Stealing and pickpocketing are commonly overlooked aspects in Baldur’s Gate 3.
It can force you to restart if you fail, but you can be greatly rewarded if you manage to pull it off. Besides, quicksaving in BG3 can mitigate the consequences of bad rolls.
This guide will focus on giving all the information we have on how to steal and pickpocket in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Steal
To steal objects in chests and other containers, right-click on the container and select “Steal and Add to Wares.”
You can then access the items in your inventory and drop the container. Be mindful of weight, as these items can be heavy.
When stealing, always check your surroundings for NPCs and their movement patterns. When you hide, NPCs will appear outlined in red, indicating their field of vision.
If you are having trouble with wandering NPCs, use your other party members to distract them by starting a conversation without responding.
Ungroup your party members while stealing to prevent them from following you. Items marked in red are off-limits and belong to someone else.
Dropping the chests won’t arouse suspicion, but stealing will. Stealing too much may cause NPCs to notice a thief and attack you. Remember to save before attempting any theft.
NPCs sometimes may get suspicious and question and randomly and ask questions. You can try to “roll” to talk your way out of the situation, but since it’s a roll, it doesn’t always work.
Failing these dice rolls may require you to bribe the NPCs, but they can still reject it. If things go wrong, you can always load your last saved file.
How to Pickpocket
In order to pickpocket in Baldur’s Gate 3, you just need to crouch and stealthy approach an unsuspecting NPC. Then, right-click on the NPC and choose the Pickpocket option.
You’ll need to rely heavily on your Dexterity, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. You can try to steal any item they carry, but you’ll need a dice roll to succeed.
The higher your Dexterity, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth, the lower the rolls you need to successfully pickpocket your target.
The best targets for pickpocketing are merchants selling goods because they get their gold back after each rest.
Avoid selling them the items you steal, as they may recognize them as their own missing belongings.
It’s best to start with low-value items before attempting riskier ones. Each item requires a roll, and the roll targets depend on the item’s value. The number of items you steal does not affect the roll targets.
A useful strategy is to ungroup your party and use your other characters to distract other NPCs from seeing you.
You can hide or sneak to avoid detection, but be careful. NPCs might notice you’re trying to pickpocket someone.
Remember to save your game before attempting any pickpocketing. Getting caught is the same as stealing items around the area.
If you’re caught pickpocketing, you can try talking your way out of the situation. Use your highest proficiency among the choices, so it’s best to know your character’s strengths.
When you get caught trying to pickpocket, you can also talk your way out of the situation. Use your highest proficiency among the available options to increase your chances of getting away with it.
Characters to Use When Stealing
The best characters to use for Stealing and Pickpicket are the ones with a high Dexterity value and are proficient in Sleight of Hand and Stealth.
Basically, a character with a background of a “Criminal” from the user-creation.
If your user-created character is not good enough to perform the task, you can always use Astarion.
You should always have a full party when doing this, especially in crowded areas, since you can use them to distract NPCs and help your rogue in case they get caught.
Hide the Stolen Items
Remember to transfer the stolen items to characters in your group far away from NPCs.
If NPCs decide to check your belongings and they do not find the missing items, they will let you go.
Stealing and pickpocketing will put you ahead of the curve and increase your power level if you get your hands on valuable items and enough gold.
