How to Sneak: Stealing and Pickpocket Guide

You can sneak in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) by pressing C or selecting the Hide icon in the game. Check out our guide out to learn how to sneak, pickpocket, and steal from your enemies, various tips to avoid being caught, as well as how to respond when caught red-handed.

How to Sneak in Baldur's Gate 3

Press C or Select Hide Icon

You can sneak and hide in Baldur's Gate 3 by pressing C on your keyboard or selecting the Hide icon on your character interface. When sneaking, you should try to avoid your enemy's line of sight and avoid areas with high visibility to prevent detection.

When an NPC or enemy spots you while hiding or sneaking, you will roll a Stealth Check. This is calculated by adding your Proficiency Bonus and Dexterity Modifier to a d20 roll. If you pass the Difficulty Class of your spotter, you will remain hidden. If you fail, your character will immediately stop hiding.

How to Steal and Pickpocket

Select Items or Chests While Hidden to Steal

Items and chests marked by red outlines when hovered over are owned by NPCs or enemies. Looting these items or chests will count as Stealing. To begin stealing in Baldur's Gate 3, simply hover your cursor over the items or storages chests you want to steal from, and select either Steal or Steal and Add to Wares from the menu.

Similar to sneaking, you will need to evade enemy lines of sight when you steal. Otherwise, the owners of the stolen item (or items) will confront you about it.

Select NPCs While Hidden to Pickpocket Them

To Pickpocket in Baldur's Gate 3, put your character in the sneaking position before selecting the NPC to pickpocket them. From there, a menu will open up that reveals the items you can steal from your enemy's inventory.

Examine the Skill Check Required by an Item

You will notice that the items in the enemy's inventory when you pickpocket have various skill checks. This is where Ability Scores like Dexterity and Sleight of Hand come into play.

If you attempt to steal an item, you will have to roll a die (d20) and pray that the value comes up higher than the intended target value of the item. Specific modifiers like your Dexterity and Sleight of Hand add up to the die value you've rolled.

When successful, you pickpocket the item of your choosing. If not, you face the consequences of being caught.

What is Dexterity?

Tips for Stealing and Pickpocketing

Tips for Stealing and Pickpocketing
Avoid Enemy Sightlines as Much as Possible Pause Time Using Turn-Based Mode Turn Off the Lights Quick Save Before You Pickpocket or Steal Ungroup Other Party Members Choose the Character with Appropriate Ability Scores

Avoid Enemy Sightlines as Much as Possible

Sightlines are the red indicators you see while sneaking that show the NPC or enemy's line of sight. You will have a higher chance of stealing or pickpocketing from someone if you approach them from outside their line of sight.

It is always best to steal or pickpocket when the enemy's back is facing you.

Pause Time Using Turn-Based Mode

Entering Turn-Based Mode freezes time in-game, allowing you to see NPC sightlines, avoid them, and steal without being detected by passing guards or NPCs in the area.

Just be sure to enter Turn-Based Mode once you are already in sneaking position so that you see the sightlines you have to avoid in order to reach your target.

Turn Off the Lights

Darkness plays a role in detection. Make sure you loot from areas without sunlight, which can be indicated by the sun icon beside your cursor.

You can also switch off nearby light sources such as torches to decrease your visibility. It will be easier to pass Stealth Checks when hidden in areas with little to no light.

Quick Save Before You Pickpocket or Steal

Saving before attempting to steal or pickpocket enables you to repeat the process if you were unsuccessful in your first attempt. Simply press F5 in your keyboard to perform a Quick Save.

How to Quick Save

Ungroup Other Party Members

Stealing or pickpocketing is best done when you are alone to avoid enemy detection. Select the character you want to separate from your party on the left screen, and click Ungroup on the character's menu to have them move around solo.

Choose a Character with Appropriate Ability Scores

Attempting to steal or pickpocket requires high Ability Scores in terms of Dexterity and Sleight of Hand, so make sure you choose a character that is best suited for the job to avoid detection

What is Dexterity?

What to Do When Caught Stealing

Persuade, Bribe, or Attack

When your character is caught either stealing or pickpocketing, you will be given options on how to respond towards your crime.

Usually, you can either persuade them that you are not at fault, bribe them into turning a blind eye towards your crime, or attack them to get rid of witnesses.

You will need to rely on Ability Scores like Charisma and Persuasion if you want to persuade them and talk your way out of it. For bribing, you will need to give the guards Gold as hush money for your crime.

Go to Prison

When you choose to go to prison, your character will be transferred to a jail cell and will be stripped off all their items. Those confiscated items, including the item you chose to loot when you were caught, will be stored in a nearby chest.

You can get your items back by having a character distract the guards in prison through dialogue options, and have another party member sneakily steal your confiscated items from the chest.

Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) Related Guides

Baldur's Gate 3 Beginner's Guide