pyramid Plundering is almost always the leader of experience when it comes to Thieving, especially at higher levels. However, when you reach level 81, the best way to get your Thieving up is by Blackjacking Menaphites in the desert. When you reach level 91, it is highly recommended that you use Pyramid Plundering to finish off your experience. It is, again, the best experience possible.
| Pyramid Level (Thieving required) |
XP per hour | XP per game |
| 1 (21) | 8-10k | 800 |
| 2 (31) | 18-20k | 1,800 |
| 3 (41) | 25-30k | 2,500 |
| 4 (51) | 45-50k | 4,500 |
| 5 (61) | 50-80k | 7,000 |
| 6 (71) | 100-120k | 10,000 |
| 7 (81) | 150-180k | 15,000 |
| 8 (91) | 200-240k | 20,000 |
Sorceress' Garden
Another way to gain experience quickly, especially at lower levels such as 45-71, is to do the Sorceress's Garden. The gardens are four seasonal mazes in which lie corresponding elementals (Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring). The object of each maze is to either reach one of the two ends: The herb patches (which are easier to reach), or the Sk'irk fruit trees at the furthest point of the maze. When you take herbs or a fruit, you are automatically teleported outside by the main fountain. There are many ways to make your way through the gardens but players usually find small quirks to shave time off of each run. This can be and is a very effective way to train thieving if spam clicking or Pyramids aren't your thing. See our Sorceress's Garden guide for more information about them.
Osman from the Sorceress's Garden minigame gives very generous thieving experience in exchange for Sq'irk juice. However, it's probably better to make money rather than try and get all of the Sq'irks required for the juice.
There is only one random event for Thieving: the pillory. This random event gets you sent to the pillory where the game locks you in a cage and you have to unlock it to get out. While you are in the cage, a NPC will throw tomatoes at you, also other players can throw at you while you are caged. However, although this used to be involved only with Thieving, it is now an event that can happen regardless of what you're doing.
StrategiesAn effective way to pickpocket an NPC is so corner it so it can't move. However, you should make sure that you let them wander around every few minutes, or they reset to their spawning point. In addition, if you attack your NPC by mistake just go up some near by stairs and come back down and it will stop attacking you. The best method is to use that will ensure that you don't attack your NPC is by equipping any type of bow, without equipping arrows. This will prevent you from accidentally attacking them.
When thieving, click to theive someone as fast as possible to get the best experience. If you get stunned, start clicking pickpocket again a second before the stun wears off due to the fact it takes a second to register the command in game.
If you are Thieving in Ardougne center, do not bother to bring your own food. Just buy Cakes from the Baker or just thieve. If you are Thieving from a stall try, and lock the shop owner or nearby guards into a building so they catch you less often. However, it does not always help, most of the time it does.
Those who wish to be a little more accurate while Thieving will can get Dark kebbit fur from the Falconry Hunting Area. The Dark kebbits can be caught if you have 57 Hunter. The fur can be made into Gloves of silence which increase your success rate of Thieving, but they require a Hunter level of 54. The gloves degrade when players are caught pickpocketing and are destroyed after about 60 failures. Another common item is the Ardougne cloak 3. It increases your chances of not getting caught while pickpocketing, which can definitely come in handy!
BlackjacksJagex introduced items called blackjacks during Feud, The quest. These are very handy in pick pocketing, because depending on the type of blackjack, it can stun your opponent for a certain period, allowing you to pickpocket them successfully, without them stunning you. Though you can only use them on the NPC's in the quest city of Pollnivneach. Blackjacks are a great way to train until level 71 because it is the fastest training method allowing you to get 150k experience an hour. However, it also requires concentration and many clicks.
Rogues' DenYou have to work your way around a challenging maze, working steadily to not step into traps or you can be sent back to the beginning! You can win a nice set of armor from doing this, as well as a nice amount of Agility and Thieving experience! Check out the guide on Rogues' Den.
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Quests with Thieving experience
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Quests with choice experience
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A: No, you will gain the same xp you would from a normal pickpocket.

