The Thief Stone is one of the three Guardian Stones, the first standing stones you are likely to meet in Skyrim. It stands southwest of Riverwood and north-northwest of Helgen, close to the river. Pick it if you plan to skulk, steal, sweet-talk or snipe your way through the game.
Effect
Under the sign of the Thief, all stealth skills improve 20% faster. That covers:
Archery is the odd one out: it is normally grouped with the Warrior skills, yet the Thief Stone boosts it too. Nobody seems sure whether that was intentional, but archers are not complaining.
What you’ll find
- The Thief Stone itself, sharing the spot with The Warrior Stone and The Mage Stone.
- Your escort from Helgen – Ralof or Hadvar – who will cheerfully comment on your choice.
Thief, Warrior or Mage?
The three Guardian Stones split Skyrim’s skills into the classic trio. The Warrior Stone speeds up combat skills, the Mage Stone speeds up magic, and the Thief Stone takes everything sneaky and silver-tongued. If your plan involves crouching in shadows, emptying pockets and talking merchants into better prices, the choice is pretty obvious. If you are still undecided, remember that nothing here is permanent.
Quests
After Unbound, just keep following Ralof or Hadvar and they walk you right past the stones on the way to Riverwood.
Tips
The Thief Stone shines early, when stealth skills level slowly and every bonus helps. You can swap to another standing stone later – the Guardian Stones are simply the starter options, and more specialised ones such as The Lord Stone or The Shadow Stone wait elsewhere in Skyrim. A popular route is to grab the Thief for leveling, then trade it once your build is set.
Good to know
Choose this stone with your Helgen companion watching and you get a little pep talk about taking charge of your own fate. Even the rebels and the Legion approve of a career change.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, summarised in our own words.