Stealth Skills: The Path of Shadow – Pickpocket

Pickpocket is the stealthy art of lifting gold and other valuables from an unsuspecting target. This skill increases whenever you successfully steal an item, based on the item’s value. Fail to pickpocket something, and you don’t receive credit for the attempt. Of course, that’s probably the least of your worries at that point!

The highest-level Pickpocket perks, Misdirection and Perfect Touch, allow you to steal equipped weapons and armor off of a creature. This is an excellent trick for a stealthy assassin, as there are few more satisfying ways to take down a difficult foe than by stripping them down to their underwear before stabbing them in the back...

• Constellation: Path of Shadow
• Available Perks: 12

Available Pickpocket Perks

1–5. Light Fingers (5 ranks)

• Rank 1: Pickpocketing bonus of 20%. Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds.
• Requires: None
• Rank 2: Pickpocketing bonus of 40%. Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds.
• Requires: Pickpocket 20, Light Fingers 1
• Rank 3: Pickpocketing bonus of 60%. Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds.
• Requires: Pickpocket 40, Light Fingers 2
• Rank 4: Pickpocketing bonus of 80%. Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds.
• Requires: Pickpocket 60, Light Fingers 3
• Rank 5: Pickpocketing bonus of 100%. Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds.
• Requires: Pickpocket 80, Light Fingers 4

6. Night Thief

• You have a +25% chance to pickpocket if the target is asleep.
• Requires: Pickpocket 20

Night Thief makes pickpocketing a sleeping character much easier. Find out where your target sleeps, hide nearby, wait for nightfall, and then rob them at your leisure. Stacks with Light Fingers.

7. Cutpurse

• Pickpocketing gold is 50% easier.
• Requires: Pickpocket 40, Night Thief

8. Poisoned

• Silently harm enemies by placing poison in their pockets.
• Requires: Pickpocket 40, Night Thief

This is a good way to sap an enemy’s strength and can kill many civilians outright. This is a great tactic for some Dark Brotherhood assassinations.

9. Extra Pockets ★

• Carrying capacity is increased by 100 points.
• Requires: Pickpocket 50, Night Thief

Increases your Max Carry weight by 100. This great for any character, especially if you’ve been neglecting your stamina when leveling up.

10. Keymaster

• Pickpocketing keys always works.
• Requires: Pickpocket 60, Cutpurse

Gold and items are great, but keys can be even better once you have access to a good Fence. Go rob a well-to-do character’s house while they’re out, and the haul will often be worth far more than what they were carrying. If you need someone to fence your stolen goods, join the Thieves Guild or take the Speech skill’s Fence perk.

11. Misdirection

• Can pickpocket equipped weapons.
• Requires: Pickpocket 70, Cutpurse

12. Perfect Touch

• Can pickpocket equipped items.
• Requires: Pickpocket 100, Misdirection

Racial Benefits

• +5 Pickpocket
• Argonian
• Khajiit
• Wood Elf

Trainers

• Journeyman: Ahkari, of Zaynabi’s Khajiit Caravans, outside Dawnstar or Riften.
• Expert: Silda the Unseen, begging on the streets of Windhelm.
• Master: Vipir the Fleet, the Thieves Guild, The Ragged Flagon, in Riften.

Other Resources

• The following quests can also increase this skill:
• Other Factions Quest: Finn’s Lute.
• Daedric Quest: Discerning the Transmundane.