How to pick a lock in Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls Online is an ever-evolving game with a healthy variety of content to experience. In the title, you can embark on a journey to explore the world of Tamriel. You are liable to come across a variety of resources while partaking in the myriad quests. While a majority of them lie in the open, there are a few that can be locked behind doors and chests.

Fortunately, Elder Scrolls Online features a lockpicking system that allows you to bypass locked areas and open chests. You will encounter locks of varying difficulties throughout Tamriel, and the lockpicks can break while you try to pick a lock.

---

How to easily pick locks in Elder Scrolls Online

You will encounter locked doors that can be lockpicked (Image via Bethesda)

Elder Scrolls Online has a lockpicking mechanic that is identical to Skyrim. The lockpicks are breakable, so you must ensure that you have a sufficient amount of lockpicks at all times.

You can easily pick a lock by following these steps:

• After interacting with a locked door or chest, you will be presented with a lock’s inner mechanism.
• You will spot five tumblers/cylinders with springs at the bottom.
• You must use the lockpick on each of these cylinders and press them downwards to make them fit in the groove.
• The trick is to release the pressure at the right time. If you keep pressing the cylinder for long, the lockpick can break.
• You must keep an eye on the cylinder since the appropriate moment to release the pressure is when they start to vibrate.
• Once a cylinder is in place, you can move on to the next one and repeat the process.

It is worth noting that there is a timer associated with lockpicking. It is thus necessary to execute the aforementioned steps as quickly as possible. The time limit depends on the difficulty of the particular lock.

You must press the cylinders and release them at the right time (Image via Bethesda)

You can expect to come across locks with difficulty tiers like Simple, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master. In rare instances, you will also tackle a much easier lock type called Trivial.

If you wish to bypass the lockpicking system, there is a provision to force the lock. You will notice the probability of success at the bottom of your screen. The higher the percentage displayed, the more the likelihood of success in forcing the lock.

If you are keen to boost this percentage, it is ideal to invest some points in the Locksmith skill. You must also explore the world of Tamriel thoroughly on foot or using myriad mounts to find as many lockpicks as you can. You can buy some from the various merchants in the game.

You can buy lockpicks from vendors (Image via Bethesda)

If you are running low on in-game money, feel free to peruse this guide on how to farm gold easily in Elder Scrolls Online. It is beneficial to pick locks, especially those pertaining to locked chests, as you might find some useful items within them.

---

Elder Scrolls Online is a lore-rich MMORPG and consists of many expansions with a plethora of content. You can delve into this list of the five best DLCs to know which are the ones worth trying out.