Complete Pickpocket Guide - Easy way to get rich! - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Pickpocketing in Baldur's Gate 3

The Basics

In Baldur's Gate 3, pickpocketing is a skill that allows players to steal items from NPCs without them noticing. This can be done both in and out of combat. To pickpocket, you first need to Activate sneak mode. It allows your character to move stealthily, making it easier to approach NPCs without being detected.

Ensure you stay out of their red cone of vision.

Characters for Pickpocketing

• Rogue Class: The Rogue class is the primary class for pickpocketing, allowing you to rob both enemies and friendly NPCs. Of course, anybody can do that, but they usually get the highest Sleight of Hand skill bonus
• Racial Advantages: Some races like High Elf, Wood Elf, Drow, Lightfoot, and Strongheart have slight advantages for rogues.
• Background: A character with a "Criminal" background is recommended for pickpocketing.
• Astarion: This origin character is also a good choice for pickpocketing due to his inherent skills and abilities.

Recommended Strategy

Teamwork and preparation

To maximize your chances, you'll need more than just your Rogue. Consider having a Cleric in your party. The cleric casts Guidance and Enhance Ability on Rogue to enhance their abilities. if you do not have Guidance, you can get a Silver Pendant early in the game that allows casting it

Next, you can also have a Warlock cast Hex on the target you're trying to pickpocket, making it easier for the Rogue. But this is totally optional and I do not do that personally.

And the last tip is to get the Smuggler's Ring. The ring gives:

• Stealth +2
• Sleight of Hand +2
• Charisma -1

It further improves your chances of success. Check the video below for its location

Pickpocketing

Enter Sneak mode, and approach the target from behind. Then activate the Turn-based mode in the right corner of the screen. This will allow you to better control your actions and stops time for NPCs. You can then scroll through their inventory and decide what you want to take,

After this target the NPC and left-click (or right-click and select the Pickpocket option). Your success depends on your Dexterity, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth skills.

What if there are multiple NPCs and you cannot become stealthy?

Use Summon Familiar or Minor Illusion to divert enemies' attention or lead them to a more secluded spot, making pickpocketing easier. I only recommend doing this if there are multiple people around

There is also another way. Use Fog Cloud on the NPC. They will then leave the cloud and you can use it to sneak yourself and pickpocket freely in Turn-Based mode. Just be sure that you are hidden in the cloud as it will give you protection from NPC's vision

Post-Pickpocketing

NPCs might notice the theft and start investigating. It's crucial to leave the area and wait for the NPC to calm down. This way you can avoid jail or spending gold on briberies

If you are caught

• Caught in the Act: If you're caught pickpocketing, you can try to talk your way out of the situation. Your success will depend on your character's charisma and persuasion skills. Generally, I found that bribing fails most of the time
• Hiding Stolen Items: Transfer stolen items to characters in your group who are away from NPCs. If NPCs decide to check your belongings and don't find the stolen items, they will let you go.
• Going to Jail: even if you are caught, going to jail does not bring any huge downsides besides the -5 opinion. You can easily escape the jail by lockpicking or jumping. After that barter some items and give them away for free to get back the opinion

Additional tips

• Save Often: Before attempting to pickpocket, it's a good idea to save your game. If things go south, you can reload and try again.
• Inventory Reset: The merchant's inventories reset every level up, so you can just respec at Withers in camp and get more gold, potions, etc. every time
• You can always be caught: this was a bit puzzling for me to understand at first, if I have huge bonuses from Stealth and Sleight of Hand why do sometimes I get caught picking cheap scrolls? The answer is a critical roll where you roll 1. So there is still always a chance to get caught.
• Becoming master of Pickpocketing: however, there is one passive feature in the game that ensures you roll more than 10. It is a Level 11 Rogue Class feature - Reliable Talent. When you make an Ability Check with a Skill you are Proficient with it, the lowest result you can roll on the die is 10. So if you pickpocket something that has a roll requirement below 11 you will always succeed