Pilfering

Pilfering is the rogue's trade, renamed from "Thieving". Pick a target, from a Man at level 1 to the King at 95, and your keeper lifts coin and loot from their pockets on a timer. Each attempt rolls your Stealth against the target's Perception, and a failure costs you a hit of damage, so a long session needs food or a target you comfortably outclass.

How Pilfering works

Targets sit in their own places: Low Town, Goblin Village, the Bandit Hideout, the Farmer's Market, the Banquet, the Port of Saltmere, the Cave of Giants, the Outskirts, the Fort, the Wizard Tower and the Royal Castle. Higher targets pay more, and watch harder.

Your Stealth is your Pilfering level plus your mastery of that target, plus gear, potions and a few other bonuses. Your chance of success is (100 + Stealth) divided by (100 + Perception), up to certain. A failed attempt deals damage up to the target's maximum hit, reduced by your damage reduction, and auto-eat steps in as it does in a fight.

Every target carries a rare unique item, and your chance of it rises with your Stealth. Gear helps: Pilfering Gloves add 75 Stealth and Soft Soles 40, while the Jester's Hat costs you 75.

Tips for training Pilfering

1. Mastery of a target adds straight to your Stealth against it, so the target you have worked longest is the one you fail least.
2. The Light Fingers Potion (Apothecary 45) adds 15 to 75 Stealth, depending on its tier.
3. The Leprechaun familiar from Binding adds 50 coin to every successful pick.
4. A Rough chart of the Drowned Marches in Chartwork reveals the Drowned Pedlar, a target at Pilfering 80.

Skills that pair with Pilfering

The 28 trades aren't isolated. Pilfering works best alongside these:

Frequently asked about Pilfering

Why is it called Pilfering instead of Thieving?

"Thieving" is RuneScape's name for the skill. Tideward renamed it Pilfering in the May 2026 rebrand; the loop is the same idea.

Can I die from failed pickpockets?

A failed attempt deals real damage, so yes, if nothing heals you. Auto-eat spends your food as it would in a fight, and a target whose hits you can absorb is safe to leave running.

What's the best XP-per-hour Pilfering target?

The highest target you succeed against most of the time. Success is (100 + your Stealth) divided by (100 + their Perception), and Stealth grows with your level, your mastery of that target, gear and potions.