How To Get The Thieves Guild Armor In Skyrim

Here is how you can get the Thieves Guild Armor set in Skyrim, which will improve your Dragonborn's lockpicking and pickpocketing ability.

Every Skyrim player knows that there are tons of different armor sets that they can choose to wear, regardless of their race. Among these sets, the Thieves Guild armor stands out as a good early-game armor. The set belongs to the Light Armor category, and it also enhances abilities like Pickpocketing and Lockpicking. With that said, here is how you can get the Skyrim Thieves Guild Armor.

Key Takeaways
  • Thieves Guild Armor set is a light armor that players can acquire in the game.
  • The Armor set can be obtained by joining the Thieves Guild in Riften and starting the “Loud and Clear” quest.
  • After the quest begins, players can talk to Tonilia, the Thieves Guild fence, to get the Thieves armor set.
  • Some extra pieces can also be found lying around inside the Ragged Flagon Cistern (the Thieves training hall).
  • The Thieves Guild Armor set enhances the lockpicking and pickpocketing skills of the players.
  • Players can further upgrade the armor by using Leather on the workbench.

How To Get The Thieves Guild Armor?

thieves guild armor piece
Thieves Guild Armor Set [Image credit: eXputer]
Armor Piece Armor Weight Enchantment
Thieves Guild Hood 13 1.5 10% Better Prices.
Thieves Guild Gloves 9 1 Lockpicking becomes 15% easier.
Thieves Guild Armor 29 1.5 20+ Carrying Capacity.
Thieves Guild Boots 9 7 15% higher success ratio on Pickpocketing.
Full Set 60 11

Acquiring the Skyrim Thieves Guild Armor set is quite simple. There are multiple methods through which you can get your hands on the set. Most prominently, and by far the easiest way, requires you to join the Thieves Guild and talk to Tonilia.

Before i get into the in-depth details on how you can get the Thieves Guild set, let me briefly list down some of the things you need to do first:

  • Join the Thieves Guild.
  • Complete 2 non-combat missions.

Tonilia (Method 1)

skyrim thieves guild quests
“Loud and Clear” quest [Image credit: eXputer]
So, the first and easiest method to get the Thieves Guild Armor is by talking to Tonilia in Riften. After you begin the “Loud and Clear” quest with the Thieves Guild, you can stick around at the base (also called the Ragged Flagon) and find plenty of people you can talk to. Amongst them, there is a woman called Tonilia, who serves as the Fence of the Thieves Guild.

getting thieves guild armor from tonilia
Tonilia in Skyrim [Screenshot by eXputer]
You can find her at the base behind Vex. Tonilia will be sitting on a crate next to a dock. Upon interacting with her, you’ll learn that she’s the fence in Thieves Guild; therefore, you can opt to sell your stuff to her every now and then.

After the conversation with Tonilia concludes, she will hand you the full Thieves Guild Armor set, which will include the following:

  • Thieves Guild Hood.
  • Thieves Guild Gloves.
  • Thieves Guild Armor.
  • Thieves Guild Boots.

Training Room (Method 2)

skyrim Rigged Flagon cistern
Rigged Flagon Training area [Screenshot by eXputer]
Another way to get the Thieves Armor set is by simply picking it up inside the Ragged Flagon base. It does not require you to talk to any of the Guild members to get it. Although, you will need access to the Thieves Guild to get the armor set.

Note: You won’t find the Thieves Guild armor pieces every time at this location. However, they do have a high spawn rate. Therefore, make sure to drop by every now and then to see if the armor pieces have spawned yet.

Inside the Ragged Flagon, head to the Cistern section, the place where you can train your thief skills. While in here, make sure to search around the tables and cupboards. Most of the time, you’ll be lucky enough to get a full Thieves Guild armor set.

In addition to that, players can also find some extra Thieves Guild armor pieces around the Beds inside the Thieves Guild. However, you will only get the Thieves Guild Hood, Gloves, and Boot here.

Method 3

Lastly, there is another in-game method through which players can obtain the Thieves Guild armor. However, this method kind of goes against the pace of the game, and the armor set you acquire will be deemed as stolen. 

Nevertheless, if you can’t wait to get the armor, then here’s a quick and exciting method on how you can steal it from the Thieves Guild:

  • First, complete the “Taking care of Business” quest for Byrnjolf.
  • After that, head to the Ragged Flagon; however, do not initiate the conversation with Byrnjolf.
  • Instead, go toward the Cistern and place a Platter on the door (which will exploit the door glitch).
  • After that, use Whirlwind Sprint, and you’ll get inside the Cistern.
  • Although, you should be wary since the guards will be alerted if you make any noise. Hence, you will need to stealthily make your way to the table and cupboards to pick up the Thieves Guild Armor.

Using the Platter glitch in the game, you can get the Thieves Guild Armor. Even though the armor set is great for starters, it still isn’t worth it to go through this much trouble to obtain it.

How To Join Thieves Guild In Skyrim?

how to join thieves guild in skyrim
Joining the Thieves Guild [Screenshot by eXputer]
In Skyrim, there are loads of different factions and guilds that the player can choose to join. Some of these factions are quite hard to get into, whereas some present almost no challenges. As it happens, the Thieves Guild belongs to the latter category.

  1. You must first reach the city of Riften, which can be found in the southeastern part of the map.
  2. Head to the Marketplace and try looking for a man named Brynjolf.
  3. Once you talk to him, the quest called “A Chance Arrangement” will begin.
  4. Brynjolf will ask you to steal Madesi’s Silver Ring and plant it on someone else. 

Regardless of the outcome of the quest, Brynjolf will offer you a place in the Thieves Guild of Riften.

Fortunately, there are plenty of benefits to joining the Guild, which includes:

  • Full access to the Thieves Guild storyline which contains up to 12 main quests.
  • Access to Thieves Guild and Guild Master’s Armor.
  • Thieves Guild Fences will buy stolen items for a generous price.
  • Free lockpicks.
  • Chance to train and get better at lockpicking.
  • You can bribe guards without having the relevant perk unlocked.
  • Players can also get an unbreakable lockpick called ‘Skeleton Key.’

Summary

With that, I reach the end of my guide on how to get the Skyrim Thieves Guild armor. Along with the armor, I also listed down some other important stuff regarding the Thieves Guild of Riften. Even if you don’t want to join the Thieves Guild, their armor is still worth checking out, especially in the early stages of the game.

Skyrim offers a huge world for players to explore. There are loads of stuff that you can occupy yourself with. However, while on your journey, make sure that you have the Best Horse and Weapons in your armory. Apart from that, you can also check out the Nightingale Armor, which is also linked to the Thieves Guild. Finally, to make things more fun, why not try some of the Best Skyrim Mods?

Also Read:

Was this article helpful?

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. ✍

Get up-to-speed gaming updates delivered right to your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy.


Sameer is a Senior Writer & Editor for all sorts of guides on eXputer. He has dove deep into many gaming genres and ended up investing 8,000+ hours on COD titles, Pokemon games, Witcher 3, Minecraft, and Bloodborne. Sameer has a degree in Writing and Editing from the University of Michigan. Additionally, he has several years of writing experience and has worked for Mashable previously. Get familiar with Sameer's gaming library on his PSN and Steam profiles.

Experience: 5+ Years || Previously Worked for Mashable || Education: ACCA

Related Articles