Early spot to level pickpocketing?

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

Trying to make a theif kat, where around Riverwood is a good spot/target to steal from to raise my pickpocket skill?

[MysticMalevolence]

The guard in front of Arcadia's Cauldron is always easy pickings for me.
Inns might be decent loot.
Sometimes savescumming high value things like jewels is an effective method.

[Rez Elwin]

Could take a trip to Solitude, has a lot of npcs, nobles too. Make sure you visit the thieves guild first, the fortify pickpocket gloves are a great help early on. I wouldn't really recommend staying in Riverwood, low amount of mostly poor npcs.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

Im not after high cost items, just easy enough targets i can actualy steal from.

[Rez Elwin]

Originally posted by RoxxasTheDemonslayer:

Im not after high cost items, just easy enough targets i can actualy steal from.

High value items raise the skill faster, but you don't have to start with the Blue Palace, start in town. The Tavern during the evening usually gets quite a few patrons. There is also a large amount of guards too.

If you don't mind exploits I have a couple for Pickpocket.
Sibbi Black-Briar in Riften Jail can be pickpocketed without reprisal, you can give him items then steal them back. *this might have been fixed with the Unofficial patch*
Find a pickpocket Trainer, Vipir the Fleet is a master, train, steal gold, repeat. It does get harder the more gold they have until impossible, but it should get you pretty high.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

....
screw it i'll just swipe stuff from the Hunter Shop by the Guardian Stones.
he's alone, dosnt move too much, and has a large and varied inventory so odds are i can find something easy enough to steal.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

nuts. while i get some loot pickpocketing wont go up, i dont get it.

[Rez Elwin]

Originally posted by RoxxasTheDemonslayer:

nuts. while i get some loot pickpocketing wont go up, i dont get it.

As I said before pickpocket levels the more valuable item you steal. So a gold equals 1, keys are worthless. If you take a gems or a jeweled ring you will most likely level instantly. Value = EXP.
If you're stealing things that are actually worth something and not leveling then you have a problem.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

ah well that explains that ive been stealing junk. like lockpicks. and cheap booze.
prolly should raise my sneak/hide skill to, keep getting 'detected'
even when im behind foes and have a tree between us.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

tried the 'put basket over their head' but cant maniplulate the basket once i pick it up, it just hovers there at about body hight.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

[HEART]

Not Riverwood, but the carriage driver @ Whiterun is excellent. Put your gold in one of the nearby baskets, then use a little at a time. Position yourself by his feet where you will be partially obscured.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

Originally posted by MiSOKA⁴:

Not Riverwood, but the carriage driver @ Whiterun is excellent. Put your gold in one of the nearby baskets, then use a little at a time. Position yourself by his feet where you will be partially obscured.

huh?

[HEART]

huh what. was my English not good enough for you?

OK...

The best way to level it up is to find a carriage driver, like Bjorlam in Whiterun. Save the game first! Open his inventory and go to your 'misc' section. Deposit 200 gold then, without exiting the inventory, steal it back. From skill level 5-20 you should do about 50 gold. From 21-25 you should do about 200 gold. From 26-40 skill do 300 gold. From 41-65 do about 520 gold. From 66-80 do 600 gold. From 81-100 steal around 900 to 1000 gold. Each time you take the money back you will go up by about 1 Pickpocket level. This method can also be applied to Sibbi Black-Briar. Note: Use as many perks in Pickpocket as you can, so you don't get caught as much. This can also be done with guards in a hold. The guard next to Belethor's General Goods, during the early morning hours is an excellent place to level. Just be sure to keep some extra coin on you to pay your bounty.

[RoxxasTheDemonslayer]

ah ok i didnt realize i could use pickpocket to deposit items, thanks.

any idea on how to controll 'grabbed' items?

[HEART]

Originally posted by RoxxasTheDemonslayer:

ah ok i didnt realize i could use pickpocket to deposit items, thanks.

Yes, this is referred to as "reverse pickpocketing"