The best thief build in Starfield will help you sneak around, take all the intergalactic loot you want, and get out unscathed. It's no easy job being a pirate in Starfield, and combat will come at you thick and fast. As such, sometimes it's easier to loot areas by going in quietly and unnoticed.
In this guide, we'll go over the best thief build in Starfield, to help you go undetected while pulling off major heists. Since we've had a bit of time play the game, we're basing this on our early experiences.
Alongside our Starfield tank build and Starfield melee build, you've got plenty of options when it comes to configuring your character. That's before even getting into the ways you can customise your character in Starfield. You can find this and much more in our detailed Starfield hub!
What is the best thief build in Starfield?
Weapons
To start with, any thief build in Starfield will need weapons only as a last resort. If your plan is to quietly loot planets and enemy outposts while going undetected, you'll want to avoid combat as much as possible.
That said, there will be cases where a battle is unavoidable. In scenarios where you're forced to unload some shells in gunfights, we recommend opting for the Maelstrom. This SMG has one of the highest fire rates in the game, so it'll no doubt be great at quickly wiping out an enemy who has spotted you. Of course, you'll want to opt for a suppressed version of the firearm.
Most of the time, though, you'll want to use the Rescue Axe as your primary weapon as a thief. This isn't the only melee weapon in Starfield, but it packs a lot more damage than your regular Combat Knife. As such, it's perfect to quickly take out an enemy about to spot you.
Perks and skills
Fortunately, there are plenty of useful perks to line up a thief in Starfield. Unsurprisingly, most of them focus on stealth and sneakiness.
Unsurprisingly, Theft is the first skill you'll want to equip for your thief build. This gives your Starfield character the ability to rob other NPCs in the first place, sifting through their inventories to take anything you like. Without it, you'd be a pretty rubbish thief.
Next, the Stealth skill is a no-brainer. It gives you a better chance of going undetected when sneaking up on enemies, alongside the ability to perform an instant stealth kill. You won't want to lean on kills too much for risk of getting spotted, but it's a helpful last resort.
We also recommend the Security skill, which increases your proficiency in lock picking and hacking into terminals. This will prove crucial to finding hidden areas and locked chests, ensuring the maximum yield.
Lastly, you can opt for the Scavenging skill as a final component of your thief build in Starfield. This makes it easier for hidden items to appear and gives you access to loot that other players without this perk won't see. That'll help ensure you never miss a thing when scooping up treasure.
That's it for our Starfield thief build! As long as you crouch and aim down your sights when conflict does arise, you'll be raking in the Starfield cash in no time.