Last updated: Aug 3 2024

OSRS Thieving Training Guide: Leveling 1-99 Fastest XP Rates

OSRS Thieving Training Guide: Leveling 1-99 Fastest XP Rates

There are several methods of training thieving, the majority of which are quite click-intensive and time-consuming. However, it is usually a profitable skill, as players are rewarded with a good number of coins for their efforts. Thieving enables players to pickpocket NPCs, and steal from market stalls and chests. As their thieving level rises, they unlock methods that give higher experience rates and rewards, all of which have been covered in this guide.


Useful Unlocks

Dodgy necklace

Dodgy necklace

Wearing the dodgy necklace gives the player a 25% chance of not being stunned and damaged when they fail to pickpocket an NPC. A dodgy necklace comes with 5 charges and breaks when it is empty. Wearing this necklace along with the completion of medium ardougne diary will give the player a 40% increase in experience rates when pickpocketing ardougne knights.


Gloves of Silence

Gloves of Silence

The Glove of Silence is an alternative for players who have not completed the medium ardougne diary. It gives the player a 5% increased chance of success when pickpocketing NPCs. They can be made from 2 dark kebbits for 600 coins from the Fancy Clothes Store in Varrock.


Rogue Equipment

The rogue equipment is quite useful when training thieving. When the full outfit is worn, it guarantees the player will pickpocket twice the loot from any NPC, but no additional thieving experience is awarded.


Rogue Equipment

The Rogue equipment is an untradeable set of armour that can be obtained from the rogue equipment crate, which can be obtained at a chance between 39.2% to 46.9% of successfully opening the safes at the end of the Rogues’ Den minigame.


Ardougne Diary

The completion of Ardougne diaries increases your chances of successfully pickpocketing different NPCs. Completing the Hard Ardougne diary increases your chance by 10% when pickpocketing NPCs in all of Gielenor while completion of the medium Ardougne gives the same bonus but only in Ardougne.


Fastest Methods of Training Thieving

Questing: Level 1–37

quests that give thieving experience

Several quests, which are short and have low requirements, reward players with thieving experience after they are completed. Players should do these quests to get the best thieving experience when starting. These quests include:


  • quest symbolBiohazard: It requires the completion of Plague City and rewards players with 1,250 thieving experience upon completion.
  • quest symbolHazeel Cult: This has no requirement and rewards the player with 1,500 thieving experience.
  • quest symbolFight Arena: This requires the ability to defeat level 44, 63, and 137 enemies, all can be safespotted. It rewards the player with 2,175 thieving experience
  • quest symbolTower of Life: This requires 10 construction, and it is also quite easy to do. It rewards players with 500 thieving experience upon completion.
  • quest symbolTribal Totem: this requires 21 thieving and offers 1,775 thieving experience.
  • quest symbolQueen of the thieves: This requires completion of the client of Kourend and 20 thieving. It rewards players with 2,000 thieving experience upon completion


Completion of these quests will give the player 9,200 thieving experience, taking them to 26 thieving from level 1.


Stealing from fruit stalls: Level 26–49

best location to ssteal fruits

Fruit stalls are one of the different types of stalls found in cities in RuneScape. Stealing from the stalls offers the fastest experience at level 26 agility. The best spot to do this is at the easternmost house in Hosidius, there are no guard dogs there, and it contains two fruit stalls that players can steal from to improve their experience rates.


Experience rates From Stealing from Fruit Stalls

Players can get 42,000 experience per hour when stealing from both stalls or 34,000 experience if they steal from only one stall. It will take the player less than 2 hours to complete to go from level 26 to 49 thieving when getting these experience rates.


Stealing Artefacts: Level 49–65

stealing artefacts at port piscarillius

Stealing Artefacts is a thieving minigame that involves stealing artefacts from houses in the residential district of Port Piscarilius. To start, players must speak with Captain Khaled, which can be found on the eastern side of the city. 

Captain Khaled

There are six houses in the southwestern section of Port Piscarillius; an artefact can be found by picking a lock inside one of them. During the minigame, players are tasked with finding an artefact in a different house each time and delivering it to Captain Khaled while avoiding guards scattered throughout the city; this can be accomplished by running to specific locations with good timing. If completed successfully, the player receives 40 times their current thieving level and 500-1,000 coins, but if they are caught, the artefact will be retrieved, and they will be thrown to a location outside the city.


Using this method past level 65 thieving is recommended for players looking for a less click-intensive training method. Players can also engage in other training methods like fletching or alching while using this method.


Requirements for Stealing Artefacts 

  • 49 thieving
  • Lockpick: this is used to pick locks to find artefacts during the minigame.


Recommendations for Stealing Artefacts

  • Book of the DeadBook of the Dead/Kharedst’s memoirs: this can be used to teleport to the fisher’s Flute to save time
  • Stamina potionsStamina potions and weight-reducing clothing: Both help to maintain run energy since a lot of running is required in this minigame


Experience rates From Stealing Artefacts

When starting, players should expect lower experience rates than the ones below until they are good enough to not get caught by the guards. These experience rates assume the player is good at the minigame and has all the recommendations above.


Experience rates From Stealing Artefacts

At 49, players can get 150,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 55, players can get 163,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 60, players can get 174,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 65, players can get 186,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 70, players can get 197,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 75, players can get 208,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 80, players can get 219,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 85, players can get 230,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 90, players can get 241,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 95, players can get 252,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 99, players can get 261,000 thieving experience per hour.




Blackjacking: Level 65 to 84

Blackjacking: Level 65 to 84

Blackjacking is a term used to describe repeatedly pickpocketing and knocking out bandits in Pollivneach with a blackjack. This method offers high thieving experience rates, but it is also very click-intensive. Players need to lure the bandit into an empty house where there are no other bandits and then knock them while wielding a blackjack and pickpocket them twice; this needs to be timed correctly to be done successfully


There is a chance that the player will fail to knock out the bandit, and he will start to attack them, the bandit’s attacks can be stopped by quickly attacking him when he says “I will kill you for that”. If not timed correctly, the bandit will continue to attack the player, and they need to leave the area or kill the bandit to stop his attacks. If the player does not get caught, they will receive thieving experience every two ticks.


RuneLite Menu entrySwapper

To reduce the click intensity, players can use the menu entry swapper plugin to set the left click to pickpocket the NPC instead of talking to them. When this is done, players only need to right-click the bandit to knock them out, and they can left-click the bandit twice to pickpocket them while they are unconscious. 


Requirements for Blackjacking

Completion of the Feud


  • Level 45 thieving: Blackjacking can only be done to Bearded Pollnivnian bandits at this level. Players should blackjack level 56 Pollnivnian bandits at level 55 and Menaphite thugs at level 65 thieving.
  • BlackjackBlackjack: there are several types of blackjacks. The Maple blackjack(o) is mainly used for blackjacking.
  • Saradomin brewsSaradomin brews: This should be used as food to allow the player to blackjack for extended periods without going to get food


Experience rates when Blackjacking

When a player gets good at blackjacking, here are the experience rates they can expect:

Experience rates when Blackjacking

At 45, players can get 103,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 55, players can get 138,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 65, players can get 203,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 75, players can get 221,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 85, players can get 239,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 95, players can get 257,000 thieving experience per hour.

At 99, players can get 265,000 thieving experience per hour.



Stealing From the Rogues’ Castle chests: Level 84–99

Rogues’ Castle

The Rogues’ castle can be found in levels 52–56 wilderness. Stealing from chests found within this castle offers the fastest thieving experience rates above level 84 thieving, but it is highly dangerous due to the risk of running into PKers or the Chaos Elemental that lurks close to the castle. There are three chests found in the castle, attempting to open them without level 84 thieving will lead to the player taking serious damage between 16 and 43. 1,000 to 40,000 coins can be found in the chests along with noted fish, ores, and noted cut dragonstones if it is opened successfully.


A knife is the only item required to do this method, however, players can bring other items that might be helpful, and they are willing to lose. The fastest method to get to the Rogues’ castle is through the Ardougne or Edgeville lever, players should pull this lever to get teleported deep into the wilderness and then slash the web north and walk to the Castle as shown below. Players should be careful of the Chaos Elemental on their way to the castle.

Location to Rogues’ Castle

Chests can be found on the north wall of the castle, search for traps on the chest you find. If you do not search for traps and try to open the chest directly, you will take damage. Upon successfully unlocking the chest, the player is granted 701.7 thieving experience and the rogues will become aggressive and start to attack you, so ensure to use Protect from Melee before opening the chest.


Experience rates when Stealing from the Rogue’s Castle

Your experience rates depend on how often you get killed by PKers which is inevitable in the long run. Even while occasionally dying to PKers and banking the loot, players can get up to 270,000 experience per hour. Without banking the loot, the experience goes up to roughly 290,000 experience per hour.



Early-game Alternative thieving training methods

Pickpocketing Men and Women

Men and Women are found in various locations in RuneScape. They can be pickpocketed to get thieving experience and coins. This method of training offers relatively low experience rates and should only be used between levels 1 and 5 if the player does not want to do the quests above.


Stealing From Bakery Stalls

Stealing From Bakery Stalls

Similar to Fruit stalls, players only need to click the Bakery stall to steal cake or bread which they will be awarded thieving experience for, these items respawn quickly, making it a good location to get early thieving levels. It requires 5 thieving and players can get about 19, 200 experience per hour


Mid-game Alternative thieving training methods

Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

Pickpocketing knights of Ardougne is an easier alternative for training thieving. It involves spam-clicking on knights of Ardougne to pickpocket them continuously. Any of the knights of Ardougne should be lured into a confined location like the one below, or the player can hop worlds till they find a knight that is already in a good spot. Players will get coin pouches from pickpocketing the knights, which they need to open when it is full before they can continue to pickpocket them. This method is recommended for Ironman as it is quite profitable and has fewer requirements.

Space for Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

Requirements to Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

55 thieving


Recommendations for Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

Dodgy necklace: When a player equips a dodgy necklace, the player will get a 25% chance of not being stunned and damaged when they fail to pickpocket an NPC.


Completion of the medium Ardougne Dairy: This is highly recommended as it provides a 10% higher success rate of pickpocketing the knights of Ardougne.


Full rogue equipment: Wearing the full rogue equipment grants the wearer 100% additional loot when they pickpocket an NPC.


Experience rates When Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne

The experience rates below are only possible if the player has all the recommendations above. Players can expect to make 15,260,000 coins when wearing the full rogue equipment but only half without it.


Late-game Alternative thieving training methods

Pyramid Plunder

Pyramid Plunder location

The Pyramid Plunder is a thieving minigame that can be played in the Jalsavrah Pyramid in the city of Sophanem. It consists of eight rooms, each requiring different agility levels. The player has only five minutes to loot chests and urns in all rooms, provided they have the required agility level. Training through this method provides the fastest experience between levels 91 to 99 thieving outside the wilderness.


To get the maximum experience rates while playing the Pyramid Plunder, you should only loot the following:

All golden chests in all rooms including the last room

Urns in the last room and second-to-last room if there is time.


Requirements of the Pyramid Plunder

  • 21 thieving: 
  • Started the Icthlarin’s Little Helper to get access to Keldagrim.
  • Food


Recommendations of the Pyramid Plunder

  • Finish Contact! To be able to bank at Sophanem Dungeon
  • 43 prayer to prevent damage from mummies and scarab swarms.
  • Antipoison


The official world for the Pyramid Plunder is W493.


Stealing rich chests from Dorgesh-Kaan 

Players looking for a low-effort method with decent experience rates should steal from rich chests found in Dorgesh-Kaan. Dorgesh-Kaan rich chests can be found on the 2nd and third floors of the Dorgesh-Kaan, the 2nd floor contains 3 and the third floor contains 5. The best strategy for training thieving with this method is to enter one of the two houses in Dorgesh-Kaan that contain two rich chests, open them with a lock pick, loot them, hop worlds, and repeat the process. 

loaction of rich chests

Requirements for Stealing Rich Chests From Dorgesh-Kaan

78 thieving

Completion of Death of the Dorgeshuun 


Experience rates from Stealing rich chests from Dorgesh-Kaan

Players can expect to get up to 230,000 experience per hour without banking the loot. With banking, experience rates drop to 190,000 experience per hour, but the player can make up to 300,000 coins per hour.

About Author

Petecleff13

Petecleff13 is a passionate writer who has authored hundreds of articles in many areas throughout the years. He has also played OSRS with several account builds for over 5 years. He uses his passion for playing OSRS and writing to provide informative guides for both novice and experienced OSRS players. He is originally from South Africa and joined LuckyCharmGold as an Author in 2020.

Back to Blog