Pickpocketing builds are way more fun than stealth archer and nobody tries them

[DragonbornVet]

I've done the stealth archer thing on like six playthroughs now and honestly I'm bored out of my mind. But I just started a pure pickpocket run on my current SE save and it's legitimately one of the most engaging things I've done in this game in years.

There's something about the risk-reward of actually having to get close to people, managing your carry weight mid-heist, and watching guards' detection meter tick up while you're fishing for their key or their best gear. Stealth archer is just "crouch behind a rock and delete enemies from 50 feet away." Pickpocket forces you to actually interact with the world and plan around NPC schedules.

Plus the perks actually matter. Pickpocket is one of those skills where every rank genuinely changes how you play. Early game you're stealing iron daggers and lockpicks. Mid-game you're grabbing enchanted items off people without them noticing. Late game with the right perks you can literally steal someone's equipped weapon mid-conversation and they won't notice.

I'm not saying stealth archer is bad or anything, just that if you're burnt out on it like I was, pickpocket is criminally underrated. Way more skill expression than just "sneak and shoot."

 

[RiftenWanderer]

I get what you're saying about the engagement factor, but I think you're underselling stealth archer a bit. The reason everyone does it is because it's fun, not because people aren't trying other stuff - pickpocket is cool but it's also way more limited in what it lets you do. You're stuck stealing things. Stealth archer lets you approach basically any encounter however you want, and yeah, sometimes that's "crouch behind a rock" but it can also be sniping a mage before they see you, or softening up a group before you go melee, or just... playing the game however feels right in the moment.

That said, the pickpocket thing does sound genuinely fun in a way I haven't tried. The carry weight management angle is interesting - that's something stealth archer basically doesn't have as a constraint. And you're right that the perks matter more; I remember the perk that lets you steal equipped items is wild once you get it. Might actually pick this up on my next run instead of defaulting to archer again. What level are you at now and how are you handling combat when pickpocketing doesn't solve the problem?