Elex 2: Stealing and penalties for breaking the law Elex 2 guide, walkthrough

This Elex 2 guide page describes the main ways to steal from NPCs, what you can gain by stealing, and the penalties for stealing.

Last update: 15 July 2022

This page of the guide to Elex 2 provides complete information about the theft mechanic. You will learn e.g. how to steal without any risk, how to unlock pickpocketing, what penalties you may experience for breaking the law and when you may be caught red-handed.

• Owned and freely accessible items
• Restricted zones
• Stealth and stealing at night
• Pickpocketing - how to unlock and use?
• Breaking into chests and safes
• Penalties for theft and the risk of being caught

Owned and freely accessible items

All interactive items found during the game can be divided into two main groups:

1. Freely accessible items, i.e. ones that don't have a designated owner - you can pick them up and add them to the inventory without any risk.
2. Owned items - in this case, when you approach a given object, a red mark will inform you that you're about to steal it (example in the picture above). If you want to avoid trouble, you have to make sure that no one catches Jax stealing - pick up the item when no NPCs see you.

Thankfully, stolen items don't have any special markings once they are in the hero's inventory. It simply means that you can sell stolen items without the risk that the merchant will accuse you of anything. This can be a good way to get rich.

Restricted zones

Generally, the NPCs may react negatively only when you actually take the item that belongs to someone else. The exception to this rule are the so-called restricted zones. These are simply areas that Jax can't enter - you'll find them most often inside residential buildings or the back of shops.

If the local NPCs see you in a restricted zone, they will approach you and tell you to leave. You can then comply without any negative consequences. Ignoring the warnings may provoke nearby characters to attack you.

Stealth and stealing at night

You can explore the restricted zones to some extent by sneaking, which is described in more detail on a separate page of the guide.

Unfortunately, during the day, NPCs can be very sensitive and can notice you in the restricted zone, even when you sneak. A better idea is to sneak into these zones at night. Many NPCs will then go to rest, and the streets will only be patrolled by single guards, who should be easy to avoid.

Pickpocketing - how to unlock and use?

Pickpocketing is not available by default, and you can only steal items that are either out in the open, or in various containes. If you want to change it, you need to acquire the Pickpocket skill. You can learn this skill e.g. from Tjark at the Fort - you can unlock him as a trainer if you cooperate with the Claws in the Berserkers' Trust quest and complete their initial assignments. Tjark will be available at the Claws hideout under the Fort.

Unlocking the first level of the Pickpocket ability requires 25 dexterity points, 15 cunning points, 1 skill point and 250 Elexit.

You can use pickpocketing after activating the stealth mode. It is available in two main types of situations:

1. When you are behind the NPC's back.
2. When you approach a sleeping NPC.

Save your game before attempting any theft. Only then should you hold down the pickpocketing button to proceed with it.

In the pickpocketing window, you must quickly remove the item from the NPC's inventory before the time runs out. The first slot in the inventory of the NPC you're stealing from is usually their weapon. The next slots can contain e.g. Elexit, potions or other valuable items.

Pickpocketing unfortunately comes with a high risk of detection, although you can limit it by stealing at night (fewer characters on the streets) and pickpocketing sleeping NPCs. If you're detected, all nearby characters will turn against Jax (we've described this issue in the last bullet point on this page).

Fortunately, you can reduce the risk of being detected by upgrading the Pickpocketing skill:

1. level two of this skill will reduce the detection chance by 25%,
2. level three of this skill will reduce the detection chance by 50%.

Generally, however, the best method are quick saves, which will allow you to try pickpocketing again if you fail, and save you from any negative consequences.

Breaking into chests and safes

Particularly valuable items can be found in containers that are hard to reach. In this case, you need to use other skills:

1. Locked chests - Take a look at the Lock Picking skill, and make sure you've developed it enough and that you have at least 1 lockpick. We've described how to pick locks in more detail on the page Locks - how to open?. In some cases, you can also find the key to the chest.
2. Safes - Check out the Hack skill, and make sure it's on a high enough level. We've covered how to break into safes in more detail on the Hacking and opening safes page. In some cases, you can also search for or guess the safe code combination.

Penalties for theft and the risk of being caught

By stealing, you can acquire very valuable equipment and a lot of elexit, but unfortunately it also carries a high risk of being caught red-handed. The NPCs' typical reaction to theft is to attack Jax. Don't fight in such situations, because you can kill important characters, and other NPCs from the area can attack you too. Run away instead.

The next time you visit the location where you've been caught stealing, a guard will stop you. You will be forced to pay a fine depending on the severity of the crime. Paying the required amount of elexit will cause everything in a given location to return to its previous state. Refusing to pay will cause a fight, and the penalty won't be canceled. Generally, you won't be able to do anything in a given location until you've paid the fine.

Remember that you can save the game before each attempted theft. This way, you will be able to load the game immediately after being detected, and you can also avoid dying or having to pay an elexit fine.