Blackjacking is a high-click intensity training method for the Thieving skill. It will bring you even more XP than alternative training methods such as classic pickpocketing, stealing from various stalls around Gielinor, or Pyramid Plunder. It represents the fastest training method at many levels, especially when gold costs are concerned.
Requirements
Even though there are villagers you can blackjack starting with level 30, they won’t give you much XP for the knock-out part or any XP for the pickpocketing part. This means that to start blackjacking, you will need level 45 Thieving, access to Pollnivneach, a city within the desert, which you gain access to during the feud quest, and having learned the ability to blackjack during the quest. Even though you do not need to complete the quest before you can start to blackjack, you should take advantage of the 15k thieving XP granted by the quest, whether you're level 45 already or not.
Besides the quest and thieving level requirements, you will also need a blackjack that will let you knock down the NPCs before being able to pickpocket them. Any blackjack will work, and the type of blackjack you use doesn't modify your knockout chances in any way, as your success rate is only influenced by your thieving level peaking at 94 percent at level 99.
NPCs
There are three types of NPCs you can blackjack, and they differ because you will need a different thieving level to blackjack them and give you different amounts of Thieving XP. You will get Thieving Xp both for the knockout step but in very small potions and the pickpocketing stage representing the consistent chunk of XP.
- At level 45, you can blackjack Bearded Bandits, who give 65 XP per pickpocket
- At level 55, you can blackjack Unbearded Bandits, who give 84.3 XP per pickpocket
- At level 65, you can blackjack Menaphite Thugs, who grant 137.5 XP each time you pickpocket them
Useful Equipment
Even though you don't need anything besides a blackjack for this training method, a few items will make you even more efficient and give you longer sessions.
Rogue’s Outfit
You can start blackjacking at level 45, and at level 50, you can enter the Rogue’s den minigame if you also have 50 Agility to obtain the Rogue's outfit. This gear is beneficial because wearing the complete set will give you a 100 percent chance to obtain double loot. Even though the rough estimate is only 2.5 mil loot from blackjacking from 45 to 99, or 5 mil if using the outfit, every penny counts, and you might need the outfit anyway if you plan on making a profit later on with the Thieving skill by pickpocketing Elves or Vyres, for example.
Hitpoints Cape
Another item that’s nice to have is the Hitpoints Cape. This is because every time you fail to knock out a bandit, they will attack you and deal a small amount of damage. Wearing the cape will help you save a bit of food since you will regenerate two hitpoints per minute instead of 1.
Food
Since you will get damaged when failing to knock out the NPCs, or if you attempt to pickpocket them without knocking them out first, you will need a way to restore your HP, like food. You can either bring noted food and un-note it in Pollnivneach or buy wines from the bartender in the city.
When to Blackjack
Blackjacking is the fastest way to train Thieving at certain levels and a viable option at any level after 45. If you want to train using the most efficient method and give your fingers a break from this highly click-intensive method, do this:
- levels 45-49: blackjacking
- levels 49-65: stealing artefacts
- levels 65-91 blackjacking
- levels 91-99: pyramid plunder
How to Blackjack
Once you arrive in Pollnivneach, locate a bandit or thug according to your Thieving level and right-click to lure them to an empty building. Close the curtains behind you so you can have some privacy with the bandit or thug since you won't be able to blackjack them if other NPCs see you.
Right-click the bandit or thug again and select the knock-out option, then quickly pickpocket them and repeat. You have two guaranteed pickpockets while the NPC is knocked out, and if you fail on the third or fourth pickpocketing attempt, they will hit and stun you. This is why you should always pickpocket them twice and blackjack them again. When you fail to knock them out, they will become aggressive unless you interrupt them either by initiating a dialogue or by pickpocketing them. This is one of the reasons why you need to rapidly right-click pickpocket them after you click the knock-out option.
A good tip for any pickpocketing activity, not just blackjacking, is to go to your settings and hide the attack option for NPCs since it will remove one of the right-click menu entries, and it will make it a bit easier for you.
