Roguery Skill Guide

The Roguery skill is often overlooked by players who focus purely on combat or leadership, but it is the key to accumulating vast wealth through less-than-honorable means. It determines how much loot you get from battles, how easily you can infiltrate enemy towns, and how effectively you can manage prisoners.

Roguery Skill Overview

Roguery is controlled by the Cunning attribute. It increases passive loot generation and gives you more options for dealing with banditry.

Unlike Smithing or Trade, which require active grinding, Roguery levels up naturally as you play—if you play dirty. Selling prisoners, raiding caravans, and even just winning battles with high-tier loot all contribute to your XP.

Investing Focus Points into Roguery unlocks powerful perks that increase battle loot by up to 30% and allow you to recruit bandit troops without morale penalties.

Farming XP: Raiders & Looters

The fastest way to level Roguery early game is by hunting Looters. These low-tier bandits are easy to defeat and capture. Selling them to the Ransom Broker in any tavern grants a steady stream of Roguery XP.

Looters are plentiful near major towns. Auto-resolving battles against them often yields more loot and prisoners than fighting manually.

For more advanced farming routes, check our Looting & Smithing Routes guide.

Stealth Operations

Sometimes, brute force isn't the answer. Roguery governs your ability to sneak into enemy towns (disguised as a pilgrim) and break lords out of prison.

Prison breaks are high-stakes mini-games where you must fight your way out of a dungeon with limited gear. Success grants massive Roguery XP and huge relation boosts with the rescued lord's clan.

Fighting your way out of a dungeon requires skill and timing. If you fall, you will be captured yourself.

Black Market Economics

A high Roguery skill changes the economy of war. Instead of relying on workshops or caravans, your income comes from the spoils of war.

• Better Loot: The "Rogue Extraordinaire" perks significantly boost the quality of armor and weapons dropped by enemies.

• Bandit Recruitment: The Veterans Respect perk allows you to upgrade bandit troops into noble line troops (e.g., Forest Bandits -> Battanian Fians).

Perk Analysis

Key perks to aim for:

1. Sweet Talker (Level 25): Increases relation gain with notables when resolving issues (great for Sandbox Goals & Late-Game Paths).

2. Two Faced (Level 50): Increases loot from raiding villages.

3. Partners in Crime (Level 150): Bandit parties will offer to join you instead of fighting.