Star Ocean: The Second Story R - Beginner's Pickpocket Guide

In Star Ocean: The Second Story R, there's a somewhat obscure mechanic known as Pickpocketing. This ability lets you steal items from anyone in the game, including your own party members. To unlock this skill, you must invest skill points into specific specialties. Begin by learning "Poker Face" and "Courage." Once you've acquired these two specialties, you should gain access to the Pickpocket specialty.

However, to actually steal from people, you'll require a crucial item, the "Thief Glove." You can purchase this glove in the town of Harley, located in the far eastern region of Krosse.

The Thief's Glove comes with a substantial price tag of 40,000 FOL, which may seem daunting. However, in the remake, there are various ways to alleviate this financial burden. One effective method is to employ the Appraisal specialty, which can help lower shop prices. Additionally, engaging in challenges and guild missions can yield a significant amount of FOL. While there are numerous ways to accumulate FOL, the above methods are likely the most dependable, particularly in the early stages of the game. You can also dump SP into the Purity skill to get some money.

After obtaining the Thief's Glove, you can set up the Steal option by navigating to the Specialty Menu. Approach any character and press the left bumper button to initiate the stealing process. In contrast to the original game, each character now carries three different items that can be stolen, and you'll also be presented with a steal percentage. To enhance your chances of successful theft, it's important to increase your Courage and Poker Face to raise Pickpocket specialty levels. Additionally, having higher dexterity will boost your success rate. For further improvement, talents like Nimble Fingers and the superior glove known as the "Magician's Glove," will further enhance your success rates.

It's important to be aware that Pickpocketing can have adverse effects on the Friendship Points (FP) between your party members, even when stealing from your own allies. To minimize the negative impact on these relationships, it's advisable to use Pickpocketing sparsely. This way, you can avoid causing any harm to your party members' FP levels. However, it's worth noting that you can exploit this mechanic to intentionally lower FP levels if you aim to trigger specific character endings.

Additionally, there are items you can craft later in the game that can help increase FP if you're concerned about the potential negative consequences of Pickpocketing. These items can help offset any FP reductions caused by your actions.

There is one way to avoid friendship decreases with Pickpocketing. If you eat a Muscat Jelly item, you get two 'free' pickpocket attempts without affecting affinity. You can create this through Master Chef using Meat + Fruit. It can also be Replicated.

Acquiring Pickpocketing early in the game is advantageous for several reasons. Notably, the town of Kurik will vanish from the game rather early due to story-related events. This town contains valuable items that can be pilfered, especially from the crazy lady! (Philia) (Note she only shows up during the Private Action.)