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Thieving

This article is compiled from the videos of GnomonkeyRS. It records what Gnomonkey said, with sources, not verified game fact. See About.

Thieving

Thieving
Type Skill
Best low-intensity route Men/women, baker's stall, fruit stalls, Knights, Sorceress's Garden1
Rogue's outfit Get at 50 Thieving, doubles pickpocket loot2
Breakpoint (Chambers) 95 Thieving3
Ardougne cape no Knight failures at 954
Videos 8 (first 2020-05-21, latest 2025-11-04)
Main source 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020)

Thieving is a skill Gnomonkey considers a great early 99 that gives a sizable amount of cash and is pretty relaxing if the semi-AFK route is taken.5 In 2020 he covered the full set of low-intensity methods to 99, and in later videos commented on its use in the Chambers of Xeric and on Sailing-era updates. Equipment affects only pickpocketing success rates, not other training such as Pyramid Plunder or stalls.5

Contents

Training to 99

The early levels up to 55 are quite intensive, the opposite of relaxing, so he recommends doing quests to skip as much of the grind as possible.6 The quest shown on screen in the 2020 video gives 22,500 Thieving XP and skips straight to level 37.6 He considered a general 1-99 guide, but there are so many methods it would be too long, so other methods were planned for a separate video.5 In 2022 he said he would do a mix of Ardougne Knights and stealing artefacts, mostly Knights.7

Levels Method Notes
1-5 Men or women in Lumbridge Level 5 takes only 49 successful pickpockets; hardcore Ironmen need food, and dodgy necklaces help. Non-hardcore players can pickpocket until they die68
5-25 Ardougne baker's stall Fastest method up to 25; stand underneath the baker where guards cannot catch you and spam click in place. Needs 466 steals. Ironmen may bank the cakes as early food889
25-45 (or 55) Piscarilius fruit stalls, Great Kourend Efficient to 45, or up to 55 to skip blackjacking, before moving to Knights9
55-99 Knights of Ardougne One of the lowest-intensity methods; from 5510
65-75 or 80 Sorceress's Garden (optional) Up to 140k XP/hr111213

Fruit stalls

The best place to steal from the stalls is a building where the player cannot be caught. Clicking in place is lower intensity; running back and forth saves one tick on each respawn and is about 20% faster, and the strange fruits eaten restore run energy, though Gnomonkey would probably just click in place.1414 From level 25 to 55, 5,672 fruit are needed; from the level 37 quest shortcut, 37 to 55 takes 4,971 successful thieves.10

Knights and the Garden

At level 95 with the Ardougne cape, Knight pickpockets no longer fail, so they need no resources and can be done to 99.4 The Sorceress's Garden summer garden gives up to 140k XP an hour against about 80k from Knights at level 65.1113 He recommends it from 65 to 75, or to 80 if preferred, since Knights overtake its XP an hour at about 80.1213 He would probably leave it at 75 if it gives no money, because Knights become comparable then and completely overtake it for both XP and money at 80.13

For higher gp per hour, he lists elves and vampyres as options.1 Elf thieving gave him about 150k Thieving XP an hour and he calls it the best money-making skilling method in the game, with the highest requirements of any skilling method except maybe wrath runes.1516 He recommends getting the Rogue's outfit immediately at 50 Thieving, as it doubles pickpocket loot; the Rogues' Den maze needs 50 Thieving and 50 Agility.217

Pets

The Kalphite Queen head pet is so easily earned by using his ultimate strength on Fremennik stalls that he would not worry about pet chance for the grind to 99.7

Chambers of Xeric

Thieving, Woodcutting and Mining levels close to 99 help in Challenge Mode.18 The breakpoint is 95 Thieving, which gives a chance for three grubs per chest and saves roughly 30 seconds in the Thieving room.3 The optimised route opens three or four chests in a set order, then dumps the grubs; 30 grubs finish the room, and the creature should be kept fed because it heals slowly if it stops eating.19

Sailing update

In July 2025 the blog described new pickpocketing and chest opening that drops cannonball fragments and sources of coral, plus medium and hard clue scrolls from a level 76 chest.20 New stalls have guards on rotation around the market: when they leave, the player can pickpocket repeatedly until they return, which he compares to wealthy citizens.21 He thinks this could be a solid semi-AFK option, which Thieving lacks, especially if stealing automatically while the guards are gone, and likes that the additions give other sources of items such as cannonballs and fish and could change how Thieving is trained.2122 By November 2025 he did not think the Sailing Thieving requirement gives access to any important single resource, so it is probably not needed, although Jagex has said Thieving will be a decent source of cannonballs and certain upgrade parts.2323

Revision history

Date Video Change
2025-11-04 SAILING PREP BLOG (OSRS) Added view that the Sailing Thieving requirement is unimportant.
2025-07-31 Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS) Added the Sailing-era thieving additions and stalls.
2024-11-08 SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS) Added Chambers of Xeric requirements and the 95 breakpoint.
2022-08-03 How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS) Added the 2022 plan of Knights plus artefacts, and the pet comment.
2020-06-23 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020) Added the full low-intensity route from 1 to 99 with step counts.
2020-06-03 Sorceress's Garden 1-Click (140k Thieving XP/HR AFK) OSRS 2020 Added Sorceress's Garden against Knights XP rates.
2020-05-23 Rogue's Outfit Guide (SAVE 7.5M GP) OSRS 2020 Added Rogue's outfit and the Rogues' Den requirements.
2020-05-21 Elf Thieving Money Making Guide (INSANE 3M GP/HR) OSRS 2020 Page created: elf thieving as the best money-making skilling method, with about 150k XP/hr.
## See also

References

  1. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 7:52 ↩↩

  2. Rogue's Outfit Guide (SAVE 7.5M GP) OSRS 2020, 2020-05-23. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩

  3. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 7:15 ↩↩

  4. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 6:53 ↩↩

  5. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩

  6. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 2:24 ↩↩↩

  7. How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS), 2022-08-03. ▶ 5:49 ↩↩

  8. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 2:57 ↩↩↩

  9. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 3:27 ↩↩

  10. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 4:26 ↩↩

  11. Sorceress's Garden 1-Click (140k Thieving XP/HR AFK) OSRS 2020, 2020-06-03. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩

  12. Sorceress's Garden 1-Click (140k Thieving XP/HR AFK) OSRS 2020, 2020-06-03. ▶ 0:29 ↩↩

  13. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 7:20 ↩↩↩↩

  14. 1-99 Thieving Guide LOW INTENSITY (OSRS 2020), 2020-06-23. ▶ 3:56 ↩↩

  15. Elf Thieving Money Making Guide (INSANE 3M GP/HR) OSRS 2020, 2020-05-21. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  16. Elf Thieving Money Making Guide (INSANE 3M GP/HR) OSRS 2020, 2020-05-21. ▶ 8:53 ↩

  17. Rogue's Outfit Guide (SAVE 7.5M GP) OSRS 2020, 2020-05-23. ▶ 0:31 ↩

  18. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 6:19 ↩

  19. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 34:49 ↩

  20. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 18:58 ↩

  21. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 19:59 ↩↩

  22. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 20:32 ↩

  23. SAILING PREP BLOG (OSRS), 2025-11-04. ▶ 7:25 ↩↩

Skills

Sailing • Slayer • Hunter • Thieving • Agility • Cooking • Herblore • Farming • Mining • Woodcutting • Fishing • Fletching • Prayer • Quests • Runecrafting • Magic • Skilling pets • Ranged • Crystal tree • Crafting • Max cape • Smithing

Category: Skills