PoE Heist Cheat Sheet: Rogue Unlock Order, Jobs, Rewards & Gear Guide

Heist is one of the major side activities in Path of Exile, allowing players to complete Contracts, recruit Rogues, open valuable reward chests, and run Grand Heists for special items. Understanding the PoE Heist rogue unlock order, job requirements, reward rooms, and equipment makes this content easier to complete efficiently.

This updated PoE Heist cheat sheet covers all nine recruitable Rogues, their maximum job levels, unlock requirements, special abilities, reward chest types, Grand Heist preparation, and recommended equipment.

Several important changes have made older Heist guides inaccurate:

• Patch 3.27: Rogues now start at their maximum natural job levels, removing the old requirement to level their jobs through repeated Contracts.
• Patch 3.23: Alternate-quality gems were removed, and Heist’s Grand Heist rewards were rebalanced.
• Patches 3.27–3.29: Reward pools have changed, including the replacement of several older league reward types and adjustments to Heist Trinkets and equipment modifiers.

Heist remains available in version 3.29, but players should avoid following older farming guides without checking these changes.

1. PoE Heist Quick Cheat Sheet

A good starting strategy is to unlock Gianna and Vinderi, gather Rogue’s Markers, and complete suitable Contracts before investing heavily in Grand Heist Blueprints.

2. How to Unlock All PoE Heist Rogues

There are nine recruitable Rogues in Path of Exile. Three are available from the beginning of your Heist progression, while six must be introduced through Contracts.

Rogue Unlock Order

Unlock Path 1 — Tibbs

Tibbs → Tullina → Nenet

Unlock Path 2 — Karst

Karst → Huck → Niles → Vinderi → Gianna

Starting Rogue — Isla

Isla is available initially but does not introduce any additional Rogues.

Step-by-Step Rogue Unlock Guide

1. Enter the Rogue Harbour using a Rogue’s Marker from a town or hideout. After initial access, the Harbour can also be accessed through the World Map or /heist.
2. Start with Tibbs, Karst, and Isla.
3. Complete level 50 or higher Contracts using Tibbs to introduce Tullina. Then run Contracts with Tullina to introduce Nenet.
4. Complete qualifying Contracts with Karst to introduce Huck. Continue with Huck, Niles, and Vinderi to unlock the remaining members of that chain.
5. Once introduced, new Rogues become available for compatible Contracts and Blueprints.

Important: The level 50 requirement concerns the Contract’s area level, not your Rogue’s job level. If a new Rogue does not appear, check that you are using the appropriate recruiter and a sufficiently high-level Contract.

Since 3.27, recruited Rogues begin with their maximum natural job levels. You no longer need to farm job experience merely to reach level 5.

3. Complete PoE Heist Rogue Jobs and Perks

The following table lists all nine recruitable Rogues, their jobs, maximum natural levels, and special abilities.

These values describe their standard abilities at maximum natural job level. Equipment that increases job levels can further improve certain Rogue bonuses.

Which Heist Rogues Are Best?

Gianna — Best for Blueprint Preparation

Gianna is especially valuable because she reduces the Rogue’s Marker cost of Blueprint reveals. Her discount reaches 30% at her natural maximum job level. Use her in eligible Contracts to accumulate reveals, particularly when preparing expensive multi-wing Grand Heists.

Karst — Best for Managing Chest Alert

Karst makes it easier to open additional chests without triggering Lockdown prematurely. His Lockpicking level 5 also makes him suitable for high-level Contracts.

Vinderi — Best for Reward Duplication

Vinderi’s duplication ability can improve returns from valuable reward chests. However, he also increases Alert Level generation, so consider pairing his bonus with suitable Rogue equipment and other alert-reduction effects.

Tibbs and Niles — Best for Late Chest Opening

These Rogues can unlock certain chests after Lockdown, allowing additional looting opportunities. Their abilities do not remove the need to survive the escape.

Huck — Best for Experience and Combat Support

Huck is valuable when experience gain or additional combat support matters more than maximizing specialized chest rewards.

4. PoE Heist Jobs Cheat Sheet

There are nine Heist job types. Each Contract specifies a required job, and each Blueprint wing may need multiple jobs.

The reward types represent useful associations, not guaranteed chests in every Contract. Exact room availability depends on the area’s reward generation rules. Older tables may contain removed reward categories.

How Job Level Requirements Work

Every Contract displays the job type and job level required to perform it.

For example, if a Contract requires level 5 Lockpicking, Karst qualifies naturally, while Huck and Tullina have lower natural Lockpicking limits.

You can use suitable Rogue tools with modifiers that add job levels to make some Rogues eligible for higher-level tasks.

This is particularly useful when you want to use Gianna or another specialized Rogue for a Contract outside their primary job.

5. PoE Heist Reward Room Cheat Sheet (3.29)

Opening reward chests is one of the main ways to earn valuable items from Heist. The following reference focuses on rewards relevant to the current version.

Important Reward Changes

Metamorph rewards: Removed from the old Heist reward pool and replaced with Ultimatum rewards in 3.23.

Breach rewards: Replaced by Gold rewards in 3.27.

Harbinger rewards: Replaced by Gold rewards in 3.28.

Ultimatum rewards in Demolition: Replaced by Map rewards in 3.29 because Catalysts became exclusive to Ultimatum encounters.

Trarthan Gems: Temporarily appeared in Heist Gem chests during 3.27, but were removed from those chests in 3.29 and returned to Mercenary encounters.

Legion-related rewards: Version 3.29 removed Incubators from new drops and restricted the sources of Timeless Splinters, making old Heist Legion farming tables unreliable.

How to Choose Reward Rooms

For general farming, Currency, Divination Cards, and valuable crafting materials are practical categories to investigate.

For experienced players, however, the best reward is not always the one with the most recognizable icon. A valuable base item, specific Unique, or desirable Scarab may outperform several ordinary currency chests.

Prioritize reward rooms based on current league prices and how much Alert Level each chest generates.

6. How to Complete a Heist Contract

A regular Heist is completed by reaching the target, stealing it, and escaping successfully.

Step 1: Obtain a Contract

Contracts can drop during normal gameplay, appear in Smuggler’s Caches, or be purchased from Whakano in the Rogue Harbour.

Step 2: Visit the Rogue Harbour

Use a Rogue’s Marker to enter the Rogue Harbour. Talk to Adiyah, the Wayfinder, to prepare a Contract.

Step 3: Select a Qualified Rogue

Choose a Rogue whose job level meets the Contract requirement. Check the area’s difficulty and modifiers before paying the Rogue’s Marker fee.

Step 4: Infiltrate and Collect Rewards

Inside the Heist, you can encounter small chests, guarded reward chests, locked doors and job-specific obstacles.

Opening chests increases Alert Level. Killing normal guards does not directly increase Alert Level, so you do not need to treat Heist as a traditional stealth game where every enemy must be avoided.

Step 5: Manage the Lockdown Timer

When the Alert meter fills, an Imminent Lockdown countdown begins. The default countdown is 22 seconds, although modifiers and Rogue abilities can change it.

Opening chests during this countdown consumes additional time.

Stealing the main target triggers Lockdown immediately.

Step 6: Escape with the Target

Once Lockdown begins, reinforcements appear and certain previously accessible passages become blocked or rearmed.

Escape using the marked route. Successful extraction allows you to keep the items collected during your run.

7. How to Save Valuable Contraband

Items collected during a Heist are marked as Contraband until they are safely extracted.

If your character dies while carrying Contraband, you can lose it.

A useful technique is to secure valuable loot before triggering Lockdown:

1. Open reward chests while keeping Alert Level below the maximum.
2. If you obtain an especially valuable item, return to the entrance or extraction point.
3. Exit the Heist wing safely to remove the Contraband status.
4. Re-enter the same accessible wing before Lockdown, if the instance remains available.
5. Continue toward the main target and escape normally.

Once an item is no longer marked as Contraband, dying later will not cause that secured item to be dropped through Heist’s Contraband rules.

This method does not allow unlimited re-entry after a wing has locked down.

8. PoE Grand Heist Blueprint Guide

Grand Heists use Blueprints rather than ordinary Contracts. They offer multiple wings, additional reward rooms and special final rewards.

What Can You Get from Grand Heists?

Grand Heist Curio Displays can offer several valuable categories, including:

• Replica Unique items
• Experimented base types, such as specialized rings and amulets
• Rare equipment with Heist enchantments
• Thief’s Trinkets
• Currency rewards

You can take only one reward from the available Curio Displays at the end of each wing. Stealing it activates Lockdown.

These rewards are not all guaranteed to be profitable. Some are common, while others are extremely rare or highly dependent on build demand.

Step-by-Step Blueprint Preparation

1. Obtain a Blueprint and inspect its available wings and reward rooms.
2. Complete qualifying Contracts to generate Blueprint reveals.
3. Talk to Whakano to reveal additional wings or rooms.
4. Use Gianna’s or Niles’s reveals when their discounts make the reveal cheaper.
5. Enter the Planning Room in the Rogue Harbour.
6. Assign qualified Rogues to the required jobs for each wing.
7. Confirm the plan and give the Blueprint to Adiyah to begin the Grand Heist.
8. Complete the wings, examine the Curio Displays, take the most desirable reward, and escape.

A Contract with area level 68 or higher always qualifies to generate a normal Blueprint reveal. Lower-level Contracts only generate one when your character’s level is sufficiently close to the Contract’s area level.

Remember that the Blueprint plan becomes locked after confirmation, so finish revealing any desired wings or rooms beforehand.

9. PoE Heist Gear Cheat Sheet

Rogues can equip four categories of equipment:

Because Rogues already start at their natural maximum job levels in 3.29, focus on useful modifiers instead of old job-experience farming bonuses.

Heist Cloak

A Whisper-woven Cloak can be particularly effective with modifiers that further reduce Alert Level from opening chests.

Heist Brooch

For reward farming, look for useful additional Brooch modifiers such as increased item quantity from Heist drops or duplication of contained basic currency.

Heist Gear

Three broad categories of combat gear are available.

Rogues are not restricted to equipping gear matching their normal damage type. A Rogue may benefit from useful explicit equipment modifiers even when the base combat implicit is not relevant.

10. Best Heist Tools for Every Job

Tools are especially important for Rogues because they can increase job performance, add job levels and provide specialized benefits.

Best Heist Gear Modifiers to Look For

Instead of keeping an enormous list of legacy internal modifier IDs, prioritize modifiers with practical benefits:

The exact modifiers available depend on the equipment type and item level. Some old modifiers are no longer obtainable, particularly those connected to removed or reworked reward systems.

For a comprehensive technical reference, see the PoE Wiki Heist Gear Modifier List .

11. PoE Heist Minimap Icons Explained

The Heist minimap displays job interactions, reward locations, enemies and extraction routes.

The display-case and escape-route indicators are especially important after Lockdown begins. Use the minimap to navigate the shortest practical return route.

12. Best PoE Heist Farming Strategy in 3.29

For a balanced approach to Heist farming, focus on the following activities.

Farm Contracts for Rogue’s Markers

Complete Contracts and safely extract their primary targets. Sell the targets to Faustus, the Fence, to obtain Rogue’s Markers.

Markers are needed for hiring Rogues, travelling to Heists and preparing Grand Heists.

Use Gianna for Blueprint Reveals

Complete compatible Contracts with Gianna when you need to prepare Blueprints.

Her reveal discount can reduce the cost of opening additional wings, which becomes especially useful across many Grand Heists.

Optimize Reward Chest Selection

Do not open every chest automatically. Compare the expected value of a room against its Alert Level cost.

Make sure you can reach the primary target before the alarm closes access to it.

Equip Specialized Rogues

Invest first in high-impact equipment for Rogues such as Karst, Gianna, Vinderi and the Rogue most often needed for your preferred Contracts.

Prioritize job speed, alert management, currency duplication or reveal efficiency based on the activity.

Check Current Prices Before Selecting Grand Heist Rewards

Some Replica Uniques and Experimented bases can be extremely valuable, but rarity does not guarantee demand.

Use poe.ninja or the official trading interface to evaluate items before making an important selection.

13. Frequently Asked Questions

How do you unlock all Heist Rogues in PoE?

Start with Tibbs, Karst and Isla. Run qualifying Contracts to unlock the Tibbs → Tullina → Nenet chain and the Karst → Huck → Niles → Vinderi → Gianna chain. Isla does not introduce another Rogue.

Do you still need to level Heist Rogues in PoE 3.29?

No. Since patch 3.27, Rogues start at their maximum natural job levels. Equipment can still increase job levels beyond those natural values.

What is the best Rogue for Heist currency farming?

Karst is useful for reducing the Alert Level generated from opening reward chests. Vinderi is useful for duplication, although his ability also increases Alert Level generation.

How do you get Gianna in Heist?

Follow the Karst unlock chain. Complete appropriate Contracts with Vinderi to introduce Gianna.

How do you unlock Blueprint reveals?

Complete qualifying Contracts. Contracts with area level 68 or higher are reliable sources of normal reveals. Running eligible Contracts with Gianna or Niles can also generate their specialized reveals.

Can you get alternate-quality gems from Heist in 3.29?

No. The old Anomalous, Divergent and Phantasmal alternate-quality gem system was removed in 3.23. Transfigured Gems are a separate system.

Can you still get Trarthan Gems from Heist?

No. Patch 3.29 removed Trarthan Gems from Heist Gem chests, returning them to Mercenary encounters.

Do Heist Rogues need specific combat-type equipment?

No. Rogues can equip gear of other combat types, although the equipment’s implicit combat bonus may be less useful. Important explicit modifiers can still provide benefits.

What happens if you die in a Heist?

Contraband carried by your character is dropped on death. If the wing has entered Lockdown, you may be unable to return and recover it. Safely extracting valuable loot before Lockdown can reduce this risk.

Can you take multiple rewards from a Grand Heist Curio Display?

You can select one of the displayed final rewards per wing. Selecting a reward triggers Lockdown, so inspect the available options before making your choice.