Starfield: Pickpocketing Starfield guide, tips

Pickpocketing in Starfield allows you to steal valuable items from characters. The guide explains how to unlock and develop the Pickpocketing skill, how to prepare for stealing and how to increase the chances of success.

Last update: 31 August 2023

An easy way to gain wealth and valuable items in Starfield is to rob NPCs. This page explains how to unlock pickpocketing, how to avoid detection, keep yourself safe and what kinds of items you'll usually pickpocket.

• Unlocking and developing the Theft skill
• How to pickpocket someone?

Unlocking and developing the Theft skill

1. You need the Theft skill to pickpocket other characters. Choosing a correct background will let you start off with it. Otherwise, you can unlock it for a single skill point.
2. You should develop Theft more as you progress through the game. You can unlock its new ranks by robbing a certain amount of people (it doesn't matter what exactly you steal) and spending another skill point.
3. Upgrading Theft increases success rate while pickpocketing (by up to 50%). Maxing it out by reaching rank 4 also lets you steal the NPCs' equipped weapons.

How to pickpocket someone?

1. When pickpocketing, look for singular, isolated NPCs. Don't even try to do it in crowds, or when other people are looking.
2. Crouch and stand behind the person you'd like to rob. If you can, go for NPCs who are standing still. Trying to pickpocket a moving character is much more difficult.
3. Don't go for it if you're detected (example above) - change your position first. Things can swiftly change if the NPC you're trying to steal from turns around. You can make detection harder thanks to the Stealth skill, but it's not mandatory.

1. Save the game before each pickpocketing attempt. If you're caught, you'll be fined and confronted by a guard - we've described it in more detail on the Crimes page.
2. After getting behind an NPC, press the interact key. Just peeking into their inventory isn't yet a crime - if they don't have anything interesting, you can just back out.
3. Each item has a percentage chance of being successfully stolen. You can steal the things you're the likeliest to succeed with, or risk those that seem the most valuable. You can also steal just one item at a time (such as credits), close the pickpocketing window and save again.
4. NPCs usually carry weapons, ammo and credits. Some also hold food, medicine or quest items, such as journals.