How to Pickpocket Successfully

Players need to be quick and stealthy to pickpocket NPCs and steal their items in Starfield. Read on to learn how to pickpocket without being detected, and how to pickpocket weapons!

How to Pickpocket

Sneak Up on the NPC Follow the NPC while Pickpocketing Be Aware of the Success Rate

Sneak Up on the NPC

Players will need to be hidden and sneak up on the NPC to pickpocket them. You will automatically be in stealth mode when you use Crouch. Make sure that you are Hidden as displayed on your stealth meter on the top center of the screen to avoid getting caught.

How to Sneak and Avoid Detection

Follow the NPC while Pickpocketing

Unlike previous Bethesda games, pickpocketing will not stop the in-game time. This means that everything in the world will keep moving while you look at their inventory, including the NPC you're trying to pickpocket. Follow the NPC while sneaking up on them and quickly steal the item you want before the opportunity slips away.

Be Aware of the Success Rate

When pickpocketing, items will have varying success rate. If you try to steal something and fail, the NPC will notice what you did and become hostile. Make sure to be aware of your chances before stealing an item.

Additionally, simply checking what an NPC has in their inventory will not make them hostile even if you get caught. Use this to your advantage and check what they have before committing to pickpocketing them.

How to Pickpocket Weapons

Same as Pickpocketing Other Items Know the Name of Weapons Pickpocket Weapons to Weaken Enemies

Same as Pickpocketing Other Items

Pickpocketing weapons works the same way as you would pickpocket other items. Follow the guide above on how to successfully pickpocket an NPC and steal their weapons.

Know the Names of Weapons

While pickpocketing a character, the items will only display their names and not necessarily what they are. Learn about names of the weapons so that you can identify which items are weapons and which ones are not.

List of All Weapons

Pickpocket Weapons to Weaken Enemies

A good reason you may want to consider pickpocketing weapons, even if they are not valuable, is to make the NPCs weaker. If you know beforehand that you will be fighting someone, you can sneak up and pickpocket their weapon so that they have nothing but their fists to use against you.

How to Pickpocket Hostile Enemies

Use a Weapon that Deals EM Damage to Stun Enemies

Electromagnetic (EM) Damage is a Damage Type that does not deal lethal damage but rather stuns enemies instead. More EM Damage will make it easier to stun enemies.

The Incapacitation Skill also significantly helps to deal more EM damage for triggering stuns.

This strategy is best for players trying to go for a pacifist playthrough who would want to loot hostile enemies without killing them.

Dealing EM damage to non-hostile enemies, however, will put you with a bounty on your head. Therefore, this strategy will only work on hostile enemies.

All EM Weapons

Pickpocket the Stunned Enemy

Dealing enough EM damage to an enemy incapacitates them, which disables them to move. During this time, the enemy is vulnerable to being pickpocketed.

However, failing to pickpocket an item will result in the enemy recovering from the stun.

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Tips and Tricks

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