This OSRS guide will look over the Thieving skill in Oldschool Runescape. Showing you the fastest and most efficient ways to train the skill. In addition to numerous alternative thieving training methods to try. Overall this is a fast and relatively easy skill to train.
Useful Info and Items for Thieving Training
Thieving has a variety of uses in OSRS, which is why you will want to train it to a high level. There are a few things you can do to make your Thieving training go a little smoother. For example, hiding NPC attack options will turn pickpocket into a left click option.
Rogue Outfit
The Rogue’s outfit is made up of the Rogue Boots, Gloves, Trousers, Top and Mask. Each piece can be found by looting the wall safe at the end of the Rogue’s Den minigame. The minigame is accessible from 50 thieving.
The equipment is useful as it gives double loot while pickpocketing NPCs around the game.
Dodgy Necklace
This necklace provides a 25% chance to not be stunned and damaged when caught trying to pickpocket an NPC. The necklace has 10 charges. This makes it very useful for increasing experience rates when pickpocketing, as there is less in-active time waiting for the stun to be removed.
Ardougne Hard Diary
Upon completion of the Ardougne hard diary, pickpocket success will be increased by 10% anywhere in Gielinor. The medium diary offers the same increase but is exclusive to the Ardougne area.
Gloves of Silence
Pickpocketing NPCs with the Gloves of silence equipped will increase success rates by 5%. However, this is not stackable with the Ardougne Diary and having completed the relevant tiers will make the gloves obsolete.
Fastest Thieving Exp Methods
Follow the proposed methods below if you want to achieve 99 Thieving in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.
Questing: Levels 1 – 37
In order to skip the tedious low level thieving methods, you can simply complete quests that grant thieving experience. You should start by completing Biohazard, Tribal Totem, Tower of Life, Fight Arena and Hazeel Cult, these quests will grant a total of 7,200 experience and take you to level 24.
Continuing to complete more quests such as; Creature of Fenkenstrain, Death of the Dorgeshuun, The Golem, The Giant Dwarf, The Queen of Thieves and the Feud will grant 22,500 thieving exp. Taking you to level 37 from quest rewards alone.
Fruit Stalls: Levels 25/37 – 45
Stealing from the Fruit Stalls in Hosidious offers the fastest experience from 37 to 45. However, if you do not wish to complete all of the available quests you can start here at as early as 25 thieving. You will however, be required to have at least 15% favour in Hosidius.
Experience rates go as high as 43k per hour if stealing from the double stall spot in Hosidius. Banking the fruit is not recommended as it significantly reduces experience per hour.
Blackjacking: Levels 45/65 – 91/99
Blackjacking various different NPCs in Pollniveach offers the fastest thieving experience from 45 to 99. For access to this method you must have partially completed the Feud quest and have a blackjack of any kind.
The method for blackjacking is simple. Lure the bandit into a quiet corner, then knock him out and pickpocket twice while they are unconscious.
- From levels 45 to 55, you will be blackjacking the Bearded Pollnivnian Bandits.
- From levels 55 to 65, you will be blackjacking the Pollnivnian Bandits.
- From levels 65 to 99, you will be blackjacking the Menaphite Thugs.
Stealing Artefacts: Levels 49-65
The Stealing Artefacts mini-game is slightly faster than blackjacking until you unlock the ability to blackjack Menaphite Thugs at level 65. Many players actually continue to use this method beyond level 65 as it is far less click intensive.
The requirements for this training method include having 75% favour in Piscarilius. You will also need to bring lockpicks for this activity. A bunch of stamina or energy potions, alongside weight-reducing gear such as the Graceful outfit is highly recommended.
For the method you will need to:
- Talk to Captain Khaled to begin the Stealing Artefacts activity/mini-game.
- Use your Kharedst’s memoirs or Book of the Dead to teleport to Fisher’s Flute. Steal an artefact from one of the drawers in the house you have been assigned by Captain Khaled.
- Bring the stolen artefact back to Captain Khaled without being caught by any of the patrollers.
- Repeat these three steps.
It is better to take your time and ensure you are not caught by the patrollers. As this will result in you losing significant amounts of experience. Experience rates are around 150k thieving exp per hour at level 49, scaling up to 186k at level 65. The full breakdown of exp rates can be found below.
Pyramid Plunder: Levels 91-99
Players can begin the Pyramid Plunder mini-game at levels 21 thieving or higher. However, it is not a viable training method until level 91. At this level it becomes the fastest method of training thieving currently in the game.
For this method you will need to have started the Icthlarin’s Little Helper quest, to gain access to the city of Sophanem. A Pharaohs Sceptre is recommended for easy access to the mini-games entrance via the Jalsavrah teleport. High-healing food, stamina potions and antipoison is also highly recommended when training with this method to maintain the highest experience rates.
The strategy for this method is to quickly progress as fast as you can to the final room in Pyramid Plunder. Once there loot all of the urns in the room and the golden chest, before exiting to repeat. If there is sufficient time, then you can also loot many of the urns in the second to last room for more exp.
While using Pyramid Plunder from levels 91 onwards, players can expect at least 270,000 experience per hour in thieving. If you wish to train here earlier, then you can expect around 125k thieving per hour with levels 71-80. Between 81 and 90 you can expect to achieve 190k thieving exp an hour. Pairing up with other players to train is recommended to increase experience rates, as the correct door leading to the next room is the same for all players.
Alternative Thieving Experience Methods
For those looking for different ways of training the thieving skill, OSRS still has plenty to offer. Whether you be interested in methods with a little more passive profit, more stimulating or less click-intensive.
Chambers of Xeric: Levels 1-25
Players who have completed Chambers of Xeric, will know that varies areas of the raid has skilling encounters. CoX actually has a puzzle room, named the Thieving Room. Where players steal Cavern Grubs from chests, to feed a Scavenger Beast and progress to the next room.
The Chests found in this room have no thieving level requirement to loot them. They do however, provide relatively competitive experience rates for low levels. Opening these chests can reward players with up to 21,000 thieving exp per hour, with a lockpick. The lockpick is important to bring if you can get one, as it significantly increases the probability of you successfully opening a chest.
Ardougne Knights: Levels 55-99
Pickpocketing Ardougne Knights is a popular choice in OSRS as it is very easy to do and is slightly more profitable than blackjacking. From levels 55 to 99 players will gain around 7.5m gp or double that at 15m if wearing full rogue’s outfit.
The method is noticeably more popular and effective at higher thieving levels, when the pickpocketing chance is more likely. Particularly from 95 onwards when players stop failing to pickpocket with the medium ardougne diary complete.
Dorgeshan Rich Chests: Levels 78-99
The underground, goblin city of Dorgesh-Kaan is home to Rich Chests. These can be looted with a picklock at level 78+ thieving. It is a rather niche method as experience rates are below other methods such as Blackjacking, Pyramid Plunder and Stealing Artefacts. However, this method provides consistent loot, usually in the form of gems. With banking players can expect around 190k thieving experience and 300k in loot from this method.
The method is usually more popular with niche accounts, such as Ironmen and low hitpoints accounts (method is 0 damage). For people doing this method, it is highly recommended to bring a gem bag to reduce banking and weight-reducing gear like graceful to maintain run.
