Stealth, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing

14:48 In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 stealth is a crouched walk whose success depends on what Henry wears: his gear sets how much noise he makes, how far away he can be seen and how quickly he is recognized, and from behind an unaware target he can knock it out or, with a dagger, kill it. Lockpicking and pickpocketing are two short minigames tied to the Thievery skill, and stealing with either is a crime with the consequences on Crime and Reputation. Warhorse Studios said before launch that mastering stealth makes it easier "to distract guards and use disguises" (Warhorse on Steam, Oct 4, 2024). All three are taught early by Miller Kreyzl in Lower Semine, southwest of Troskowitz, in his side quest Materia Prima.

Quick facts

Sources: Game Rant's takedown guide, TheGamer's lockpicking tips, Game Rant's conspicuousness guide, Game Rant on selling stolen items, TheGamer on the level cap.

How stealth works: noise, visibility and conspicuousness

Three numbers on Henry's gear decide whether he is noticed. Game Rant's stealth outfit guide (updated Mar 18, 2025, for Patch 1.2) explains that noise is the average noise of his weapons, armor and clothing, with iron armor usually the loudest; visibility, which sets how far away he can be noticed, is the average of his outer layer of clothing; and conspicuousness sets how long it takes people to recognize him. It calls noise and visibility the two that matter most to keep low.

Conspicuousness runs from 0 to 100 and is the mean of every equipped item's value, Game Rant's conspicuousness guide says, so one or two showy pieces can be balanced by plain ones. A low score makes a pursuer who has lost sight of Henry give up quickly, and lets a wanted Henry walk through town with most guards overlooking him at first. Noble's clothes, expensive plate and jewelry raise it; old, shabby clothes lower it, at the cost of Charisma (see Speech and Charisma).

Dark, soft clothes are the stealth outfit. The same Game Rant guide lists thief's gear such as the Pickpocket's Hat sold by Miller Kreyzl, the Pickpocket's Hood from Trader Mordecai Haim in the Trosky region, and Thief's Boots and Thief's Shoes in the Kuttenberg region, the last two named because soft soles make barely any noise. The armor and clothing pages cover the rest: Armor and Clothing.

Dirt and smell matter too. The Stealth perk Natural Camouflage makes a dirtier Henry harder to notice (PCGamesN's perk list, May 16, 2025), and Patch 1.5 "Fixed the Natural Camouflage perk's effect on player's visibility" (Patch 1.5 notes, Nov 11, 2025). In Hardcore Mode the negative perk Sweaty makes stealth much harder, and Heavy-Footed starts Henry at noise 25 (Game Rant, Apr 17, 2025).

Some sounds give Henry away by themselves: a breaking lockpick (below) and Photo Mode. TheGamer warns that opening Photo Mode while sneaking makes Henry yell and alert nearby enemies (TheGamer).

Takedowns and stealth kills

13:02 A takedown knocks a target out from behind. Game Rant's takedown guide (Hamza Haq, Feb 7, 2025) gives the steps on PC: crouch with C, circle behind the target unseen, sneak until "Knock out" appears, press F to pull it into a chokehold, then left-click when the blue swords icon appears; if that fails, a shield icon appears and right-click (block) at once stops the target escaping. Hide the body afterward. Every success gives Stealth experience.

17:43 A stealth kill works the same way but kills, and it needs a dagger in the dedicated dagger slot. The same guide says a free dagger lies beside the lockpicking practice chest in Miller Kreyzl's shack, and Blacksmith Radovan in Tachov sells one. Takedown and Stealth Kill are both starting Stealth perks (PCGamesN).

Patch 1.2 made stealth kills "more likely to fail" (Patch 1.2 notes, Mar 13, 2025). The Strength perk Tight Grip (level 10) makes stealth kills and knockouts more reliable, by PCGamesN's May 2025 perk list.

Both carry risks. Game Rant says a knocked-out target has a high chance of remembering Henry's face and may attack him or report him to the guards later, and that while a dead victim cannot report anything, being caught or accused of murder brings a much harsher punishment, possibly execution (Game Rant).

Lockpicking

8:32 Lockpicking is a minigame of holding a cursor in place while the lock turns. PCGamesN's lockpicking guide (Paul Kelly, Feb 6, 2025) says to hold the open button (E on PC) with a lockpick in the inventory, find the sweet spot where the circular cursor turns from gray to gold, then rotate the lock with D while keeping the cursor in the same place relative to it. The cursor shakes more the longer you turn, and higher Thievery makes it bigger and easier to hold.

15:55 Locks come in five tiers, Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard, and the game warns when one is too hard for Henry's skill, TheGamer's lockpicking tips (Sam Hallahan, Feb 4, 2025) explain. Harder locks must be turned farther, the hardest a full 360 degrees, and holding rotate outside the sweet spot damages the pick. Patch 1.5 rebalanced the locks on several chests (Patch 1.5 notes).

A snapped pick is loud. Both guides warn that a breaking lockpick can bring nearby people to investigate, so PCGamesN suggests backing off from a lock that is too hard.

Lockpicks are sold by merchants, blacksmiths and fences, and can be found in disreputable parts of town, PCGamesN and TheGamer say; TheGamer adds that forging at a smithy also yields some. Neither gives a price.

Opening a Very Hard lock earns the achievement Nimble Fingers, which Game Rant's achievement guide (May 16, 2025) counts among the hardest. The full list is on Trophies and Achievements.

Pickpocketing

16:48 Pickpocketing starts behind or beside a target who cannot see Henry. TheGamer's pickpocketing tips (Sam Hallahan, Feb 4, 2025) describe the minigame: aim at the belt and hold the button to bank time while the background slowly turns red (fully red means Henry is caught), then let go, reveal the items on a wheel and drag each one back to the exit slot before the banked time runs out. Valuables usually sit in the front pouch, and approaching from behind takes longer.

Sleeping targets are the safe practice. PCGamesN's leveling guide (Feb 4, 2025) recommends pickpocketing sleeping bandits at night, and Miller Kreyzl's first job, Materia Prima, has Henry pickpocket the keys of sleeping guards in Troskowitz (Game Rant, Feb 9, 2025). Patch 1.2 rebalanced pickpocketing difficulty (Patch 1.2 notes).

Training with Miller Kreyzl

7:17 Miller Kreyzl at the Lower Semine mill is the thievery teacher. In Game Rant's lockpicking XP guide (Hamza Haq, Feb 7, 2025), accepting Materia Prima and choosing to learn thievery unlocks a very easy practice chest in his shack that relocks after each opening (the first opening gives seven lockpicks), and his hired hand Hensel lets Henry practice pickpocketing and takedowns as often as he likes. The chest stops teaching at Thievery 9 and Stealth 6; after that, Game Rant says to pick real chests at night, where harder locks pay more experience.

Choosing Kreyzl also decides part of the story. His route (Materia Prima, Forbidden Fruit, Opus Magnum) is one of two ways to an invitation in the main quest Wedding Crashers, and taking it locks out Blacksmith Radovan's route (TheGamer, Feb 8, 2025); see Main Quests in Trosky and Best Early Choices.

Perks for stealth and thievery

The Stealth and Thievery trees open perks at even levels from 6 to 20. The table gives PCGamesN's perk list as updated May 16, 2025; later patches may have changed the numbers, and every tree is on Perks.

Other outlets put figures on some of these. TheGamer gives Rapid Flight a 3-minute cooldown, makes Silent Fiddler's breaks 75% quieter, and says Tool Master makes picks last 15% longer and returns a broken pick after a success; it also lists the Craftsmanship perk Locksmith (level 12), which counts Thievery 3 higher for lockpicking (TheGamer). Game Rant's hidden perk list (Feb 27, 2025) counts Tool Master as a hidden perk earned by opening 20 locks, and adds Sticky Fingers, earned by stealing 10,000 groschen worth of goods, which finds more groschen when pickpocketing and looting. Patch 1.4 stopped confiscating items stolen with Thief's Eyes outside the place they came from (Patch 1.4 notes, Sep 9, 2025).

Selling stolen goods and fences

1:00 Stolen items carry a small red hand icon and are harder to sell (Game Rant, Feb 10, 2025). PCGamesN's money guide (Feb 5, 2025) gives three ways to move them: a fence, waiting until the owners stop searching, or slipping them in among legitimate goods with a reputable merchant. Wearing or carrying stolen goods is risky, because NPCs check for missing items after seeing Henry leave a house and guards may search him (TheGamer, Feb 6, 2025).

The first fence is Whitebeard in the Nomads' Camp west of Troskowitz, who holds only 240 groschen, so a big haul takes several visits (Game Rant, Feb 6, 2025). In Kuttenberg, Chenyek runs the thieves' guild from the Hole in the Wall, with the quest chain Feast for the Poor, The Thieves' Code and The Spark (Game Rant, Mar 8, 2025). Thievery as income is weighed on Money Making Guide.

Frequently asked questions

How do you lockpick in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 you hold the open button (E on PC) on a lock with a lockpick, move the cursor until it turns gold, then turn the lock with D while keeping the cursor still, PCGamesN explains. Harder locks shake more and need a full turn, and a pick snaps loudly if you turn outside the sweet spot.

How do you stealth kill in KCD2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 you need a dagger in the dagger slot, then you crouch, sneak up behind an unaware target and press F at the "Stealth Kill" prompt, per Game Rant. Without a dagger the same approach gives a "Knock out" chokehold instead.

Where do you learn lockpicking and pickpocketing in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Miller Kreyzl at the Lower Semine mill teaches them in his quest Materia Prima in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, with a practice chest that relocks and his hired hand Hensel as a pickpocketing and takedown target, Game Rant says.

Why do I keep getting caught pickpocketing in KCD2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 you are caught when the screen turns fully red, so bank less time, approach from the side rather than straight behind, and practice on sleeping targets at night, as TheGamer and PCGamesN advise. The Thievery perks Nimble Fingers and Rapid Flight make it more forgiving.

What clothes are best for stealth in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Dark, soft clothes with no iron armor are best for stealth in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, because noise comes from all your gear and visibility from your outer layer, per Game Rant. Thief's Boots and Thief's Shoes in the Kuttenberg region are among the quietest footwear.

Where do you sell stolen items in KCD2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 the first fence is Whitebeard at the Nomads' Camp west of Troskowitz, who has only 240 groschen at a time, Game Rant says. You can also wait until an item stops counting as stolen or hide it among legal goods with a reputable merchant.

Do knocked-out people remember you in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Often, yes: Game Rant says a target knocked out in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has a high chance of remembering Henry's face and may attack him or report him to the guards later.

Sources

• Shape and evolve Henry your way, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Oct 4, 2024
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.2 notes, Deep Silver and Warhorse Studios, Mar 13, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.4 notes, Deep Silver and Warhorse Studios, Sep 9, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.5 notes, Deep Silver and Warhorse Studios, Nov 11, 2025
• How to Do Stealth Takedowns in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), Feb 7, 2025
• How to Farm Lockpicking XP in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), Feb 7, 2025
• Best Stealth Outfit In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Taylor Pittman), Mar 18, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Conspicuousness Explained, Game Rant (Joshua Leeds), Feb 9, 2025
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