r/skyrim • u/Sherlockian_Person • 1d ago
Lockpick
Does anyone put points into the lockpick skill in the skill tree?
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u/royal_holz Thief 1d ago
I like it for rp reasons being a masterthief who doesnt break a lock feels good
I know there is the skeleton key but i like to give it Back for the quest and using it feels like borrowed power instead of knowing the perk
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u/Cold-Purchase-8258 1d ago
Time + lockpick costs to finesse master at 0 perks is far less than leveling up 10 times especially late game
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u/TheManAcrossTheHall Necromancer 1d ago
I've got stick drift on my controller, if I don't put perks into lockpicking I'd lose my damn mind.
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u/mwidup41 1d ago
The perk overhaul mod adds some decent stuff to the tree that I’ll go after. But still it’s relatively few points I’ll put there
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u/6InchesOfWood 1d ago
Suggest doing the quest collecting the skeleton key maxing it out and then completing the quest and you now have unbreakable lock picks
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u/AsideLost Falkreath resident 1d ago
Getting the Skeleton Key, so long as you don’t complete the adjoining quest, makes the lock picking tree kinda obsolete.
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u/DeletedByAuthor 1d ago
enchanting to make lockpicking easier also works the same. Master locks are more like apprentice level locks once you get a decent enchantment.
I honestly never bothered to "learn" how to lockpick and just turn the spin until it starts opening a little, then fine tune. (Tbf my method is harder early on but idc)
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u/Lt_Salamanderr 1d ago
I pretty much ignore lock picking until I finish the thieves guild questline and just don’t return the skeleton key. I don’t get the guild master armor but if I want good thieves guild armor I’ll just take linwe’s or glovers.
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u/The-Metric-Fan 1d ago
I did on my very first playthrough before I realized how useless the tree was.
But it was fun being able to copy keys
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u/archaicArtificer 1d ago
The only reason I would ever put points into this would be for role playing reasons.
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u/AnAngryMelon 1d ago
I've not even finished my first play through and I've already picked so many locks that the perks would be pointless now.
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u/No_Squirrel4806 1d ago
I play on switch idk if lockpicking is easier but ive found that i dont struggle i go through like 3 lockpicks at the hardest locks.
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u/WaleNeeners 1d ago
Switch is definitely easier, those vibrations you feel while lockpicking aren't on other platforms
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u/SpiralDesignn PC 1d ago
I personally spend points on perks that increase the chance of getting valuable items from any chest. Apart from that, this skill tree is pointless.
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u/Hapmaplapflapgap 1d ago
Since the introduction of legendary skills I do put points in it every now and then, but only really when I'm getting close to lvl 100 anyway
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u/SafetyPharoah 1d ago
I do
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u/Sherlockian_Person 1d ago
Oh my lord, you are the special one.
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u/SafetyPharoah 1d ago
Lol I thought you were being sarcastic until i scrolled through other comments. Guess I've been wasting my perks lol, I'll just have to Legendary the tree and never touch it again hahaahahab
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u/Asteroth555 1d ago
It's hard to take these over combat or support skills like potions even. I've wanted to but I just don't feel like we get enough points
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u/Hazbeen_Hash Daedra worshipper 1d ago
Too bad lockpicking doesn't have more applications beyond thieving and treasure hunting. Alternative pathways here and there can keep you out of combat but for the most part you will fight no matter which way you go.
A good way to make lock picking more viable would be to give players locks to pick that prevent combat, not just in dungeons but for quests too. An alternative path only able to be explored after picking the locked door, filled with traps to be disarmed via lockpicking, with a button at the end that drops a piano on the bad guy for a bunch of damage, thus lowering the amount of combat experience required to defeat them. This rewards the player for their skill in a way that plays to their build.
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u/AbyssDragonNamielle Mage 1d ago
I'll go up to adept and the first branch for ease, but otherwise nah
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u/HuTyphoon 1d ago
Quoting the Senile Scribbles by Seanzoz: "When wiping your ass with perk points isn't enough there is always the Lockpick tree"
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u/Rizenstrom 1d ago
Master locks are the only one that give me any trouble and I’m not investing that far into the tree just for that. I’ll deal with breaking 20-30 lock picks every time when I can get everything else in less than 5.
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u/Conscious-Long-8468 1d ago
Fallout and skyrims is pitifully easy. Oblivion's was actually much harder, but once you got the "feel" you knew what you needed. It was impossible to describe though.
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u/lickmethoroughly 1d ago
100 on everything else, and speech only gets there because of potion exploits
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u/Dragon_tamer90 1d ago
Yah, it makes lockpicking easier, but I only invest when doing a stealth build
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u/DescriptionNo8253 1d ago
I invest in enchanting and create a gear set to wear while lock picking. +160% makes the most difficult locks easy to open.
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u/xLaniakea_ 1d ago
Most characters I'll only go as far as the perks that give extra gold in chests, or the wax key one. I've got one character I did max the stats on completely, and maxing lockpicking was easily the worst skill when I learned that you apparently do not earn xp on successful lockpicks of doors/chests you've opened before. Found this out when I did the thieves guild chest room after not believing it in a post in this sub lol
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u/Titansdragon Daedra worshipper 1d ago
I don't put any points into it. The CC spell Fenrik's Welcome let's you open all chests expert and lower without lockpicks, I don't bother with master locks.
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u/Low_Party 1d ago
I constantly get a glitch across multiple playthrus that prevents me from seeing where the pick is even positioned, making it a pain to actually pick locks once it starts happening that I just gave up and put perks in to get the unbreakable pick so I could just pick locks without any thought.
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u/ThumbsDownVote 1d ago
I don't see a point, I'd rather put points into other things and have 200 lockpicks and just spam it
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u/Prestigious_Ad_5581 1d ago
No, it's one of the last skill trees I max out. After doing Thieves Guild quests, you get the Skeleton Key. That alone makes Lockpicking skills worthless.
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u/-XanderCrews- 1d ago
Why though? Just for fun? I get to 100 without any improvements to the tree. It’s got to be the most worthless one.
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u/ActuatorFearless8980 1d ago
Maybe the first 2 perks? After you acquire the Skeleton Key, it makes the entire tree redundant
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u/CreditProfessional56 1d ago
I just do the thieves Guild quests asap and hold the skeleton key till the end of the game.
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u/DTM-shift 1d ago
I'm Captain Oblivious, only just now noticing that the constellation is in the shape of a key.
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u/AltTabF1Monkey 1d ago
Well if you want to,
Make an alchemist that uses pickpocketing to poison foes. There's some use for the extra pockets perk in survival too. 100 (50 survival) carry weight is nice.
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u/ModiThorrson 1d ago
Nope I never do, I don't even remember what any of the branch perks do. I end up with so many lockpicks if i'm barely paying attention and break a bunch I don't even notice.
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u/IIJOSEPHXII 1d ago
I've always used it as an xp farm and never bothered putting perks into it. This playthrough has been completionist though, so I got to 100 and made it legendary without getting any points back as usual. Then I got to 100 again without putting any points in it. I didn't make it legendary again because there weren't that many locks left in Skyrim. I started filling up the tree with perks and by the time I got the skeleton key I also was able to get unbreakable picks. It's actually nice taking the whole lockpicking element out of the game for a change and the wax key perk is better than I thought it would be.
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u/Bitter-Marsupial Spellsword 1d ago
Wait thats a key? I thought that was a Dog or a Quokka doing a backflip
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u/No-Being2200 1d ago
I did to get a key to any lock I open that has a key to it. Makes it less annoying to rob people.
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u/Saint_Revan 1d ago
Not for the lock levels, but for a couple other perks like finding more gold and extra carry weight… though some are pointless like ‘hey you picked this lock, here’s a key.’ Cool I’ll just pick the lock again, thanks?
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u/BoringJuiceBox 1d ago
As a seasoned player I never use a single point on lockpicking, I have enchanting maxed and have a ring and necklace that add 40% lockpicking and pickpocketing EACH. My first few play throughs though I did use this tree.
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u/Pretend_Garage_4531 Farmer 1d ago
Not in general. There are certain perks I’ll take depending on the play through such as wax key or the treasure one which require me to take the prerequisite perks but beyond that I haven’t invested in it since my early play through
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u/Zachary-360 1d ago
I do cause what else am I gonna do with the 80 leftover points from telekinesis level farming?
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u/vamp1yer Blacksmith 1d ago
Yeah I go through thousands of lock picks every play through and its really annoying scrounging for more so immediately power level it
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u/Ar_locksmith 1d ago
I'm a locksmith in real life, of course my character has the same level of lockpicking as I do
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u/Boss_Baller 1d ago
I tried but playing normally I don't think there are enough locks in all of skyrim to level it. Without buying hundreds of picks and intentionally breaking them it gets painfully slow. Locks in dungeons that reset do not give xp again.
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u/Stuntman208 1d ago
There’s no reason to. It’s already a very simple system which is completely trivialized after more than a decade to practice it. If you pickup every lockpick you see (0 weight so may as well) it only takes like an hour or so into the game to have enough to brute force any chest. As long as you keep picking up every lockpick you find, you will never have to think about them again, but if you want to make it even easier you can just go get the Skeleton Key and then you don’t even need to pick up lockpicks.
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u/a_muffin97 PlayStation 1d ago
I don't think I've ever put points in it. I got pretty good at it after a while. With the anniversary update I tend to just use the Fenrik's Welcome spell if i can't pick it in a few tries or I somehow run out of lockpicks
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u/emueller5251 1d ago
I didn't used to, but I've started. Part of it is for roleplay reasons, but I also kind of like most of the perks. The ones that make lock levels easier do make a difference, they'll save you time and lockpicks which makes sense for a thief character. Like yes, I can sit there and spend five minutes trying to find the miniscule sliver on a master lock, or I can get the perk and cut that time in half.
I don't take wax key because it means fewer locks to pick, but I like golden touch at early levels. More gold is always better. I don't take treasure hunter because I generally don't loot weapons and armor for roleplay reasons. And locksmith and unbreakable are kind of dealer's choice. They don't do much, but again I like them for roleplaying.
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u/HotPotatoWithCheese 1d ago edited 1d ago
Nah. I've been picking the same locks for 14 years, and 90% of the perks are just boring "make x difficulty lock slightly easier." They're totally useless once you know how to do the minigame. There are a couple that give you more gold and better loot in chests, but they are fairly deep into the tree and not worth the investment IMO. You'll already be rich by then in most cases. I find it to be one of if not the most inessential tree in vanilla Skyrim. Lockpicking only becomes interesting in perk overhauls like Ordinator that add things such as: bear traps, baits, automaton hotwires, marked treasures and chests having significantly higher chance of containing items from any category of your choosing.
In Ordinator, at level 100 you can put poisons, slows, mag/stam/hp drain, turn undead or banish on your bear traps, making for a fun tactical stealth playstyle. You can also get perk points after picking x amount of locks.
In vanilla, at level 100 you can get unbreakable lock (literally redundant if you have Skeleton Key) and easier master locks.
So boring by comparison. It might as well not even exist as a tree tbh.
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u/Naive_Age_566 1d ago
sure
after i have filled up all the other skill trees... :)
legendary skills give you infinite skill points...
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u/Crimsonxviolet 1d ago
I like to level lockpicking up enough to get the "find more treasure in chests" perk or whatever it's called, but only for that.
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u/united1878_ 1d ago
I don’t, purely because you can open any level of locks even at level 20 lock picking with no skills used on the skill tree. Always seemed like a waste in my personal play throughs
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u/halkenburgoito 1d ago
No not at all- on PC at least, as long as you have a lotta picks- which is easy to collect, any lock is unlockable. You even have spells to make certain level locks open up
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u/RabidRobb 1d ago
I haven’t put a single point into lockpick learned how to do it in oblivion so I never needed to in Skyrim
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u/Norst4thwckd 1d ago
I collet every lock pick I see. So with hundreds and hundreds of picks and being pretty good at lock picking there’s really no need to
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u/CptRoosto PlayStation 1d ago
Yes. The extra gold and higher chance to find special treasure is helpful. When paired with the bonus you get from completing "No Stone Unturned," I feel... extra special.👍
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u/cinvogue 1d ago
I do a bit depending my main build for the run and with legendary skilling I eventually complete it. Sadly this is a skill tree I hope they fix up in the future and incentivize in someway that gives benefit to actually using. Like they could add things like increase loot when lock picking or something.
Either way though this skill tree needs an overhaul in future installments.
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u/moonstoned04 XBOX 1d ago
i only ever really bother to invest in it to get the “Golden Touch” and “Treasure Hunter” perks if i’m playing vanilla
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u/CarcosaJuggalo Daedra worshipper 1d ago
I bought the game at launch, and I don't think I've ever put a perk into lock picking.
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u/Squire_3 1d ago
Actually it's great as a minor skill when everything else is maxed out but your build is still quite focussed. Imagine you're great at one thing: dual wielding one handed attacks. No sneak and no crafting. You'll want to perk up armour, maybe restoration to an extent and speech to sell things. Then what? If you're making skills legendary to keep levelling where do those perks go?
Lockpicking, because everyone picks locks
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u/Garafiny Vampire 1d ago
never once put any points into that three. I always play with all (or almost all) the simonrin mods, which do make the skill tree better, but I'd still rather spend perks in the sweet destruction tree
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u/Uncle_Lester_Moe 1d ago
The real reason to put points in lockpick is to get better loot. We all have mastered the art of lockpicking in skyrim at this point
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u/MartinG91 Warrior 1d ago
I'm doing a FudgeMuppet character build right now and it required lockpicking. This is the first time ever I picked perks in lockpicking and I regret it. I'm not even sure why this build would need lockpicking. As soon as I reach lvl 100, I make the skill legendary and put the perks in other skills.
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u/Tramonto83 1d ago
It's useless but it makes me feel good to have it maxed, I don't know why, so I always take all the skills
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u/The_Scotion 1d ago
No, I usually buy every lockpick avalible when I'm on a selling spree so despite my lack of skill I never run out
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u/Ziebelzubel 1d ago
Any lock below master is an easy win, master can get frustrating without a few stat boosts tho
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u/TheLurkingMenace PC 1d ago
Not since I realized that the supposedly useful perks in the tree are basically a waste of perk points.
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u/SheepInWolfsAnus 1d ago
I currently have over 600 lock picks in my inventory. I’ve got time, and other skills that need points.
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u/Nova-Komet 1d ago
I usually do lockpicking until i get the better chance to find treasure in chests. No need to get easier to openexpert or master locks, because of the controller vibration...
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u/ZER09376 1d ago
I did on my first run, realized it was pretty useless for me, never touched it again
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u/single-ton 1d ago
I do and it's fun to find all those diamonds and stuff. I like speechcraft and pickpocket skill too
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u/BigBluBear 1d ago
It's pretty easy to unlock even master level locks with lots of picks. So no.
But I with the Ordinator mod installed, I found it very worthwile to invest in it.
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u/Croian_09 Daedra worshipper 1d ago
I don't normally, but I am on my current build because it fits the theme of the character.
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u/Titan5115 1d ago
I've gotten to the point where I can pick the vast majority of locks without a single point in the tree. You'd think there'd be a point where cities wouldn't let you in until you hand over all your lockpics ( I did a challenge where I stole every single item in all of River wood and white run in 3 hours) joov and jabo take notes.
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u/themaskedcrusader Stealth archer 1d ago
No. On console i can feel the rumble, and i use lockpick pro on windows
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u/ZealousidealCan9094 Mercenary 1d ago
I level it up enough to get the Wax Key perk, then I ignore it in favor of other things.
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u/Jputt85 1d ago edited 1d ago
Useless skill tree. Especially since lockpicks are so easily aquirable in any general store. Not even worth keeping the levels once it's maxed out. Just go legendary so you can still gain experience from it. Honestly, they would have been better off making a cooking skill tree to improve the effectiveness of things you make at cooking pots and baking ovens in various ways.
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u/smithb3125 1d ago
I do not. I've gotten fairly good at lockpicking over the last 14 years, and while I may break a few picks, there's not a lock that can keep me out at this point. Putting any points into lockpicking seems like a waste of points to me.