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How many % you need in thieving skills?

Discussion in 'BG2: Throne of Bhaal (Classic)' started by Voy, Jan 8, 2012.

  1. Voy Gems: 5/31
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    Hey so it always bothered me how much you really need in theving skills?

    as far as im informed I heard/read that

    open locks - 100%
    traps - 100%
    heard no more is needed, true?
    pick pocket - 200%, I heard there are stuff that need 150%+

    what about rest of the skills?
    detect illusions?
    traps?
    move silently?
    hide in shadows?
     
  2. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    I can confirm that you do need pick pockets to be over 100% if you want to be able to do so reliably. If you don't mind reloading a lot, you can get by at 100%. I've actually modified the bard 2da file to go up to 200% for this reason. IIRC, there is an issue if you go over 255 including your dex bonus.

    I don't know if there's any effect in raising detect illusions over 100%, but you can benefit from raising hide in the shadows/move silently over 100%, particularly in the daytime.
     
  3. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    It depends on what you want your thief to do and what equipment they will have. I find it annoying to constantly change our rings, gloves and armor to fit a specific circumstance. I also don't like to constantly take potions to be good but it will work at the beginning. I've never needed to be above 100% for detect illusion -- but it's high on my list for a thief.

    I add to open locks and find/remove traps first until they are at 75%. Next get pick pockets to 40%. Then take hide in shadow and move silently to 45 and 60% respectively. All of these values include race and dex.

    You'll need the Mercykiller Ring, Ring of Danger Sense, Ring of Lock Picks, Gloves of Pick Pocketing, Boots of Stealth, and Night's Gift -- along with potions of master thievery. This will get you by as a thief without too many issues (although you may need to reload on occasion). After that it depends on how you play your thief. I tend to add to detect illusion and want set snares to be high before I start getting HLAs. But after that it's about what equipment I want to stop using first.
     
  4. Aldeth the Foppish Idiot

    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot Armed with My Mallet O' Thinking Veteran

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    I agree with T2B on most of the stuff. However, it does depend a bit on party composition. For example, if you're taking Keldorn with you and already have True Sight available to you, you can leave Detect Illusion for last.

    I also agree that you want to make use of equipment to make up for some weaker areas. If you hate changing around items, you'll have to decide on two of the three rings: Mercykiller, Danger Sense, Lockpicks. The ones where you have the most room to plays with are definitely Hide in Shadows and Move silently as you can equip Boots of Stealth and Night's Gift (Shadow Armor will do in a pinch). Also keep in mind that you're only really concerned in the first half of SoA. After that, you should have more than enough points to go around, even if you're a multi-class.

    While it is true that you need pickpockets over 100% to have a high rate of success against some people, I am usually reluctant to do it. Potions of Perception and Potions of Master Thievery can be used on the rare times that you need them, unless you're a total kleptomaniac.
     
  5. Bsisi Gems: 5/31
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    Not sure what's the minimum that warrants that it's possible - 90 or 91.
    I usually give 95 because then I don't have to retry too many times.
    The same with traps.
    When it comes to pickpocketing, using multiple potions of the same type stacks, but if you don't exploit this bug, 100% is far too little.
    I usually go with pickpocketing to about 130-140, so with gloves of pickpocketing and 1 potion I am able to steal what almost everywhere. But then I have a lot of useless points, so I put some more.
     
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