Unlocking the secrets of Tamriel’s most guarded treasures requires more than just courage – it demands finesse, timing, and a steady hand. In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, mastering the art of lockpicking opens doors to hidden chests and forbidden rooms, but the minigame’s tricky tumblers can quickly frustrate newcomers. Whether you’re playing on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, our guide will teach you how to patiently time each tumbler’s slow ascent and avoid breaking precious lockpicks, turning you into a master thief ready to plunder every locked chest in Cyrodiil.
Our Oblivion Remastered guide will explain how to lockpick chests and doors and walk you through the tricky mechanics of this minigame.
Where to find lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered
In Oblivion Remastered, lockpicks can be found through various means, but the most reliable way to acquire them is by purchasing from specific merchants. The easiest vendor to find is Shady Sam, located northwest of the Imperial City near the Elven Gardens district, who sells lockpicks for 6 gold each and restocks up to 30 daily. Additionally, joining the Thieves Guild unlocks access to fences like Ongar the World-Weary in Bruma, who also sell lockpicks. Besides buying, lockpicks can be looted from enemies such as goblins and bandits or found in containers like chests and barrels scattered throughout dungeons and bandit camps.
First, you’ll need a lockpick, an item that allows you to attempt to pick a lock. The quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to get lockpicks is by exploring dungeons. You can get lockpicks by searching the corpses of some enemies and by checking chests, barrels, and crates in dungeons.
You can also buy lockpicks from fences (characters who purchase illicit goods) after you join the Thieves Guild. For where exactly to shop, see our guide on where to buy lockpicks.
What can you unlock with a lockpick in Oblivion Remastered?
In Oblivion Remastered, using a lockpick allows you to unlock various locked doors and chests scattered throughout the game world, granting access to valuable treasures, hidden items, and secret areas that are otherwise inaccessible. While many locks can be picked with lockpicks, some require specific keys and cannot be opened this way. Successfully picking locks involves a timing-based minigame where you must set tumblers at their highest position to open the lock. This skill is especially useful for players aiming to explore thoroughly or join factions like the Thieves Guild, where lockpicking is essential for progression and acquiring loot.
Lockpicks can be used to unlock doors and chests. While many doors and chests can be unlocked with a lockpick, some cannot be broken and require special keys. (The game will tell you can’t use a lockpick if this is the case.)
If the door or chest can be unlocked with a lockpick, just walk up to either a chest or door (with a lockpick item in hand) and interact with it to start the lockpicking minigame.
How to use a lockpick in Oblivion Remastered
To use a lockpick in Oblivion Remastered, approach a locked door or chest while holding a lockpick to start the lockpicking minigame. Use the left stick or mouse to select a tumbler and push it upward slowly. The key is to time pressing the action button (A on Xbox, X on PlayStation, or spacebar on PC) precisely when the tumbler reaches its slowest upward movement at the top. Successfully setting all tumblers in place will unlock the lock. Be patient and avoid setting tumblers when they move too fast, as mistiming will break your lockpick and reset progress unless your Security skill is high enough to keep some tumblers set. Repeated practice improves your Security skill, making lockpicking easier over time.
Lockpicking in Oblivion Remastered can get pretty frustrating pretty quickly. In short, it’s a timing minigame.
When you start the lockpicking minigame, you’ll see a cross-section view of a lock with five different tumblers, each inside a tiny chamber. Tap the inner metal piece upward with the left control stick and then hit A (on Xbox) to “set” the tumbler. To pick a lock, you must set the tumbler just as it taps the top of the lock. If you get the timing right, the tumbler will “set” in place and go dark, as shown in the final image of the slider above.
It is a deceptively tricky timing game. Some tumblers fall faster than others, and the speed at which they fall from tap to tap varies. If you mess up one tumbler, you need to start the entire lock over and set every single one (if you’re still ranked novice for Security). There are three difficulty levels of locks: easy, medium, and hard. An easier lock will have fewer tumblers you need to set, thus less room for error.
Here are some tips to help you pick locks in Oblivion Remastered:
- Our best advice is to fudge the numbers a bit. If you think a lock will give you trouble, make sure you save before. That way, you can try the lock as many times as you need and can load the save file if you run out of lockpicks.
- Some other guides suggest you listen to the lock. This might just be us, but we couldn’t hear a difference. However, it can be hard to focus on the game if there is a lot else going on, so we found it helpful to turn off the game’s background music in the game settings.
- We can’t confirm this for sure, but there appears to be a pattern for each tumbler. Tap it a bunch of times to get a feel for each tumbler, and you can try to predict when the tumbler will stick at the top.
- Just keep at it. Eventually, you’ll level up your Security skill to the point where the minigame is less punitive.
How lockpick auto attempts work in Oblivion Remastered
The auto-attempt feature in Oblivion Remastered allows players to bypass the lockpicking minigame and automatically pick locks based on the character’s Security skill and the lock’s difficulty. When using auto-attempt, the game makes a skill-based roll to determine if the lock opens without manual input. This can be effective for easier locks or when one tumbler is set manually, allowing the rest to be auto-completed. However, the feature is somewhat unreliable and can result in broken lockpicks if the attempt fails. Its success seems influenced by the player’s Security skill, but the exact mechanics remain unclear, making it a gamble compared to the more precise manual picking method.
The auto-attempt feature can let you bypass the minigame and lockpick automatically – in certain circumstances. For example, we used the auto-attempt after setting one tumbler on a medium lock, and it automatically set the final two tumblers, thus unlocking the door. We also used it to bypass an easy lock without doing anything.
However, there are limits to the auto-lock. We tried to use it multiple times on another medium lock, and it broke a ton of lockpicks. At the time of writing, it’s unclear if any of the skills influence this feature, though if you’re looking for an unbreakable lockpick, you can always get the Skeleton Key.
Want to learn the secret to timing lockpicks perfectly in Oblivion Remastered
To time lockpicks perfectly in Oblivion Remastered, your key is to press the lock button exactly when a tumbler reaches its slowest point at the top and pauses-this is your window to set it without breaking your pick. Each tumbler moves with a unique pattern, alternating between fast and slow drops; only when you hear or see the slow “thunk” or pause should you click to lock it in place. Practicing on easier locks and tuning your mouse sensitivity for precise control can greatly improve your timing and reduce pick breakage. Listening carefully to audio cues and observing the tumbler’s movement are essential to mastering this mechanic.
How can I improve my timing to set tumblers at the perfect moment in Oblivion Remastered
To improve your timing for setting tumblers perfectly in Oblivion Remastered, start by carefully observing each tumbler’s movement pattern before attempting to set it. Each tumbler moves with a randomized pattern of fast and slow drops; your goal is to click and set the tumbler only when it falls slowly and pauses at the top, as setting it during a fast drop almost always breaks your pick.
Enhance your timing by listening closely to audio cues: a slow, deep “thunk” sound signals the right moment to set the tumbler, while a fast “snap” indicates you should wait. Adjusting your mouse sensitivity (lower DPI) or using a lightweight mouse with crisp clicks can give you finer control over your timing.
Practice on easier locks or the training chest to build muscle memory and develop a rhythm of lifting each tumbler, watching its speed, and setting it patiently. You can also keep a tumbler “bouncing” at a slow speed by repeatedly tapping it, giving you more control over when to set it.
Finally, leveling up your Security skill slows tumbler movement, making timing easier and increasing your chances of success. Combining these techniques will significantly improve your lockpicking precision in Oblivion Remastered.
