OSRS Thieving Training
13 methods, one decision: at your level, do you want XP, GP, or your attention back? Set your level and the table answers for the account you actually have.
Most Thieving guides are a list of everything, ordered by level. This one is a decision table: every method carries its XP per hour, its derived GP per hour, the XP in one action and what it actually costs you in attention and quests. The fastest method and the most profitable method are different rows here, and that difference is worth more than another paragraph of strategy.
Where you are now
Stealing artefacts (Port Piscarilius) - 150,000 XP/hr, 0 GP/hr
Next unlock: Ardougne Knights at level 55 (86,000 XP/hr)
- Stealing artefacts (Port Piscarilius) - 150,000 XP/hr from level 49
- Blackjacking Bearded Bandits - 99,000 XP/hr from level 45
- Wealthy Citizens (Varlamore) - 72,000 XP/hr from level 50
The methods that matter, priced
| Method | Level | XP/hr | GP/hr | Per action | Effort | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Stalls (Hosidius) | 25 | 42,750 | — | 28.5 / theft | Medium | Steal and drop fruit at two neighbouring Hosidius stalls to stay clicking; needs Hosidius favour to reach them. A single stall is about 34,200 XP/hr. |
| Blackjacking Bearded Bandits | 45 | 99,000 | 99,000 | 65 / pickpocket | High | Lure, knock out with a blackjack, then pickpocket twice. 99,000 XP/hr with Saradomin brews (86,000 with jugs of wine); needs The Feud and a blackjack. |
| Stealing artefacts (Port Piscarilius) | 49 | 150,000 | — | 0 / artefact run | High | The fastest method from 49: run artefacts between the houses and keep the loop alive with stamina potions and guard lures. 150,000 XP/hr at 49, rising to 261,000 by 99. |
| Wealthy Citizens (Varlamore) | 50 | 72,000 | 108,000 | 96 / pickpocket | Low | The most hands-off Thieving method: urchins distract a citizen and you steal freely at roughly one click every 90 seconds. 72,000 XP/hr while hopping worlds, about 65,000 if you just sit there, plus roughly 110,000 coins/hr selling valuables to Oriana. Needs Children of the Sun. |
| Ardougne Knights | 55 | 86,000 | 86,000 | 84.3 / pickpocket | Medium | 86,000 XP/hr at 55 and 141,000 at 75, so it is a steady option rather than the fastest one. The medium Ardougne Diary adds 10% success; knights stop failing entirely at 95 (252,900 XP/hr tick-perfect). |
| Blackjacking Menaphite Thugs | 65 | 230,000 | 230,000 | 137.5 / pickpocket | High | Same blackjack rhythm as the bandits but 230,000 XP/hr with brews (209,000 with wines), rising to 265,000 at 99. The fastest safe training until the chests unlock. |
| Pyramid Plunder — room 6 | 71 | 125,000 | — | 0 / game | Medium | Jugs of water and the room that opens at 71: about 125,000 XP/hr soloing with the sceptre teleport. Levels 71-90 are 42% of the XP between 71 and 99, so starting here beats waiting for the last room. |
| Dorgesh-Kaan rich chests | 78 | 210,000 | 315,000 | 0 / chest | Medium | 210,000-230,000 XP/hr if you do not bank, about 190,000 XP/hr plus 300,000 gp/hr if you do. Needs a light source and the Dorgesh-Kaan route. |
| Pyramid Plunder — room 7 | 81 | 190,000 | — | 0 / game | Medium | The room that opens at 81 lifts the rate to 190,000 XP/hr on the same route. Still no supplies to buy; the sceptre is the only cost. |
| Pickpocketing Vyres | 82 | 160,000 | 2,880,000 | 306.9 / pickpocket | Medium | The biggest money in Thieving by a wide margin: 120,000-180,000 XP/hr but around 2.89M gp/hr from blood shards. Needs Sins of the Father, full rogue equipment and dodgy necklaces. |
| Rogues' Castle Chests | 84 | 280,000 | 2,520,000 | 701.7 / chest | High | The fastest XP in the game from 84 at 280,000-290,000 XP/hr and about 2.45M gp/hr, but the chests sit in the PvP Wilderness behind Protect from Melee. Banking the loot drops you to 260,000-270,000. |
| Port Roberts stalls | 87 | 255,000 | — | 0 / stall theft | Medium | A safe alternative to the Wilderness in the high 80s: the four-stall rotation in Port Roberts runs at 255,000 XP/hr from 87. |
| Pyramid Plunder — room 8 | 91 | 270,000 | 540,000 | 825 / urn | Medium | The last room, from 91: 270,000 XP/hr looting the final-room urns and grand gold chest, about 335 games from 91 to 99. Fish for a Pharaoh's sceptre while you are there. |
GP/hr is derived as XP/hr x GP per XP from the same method table the Thieving calculator uses, so it moves with the rate you actually sustain rather than with a separate money-making snapshot. Each method carries one rate, quoted at the level it unlocks - the notes say where it climbs (knights 86,000 at 55 up to 240,000 at 95). Effort labels come from the method's own category tag, not a separate rating. This table prices the 13 methods that decide a 1-99 route; AFK oddities such as Sorceress's Garden and Master Farmers are deliberately left out. Method data reviewed against the Wiki on 9 November 2026; GP/XP follows blood shard prices.
Level bands, and what changes at each one
The breaks below are the table's own unlock levels, so no band spans a method you cannot use yet. Each row shows the fastest option at the start of the band and the best low-attention option beside it.
| Levels | Fastest available | Low-attention option |
|---|---|---|
| 1-24 | No method listed | None tagged low attention |
| 25-44 | Fruit Stalls (Hosidius) - 42,750 XP/hr | None tagged low attention |
| 45-48 | Blackjacking Bearded Bandits - 99,000 XP/hr | None tagged low attention |
| 49 | Stealing artefacts (Port Piscarilius) - 150,000 XP/hr | None tagged low attention |
| 50-64 | Stealing artefacts (Port Piscarilius) - 150,000 XP/hr | Wealthy Citizens (Varlamore) - 72,000 XP/hr |
| 65-83 | Blackjacking Menaphite Thugs - 230,000 XP/hr | Wealthy Citizens (Varlamore) - 72,000 XP/hr |
| 84-98 | Rogues' Castle Chests - 280,000 XP/hr | Wealthy Citizens (Varlamore) - 72,000 XP/hr |
The one real decision at level 82
Fastest XP, less money
Rogues' Castle Chests pay 280,000 XP/hr and roughly 2,520,000 GP/hr once you account for 9 GP per XP. Nothing beats the rate, and nothing on this page is riskier: the chests are in the Wilderness.
More money, less XP
Pickpocketing Vyres at level 82 give 160,000 XP/hr but roughly 2,880,000 GP/hr, because a single blood shard is worth more than a stack of chest loot. If you are funding something else, the slower row wins the only comparison that matters to you - and the route above still sends you to the chests, because it optimises XP.
Race to 99 on Rogues' Castle Chests if the cape is the goal. Farm Pickpocketing Vyres if the cape is a side effect and the GP is the point. Both answers are in the table; a guide that lists methods by level cannot give you either.
Three things that go wrong
- Blackjacking is a rhythm, not a click. Lure, knock out, pickpocket twice. The rate quoted here assumes you can hold that loop; if you cannot, the AFK column is the honest number for you, and it is less than half the rate.
- The wrong Ardougne diary. The medium diary is what adds pickpocket success against knights. Doing the hard diary instead does not fix the failures, which is why players conclude knights are bad when they are simply mis-prepared.
- Wilderness chests cost more than time. A PKer who catches you at Rogues' Castle takes the run, and the route back. Carry only what you can lose and price the deaths into your own estimate - this page does not model them.
Where to go next
For one exact goal, the Thieving calculator turns your remaining XP into actions and hours with the method you pick, and the XP calculator does the same for any other skill. Not sure this is the right 99 to chase? The skill calculator hub ranks all 24 skills by hours, GP per XP and the best low-attention method.
Thieving training FAQ
What is the fastest Thieving XP in OSRS?
Rogues' Castle chests at 280,000 XP/hr from level 84. They are the fastest rate in the game and also the riskiest: the chests sit in the PvP Wilderness, so carry only what you can afford to lose. Pyramid Plunder — room 8 is the fastest safe option at 270,000 XP/hr from level 91.
What is the best Thieving money maker?
Pickpocketing Vyres at level 82, derived at about 2,880,000 GP/hr from 160,000 XP/hr and 18 GP per XP. That is more GP per hour than the faster chests, which is the whole reason this page lists both columns instead of ranking by XP alone. Blood shards do the work, so the GP figure moves with their price.
What is the most AFK Thieving training?
Wealthy Citizens in Varlamore at level 50: roughly one click every 90 seconds for 72,000 XP/hr, because an urchin distracts the citizen and you steal freely. It is the only method in this table tagged low attention, and it is what makes Thieving viable for a second-monitor grind.
How many Rogues' Castle chests does 99 take?
From level 84, about 14,370 chests at 701.7 XP each. That is 10,083,058 XP, and it assumes the full Rogue's outfit and no deaths - a PKer visit costs you the run back.
Do I need quests to train Thieving?
Two unlock the methods this page recommends: The Feud for blackjacking (levels 45-83) and Sins of the Father for Vyres (82+). Ardougne Knights want the medium Ardougne Diary rather than the hard one - the medium diary is what adds the pickpocket success that stops the failures.
How long does 99 Thieving take?
About 49 hrs of active training from level 50 on the idealized route, which switches method at levels 65, 84. That is 99 days at 30 minutes a day, before banking and stun recovery.