The Ultimate Guide to Complex Furnishings: Stealing Furniture in ESO

Discover the best NPCs and containers for complex furnishings stealing furniture. Learn where to find rare items, blueprints, and unique decor for your home.

For many players in The Elder Scrolls Online, housing is the true endgame. But if you want a truly unique home, you need to master the art of Complex Furnishings stealing furniture. Yes, engaging in Complex Furnishings stealing furniture is one of the most rewarding ways to decorate your virtual estate without spending millions of in-game gold.

Why buy basic decor from a vendor when you can pickpocket rare incense from priests or snag bounty sheets from unsuspecting guards? Thievery offers a massive catalog of unique items that simply cannot be acquired any other way. This guide will break down exactly which NPCs to target, which containers hold the best loot, and how to maximize your thievery skills to turn a profit or beautifully furnish your home.

Understanding the Thievery Loot Tables

When you dive into the world of Complex Furnishings stealing furniture, you quickly learn that the world of Tamriel is filled with hidden treasures. Loot drops are heavily tied to the specific type of NPC you are pickpocketing or the type of container you are looting.

According to community reports and extensive player experience, Zenimax designed the justice system so that NPCs carry items relevant to their professions. A blacksmith isn't going to carry a fishing pole, and a beggar isn't going to have a royal throne blueprint. By targeting specific demographics in various cities, you can farm exactly what you need for your next big housing project.

Best NPC Targets for Thievery

If you want to excel at Complex Furnishings stealing furniture, you need to know your marks. Different NPCs carry completely different loot tables. Below is a comprehensive breakdown based on community testing and player experience.

NPC ProfessionExpected Furnishing DropsIdeal Locations
FisherFishes, Angling RodsStormhold, Summerset coasts
SmithHammers, TongsAny major city crafting writ area
GuardBounty SheetsPatrolling all major settlements
CultistHuman SkullsVvardenfell, Deshaan
OutlawDiceOutlaws Refuges
DrunkardMugs, Skooma BubblersTaverns, Deshaan streets
PriestHourglasses, IncenseKvatch, Vvardenfell
AlchemistFungus, VialsAlchemy stations
BeggarBread Morsels, MugsCity outskirts, alleyways
VampireCoffin and Lid BlueprintsRivenspire, Greymoor zones

Regional Royal Drops

One of the most lucrative aspects of pickpocketing comes from targeting Nobles. Nobles don't just drop pocket change; they drop highly coveted racial throne blueprints. However, race does not dictate the drop—location does.

  • Breton Thrones: Pickpocket Nobles in Stormhaven and Wayrest.
  • Wood Elf Thrones: Target Nobles in Grahtwood.
  • Orc Thrones: Search the pockets of Nobles in Wrothgar (there are three unique designs available here).

Scavenging Containers: Desks, Nightstands, and More

Thievery isn't just about picking pockets. For players dedicated to Complex Furnishings stealing furniture, looting static containers is just as important. Many interactive objects in the world contain small, atmospheric items that bring a house to life.

Container TypeExpected Furnishing LootBest Farming Spots
DesksStacks of Paper, Quills, FeathersMages Guilds, Castles
NightstandsLetters, Paper, QuillsInns, Hostels, Manors
WardrobesFolded Fabric, Empty SpoolsSkalar’s Hostel (Wrothgar)
BackpacksStacks of Leather, Folded ClothBandit camps, Delves
CupboardsEmpty Spools, PlatesKitchens in large estates

If you are looking for a quill or a stack of papers to complete your character's study, you will want to spend your time looting desks and nightstands. Keep in mind that these items drop as actual furnishings, not just blueprints, meaning you can place them directly into your home upon laundering them at a fence.

Locating Rare and Highly Sought-After Items

Some items have achieved legendary status within the housing community due to their incredibly low drop rates. If you are serious about Complex Furnishings stealing furniture, you will likely spend hours hunting these specific pieces.

The Kvatch Hourglass

For a long time, the source of the hourglass furnishing was a heavily guarded secret among elite traders. Community reports have since confirmed that this item drops from Priests in Kvatch. Specifically, players have had success farming the priest located near the exits of the hedge labyrinth in Kvatch. Be prepared for a grind, as it can take hundreds of attempts to secure one.

Skooma Bubblers

The Skooma Bubbler is another fan favorite. Originally, certain servants in Hew's Bane dropped items associated with skooma addicts. However, patch notes from the Horns of the Reach update revealed that these servants "kicked the habit" and no longer carry the item. Today, your best bet for finding a Skooma Bubbler is by pickpocketing Drunkards in zones like Deshaan.

Rare ItemSource NPC/ContainerDifficulty to Acquire
Kvatch HourglassPriests (Kvatch Labyrinth)Very High
Skooma BubblerDrunkards (Deshaan/Taverns)High
Indoril IncensePriests (Vvardenfell/Vivec City)Medium
Breton Throne RecipeNobles (Wayrest/Stormhaven)Medium
Shivering CheeseUndisclosed/Special ContainersVery High

Maximizing Your Thievery Skills

To make the most out of Complex Furnishings stealing furniture, you need to ensure your character is built for the job. Pickpocketing has a baseline chance of success, but without the right passives, you will spend more time paying off bounties than decorating your home.

You should heavily invest in the Legerdemain skill line, as well as the Thieves Guild skill line if you have access to the DLC. For more information on how the justice system works, you can check out the official The Elder Scrolls Online website.

Skill LinePassive NameBenefit for Furniture Thieves
LegerdemainLight FingersIncreases the chance of successful pickpocketing.
LegerdemainTraffickerIncreases the number of stolen items you can launder daily.
Thieves GuildHagglingGives you more gold for fenced items (good for unwanted loot).
Thieves GuildClemencyAllows you to sweet-talk a guard once a day to avoid a bounty.
Khajiit (Racial)CutpurseIncreases pickpocket chance by a flat 5%.

Always remember to launder your stolen furnishings at an Outlaws Refuge before trying to place them in your home. If a guard catches you and you are forced to pay your bounty, all unlaundered stolen items—including that ultra-rare Kvatch Hourglass—will be confiscated and lost forever.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most profitable item when focusing on Complex Furnishings stealing furniture?

The most profitable items tend to be rare blueprints, such as the Vampire Coffin lid or the racial thrones. While individual items like the Kvatch Hourglass are valuable, blueprints allow you to craft and sell the item infinitely, making them the ultimate prize for Complex Furnishings stealing furniture.

Can I get caught stealing these items?

Yes. If an NPC catches you pickpocketing them, or if a guard sees you stealing from a container, you will incur a bounty. If you are killed by a guard or pay your bounty, all unlaundered stolen furnishings will be confiscated. Always launder your items at a Fence as soon as possible.

Do I need DLC zones for the best items?

While the base game offers plenty of great loot (like Breton thrones in Wayrest or hammers from blacksmiths), many of the most unique items require DLCs. For example, the Kvatch Hourglass requires the Dark Brotherhood DLC, and the Outlaw dice are easiest to farm in various DLC Outlaws Refuges.

Why did the Skooma Bubbler stop dropping in Hew's Bane?

According to historical patch notes, the developers decided that the servants in Hew's Bane had "kicked the habit." As a result, they removed the item from their specific loot tables. You must now rely on Complex Furnishings stealing furniture from Drunkards in other zones to find the bubbler.