Locks are the barrier between the Dragonborn and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s best loot, and the Lockpicking skill is the way to by that barrier. More than just a way to open locked chests, the skill also presents a way to avoid dangerous obstacles, open hidden pathways, and access powerful items earlier in the game. It can even be used to circumvent entire parts of some of the game’s quests.
Lock picking in Skyrim consists of a minigame that occurs any time the player wishes to crack open a lock. Locks adorn many of the game’s chests, doors, houses, strongboxes, and safes. The process requires at least one lockpick, and higher-level locks may take several attempts to successfully pick. Failed attempts will result in broken lockpicks. Without any lockpicks in the player’s inventory, the lockpicking minigame cannot be initiated.
The Unbreakable perk does stop lockpicks from breaking, but many players just keep Skyrim’s Skeleton Key on hand after progressing far enough during the Thieves Guild questline. This artifact is literally an unbreakable lockpick in and of itself. The Skeleton Key is also the only Daedric Artifact in the game that’s directly tied to a guild. As such, any player who undertakes the Thieves Guild will eventually come into with it. It must be discarded in order to complete the guild’s story properly, but it’s arguably better to just hold onto it. Its benefits usually outweigh the rewards for returning it to the Twilight Sepulcher.
Lockpicking Is A Valuable Skill in Skyrim
There are thousands of locks to be picked throughout The Elder Scrolls V. Whether it’s burgling an NPC’s home in Whiterun, opening a sealed container buried deep within a crypt, or disarming a trap set by a territorial Falmer, there are many opportunities to use the skill. The ubiquity of its uses makes Lockpicking a good investment for any players looking to spend their perk points. Practically every dungeon has a locked chest, and even pure fighter or mage builds can benefit from the loot hidden within. By comparison, other rogue skills like Speech, Pickpocketing, and Alchemy in Skyrim aren’t worth leveling.
NPCs can resist poisons and detect pickpocket attempts, whereas a lock will never alert the guard or attack back. For the risk-aversive thief, lockpicking is the safer gamble. It’s an easy way to make money early in the game, with many chests and NPC homes hiding valuable gold for the taking, as well as any loot to later be fenced. More valuable than gold, Skyrim’s locked chests often hide powerful items. These could be staves, scrolls, jewelry, or other various high-level weapons and armor. In Skyrim’s early game, this kind of powerful gear can make all the difference - especially if the player hasn’t invested in crafting skills like Smithing and Enchanting.
There are pros and cons to leveling Skyrim's Smithing, and Lockpicking can serve as a means of avoiding it altogether. There’s little need to learn how to forge or enchant weapons and armor if the same quality gear can be found behind locked doors for free. To put into perspective, an enchanted Glass Greatsword might be purchased for over a thousand gold. It could also be crafted after four perks in Smithing and 2-8 perks in Enchanting. Lockpicking is a much faster way to get powerful gear - and without spending any gold.
There’s no guarantee that an enchanted Glass Greatsword will be found in a random chest, but there’s always the chance that it could be. In that event, the weapon would not cost gold, nor would it require any perk points spent on crafting skills. With this consideration, a talented locksmith can be one of Skyrim’s best builds. Considering the potential gear found in locked chests, the monetary benefits are huge. Lockpicks can be found anywhere, or purchased for cheap. For the skilled safecracker, it’s always financially smarter to buy a few inexpensive lockpicks rather than pricey gear.
Leveling Skyrim’s Lockpicking Skill Tree Has Pros And Cons
Lockpicking as a concept is an incredibly helpful skill in Skyrim, with many opportunities to use throughout the game. The same, however, cannot be said of the Lockpicking skill tree itself. The lockpicking minigame can be initiated - and won - regardless of the player’s level in the skill. A higher skill level in Lockpicking can make locks easier to pick, even if the player hasn’t taken any Lockpicking perks.
Up against Expert and Master level locks, however, this help becomes negligible; the same bonus can easily be achieved by wearing lockpicking gear or by quickly drinking a potion to Fortify Lockpicking. Players who reach level 100 in Lockpicking and make the skill legendary may notice that their locks once again break more easily, and that higher-level locks take more attempts to crack open. Sadly, a player with sufficient points in Alchemy and Enchanting will probably be able to more efficiently pick locks than a player who’s taken all the Lockpicking perks.
This is the biggest weakness of Skyrim’s Lockpicking: The backbone of the skill tree consists of perks like Apprentice Locks, Adept Locks, and Expert Locks. Equipping high level gear designed for lockpicking (such as the Thieves Guild Gloves) eclipses the usefulness of these perks. The Lockpicking skill tree is one more victim obsoleted by Skyrim’s overpowered Enchanting tree, but the problem runs deeper. A patient player with enough lockpicks can open any lock in the game, regardless of its challenge rating. No perks in any skill tree are required; they only serve to expedite the process.
In the mid-late game, Lockpicking is also undercut by Skyrim’s economy. Players often have more lockpicks and more gold than they know what to do with. This abundance of gold reduces the incentive to pick locks (and pockets) in general, but especially dilutes the potency of the Golden Touch perk. Similarly, the plethora of lockpicks reduces the value of Unbreakable. Ultimately, Lockpicking is a useful skill in Skyrim that levels organically with the player. The perks in the skill tree, however, are rarely worth the investment.
Use Skyrim’s Lockpicking Tree To Reduce The Difficulty of Locks And To Maximize Loot Yields
Which Perks To Choose
- Treasure Hunter: This perk is worth it for players who are dedicated to opening every chest and exploring all the hidden places most Skyrim players never find. For spelunkers and completionists, this perk is a must-have as it increases the chance of finding additional high-quality weapons and armor. The chance of a default dungeon chest holding a (potentially enchanted) extra weapon or armor piece goes up from 10% to 15%.
- Locksmith: One of the primary reasons for investing in Skyrim’s Lockpicking tree is that it makes the lockpicking mini-game easier. Enchanted gear can accomplish much the same effect, but it cannot do what this perk does. Locksmith starts the pick much closer to the lock’s correct opening position. This is helpful in both saving time and lockpicks.
Which Perks Not To Choose
- Quick Hands: It may at first seem helpful to pick locks without being spotted, but in practice, it’s rarely of benefit. The reality is that half the chests in Skyrim are found in dungeons. In those cases, it doesn’t matter whether the Dragonborn gets spotted. If the player is trying to pick the lock on an NPC’s house, on the other hand, it’s better to simply crouch first and rely on the Sneak skill to avoid detection. In either case, this perk is unnecessary.
- Unbreakable: On the surface, this is a perk equal in value to one of Skyrim’s best Daedric Artifacts, the Skeleton Key. The fact that the key exists, however, is a major point against this perk - most players would rather just keep the Skeleton Key than spend the six perk points required for Unbreakable. Additionally, by the time the player reaches the requisite level 100 in Lockpicking to get this perk, they’ll likely have more than enough lockpicks to make it through the rest of the game without worry.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and will release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 11, 2021.
