How to pick locks in Oblivion Remastered and where to get more lockpicks

If you need help with the Oblivion Remastered lockpicking minigame, you're not the only one. Picking locks in Elder Scrolls 4 was always a difficult prospect for even a master thief, but the game doesn't do much to explain the system and what you're supposed to be doing. Not only that, but the rarity of lockpicks in the world of Oblivion Remastered means that if you're struggling too much, you'll break all your thieves' tools and end up unable to try again.

To help out, we'll explain how to pick locks in Oblivion Remastered with a full lockpicking guide that any aspiring burglar would want to have. Not only that, but we'll explain how to get more lockpicks and where to buy them, so that you can keep cracking doors and chests wherever you go.

Oblivion Remastered lockpicking explained

The Oblivion Remastered lockpicking minigame is quite unlike those you may be familiar with from Skyrim and Fallout, and if you jump in blind then you're likely to get frustrated very quickly while burning through your supply of lockpicks. To explain the basics, you move the left stick sideways to cycle between up to five separate tumblers, then push the stick forwards when under a pin to tap it up into the lock. You must then hit X/A when the pin is at the very top of the tumbler to set it in place before it starts to move back down again, otherwise you'll break your lockpick and potentially dislodge other pins you've already set.

In order to master this minigame, you need to note that the pins can move up and down at different speeds once tapped with the lockpick, and the faster the pin moves the shorter the timing window you'll have to set it without breaking your pick. Therefore you shouldn't rush the process, and instead select a pin then tap it multiple times to get a feel for the different movement speeds, while being ready to set it if you see it moving more slowly towards the lock.

Remember, if you want to practice your lockpicking in Oblivion Remastered, you can make a manual save when you find a lock before interacting with it, then if you break too many lockpicks in the process you can reload and try again. Once you get to grips with the technique, you'll be able to pick any lock in the game regardless of difficulty or your character's skill level, though having a higher Security skill will make things easier in the long run.

Where to get more lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered

You can find plenty of lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered by looting fallen enemies, especially Goblins and Bandits, as well as by searching containers found within their camps. As this is a Bethesda RPG you'll probably be hoovering up loot wherever you go as standard, and as lockpicks have zero weight you can carry as many with you as you can find.

Shady Sam location in Oblivion Remastered

While looting lockpicks as you explore is free, there's no guarantee of actually finding them – but don't stress as there are several places where you can buy them to top up your supply. In the early game you can buy lockpicks from Shady Sam, who is found outside the Imperial City walls on the northwest side. I've marked the location on the map above, which you can reach by following the curved city walls around the outside.

Shady Sam has a supply of 30 lockpicks that he will happily sell to you, and this is replenished each day. As standard, they will cost you 6 gold each, though depending on your Mercantile skill you may be able to haggle him down a little on price – but don't expect much of a reduction!

As you progress through the game, further merchants who sell lockpicks can be accessed if you successfully join the Oblivion Remastered Dark Brotherhood or Oblivion Remastered Thieves Guild, and while both can help supply these handy tools the fences in the Thieves Guild have a much larger stock of them available.

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