Melvor Idle 2 Thieving Guide: Cash, Seeds and Unique Drops
Melvor Idle 2 Thieving guide: how to pick targets by success rate, manage stuns, and turn steals into seeds, cash and unique drops.
Thieving is the cleanest early cash skill because it does not consume the materials other skills need. It also drops seeds, which makes it the front half of the Farming and Herblore chain. The skill's real value is not the gold per steal; it is the bank slots and potions that gold buys.
The failure mode is chasing the highest-value target you can click. A failed steal costs food, time and sometimes freedom. Success rate is the stat that matters.
Choosing a target
| Target tier | Success rate to aim for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 90 percent or better | Builds cash and confidence without food drain |
| Mid | 80 percent or better | Good value once your level supports it |
| High | 70 percent or better | Only with a food budget and a plan |
| Unique | Whatever the drop needs | Farm for the item, not the cash |
If a target's success rate is below your comfort line, drop a tier. The extra value per success rarely covers the failure cost.
Stealth and failure
Stealth reduces the chance of being caught. It comes from levels, gear and buffs. Early on, your level is the main source; later, gear and potions matter.
Failure has three costs:
- Time: the attempt is wasted.
- Food: some failures damage you.
- Freedom: some targets can jail or stun you, which interrupts the session.
A high-value target with a jail risk is not AFK-safe. Save it for active sessions.
Pick a target, set the session length, and do not switch mid-run. Switching resets your rhythm and makes it harder to judge whether the method is working.
Seeds and the Farming chain
Thieving is the cheapest seed source. Keep the seeds you need for Farming and sell the duplicates. If your Farming plots are empty, the seeds in your bank are wasted growth time.
The Farming guide→ covers plot priority. The short version: plant herbs before you log off.
Unique drops
Thieving uniques are usually the reason to train past the cash stage. Check the Codex for what each unique is used for before selling it. A unique that feeds a quest or a crafting recipe is worth more than its vendor price.
If you are farming a specific unique, the cheapest stable target is better than the highest-value target. You are paying attempts, not gold.
Thieving for money
Thieving is the best early money method because it needs no input chain beyond food. It scales into the mid game, then plateaus against dungeons and high-tier processing.
The money making guide→ ranks it by stage. The early game money page→ covers the first 100k.
Herblore is a combat skill in disguise. Selling the seeds that feed your potion supply is selling your future boss clears.
When to stop thieving
Stop when the cash is no longer the bottleneck, when your Farming plots cannot consume the seeds, or when a dungeon drop would upgrade you faster. Thieving is a foundation, not a forever skill.
FAQ
What is the best Thieving target? The highest-value target you can succeed against reliably. Success rate beats payout.
Does Thieving drop seeds? Yes, seeds are one of the main reasons to train it alongside Farming.
Can I AFK Thieving? Only on targets without a jail or stun risk. High-value targets need active attention.
Is Thieving better than Fishing for money? For raw cash, usually yes early. Fishing is better if you count the food value for combat.
Official source: Melvor Idle 2 on Steam ↗ Official source: Early Access announcement ↗ Community source: Melvor Idle wiki Thieving ↗