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From sandwiches to spaceships, pretty much everything in Starfield can be stolen. Naturally, that means thieves of all stripes have a home amongst the stars. There are a ton of skills, weapons, Traits, and Backgrounds to shape one’s build in Bethesda’s sci-fi epic, giving rise to numerous options. This thief build focuses on skulking around unseen, sneak attacking, and escaping from hot situations. The game already takes a long time to complete, and with this build, players can kill hundreds of hours picking pockets and backstabbing their foes. Here’s everything you need to know about putting together the best thief build in Starfield.
The Best Thief Build Playstyle
This build focuses on loot above all else. Picking pockets, sneaking into enemy outposts, and disappearing into the shadows are the go-to activities. That said, confrontation in Starfield is all but inevitable, so this build also enables players to execute devastating strikes from stealth. Silenced weapons are the hallmark of the best thief build when it comes to combat. After all, if one muffled bullet can keep you from fighting an entire base, there’s every reason to fire it. Get close, grab what you need, and if things go south, hit them hard and fast. Bethesda loves a good stealth archer, after all.
Sense Star Stuff, Precognition, and Phased Time are the best powers for this thief build. Sense Star Stuff provides outright wallhacks, allowing the player to track enemies’ movements no matter where they are. Whether you’re stalking a mark or getting the drop on a guard, it doesn’t get much better for thieves. Precognition is a bit of a weird pick, but in the right hands, the intel it affords is perfect for sneaky types. Phased Time slows the world down around the player, which makes hasty takedowns and escapes equally viable. Bethesda loves to give players diverse options, so it only makes sense to capitalize on them.
Best Thief Background in Starfield
The Cyber Runner Background is ideal for the best thief build. Stealth is arguably the single most important skill for this build, so starting with a free level of it never hurts. More often than not, there’s a thick door or safe standing between the thief and their loot, and Security is the skill that lets the player bypass those barriers. Last we have Theft, the skill that enables all manner of pickpocketing hijinks. Helping yourself to someone else’s credits is risky, but risk is what thieves are all about.
Space Scoundrel and Ronin are good options if you want something a bit out of the box. The former is perfect for Han Solo-type rogues, and while it’s light on the actual thievery, it excels in every related area. The latter, meanwhile, brings a group of skills that fits naturally with typical thief gameplay, it will just take longer to build into essential skills like Theft and Security. There’s no real wrong answer between these three Backgrounds. It’s a matter of taste more than anything else.
Best Thief Skills in Starfield
When putting together this build, the player will quickly realize that thief skills are all over the place. The Physical, Social, and Combat categories all contain essential benefits. The most important of these determine how likely your crimes are to go unseen. Second in priority are those skills that allow you to take down enemies or flee the scene after things go wrong. Here are the most important skills to get as soon as possible:
- Stealth (Physical)
- Theft (Social)
- Gymnastics (Physical)
- Concealment (Physical)
- Fitness (Physical)
- Deception (Social)
- Isolation (Social)
- Dueling (Combat)
- Rifle Certification (Combat)
- Marksmanship (Combat)
No thief should leave home without a good melee weapon for when things get messy with a mark. A ranged weapon is also advised, and though many thieves will prefer Pistol Certification, this build recommends Rifle Certification instead. Having the flexibility to dispense with enemies from a distance opens up a number of strategic possibilities for thieves that wouldn’t otherwise exist. Together, these skills create a mobile, sneaky, deadly character. Combat shouldn’t be your first resort, but if things go that way, this build will get you out alive.
Best Starfield Traits
Traits are optional features that help differentiate one Starfield character from another. You can take as many as three, and while none of them are essential for the best thief build, the following recommendations all enhance it in important ways. Arguably the best Traits for this build are Dream Home, Introvert, and Neon Street Rat. Dream Home allows the player to start this massive Bethesda game with a lavish property of their own. This is great for roleplay purposes since it can easily be explained as the character’s ill-gotten reward for a previous heist. Introvert decreases oxygen consumption for loner types, which works well here.
In terms of mechanics and roleplay potential, Neon Street Rat is arguably the best of both worlds. Getting better rewards in crime-infested Neon is great, and the new dialog options it opens up are a nice perk. Though receiving higher crime bounties from other factions is a downside, at least it’s one in keeping with the theme of this build. If you plan on robbing the factions equally, however, this Trait might be too punishing in the long term.
The Best Thief Build Weapons
For the best Starfield thief build, the Barrow Knife and Wakizashi are good early-game choices. This build doesn’t have the DPS for melee to stand on its own, however, so either a rifle or pistol is essential too. The Old Earth Hunting Rifle provides good value for cheap and can be modded to suit the player’s needs. Scopes and silencers help keep thieves out of trouble, at least most of the time. Get comfortable with the Boost Pack, too, because the extra mobility it allows will be essential for pulling off some of your greatest heists in Bethesda’s sci-fi wonderland.
Starfield is available for PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
