Pickpocketing

See also: Features

Pre-release Speculation

Of all the new features in Bethesda's highly anticipated space RPG Starfield, one that's sure to excite stealthy players is the brand-new pickpocketing system. Allowing thieves to lift items right from an NPC's pockets, pickpocketing in Starfield works much differently than previous Bethesda titles.

A Risky Yet Rewarding Endeavor

In games like Skyrim and Fallout, pickpocketing was a safe process - the game paused, letting you browse a target's inventory and steal at your leisure. Starfield throws that out the airlock, making pickpocketing real-time and incredibly risky. But with risk comes great reward if you can master this tricky art.

Lightening-fast fingers and a surgeon's precision is required for successful pickpocketing in Starfield. Targets must be approached unseen, and their inventory quickly rifled through while the game continues running. Any mistake risks almost certain detection and aggressive retaliation. Yet pilfering valuable weapons, rare crafting components, and useful gear well ahead of time makes it a tempting prospect for scoundrels.

Pickpocketing Step-by-Step

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to pickpocket humanoid NPCs in Starfield:

1. Enter sneak mode undetected and move silently behind the target.
2. While crouching, approach close enough for the "Pickpocket" prompt to appear.
3. Choose the prompt and the inventory menu will open, displaying the target's equip-able items and pocketed goods.
4. Act quickly to grab desired items before the NPC detects you. The inventory screen shows detection chance for each item.
5. Once items are stolen, immediately sneak away from the area before being spotted.
6. Find a secluded spot to examine your haul before planning another heist.

Crucial Skills for Pickpocketing

Successfully pilfering items means investing perk points into key skills relating to stealth and thievery. Here are the essential skills for pickpocketing:

• Stealth - Makes the player harder to detect while sneaking. Higher stealth ranks allow getting extremely close to targets without alerting them.

• Concealment? - Reduces the chance of being caught while stealing. Allows taking more valuable items without detection at higher ranks. Also enables reverse pickpocketing.

Advanced Techniques and Risks

For master pickpockets, investing heavily into the Theft skill tree may unlock new potential techniques. Based on previous Bethesda games, high thievery ranks could enable Players to reverse pickpocket, leaving incriminating items in a target's inventory.

A live grenade or mine surreptitiously slipped into someone's pocket destroys all evidence while eliminating the target. But victims will be missed, so pickpocketing essential NPCs can ruin quest lines. Save often before attempting risky picks on crucial characters.