Though riskier than other rogue skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the rewards for pickpocketing are often worth the danger. This is especially true after investing some perk points into the skill tree to make picking pockets easier. Unlike Lockpicking or Speech, the Pickpocket skill also has some, albeit minimal, synergy with the game’s combat skills.
While the difficulty of Lockpicking is determined by the level of the lock itself (ranging from Novice to Master), Pickpocket works a little differently. There is no minigame involved, but there is a complex formula that determines whether a Pickpocket attempt is successful. It also matters which NPC is being targeted, as some are more wary than others. Other factors can be perks the player has acquired, what the target NPC is currently doing, and what kind of gear the player is wearing. For example, either Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild have armor to enhance Sneak and/or Pickpocket.
It is entirely possible to complete a Skyrim playthrough without ever leveling the Pickpocket skill tree. There are very few times during questlines where the skill is necessary, and it’s usually more of an optional route that saves a few seconds of time or grants some extra gold. Pickpocketing keys, for example, are a convenient way to bypass troublesome locks. NPCs living in Skyrim’s cities will carry keys on them that can be sneakily removed from their person. Oftentimes, however, their homes will contain strongboxes or chests that will still require a lockpick for entry.
There Are Pros And Cons To Leveling Skyrim’s Pickpocket Skill Tree
There are only two occasions where the Pickpocket skill is absolutely necessary in Skyrim. The first is during A Chance Arrangement when Brynjolf initiates the player into Skyrim’s Thieves Guild. Second, there are the optional radiant Fishing Job quests that Delvin Mallory offers the player as a side hustle. It is never necessary during any of the major Thieves Guild missions.
While the skill isn’t strictly necessary, it can be a help during the Hard Answers quest. This quest involves multiple locked doors that are more quickly and easily bypassed by stealing keys. Again, however, the player could alternatively just pick the lock. Pickpocket does synergize well with a pure rogue build, however, as it’s a way to make the most of break-in missions or even just ambling about Skyrim’s cities. This comes back to a recurring problem with the game itself: Economy.
Once Skyrim players have reached higher levels, gold is rarely an issue. Between looting fallen enemies and digging through Skyrim’s deepest, longest dungeons, it’s hardly worth the time (or the perk points) to pick the pockets of non-hostile NPCs for gold. It’s even less worthwhile to pick the pockets of hostile NPCs, since they can simply be looted once they’re killed. The primary benefit of leveling the Pickpocket skill tree at all is that it makes it easier to steal rarer, more valuable items.
High levels in Pickpocket also enable the player to steal things that otherwise are not listed as an NPC’s possession. This includes some jewelry, weapons, and even clothing or armor. Leveling the Light Fingers perk also makes it easier to steal these items, making failed attempts less frequent. For this reason, the Perfect Touch and Misdirection perks are two of the best reasons to invest perk points into Pickpocket, as they open gameplay avenues that are otherwise impossible.
Reaching a skill level of 70-100 is a long haul, however, and players will undoubtedly suffer many failed pickpocket attempts to get there. Failed attempts at Pickpocket are far more costly than failed attempts at Sneak, Lockpicking, or Speech. Hostile NPCs will be made aware of your presence and the Dragonborn will be forced into combat at point-blank range. This is typically inadvisable for rogue builds, especially when Skyrim’s archery is such a powerful option for combat. It’s more advisable to assassinate an NPC with a bow from afar, or to just use a dagger once at Pickpocket range.
Getting caught pickpocketing non-hostile NPCs is even worse, as it places a bounty on your head, alerts any nearby guards, and results in paying a fine, losing all stolen goods, or serving time in jail. Players can save-scum and reload failed attempts to retry, but this is tedious, immersion-breaking, and is usually not worth the trouble. Furthermore, the likelihood of succeeding at Pickpocket attempts can be just as easily boosted via Skyrim’s crafting skills like alchemy, enchanting, and smithing.
One of the best reasons to level Enchanting in Skyrim is that items can be outfitted to bolster any play style. This includes Pickpocket and it’s to the detriment of the Pickpocket skill tree as a whole. Players can easily reach the ‘90% success rate’ cap solely by wearing gear that improves Pickpocket skill. If those players reach level 100 in Enchanting, they can then double enchant their gear to boost both Pickpocket and Sneak at the same time. This reduces the need to invest perk points into either tree.
Alchemy works in tandem with Pickpocket in two major ways. Firstly, downing a Fortify Pickpocket potion can greatly increase the chance of any pickpocket attempts. Considering the boost this gives (and that that boost stacks with enchanted gear), this is one more reason not to invest in Light Fingers, which is far less versatile than both Enchanting and Alchemy. Secondly, there’s the Poisoner perk.
Use The Pickpocket Skill To Transform Skyrim’s NPCs Into Walking Lootable Containers
Which Perks To Choose
- Poisoner: For rogue play styles that are tired of seeing Skyrim’s repetitive crossbow sneak kill animations, being able to silently kill enemies by using poison is a much-needed change of pace. Both creative and stealthy, Poisoner finally gives players a reason to carry around dozens of poisons. While planting a single vial of poison on a target won’t do much damage, what many players do not realize is that they can reverse-pickpocket multiple poisons at once. This forces a target to receive damage from all the poisons at once until either they are all consumed or the target dies; whichever happens first. The remaining poisons will be left on the corpse and are retrievable.
- Extra Pockets: Dissimilar to other skills in Skyrim, though, it’s the perks that make Pickpocket worthwhile rather than the usefulness of the skill itself. Extra inventory space is always helpful, and the Extra Pockets perk increases carrying capacity by a whole 100 points. This can either replace or stack with The Steed, one of Skyrim’s best Standing Stones.
Which Perks Not To Choose
- Keymaster: While stealing keys is useful, it’s rarely necessary. Picking locks is usually less risky than picking pockets, and it’s always more convenient than trying to find the NPC that matches the door in question. Keys carried by NPCs usually pertain to doors, as well, which are always easier to lockpick than the strongboxes or chests behind the door.
- Light Fingers: Surprisingly, getting extra ranks in Light Fingers is usually not worth the perk points. It’s more economical to instead rely on enchanted gear, a high sneak skill, and optionally some of the later perks further up the tree. If a player is committed to picking a particularly difficult pocket, it’s easier to simply quickload and attempt again rather than spend perk points upping the skill.
Skyrim is available on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
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