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This article is about the Thieving skill. For information on training Thieving, see Thieving training.

Thieving

Thieving is a members-only skill which allows players to obtain coins and items by stealing from market stalls, chests, or by pickpocketing non-player characters. This skill also allows players to unlock doors and disarm traps. 

Listen to audio.
Thieving level-up music (link)
The first music that can be played when levelled up.
Listen to audio.
Thieving level-up music (link)
The second music that can be played when levelled up.

Pickpocketing[]

Pickpocket

A player pickpocketing a cornered 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 some other surprised saying and stun you for four seconds, which will take off a couple 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. clothing, Dodgy necklace, Ardougne cloak or Gloves of silence. However, equipping a bow without arrows makes it impossible to accidentally attack an NPC.

Contrary to common belief, the player does NOT need to wait until the pickpocket animation is finished before pickpocketing again. The NPC may be pickpocketed as soon as the sound of the item stolen entering your inventory is played. This could effectively double your experience per hour if you were previously waiting for the animation to finish.

A useful trick that allows pickpocket spamming is by going to the Controls (Joystick) settings tab and changing the attack option priority to 'Always right-click', this effectively turns the Attack NPC left-click into pickpocket NPC left-click for most NPCs.

Thievable NPCs[]

Picture NPC name Level Exp. Possible loot/Notes Stun time (seconds) Stun damage
Thief Man Man/Woman 1 8 3 coins 5 1
Thief Farmer Farmer 10 14.5 9 coins, 1 potato seed 5 1
Thief Ham (Woman) Female H.A.M. member 15 18.5 Buttons, rusty sword, damaged armour, feathers, bronze arrow, Clue Scroll (Easy), bronze axe, bronze dagger, bronze pickaxe, cow hide, iron axe, iron pickaxe, leather armour, logs, thread, raw anchovies, raw chicken, iron ore, coal, steel arrows, steel axe, steel pickaxe, grimy herbs, knife, needle, steel dagger, tinderbox, uncut jade, uncut opal, Ham boots, Ham gloves, Ham cloak, Ham shirt, Ham robe, Ham logo, Ham hood, coins. Wearing H.A.M. clothing reduces chances of being jailed, but does not increase the success rate[1] 4 1-3
Thief Ham (Man) Male H.A.M. member 20 22.5 Buttons, rusty sword, damaged armour, feathers, bronze arrow, Clue Scroll (Easy), bronze axe, bronze dagger, bronze pickaxe, cow hide, iron axe, iron pickaxe, leather armour, logs, thread, raw anchovies, raw chicken, iron ore, coal, steel arrows, steel axe, steel pickaxe, grimy herbs, knife, needle, steel dagger, tinderbox, uncut jade, uncut opal, H.A.M. boots, H.A.M. gloves, H.A.M. cloak, H.A.M. shirt, H.A.M. robe, H.A.M. logo, H.A.M. hood, coins. Wearing H.A.M. clothing reduces chances of being jailed, but does not increase the success rate[1] 4 1-3
Thief Warrior Warrior woman/Al-Kharid warrior 25 26 18 coins, Warrior women can be found in the back main level rooms of varrock palace. 5 2
Thief Rogue Rogue 32 35.5 25/40 coins, lockpick, iron dagger(p), wine, 8 air runes. Found deep in Wilderness southwest of Mage Arena, or in far northeast wilderness at Rogues' Castle. 5 2
Thief Cave goblin Cave goblin 36 40 Coins, iron ore, tinderbox, swamp tar, oil lantern, torch, green gloop soup, frogspawn gumbo, frog burger, coated frogs' legs, bat shish, fingers, bullseye lantern, cave goblin wire 5 1
Thief Master farmer Master Farmer 38 43 All allotment, hop, herb, bush and flower seeds, cactus seed, belladonna seed, mushroom spores. Rarity increases with the farming level of the seed. 5 3
Thief Guard Guard 40 46.8 30 coins 5 2
Thief Fremennik Fremennik Citizen 45 65 40 coins 5 2
Thief Pollnivnian bandit Bearded Pollnivnian Bandit 45 65 40 coins 5 5
Thief Desert bandit Desert Bandit 53 79.5 30 coins, antipoison, lockpick 5 3
Thief Knight Knight 55 84.3 50 coins 5 3
Thief Pollnivnian bandit Pollnivian Bandit 55 84.3 50 coins 5 5
Thief Watchman Yanille Watchman 65 137.5 60 coins, 1 bread 5 3
Thief Menaphite thug Menaphite Thug 65 137.5 60 coins 5 5
Thief Paladin Paladin 70 151.75 80 coins, 2 chaos runes 5 3
Thief Gnome Gnome 75 198.5 300 coins, 1 earth rune, gold ore, Fire orb, swamp toad, King worm 5 1
Thief Hero Hero 80 275 200/300 coins, 1 blood rune, 1 diamond, wine, 2 death runes, fire orb, gold ore 6 4
Thief Elf Elf 85 353 280/350 coins, 3 nature runes, diamond, wine, 2 death runes, fire orb, gold ore 6 5
Thief TzHaar-Hur TzHaar-Hur 90 103.5 3-14 Tokkul, uncut sapphire, uncut emerald, uncut ruby, uncut diamond[2] 5 4
  1. 1.0 1.1 https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/751400357473947648
  2. Full rogue outfit only doubles uncut loot, not tokkul.

Master Farmer[]

When pickpocketing a Master Farmer the seed type is rolled first. Once selected, the seed itself is rolled.

Picture Seed Drop Rate Value
Potato seed 5 Potato seed 17.8% 1
Onion seed 5 Onion seed 13.3% 1
Cabbage seed 5 Cabbage seed 6.9% 1
Tomato seed 5 Tomato seed 6.4% 1
Sweetcorn seed Sweetcorn seed 2.23% 2
Strawberry seed 5 Strawberry seed 1.21% 5
Watermelon seed 5 Watermelon seed 0.55% 71
Barley seed 5 Barley seed 5.5% 1
Hammerstone seed 5 Hammerstone seed 5.5% 1
Asgarnian seed 5 Asgarnian seed 4.1% 2
Jute seed 5 Jute seed 4.1% 2
Yanillian seed Yanillian seed 2.7% 3
Krandorian seed 5 Krandorian seed 1.31% 2
Wildblood seed 5 Wildblood seed 0.70% 53
Marigold seed Marigold seed 4.5% 1
Nasturtium seed Nasturtium seed 3.0% 1
Rosemary seed 5 Rosemary seed 1.96% 4
Woad seed 5 Woad seed 1.45% 2
Limpwurt seed Limpwurt seed 1.15% 30
Redberry seed 5 Redberry seed 3.88% 1
Cadavaberry seed 5 Cadavaberry seed 2.7% 1
Dwellberry seed 5 Dwellberry seed 1.9% 2
Jangerberry seed 5 Jangerberry seed 0.77% 2
Whiteberry seed 5 Whiteberry seed 0.28% 4
Poison ivy seed Poison ivy seed 0.106% 18
Mushroom spore Mushroom spore 0.2% 67
Belladonna seed 5 Belladonna seed 0.15% 57
Cactus seed 5 Cactus seed 0.1% 98
Guam seed Guam seed 1.53% 9
Marrentill seed Marrentill seed 1.0% 5
Tarromin seed Tarromin seed 0.7% 10
Harralander seed Harralander seed 0.48% 31
Ranarr seed Ranarr seed 0.33% 45,466
Toadflax seed Toadflax seed 0.22% 795
Irit seed Irit seed 0.15% 47
Avantoe seed Avantoe seed 0.105% 1,675
Kwuarm seed Kwuarm seed 0.072% 379
Snapdragon seed Snapdragon seed 0.048% 54,551
Cadantine seed Cadantine seed 0.0336% 1,034
Lantadyme seed Lantadyme seed 0.024% 2,358
Dwarf weed seed Dwarf weed seed 0.0144% 423
Torstol seed Torstol seed 0.0096% 58,385

Stalls[]

Silk stall

An example of a silk stall found in the East Ardougne marketplace.

There are a large number of stalls throughout RuneScape, although many of them are in the Ardougne Market. Unlike pickpocketing NPCs, stealing from stalls have a 100% success rate as long as you are not in the line of sight of the stall owner or any of the nearby guards. It should be noted you may not interact with the stall owner for up to 10 minutes (while logged in) after the last theft from his or her stall. Time spend logged out will not help remove the NPC interact restriction.

Thievable stalls[]

Stall Level Exp. Items Location Respawn Time
Vegetable stall 2 10 Onion, cabbage, potato, tomato, or garlic Miscellania, Etceteria 2 seconds
Baker's Stall 5 16 Cake (62%), chocolate slice (9%), or bread (27%) *percentage based on 1000 stolen times rounded down Ardougne, Keldagrim 2 seconds
Crafting Stall 5 16 Chisel, ring mould, or necklace mould Ape Atoll, Keldagrim 7 seconds
Monkey Food Stall 5 16 Banana Ape Atoll 7 seconds
Monkey General Stall 5 16 Pot, hammer, or tinderbox Ape Atoll 7 seconds
Tea Stall 5 16 Cup of tea Varrock 7 seconds
Silk stall 20 24 Silk Ardougne, Keldagrim 5 seconds
Wine Stall 22 27 Jug of water, jug of wine, grapes, empty jug, bottle of wine Draynor 10 seconds
Fruit Stall 25 28.25 Cooking apple, strawberries, bananas, redberries, jangerberries, strange fruit, lime, lemon, pineapple, papaya, Golovanova fruit top Logava Gricoller's Cooking Supplies 2 seconds
Seed Stall 27 10 Potato, onion, cabbage, tomato, sweetcorn, strawberry, watermelon, barley, hammerstone seed, asgarnian Seed, jute, yanillian seed, krandorian, wildblood, marigold, rosemary, nasturtium Draynor, n the market just south of the pig pen 9 seconds
Fur Stall 35 36 Grey wolf fur Ardougne, Rellekka 10 seconds
Fish stall 42 42 Raw salmon, raw tuna, or raw lobster Rellekka, Miscellenia, Etceteria 10 seconds
Crossbow Stall 49 52 Bronze bolts (3), bronze limbs, wooden stock Keldagrim 9 seconds
Silver Stall 50 54 Silver ore Ardougne, Keldagrim, Great Kourend 30 seconds
Spice Stall 65 81 Spice Ardougne 80 seconds
Magic Stall 65 100 Air, earth, fire, water, or law rune Ape Atoll 80 seconds
Scimitar Stall 65 160 Iron scimitar Ape Atoll 80 seconds
Gem Stall 75 160 Uncut sapphire, uncut emerald, uncut ruby, uncut diamond Ardougne, Keldagrim 180 seconds
Gem Stall 75 160 Uncut sapphire, Sapphire, Uncut emerald, Emerald, Uncut ruby, Ruby, Uncut diamond, Diamond, Uncut dragonstone Mor Ul Rek 180 seconds
Ore Stall 82 180 Iron ore, Coal, Silver ore, Gold ore, Mithril ore, Adamantite ore, Runite ore Mor Ul Rek 60 seconds

Chests[]

There are chests scattered throughout RuneScape. Some chests will have traps on them, to discover what lay inside of them, the trap must be disarmed using the Thieving skill, click on the chest and select "Search for traps" from the drop down menu to allow your 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 again thieve from the chest. If "Search for traps" is not selected when attempting to thieve from a chest, the player will attempt to open the chest and take damage, this damage scales off of your current health down to a minimum.

Once chests had dual traps: the initial trap disarmed by the Thieving skill, and a secondary trap that released Poison Gas into the air, so lower level players required caution. Poison Gas was removed in an update.

Thievable chests[]

Chest Level Exp. Items Location Respawn Time
10 Coin Chest 13 7.8 10 coins

East Ardougne (two):

  1. The second chest up the ladder in the house with the Cooking range icon just south of the north bank
  2. The chest in the empty house east of the east Baker's Stall
7 seconds
Nature Rune Chest 28 25 3 coins, nature rune

East Ardougne (two):

  1. The first chest up the ladder in the house with the Cooking range icon just south of the north bank
  2. North most chest upstairs in the empty house just east of the Gem Stall
15 seconds
50 Coin Chest 43 125 50 coins Ardougne, Axe Hut 50 seconds
Arrow Tip Chest 47 150 5 steel arrow tips Hemenster, Rellekka 210 seconds
Dorgesh-Kaan (Average chests) 52 200 About 100-300 coins, bullseye lantern, oil lantern, cave goblin wire, mining helmet, clue scroll (easy) Dorgesh-Kaan 210 seconds
Blood Rune Chest 59 250 500 coins, 2 blood runes Chaos Druid Tower 135 seconds
Paladin Chest (King Lathas Chest) 72 500 1,000 coins, raw shark, adamant ore, uncut sapphire Ardougne Palace 400 seconds
Dorgesh-Kaan (Rich chests) 78 650 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, empty light orb Dorgesh-Kaan 300 seconds
Rogues' Chest 84 100 1,000 coins, 30 death runes, 30 fire runes, 25 mind runes, 40 chaos runes, 6 sapphires, 5 emeralds, 1-3 diamonds, 10 sharks, 20 pike, 15 raw tuna, 25 ashes, 10 iron, 13 coal, 3 tinderboxes, 2 cut dragonstones, clue scroll (hard) Rogue's Castle ~10 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 3.8 East Ardougne; the door to the empty house east of the east Baker's Stall
Door to Nature Rune Chest 14 15 East Ardougne; the door to the empty house just east of the Gem Stall
Ardougne House Door 16 15 East Ardougne; the door to the house with the Cooking range icon just south of the north bank
H.A.M. Trapdoor 17 4 East of Draynor
Axe Hut Door 32 25 Level 54 Wilderness
Ardougne Sewer Gate 32 25 Ardougne Sewers
Pirate Hall 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. Possible Loot Stun Time (seconds) Stun Damage
Steal cowbells from dairy cows 15 16 Cowbells 4.8 1 - "The cow kicks you and stuns you"
Candle table north of altar in Entrana church 20 20 Candle 1 1 - "A higher power smites you"
Steal wire from the Dorgeshuun wire machine 44 22 Cave goblin wire 4 5
Crack wall safes in Rogues' Den 50 70 Coins, Uncut gems 2 2 - 6

Training strategies[]

Main article: Thieving training
  1. 1.0 1.1 Icthlarin's Little Helper must be started in order to gain access to play Pyramid Plunder. It is recommended to purchase a Pharaoh's sceptre while training here, as it saves time and can be recharged at very little cost using artefacts stolen during the minigame.

Temporary boosts[]

Main article: Temporary skill boost
Image Name Boost Level to obtain/use Notes
Bandit's brew Bandit's brew 1 None None.
Spring sq'irkjuice Spring sq'irk juice 1 Thieving icon 25 10% run energy boost.
Autumn sq'irkjuice Autumn sq'irk juice 2 Thieving icon 45 15% run energy boost.
Summer sq'irkjuice Summer sq'irk juice 3 Thieving icon 65 20% run energy boost.
Spicy stew Yellow spicy stew -5 to +5 Cooking icon 25 -5 and +5 are rare

Random events[]

Pillory

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. This event has been discontinued.
  • Pillory - It is possible that your character will be teleported to a pillory in Yanille, Varrock, or Seers' 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.
  • When picking pockets in the HAM Dungeon, it is possible to get slightly concussed from the blow (Higher Agility prevents this from happening as often). Get concussed 3 times, and you will be knocked out and thrown out of the dungeon.

Thieving minigames[]

There are a number of minigames which 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.
  • Rogues' Den - Traverse a maze with Thieving and Agility obstacles. Modest experience. More interesting for thieves is to open the safes in 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 fruit. Requires patience, a bit of skill, and experience, but yields excellent experience. Has four levels each giving increased experience at levels 1, 25, 45, and 65. Bring empty beer glasses (can be obtained for free at the shelves in the sorcerer's house).

Quests rewarding Thieving experience[]

Quest Experience
reward
Thieving req. Other requirements
Tower of Life 500 - 10 Construction icon
Creature of Fenkenstrain 1,000 25 Thieving icon 20 Crafting icon
The Golem 1,000 25 Thieving icon 20 Crafting icon
The Hand in the Sand 1,000 17 Thieving icon 49 Crafting icon
Spirits of the Elid 1,000 37 Thieving icon 33 Magic icon, 37 Ranged icon, 37 Mining icon
Biohazard 1,250 - -
The Giant Dwarf 1,500 14 Thieving icon 12 Crafting icon, 16 Firemaking icon, 33 Magic icon
Hazeel Cult 1,500 - -
Tribal Totem 1,775 21 Thieving icon -
Death to the Dorgeshuun 2,000 23 Thieving icon 23 Agility icon
The Queen of Thieves 2,000 20 Thieving icon -
Fight Arena 2,175 - -
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen 2,500 40 Thieving icon 49 Farming icon, 57 Herblore icon
The Fremennik Trials 2,812 - 25 Fletching icon, 40 Woodcutting icon, 40 Crafting icon if crafting your own lyre
The Slug Menace 3,500 30 Thieving icon 30 Crafting icon, 30 Runecrafting icon, 30 Slayer icon
Icthlarin's Little Helper 4,500 - -
Ratcatchers 4,500 - -
Darkness of Hallowvale 6,000 22 Thieving icon 5 Construction icon, 20 Mining icon, 26 Agility icon, 32 Crafting icon, 33 Magic icon, 40 Strength icon
Grim Tales 6,000 58 Thieving icon 45 Farming icon, 52 Herblore icon, 59 Agility icon, 71 Woodcutting icon
Contact! 7,000 - -
Dragon Slayer II 15,000 60 Thieving icon 200 Quest point icon, 75 Magic icon, 70 Smithing icon, 68 Mining icon, 62 Crafting icon, 60 Agility icon, 50 Construction icon, 50 Hitpoints icon
The Feud 15,000 30 Thieving icon -
Monkey Madness II 15,000 55 Thieving icon 69 Slayer icon, 70 Crafting icon, 60 Hunter icon, 55 Agility icon
Mourning's Ends Part I 25,000 50 Thieving icon 60 Ranged icon
Total 123,512

Skill choice[]

Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Thieving. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.

Quest Experience
reward
Skills available Skill requirements
Client of Kourend 500 twice Any -
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen 2,500 Any skill above 30 49 Farming icon, 57 Herblore icon
A Tail of Two Cats 2,500 twice Any skill above 30 -
The Great Brain Robbery 5,000 Any skill above 30 16 Crafting icon, 30 Construction icon, 50 Prayer icon
King's Ransom 5,000 Any skill above 50 65 Defence icon
Darkness of Hallowvale 2,000 three times Any skill above 30 5 Construction icon, 20 Mining icon, 22 Thieving icon, 32 Crafting icon, 33 Magic icon, 40 Strength icon
Curse of the Empty Lord
(miniquest)
10,000 Any skill above 50 Some players will need 31 Prayer icon
The Tourist Trap 4,650 twice Agility icon Fletching icon Smithing icon Thieving icon 10 Fletching icon, 20 Smithing icon
One Small Favour 10,000 twice Any skill above 30 36 Agility icon, 25 Crafting icon, 18 Herblore icon, 30 Smithing icon
Recipe for Disaster
(The final battle)
20,000 Any skill above 50 175 Quest point icon, 48 Agility icon, 50 Mining icon, 53 Fishing icon, 53 Thieving icon, 25 Herblore icon, 59 Magic icon, 40 Smithing icon, 50 Firemaking icon, 40 Ranged icon, 40 Crafting icon, 10 Fletching icon, 10 Slayer icon, 36 Woodcutting icon
Legends' Quest 7,650 four times Attack icon Strength icon Defence icon Magic icon Hitpoints icon Prayer icon Woodcutting icon Crafting icon Smithing icon Herblore icon Agility icon Thieving icon 107 Quest point icon, 50 Agility icon, 50 Crafting icon, 45 Herblore icon, 56 Magic icon, 52 Mining icon, 42 Prayer icon, 50 Smithing icon, 50 Strength icon, 50 Thieving icon, 50 Woodcutting icon
Total 114,400

Trivia[]

  • Thieving is one of the only skills that does not require any items for training, unless the player is blackjacking.


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