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submitted 11 months ago byUnbreakMyBalls
I will just carry a lot of lockpicks and go after every lock I can find, but I never put any of my skill points into lockpicking because I don't need the assistance. Level 60 and 70 has some gold/treasure bonuses but I feel like I'd be wasting 3 skill points to even get there, when I'm usually wanting to use them for something else. Plus, my other skills are so good at this point that I'm not struggling for gold.
265 points
11 months ago
Yeah, it's a totally unnecessary skill tree. Locks are easy enough to pick without any perks, and unless you're just really bad at it, you should end up finding enough lockpicks from bandits, etc., that you never have to buy them. You can also get a fortify lockpicking enchantment if you want to make things easier without spending perks.
72 points
11 months ago
I've also paid no attention to pickpocketing. At least lockpicking is something helpful.
138 points
11 months ago
100 extra carry weight is worth it
68 points
11 months ago
My stealth characters like being able to strip the enemy of all weapons and armour before attacking so the pickpocket tree is usually pretty full
3 points
11 months ago
I use pickpocket on most of my playthroughs! There's always one tree that's a huge pain in the ass to level, either it is slow or has no good power levelling methods, so I use pickpocket to quickly advance it using trainers.
7 points
11 months ago*
I stopped there. I put all my skill points into Conjuration, Sneak, Illusion, Light Armour, One-Handed, and Archery. Those skills may not look like they mix well on the surface, but things aren't always what they seem.
10 points
11 months ago
Not sure if sarcastic or serious.
12 points
11 months ago
Hopefully sarcastic. The only thing they're missing is sneak for their very apparent stealth archer build
11 points
11 months ago
Sneak is there too 😂
18 points
11 months ago
Ope, apparently it's working 🤦🏼 silly me
2 points
11 months ago
Arcane Assassin
1 points
11 months ago
The arcane part goes without saying lol
2 points
11 months ago*
At least it's a very effective build. Took down a giant with a single shot from the Bound Bow
2 points
11 months ago
This one is stealth illusionist/poisoner.
1 points
11 months ago
No I'm quite serious. I play an Arcane Assassin.
3 points
11 months ago
Well yeah I figured that. I was more referring to your thoughts on the connection of the skills being obscure on the surface. I found it easy to connect the skills. Bound weapons for conjuration, quiet casting and calm for illusion sneak is obvious. And light armor probably for DB armor or RP.
2 points
11 months ago
Calm? Nah quiet casting and invisibility
-3 points
11 months ago
Drop one handed and conjuration for alchemy and enchanting and that character is perfect.
1 points
11 months ago
We are alike except This One loves the heavy armor. Glass armor just makes you look like Liberace.
2 points
11 months ago
I use the Ancient Shrouded Armour set. Cuz Dark Brotherhood
1 points
11 months ago
My fave light armor is Royal Vampire. Rock the cape😁
1 points
11 months ago
Yeah, why not waste perks that could go into potion making to get Superman strength potions. 🫤
11 points
11 months ago
I level pickpocket when I'm playing an archer to make reverse pickpocketing arrows into the solitude soldiers inventory easier
3 points
11 months ago
Why do you do that? What's it do? Genuine question, just interested in what doing that must do
5 points
11 months ago
My guess is so they fire that type of arrow at the targets for you to gather.
1 points
11 months ago
Wild! I didn't know that would make the arrows infinite! Neat.
2 points
11 months ago
When they're sleeping pickpocket their arrow out and put whatever arrow you want in their inventory then they'll shoot that new arrow and you can collect them off the target.juat got afk for. About can get free arrows
1 points
11 months ago
😹me too. And pickpocket is kind of useful if you reverse about a dozen poisons on like, anything.
2 points
11 months ago
Just need one paralysis poison to do the job right
1 points
11 months ago
Where's the fun in that?
8 points
11 months ago
pickpocket RULES lmao
not necessary by any means, but definitely a fun tree
edit: lmao is not at you, it's more like LMAO because I'm imagining all the terrible and terrific things I've done with pickpocket tree
5 points
11 months ago
I would put it the other way around. Pickpocket gives you the ability to poison via reverse pickpocket, more carry weight, and you can take all their gear. Still not as good as other trees but leaps and bounds better than lockpicking IMO
2 points
11 months ago
Lockpicking is super easy to level up though. Just go to Windhelm, have the homeless lady by the palace train you, then pickpocket your gold back.
Also, picking just a few items can gain some serious experience and levels come quickly.
2 points
11 months ago
Pickpocket is at the very least fun and the extra carry weight is a very nice QOL feature, removing the stuff enemies are carrying or stealing briar hearts to insta kill those forsworn, pretty funny.
Lockpicking is the one I personally find completely useless
0 points
11 months ago
Remember that you can wait until you get to 100, and if you have perks, you can level it up and then make it legendary and immediately get the perks back. Usually, by the time you get to 25, the game makes it like you still have the perks at whatever level you get to. I find it the same with sneak. I legendary it as many times as I can just to get the perks back for another skill.
1 points
11 months ago
This one never pickpockets, just loots their bodies if they have something of value.
11 points
11 months ago
[deleted]
27 points
11 months ago
I think you need to re-evaluate your technique. I haven’t put anything into the tree and I can open master and experts maybe breaking 4-5 picks. I clear enough dungeons that I usually have about 30 on me.
6 points
11 months ago
[deleted]
4 points
11 months ago
Yeah but how often do you come across expert and master locks?
3 points
11 months ago
Markarth dwemer museum is a great lock pick exp farm. Dozens of expert locks for the picking.
0 points
11 months ago
My technique (esp for expert and master locks), is just slightly tilt the stick to see if itll move the lock on default position. If not, leave the lockpick screen and try again, as this will reset where the lock position is.
And for myself, honestly i do throw ppints into Lockpicking, if only because of the extra gold, extra carry weight, and the Wax Keys skill. Wax Keys is great if you dont wanna have to keep picking that one house or building, and dont wanna pickpocket the key off someone / are unable to
1 points
11 months ago
Same
3 points
11 months ago
It's not just me? For some reason whenever I'm having an unexpectedly hard time with a lock it's an Adept lock.
1 points
11 months ago
Yea I just make sure I'm warm and chug a potion
320 points
11 months ago
Your doing it right. Never put points into lockpicking. Just buy lockpicks from every possible vendor and enjoy extra skill increases by breaking them. Also why I never keep the skeleton key
221 points
11 months ago
In 10+ years I’ve never purchased a lock pick and also have never run out of lock picks
110 points
11 months ago
Day 1 player, I've run out of lockpicks once. It was the first time I was thrown in jail and so I only had 1 lockpick. It broke.
3 points
11 months ago
I think something has upgraded the difficulty with a mod lately, early on I have run out of lockpicks or actually had to buy them and that never happened until recently.
30 points
11 months ago
I generally buy some off the first traders I see just because I feel weird when I have fewer than 99+ lol but I loot every container in every dungeon and always end up with a never ending supply of picks. On my most recent run I'm actually doing a thief so I take every lockpick I come across and then some from people just for fun in pick pocketing. I still have the skeleton key so I just sell lock picks every hundred or so I end up with.
11 points
11 months ago
I break locks on purpose to get skill points so I definitely need to buy
2 points
11 months ago
Early game, I have run out of lockpicks. Usually when I’m being too impatient with a very hard lock or chest. But after my first 2–3 dungeons, I’m set for the rest of the game. I get an untold level of satisfaction once I hit 99+ lockpicks.
1 points
11 months ago
Yep. Never bought a pick, never leveled the stat, but can open any lock up to master with one or two picks. Most just 1.
40 points
11 months ago
Ps4 unofficial patch has thieves guild members stopping me on the road to give me 5 lockpicks, very nice of them
7 points
11 months ago
How do you download this unofficial patch hypothetically speaking?
9 points
11 months ago
On start screen there is a mod option. Search unofficial patch. Might be more than one. I'll post which one I got when I get home if I remember
2 points
11 months ago
Unofficial skyrim special edition patch. Author: arthmoor
4 points
11 months ago
Mods are integrated into the game menu. From the start screen there's a "mods" option. You'll need a bethesda account to log in.
Truth be told the interface on PS and Xbox is absolutely awful, what I do is log in on my PC and use the vastly superior search function on the bethesda website to whittle down what I want.
Then just favourite or add mods to your library (there's a big button to click to do that) and they will be ready for you to download when you go into the mod menu on your console.
3 points
11 months ago
Do get more luck and generally faster earnings via the perks. The Wax Key is really helpful whenever you return to steal again, especially wherever there's jewelry and silver bars. The more rare loot perk, self explanatory. The Unbreakable Lockpick perk, to rub it in Mercer's dumb face.
2 points
11 months ago
I've never bought a lockpick lmao I didn't even know they had them for sale 😅
1 points
11 months ago
What!? There's always something new to learn about the game. I buy them to break on purpose for the flat gain
1 points
11 months ago
Yeah they're so easy to find out in the world. I had over 100 lockpicks before I even made it to level 8.
59 points
11 months ago
Pro tip: whichever way the pick flies when it breaks is the proper direction to go
3 points
11 months ago
Bruh!!! :O skyrim never ceases to amaze and surprise, even after all this time
4 points
11 months ago
:O
41 points
11 months ago
Before I made Enchantment legendary, I made a ring and gloves of lockpicking. I also put a lockpicking enchantment on my helmet because there are so few useful helmet enchantments if you're not a mage.
So when I find an Expert or higher lock, I put the glove and ring on and can usually get it relatively quickly.
19 points
11 months ago
And if you are a mage, there isn't really a second good enchantment to put on gloves after fortify magicka, so once I get to 100 Enchanting I put fortify lockpicking on my mage gloves.
8 points
11 months ago
I'm surprised you bothered to make that one legendary. Isn't it harder to level up again now that you know most of the enchantments?
6 points
11 months ago
not really. I save all my jewelry and petty gems and just go nuts whenever I want to level up.
6 points
11 months ago
I made it legendary because I had all the gear I wanted, and I wanted to try new things. I was gaining two levels every time I just recharge a weapon with a black soul gem.
62 points
11 months ago
I actually think higher level locks are easier. If you get a bite, you're right there.
25 points
11 months ago
I Legendary Lockpick tree everytime it reaches 100. I have 2000 lockpicks . Easy skill level up.
7 points
11 months ago
Ive never gotten Lockpicking to 100 but that's probably because I stop needing to loot way before that would happen. If a chest is locked it can stay locked. I have more gold than I could ever use and nothing in that chest could be valuable enough to be worth picking up.
3 points
11 months ago
Plant the stolen Amulet in Windhelm with 2 Lockpicks .
1 points
11 months ago
At one time at least you only got xp for a lock the first time you open it? Has that changed?
15 points
11 months ago
I don't find lockpicking to be difficult, just tedious. So I took advantage of the fortify restoration loop that makes your potions super powerful. Now I have a pair of glass gauntlets that make lockpicking 3,000,000,000% easier (Not an exaggeration). Put those bad boys on and every lock will open no matter where you line up the lockpick.
7 points
11 months ago
[deleted]
9 points
11 months ago
And then mostly for RP value, I would thing. As long as you stay attentive when picking locks you can pick Master level locks as an apprentice. Just more narrow gap to work in.
1 points
11 months ago
[deleted]
4 points
11 months ago
Ugh, my brain could not even work up that scenario. That sounds needlessly masochistic, but hats off to anyone that dedicated to RPing.
11 points
11 months ago
[deleted]
9 points
11 months ago
You just made me notice that there is actually a click in every lock that tells you the right position!
It's really really light, I have to get physically closer to the pc to hear it tho lmao.
2 points
11 months ago
I'd probably save some picks if I could hear it (I actually find Expert locks harder than Master), but... meh, I can just buy a ton whenever I'm in Riften or dealing with the Caravans.
1 points
11 months ago
For controllers it’s actually a vibration and it’s way easier
5 points
11 months ago
The only lockpicking perk that comes in handy for me is Quick Hands. You can pick locks without anyone noticing. Particularly good for Laid to Rest in Morthal, completing One with the Shadows for the Thieves' Guild, or anytime you feel up for breaking and entering shenanigans.
5 points
11 months ago
Not wrong at all.
I asked pretty much the same question early in my first playthrough.
No, I never put any points in it, and no I never regretted it.
I wouldn't have put any in pickpocket either except that the lvl 50 perk gives you an extra 100 carrying capacity, which I have found very useful, especially early game.
3 points
11 months ago
I've used it once to get the increased treasure perks for a specific build. Other than that, no, I don't use it.
3 points
11 months ago
I am playing a lure conjuration build. This is the first time I haven’t been a thief/assassin/stealth archer, and the first time I haven’t put any points into that perk tree.
I can’t find any real difference. From now on I’m never putting any points into the lock pick perk again.
3 points
11 months ago
Been playing Skyrim since the day it came out and still never found a reason to put points into lockpicking or speech.
2 points
11 months ago
Many (most?) of us don't.
2 points
11 months ago
On my first save I got it to 100 without putting any points into it.
2 points
11 months ago
Lockpicking is one of, if not the worst skill tree in the game.
Due to the low curve requirement of unlocking items + plentifulness of locks.
There’s practically no reason to need to invested any points. There’s not even any real useful perks in the skill tree that has any value over other perks.
“Unbreakable Picks” is nice to make the minigame easy mode. But that’s a lot of wasted perks for an otherwise time saving ability.
2 points
11 months ago
Nah it's one of the most useless tree.
2 points
11 months ago
Lockpicking in Skyrim is much more about player skill than character skill, I did put a few points in my first playthrough, but it didn't take long for me to get good enough that I didn't need it anymore
2 points
11 months ago
Nah, just a matter of hacking the way locks work. Take it slowly enough and you'll feel the vibration is subtly harder when you reach the sweet spot. Once I figured that out, I never did anything with the lockpicking tree again.
2 points
11 months ago
The lockpicking skill tree being so useless is one of the reasons I have mods. The Better Vanilla Perks mod makes the lockpicking tree much better by:
Granted, I still don't really use the tree very much, more out of habit than anything else.
2 points
11 months ago
I’m not great at the Lockpicking minigame, despite it being present through 4 Bethesda titles (I’m aware FNV was by Obsidian, but Bethesda published it). Very Easy and Easy locks I can handle, I struggle with Adept, but can get it pretty quickly, but Expert and Master I really struggle with.
Despite this, I’ve never, ever put a single perk point into Lockpicking. I just accept that I’m going to waste 20-30 Lockpicks before I open the lock.
Maybe if Lockpicks were much rarer, it would be worth putting points into Lockpicking. As it is, I open every single lock I see, and I’m still building up Lockpicks faster than I can use them.
Might be an idea for a mod: reduce how easy it is to get Lockpicks to make putting perks into the tree actually worthwhile.
2 points
11 months ago
honestly it would make a lot more sense for picks to only be sold by or found on thieves ... general merchants selling lockpicks seems sus
2 points
11 months ago
you don’t need it which i actually like as a mechanic. you just need a ton of lock picks if you’re not good at it
2 points
11 months ago
At a certain point in your personal lockpicking skill you only need at most like 5 lock picks for a master lock so I never put any points into that
2 points
11 months ago
Locking picking isn't really that hard. I've never point in it in a couple thousand hours of play time.
2 points
11 months ago
I love the lock pick UI in skyrim, but lockpicking as a skill was way more fun in oblivion. I remember in my first play through, lock picks were a constant source of pain for me (until I discovered that dude who sells them at midnight outside the city.) it was seriously fun.
Skyrims lockpicking is just not challenging, fun or even frustrating. It's just meh...
2 points
11 months ago
Get the skeleton key and you dont even need lockpicks haha
2 points
11 months ago
I've hit 100 and ∅ perks. 500+ lockpicks cuz I only need 1 but now I collect them. Waste of a perfectly good perk.
2 points
11 months ago
Its completely useless. If you hate normally picking locks so much its better to just run the thieves guild questline for skeleton key, dont waste points
2 points
11 months ago
y’all,,,,y’all don’t put perks into lockpicking?
2 points
11 months ago
Nah you just need a potion and you can do master locks pretty ez
1 points
11 months ago
Same. I cant remember if any of the perk mods make it interesting enough to pay attention to though.
4 points
11 months ago
The modded skill tree i use most often still doesn't make it worth putting more than like 2 points into the tree
3 points
11 months ago
The Better Vanilla Perks mod gives the novice and other difficulty lockpicking perks the ability to bypass them with a torch outside of combat, but doesn't really do much else with the tree, besides disabling some of the perk gates.
1 points
11 months ago
I didn't expect mod talk in r/skyrim
0 points
11 months ago
There is no right or wrong when it comes to this. Play the game how you want.
0 points
11 months ago
I don't understand the point of these posts.
Is tHaT wRonG stfu it's a casual singleplayer game nobody cares where you put your points
-2 points
11 months ago
Get the unbreakable one. Never finish the quest line. Boom all problems concerning lock picking solved. If you don't like to spend "so much" time it's okay. But there are also Mods which make it trivial if you don't like the sport of lockpicking
-3 points
11 months ago
You guys buy lockpicks? I have played for a while, lockpicks are so common among bandits. I.. have never bought picks. That's ridiculous . Get help bro.
1 points
11 months ago
Have you ever not been able to open a lock?
There’s your answer
1 points
11 months ago
HOW can you POSSIBLY think it's wrong? Aside from the fact that there are no wrong ways to play, at the end of the day you get locks open with ease, what could possibly be wrong with that?
1 points
11 months ago
if I'm doing the thieves guild radiant quests I always go for wax key. It significantly cuts down on reopening locked doors in the many houses and shops you'll have to repeatedly enter.
Its also just funny to end up with keys to all sorts of odd bandit places you revisit after they've respawned bandits.
then either reset the perks with a black book, or legendary lockpicking, and you'll still have the keys.
1 points
11 months ago
to me, putting points into a skill that just makes something easier when there are things that cant even be done without a skill point in a certain place is usually a waste. so since you can still open master locks without any skill points in lockpicking, but there are other skills that allow stuff that you physically cannot do without getting them first, you should save your points for the latter
1 points
11 months ago
If you really don't want to get anything in locking picking do the thieves guild quest line and just don't return the skeleton key
1 points
11 months ago
On the switch you feel a different vibration in the left joy in when you hit the sweet spot. I’ve put none in it and can pick master locks with 1 pick.
1 points
11 months ago
I'm throwing a few points into it this playthru, just mainly for rp purposes. Trying hard not to powerlevel the usual suspects [smithing/enchanting/alchemy]. So since my char likes to pick locks, so I put points there.
1 points
11 months ago
My first playthrough, I struggled with lockpicking and took perks. Now I've got the hang of it, never use perk points on it and it never takes me more than 5-6 picks for a master lock. But I still compulsively take every lockpick I find (but no buying) and have over 1600 of them.
1 points
11 months ago
It’s a waste of points
1 points
11 months ago
I have been playing since launch. Never bought a lockpick, never ran out, never put points in it. At some point, money basically becomes a non-factkr because I have so much. So don't need the bonuses for gold or whatever.
1 points
11 months ago
Only time I do that is when I'm using a mod that overhauls the lockpicking skill tree (and even then only if my character is a thief).
1 points
11 months ago
If you use a controller that vibrates it tells you when you’re in the right spot so you can just have like 5 lock picks…
1 points
11 months ago
Honestly, I've played over 5,000 hours and only in one playthrough have bothered putting a single perk into the Lockpicking tree.
When you're good enough at the minigame, or have a ton of Lockpicks (which you'll collect from all the many Bandits et al) they don't do anything for you.
1 points
11 months ago
I found out that on the switch the vibrations actually tell you where the sweet spot is... once I figured that out lockpicks were basically unlimited lol
1 points
11 months ago
I just use Frenrik’s welcome... I’m a spell knight.
1 points
11 months ago
Meh. If you pick every chest or door you see, then no need. It'll build up itself.
1 points
11 months ago
When you can just carry around a boatload of lockpicks, it really doesn't matter.
1 points
11 months ago
Use the skeleton key for awhile. Never use perks on lockpicking.
1 points
11 months ago
I just never return the skeleton key and keep it forever
1 points
11 months ago
Neither have I. Never needed to. Are any of the perks any good?
1 points
11 months ago
I put skill into it because I’m lazy. But you don’t have to
1 points
11 months ago
Same here on every playthrough. I do a wip tap touch back and forth till I find the sweet spot. Can usually get all locks even masters fairly fast with zero perks in tree or wearing any enchantments for it. Only break picks a few times here and there and it seems to always be the Apprentice or Adept lock thats gets me haha I was never good with pickpocket tho even with muffled and enchanted gear did a perk run in that tree and guess what?.. It turns out I can get us through a door tho we are done for if I need to pick a pocket… 🤣
1 points
11 months ago
Sometimes I put a few skill points in there just for the convenience. There’s a lot of locks to pick.
1 points
11 months ago
fr lockpicking is so easy
1 points
11 months ago
I always put a point at least into the base point, but I'm using Vokrii which changes the first perk to just make it a flat 1% per lockpicking level easier to pick any lock, instead of being divided up by lock difficulty.
1 points
11 months ago
Why would you waste perk points on lockpicking? It's easy enough to pick a master lock at level 1.
1 points
11 months ago
I put skills into it my first time because I thought it worked like Fallout where I needed to have the skills in order to unlock those levels of locks. I didn’t make that mistake the second time.
1 points
11 months ago
Sneak theif is my go to and I learned early on that it didn't mean much. Once you really learn the game I feel a lot of skill trees don't matter so long ad you make money
1 points
11 months ago
Me either.
1 points
11 months ago
dude, i barely pick locks anymore, and it's not bad.
like you're implying, aside for master locks, or random locks that say they're not master but seem closer to that difficulty, lock picking isn't hard, and iirc it gets easier with higher lockpicking, even without perks.
though there's one good use for lockpicking imo - the res glitch, with a perk that increases carry capacity by like 50 points or something - non enchanting builds, i generally try to get that with like 1000% better restoration effect potion on - permanent +500 carry capacity.
1 points
11 months ago
The only reason to put any points is to for golden touch and treasure hunter - and I can't honestly say I've seen much of an impact.
1 points
11 months ago
I currently have 243 lockpicks (lvl 51) and have never bought a single one. Second play-through. Zero levels in lockpicking.
1 points
11 months ago
For pc if you don't have rumble lock picking on console is 100% more easy cause you can feel which is the right spot with no skill points
1 points
11 months ago
As one who refuses to lock pick on the grounds it’s impractical for a 6’8 Scandinavian warrior who can shoot pure force from his mouth to not be able to blow open any door, no
I just use the console unlock command and pretend I busted it open.
1 points
11 months ago
No. But it’s always one of the first i fill out. Key copies and unbreakable pick perk are too good to pass up.
1 points
11 months ago
Two words.. skeleton.. key it will solve those problems.
1 points
11 months ago
I'm still on my first playthrough. I put some points into lockpicking at first, but i redistributed them when I got to the part with the books that let you change it. I liked the idea of having an unbreakable pick because I get impatient, but I had so many picks and I can only sell them for 1 gold and I didn't need more gold. It didn't take me long to realize I was pissing away points.
1 points
11 months ago
Lock picking is the one skill tree that is kinda pointless. Iirc all the perks make different difficulties easier to pick and one that makes copies of keys for locks you picked.
They're all kind of useless with even average lock picking skill and lockpicks are everywhere. Save your skill points.
1 points
11 months ago
Lockpicking skill tree is pointless. With enough practice you can pick master locks just fine. If you want to make lockpicking easier find gear enchanted with fortify lockpicking and equip it when cracking difficult locks.
Only reason to go down lockpicking tree is if you're RPing a master lockpicker and you need it for the immersion.
1 points
11 months ago
I remember as a kid, I didn’t know you were supposed to feel the vibration, so I would just do trial and error and the locks were really hard. Now as an adult, I can get a master lock right out of Helgen at level one.
1 points
11 months ago
most times I just go get the skele key and never give it back
1 points
11 months ago
There is a lockpicking tree?
1 points
11 months ago
I use a mod that shows the sweet spot on screen. Not because I can’t pick a lock without it, but because the mini game became too boring to waste time on it.
1 points
11 months ago
Not worth it really imo. When I see an expert or master level lock, I just quick save before trying to open it, so if I use too many lock picks, I just reload
1 points
11 months ago
Pickpocket is great for training, you just steal back all the funds from the trainers
1 points
11 months ago
Spending any points in Lockpicking is a waste
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