Hi there! Coming back to playing again casually after a long long time off, so I thought I'd update my guide to thieving.

This build was designed to create a playable thief with minimal build investment required, starting at level 1.
As a side note, one observation I made while leveling my thief was that keeping your level low also reduces your bounties, so playing a lower level thief can be an advantage over a higher level one. If you don't care about bounties, then level your thief as casually as you wish. Personally, I found that bounties were not a deciding factor once I was more fully built/equiped. I had a lot of fun making my first thief as a magblade, my next thief I'm playing now is an Imperial templar who uses "alteration" abilities, rather than violent ones.

This build is also excellent for general use when in any guarded city or town to avoid guards, loot, and access inaccessible merchants.

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OPTIMIZED CLASS CHOICE: ANY! (Why?)
Invisibility (Vampirism)
Invisibility (Invisibility Potions)

RECOMMENDSD CLASS: NIGHTBLADE (Why?)
Passive run speed bonuses (Concealed Weapon)
Mag skill based invisibility (Cloak of Shadows)

RECOMMENDED RACE: KHAJIT / WOOD ELF / IMPERIAL
Khajiit - Stealth, Mag/Stam Regen, Stats (Easiest Difficulty)
Wood Elf - 5% Run Speed, Fall Damage Redux, Stam & Stam Regen (Medium Difficulty)
Imperial - Health, Stam, %Skill Cost Redux, 1% Gold Bonus on Sales (Hard Difficulty)

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"ALTERATION MAGIC" SKILL TOOLBOX - BEST SKILLS AND ABILITIES
As many of you are aware, "alteration magic" was once considered a school of magic in the elder scrolls series, and so I just themed it as an unofficial "Alteration Magic" skill tree.

>> Alteration Abilities

ALL CLASSES: RESOURCE RETURN ABILITIES - Siphoning Strikes, Dark Deal, Etc; Active button press non-target contingent resource return

MAGES GUILD: PERSUASION - Allows quest shortcuts

FIGHTERS GUILD: INTIMIDATION - Allows quest shortcuts

FIGHTERS GUILD: TURN EVIL - Force enemies to run

VAMPIRE: MESMERIZE - AoE morph. Used on friendly NPCs, mesmerize allows you to talk to uncooperative NPCs who do not talk to vampires or fugitives, and (I can only assume) distract NPCs for pickpocketing, looting chests, and escaping guards.

VAMPIRE: INVISIBILITY PASSIVE - For sprinting invisible at vamp stage 4

VAMPIRE: FEED - For increasing stages of vampirism or killing humanoid enemies

THIEVES GUILD: CLEMANCY - Allows escaping gaurds when caught

THIEVES GUILD: TIMELY ESCAPE - Summons a footpad to escape before being caught at random

THIEVES GUILD: Veil of Shadows - 10% less noticable to guards

DARK BROTHERHOOD: DETECTION RADIUS REDUX - for improved sneaking

DARK BROTHERHOOD SHADY DEALER - Invisibility Potions, Alchemy Ingredients, Monk Disguises, and Clemency Edicts

PSIJIC ORDER: CC BREAK & RUN SPEED BONUS

SCRYING: TREASURE HUNTER PASSIVE - To better see chests & lockboxes

NIGHTBLADE: CLOAK OF SHADOWS - Allows for button press instant invisibility

NIGHTBLADE: SUMMON SHADE - Teleport to shade utility

NIGHTBLADE: FEAR - Force Enemies to Run

SORCERER: DEFENSIVE RUNE - CC enemy upon being hit

SORCERER: BALL OF LIGHTNING - AoE Stun/CC Break/Teleport/Projectile Absorb

SORCERER: SHATTERING SPINES - Forward AoE Snare/Maim Debuff

IMPERIAL RACIAL: 1% GOLD BONUS - Gold from all quests and items sold; fenced items are not included but stolen disenchanted materials are. Ratio is 1g per 100g.

KHAJIT RACIAL: IMPROVED STEALTH - Decreases detectable radius in stealth which is always desired.

CP: IMPROVED FENCING - Improves gold return from fencing

CP: BOUNTY REDUX - Allows for reducing bounty at level 50 (only).

CP: IMPROVED STEALTH

CP: IMPROVED CHESTS

CP: INFINITE STAMINA MOUNT - Out of Combat

CP: INCREASED MAG OR STAM

CP: REDUCED SPRINT COST/INCREASED SPRINT SPEED

CP: REDUCED SPELL COSTS

CP: REDUCED DODGE ROLL & BREAK FREE COSTS

CP: IMPROVED HEALTH


>> Healing Magic

ALL CLASSES & SKILL TREES: HEALING SPELLS - Essential for living

PSIJIC ORDER: MENDING HANDS - Heavy attacking NPCs with healing hands will allow you to regenerate health and stats for free and prevent accidentally attacking friendly NPCs while hostile acts is turned on in game settings.

PSIJIC ORDER: MEDITATION - Regenerates your stats, heals you, and gives major protection

CP: LOW HEALTH SHIELD PROCS - Auto-shield cast at low health


>> Useful Offensive Weapon Abilities & Tools

BOW: SCATTER SHOT - For forward AoE root

SWORD & SHIELD: DEFENSIVE STANCE - To reflect instant kill guard projectiles

SWORD & SHIELD: ULT - Auto-block and projectile reflection

DARK BROTHERHOOD: BLADE OF WOE - For instant killing humanoids at low level of you do not use vampirism (for when it is required or when it suits your play style)

EMOTE: /TORCH - For seeing in the dark, especially when in stealth.


>> Recommended Passives

LEGERDEMAIN PASSIVES - All of them (Increasing fencing, reducing sneak costs, improving lock picking, etc.)

UNDAUNTED PASSIVES - Bonus stats for different types of armor equiped

VAMPIRE PASSIVES - Allows for sprinting into invisibility with Vampirism Stage 4, damage reduction, damage bonus, and other benefits.

THIEVES GUILD PASSIVES - All of them (reduced bounties, improved pickpocketing, etc.)

DARK BROTHERHOOD PASSIVES - All others (bounty redux for murders, speed increase for murder, etc).

WOOD ELF RACIAL: 5% RUN SPEED - Increases general movement speed which is always desired.

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STAT POINTS
- 64 HEALTH (All Points)

RECOMMENDED MUNDUS OPTIONS
- THE STEED (Run Speed/Health Regen)
- THE ATRONACH (Mag Regen)
- ? (Stam Regen)

FOOD & DRINK:
- WITCH MOTHER'S POTENT BREW (Health/Mag/Mag Regen)
- STANDARD PURPLE TRISTAT
- ? Stam Regen/Health Food

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GEAR
General Thieving (2x Stealth Bonus)
-1 Piece Seducer (Resto Staff)
-3 Pieces Night Terror (Jewelry)
-5 Pieces Vesture of Darloc Brae (Ideally Hat/Chest/Legs + 1 Hand/Shield)
-4 Pieces Light* (or Medium) Syvarra's Scales (Ideally Gloves/Boots/Belt/Shoulders)
*Light Syvarra's is better for mag regen/Nightblades but is only available from heist rewards.
*Medium Syvarra's is recommended for non-Nightblades.
*Snow Treaders Option For Guards
*Mythic Run Speed Ring Option for Speed
*Jailbreaker Set Option for Speed

Max Stealth (3x Stealth Bonus)
-3 Pieces Night Terror (Jewelry)
-4/5 Pieces Vesture of Darloc Brae (3 Armor + Resto Staff + 1 Hand)
-5 Pieces Night Mother's Embrace (4 Armor + Shield)

Heisting (2x Stealth Bonus)
-1 Piece Seducer or Master's Restoration Staff (Resto Staff)
-3 Pieces Night Terror (Jewelry)
-5 Pieces Vesture of Darloc Brae (Ideally Hat/Chest/Legs + 1 Hand/Shield)
-4 Pieces Light* (or Medium) Bahraha's (Ideally Gloves/Boots/Belt/Shoulders)
*Light Bahraha's is better for mag regen, but is only available from heist rewards.
*Snow Treaders Option for Traps

ENCHANTS
Armor - Health*
Jewelry - Mag Regen*
Weapons - Enemy Damage Reduction or Damage Shield (Your Decision)*
*Would not go higher than purple quality, as it is economically frivolous

TRAITS (Ideally)
One Hand Weapon - Defending
Resto Staff - Powered
Head/Chest/Legs/Shield - Divines (for Mag Regen) OR Infused (for Health)
Shoulder/Gloves/Belt/Boots - Divines (for Mag Regen)
Jewelry - Arcane, Healthy, Robust, Infused, or Swift (depending upon your preference)*
*Night Terror jewelry comes in Robust, so to change it requires transmutation

All gear can be acquired casually.
Purple quality is the recommended item quality.

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DISGUISES
(*Section coming soon.)

Why use disguises?
- Some areas of the game are restricted areas which contain many looting treasures.
- Disguises can help you move around restricted areas where normally you would have to stealth.

List of Restricted Areas With Disguises:
..

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A BRIEF CP OVERVIEW

You will want to focus your cp on (in this order of priority):
-Fencing & Chest Bonuses
-Mag Regen or Stam Regen
-Stealth Improvement
-Damage reduction
-Low Health Shields
-Magika Pool
-Health Pool
-Healing Bonuses
-CC/Dodge Roll/Break Free Cost Redux

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EXPLANATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

How does this build generally work?

-This build is focused on high survivability and stealth. It prioritizes stealth radius, health/high damage reduction bonuses (where these bonuses exceed mag regen by a significant margin), and mag regen in that order.
-This build is designed to move invisible at high walking speeds for prolonged duration.
-This build is specifically designed for thieving related activities and challenges.

-This build can bring in 15k-25k in game gold per cycle of stolen & fenced goods, and some thieving tactics provide potential for indefinite farming after fencing has been maxed. But you will have to discover how.

Why so many sets?

-Certain sets are more ideal for certain activities, or play-style choices
-The sets I outlined provide certain benefits that are reflective of those activities (Heists = Bahraha's for Traps, Thieving = Syvarra's for Guards)

Where do I get these sets?

-Seducer's is a crafted set
-Night Terror Jewellery can be acquired from Stormhaven Dark Anchors
-Night Mother's Embrace can be acquired from overland Deshaan chests (easiest place to look) and assorted pieces from overland bosses and delve bosses/public dungeons
-Medium Syvarra's & Bahraha's pieces can be acquired from overland Hew's Bane chests/quests/bosses and dungeon/delve bosses.
-Light Syvarra's & Bahraha's pieces, in the past, were only acquired from Thieve's guild daily heists; I can confirm that Bahraha's light pieces now do come from overland drops (found one in a psijic portal) however no confirmation on Syvarra's (I recommend keeping these sets regardless of level, since they will always provide a fixed damage reduction)
- Snow Treaders are a mythic antiquity.

Why Sword&Board?

-Sword & Board: provides you with projectile reflection, increased block damage mitigation, and the sword/board ult.
-Any secondary option can be used, but I recommend destro staff or bow for their utilities

What about storage?

-You may want to invest in 2-3 bag space upgrades off the hop (shouldn't be more than 10k~)
-Personally, I chose to invest first in bag space for this character's mount, since you do not spend a lot of time riding around, but it is up to you.

Won't it take me a lot of effort to get some of these passives & skills?

-I advise investing in these passive and skill lines as they become available in a natural progression.

How do I get the Blade of Woe and why would I get it?

-The Blade of Woe requires the Dark Brotherhood expansion.
-It is an optional passive. You can unlock the blade of woe simply by completing the Dark Brotherhood intro quest, which requires killing an NPC and going to the lighthouse. This takes maybe a minute.
-The blade of woe is useful in certain circumstances where heist npcs, or other npcs are impeding your ability to gain access to a chest. In these instances, the blade of woe (or vampirism) allows you to dispose of the npc quickly, rather than having a prolonged fight.

What Happened to Rapid Maneuvers?

-Rapid Maneuvers no longer provides major gallop; major gallop now requires a substitution set crafted in summerset in Alinor.

How do I get Vampirism and why would I use it?

-Ask people for a bite, lots of people will help you. The quest chain is simple and does not take much time to complete.
-All the vampire passives are good for thieves.
-Get vampirism at level 1.

What about poisons and potions?

-At this time I have not integrated any potion or poisons into the design. I will be reviewing the possible benefits of poisons/potions when I have some time.

There are lots of thief variants out there, so take your time to review a few different builds. I found that building a thief from level 1 was actually one of the more fun elements of the game, and it gave me a greater appreciation for the simple joys of the thieves guild expansion, and was a lot more fun as a way to play through low levels. I felt that by level 23 this build was maxed with thieves guild, equipped, and more than capable of operating daily thief runs (despite missing some of the above suggestions). I hope you try it for yourself, and have fun!