Skeleton Key: Is it worth keeping it?

[Daelon DuLac]

look fellas, lock picking on this game is all about luck, contrary to popular belief there is no "secret sound" that lets you know if you're near the sweet spot, you may unlock a master lock on the first try with one lock pick and no perks invested in the skill at all or it may take over 200 lock picks before you get it open, there is no "skill" in doing it and i challenge anyone to post a vid of them picking master locks at will with no perks invested in the skill, once or twice you may get lucky on an expert or master lock but sooner or later you're going to be sitting for an hour hoping the damn thing opens before you run out of picks and i'm the type of guy who doesn't deal in luck.

Okay, then I'm the luckiest guy on Nirn cause I've been through over a dozen characters now and never had any issues with lockpicking. You are right that there's no special sound or anything like that. According to my records on the game I've picked over 3,000 locks, so I must be doing something right. Now... if I could only get that luck to apply in real life... hmm...

 

[HappyFaceClown]

look fellas, lock picking on this game is all about luck, contrary to popular belief there is no "secret sound" that lets you know if you're near the sweet spot, you may unlock a master lock on the first try with one lock pick and no perks invested in the skill at all or it may take over 200 lock picks before you get it open, there is no "skill" in doing it and i challenge anyone to post a vid of them picking master locks at will with no perks invested in the skill, once or twice you may get lucky on an expert or master lock but sooner or later you're going to be sitting for an hour hoping the damn thing opens before you run out of picks and i'm the type of guy who doesn't deal in luck.

Okay, then I'm the luckiest guy on Nirn cause I've been through over a dozen characters now and never had any issues with lockpicking. You are right that there's no special sound or anything like that. According to my records on the game I've picked over 3,000 locks, so I must be doing something right. Now... if I could only get that luck to apply in real life... hmm...

what can i say? some guys are lucky, some ain't. lock picking is one of the most frustrating things on the game for me so for those of us who ain't got "the golden touch" the skeleton key is the way to go. and i don't feel bad about it cause its not like i'm saying "screw u nocturnal! the key is mine! bwahaha!!" i'm merely borrowing it till i get my lock picking skill to 100..

 

[LotusEater]

look fellas, lock picking on this game is all about luck, contrary to popular belief there is no "secret sound" that lets you know if you're near the sweet spot, you may unlock a master lock on the first try with one lock pick and no perks invested in the skill at all or it may take over 200 lock picks before you get it open, there is no "skill" in doing it and i challenge anyone to post a vid of them picking master locks at will with no perks invested in the skill, once or twice you may get lucky on an expert or master lock but sooner or later you're going to be sitting for an hour hoping the damn thing opens before you run out of picks and i'm the type of guy who doesn't deal in luck.

Then I must be really, really lucky because I haven't kept the Skeleton Key for a long time nor spent a perk point and I've never left a master or expert lock unpicked.

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. It would only be luck if the correct position changed every time you failed. Since it doesn't, it's nothing more than a little patience and applying the process of elimination.

So do you ignore master and expert locks until you get the Skeleton Key? That would explain why you can't deal with them. Practice makes perfect.

 

[tx12001]

I always keep the skeleton key Besides I honestly do not want to become the boss of the thieves guild. Just as much as I don't want to become the boss of the companions or the Dark brotherhood.

I'm too busy dealing with my vampire lord duties than to be dealing with mortal affairs.

That's a good way to put, not wanting to deal with Mortal Affairs

 

[HappyFaceClown]

look fellas, lock picking on this game is all about luck, contrary to popular belief there is no "secret sound" that lets you know if you're near the sweet spot, you may unlock a master lock on the first try with one lock pick and no perks invested in the skill at all or it may take over 200 lock picks before you get it open, there is no "skill" in doing it and i challenge anyone to post a vid of them picking master locks at will with no perks invested in the skill, once or twice you may get lucky on an expert or master lock but sooner or later you're going to be sitting for an hour hoping the damn thing opens before you run out of picks and i'm the type of guy who doesn't deal in luck.

Then I must be really, really lucky because I haven't kept the Skeleton Key for a long time nor spent a perk point and I've never left a master or expert lock unpicked.

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. It would only be luck if the correct position changed every time you failed. Since it doesn't, it's nothing more than a little patience and applying the process of elimination.

So do you ignore master and expert locks until you get the Skeleton Key? That would explain why you can't deal with them. Practice makes perfect.

first off, calm down ffs! you don't have to be an ass about it..
2nd, i'm not a patient person, never have been..
3rd, i used to never ignore expert or master locks before getting the skeleton key but i do now because i got tired of sitting at a lock for an hour trying to open something, its annoying.
look man, if what you're saying is true than it obviously works different for you than it does me, it has nothing to do with skill as i've been playing this game for years now, er go.. i would have gotten the hang of it by now if that were the case! maybe you're just lucky, it happens.. i dunno what to tell ya, my life sucks.. lol

 

[LotusEater]

look fellas, lock picking on this game is all about luck, contrary to popular belief there is no "secret sound" that lets you know if you're near the sweet spot, you may unlock a master lock on the first try with one lock pick and no perks invested in the skill at all or it may take over 200 lock picks before you get it open, there is no "skill" in doing it and i challenge anyone to post a vid of them picking master locks at will with no perks invested in the skill, once or twice you may get lucky on an expert or master lock but sooner or later you're going to be sitting for an hour hoping the damn thing opens before you run out of picks and i'm the type of guy who doesn't deal in luck.

Then I must be really, really lucky because I haven't kept the Skeleton Key for a long time nor spent a perk point and I've never left a master or expert lock unpicked.

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. It would only be luck if the correct position changed every time you failed. Since it doesn't, it's nothing more than a little patience and applying the process of elimination.

So do you ignore master and expert locks until you get the Skeleton Key? That would explain why you can't deal with them. Practice makes perfect.

first off, calm down ffs! you don't have to be an ass about it..
2nd, i'm not a patient person, never have been..
3rd, i used to never ignore expert or master locks before getting the skeleton key but i do now because i got tired of sitting at a lock for an hour trying to open something, its annoying.
look man, if what you're saying is true than it obviously works different for you than it does me, it has nothing to do with skill as i've been playing this game for years now, er go.. i would have gotten the hang of it by now if that were the case! maybe you're just lucky, it happens.. i dunno what to tell ya, my life sucks.. lol

I'm calm. I'm just pointing out the falseness of your claim that Lockpicking is completely luck based and suggesting that perhaps you should practice more if you don't want to rely on the Skeleton Key for picking locks. You said you hate the Thieve's Guild and I don't blame you. I don't care for that faction either. You could ignore them completely if you got good at picking expert and master locks. It's not like lockpicks are scarce.

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Then I must be really, really lucky because I haven't kept the Skeleton Key for a long time nor spent a perk point and I've never left a master or expert lock unpicked.

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. It would only be luck if the correct position changed every time you failed. Since it doesn't, it's nothing more than a little patience and applying the process of elimination.

So do you ignore master and expert locks until you get the Skeleton Key? That would explain why you can't deal with them. Practice makes perfect.

first off, calm down ffs! you don't have to be an ass about it..
2nd, i'm not a patient person, never have been..
3rd, i used to never ignore expert or master locks before getting the skeleton key but i do now because i got tired of sitting at a lock for an hour trying to open something, its annoying.
look man, if what you're saying is true than it obviously works different for you than it does me, it has nothing to do with skill as i've been playing this game for years now, er go.. i would have gotten the hang of it by now if that were the case! maybe you're just lucky, it happens.. i dunno what to tell ya, my life sucks.. lol

I'm calm. I'm just pointing out the falseness of your claim that Lockpicking is completely luck based and suggesting that perhaps you should practice more if you don't want to rely on the Skeleton Key for picking locks. You said you hate the Thieve's Guild and I don't blame you. I don't care for that faction either. You could ignore them completely if you got good at picking expert and master locks. It's not like lockpicks are scarce.

true but what annoys me about normal lock picks is when they break you lose the spot u were on and well.. i dunno how to explain it but its fukin rage inducing, and i have practiced.. for a few years now.. lol like i said m8 i've been playing this game for a long time, thats why i only play on master setting now, cause thats the only setting i can get a challenge on anymore.. trust me if there was some kinda "trick" to lock picking on this game i would've discovered it long ago.

 

[Fedpol2]

Everyone has their own preference and it really comes down to how you want to manage your character. Only thing I would say is early in the game perking out the lockpicking tree and getting Golden Touch and Treasure Hunter could be of some help. Investing 6 perks in lockpicking can get you up the tree to the Unbreakable so you can still obtain unbreakable lockpicks at some other point if you decide to turn in the Skeleton Key. Personally I turned it in but I was interested in completing the Thieve's Guild questline. This is a little unrelated but when I first started playing the controller I was using was pretty old and beat up from years of play. It wasn't very responsive anymore so I got a new one. If you're having trouble and can swing grab a new controller and try that.

 

[LotusEater]

first off, calm down ffs! you don't have to be an ass about it..
2nd, i'm not a patient person, never have been..
3rd, i used to never ignore expert or master locks before getting the skeleton key but i do now because i got tired of sitting at a lock for an hour trying to open something, its annoying.
look man, if what you're saying is true than it obviously works different for you than it does me, it has nothing to do with skill as i've been playing this game for years now, er go.. i would have gotten the hang of it by now if that were the case! maybe you're just lucky, it happens.. i dunno what to tell ya, my life sucks.. lol

I'm calm. I'm just pointing out the falseness of your claim that Lockpicking is completely luck based and suggesting that perhaps you should practice more if you don't want to rely on the Skeleton Key for picking locks. You said you hate the Thieve's Guild and I don't blame you. I don't care for that faction either. You could ignore them completely if you got good at picking expert and master locks. It's not like lockpicks are scarce.

true but what annoys me about normal lock picks is when they break you lose the spot u were on and well.. i dunno how to explain it but its fukin rage inducing, and i have practiced.. for a few years now.. lol like i said m8 i've been playing this game for a long time, thats why i only play on master setting now, cause thats the only setting i can get a challenge on anymore.. trust me if there was some kinda "trick" to lock picking on this game i would've discovered it long ago.

I've also read that equipping a torch when you pick a lock increases your chances significantly. Never tried it myself though.

 

[Nighthiker77]

You can't pick locks because you blaspheme Nocturnal

 

[utael]

There is a trick. Eliminate where it doesn't work find a close sweet spot and remember where on the tumbler your pick broke... If you don't turn as far before go the other direction. And remember a little bit goes a long way. I've never invested a single perk point in picking but have opened at least 30 master level locks with 40 ish picks... It's skill not luck. On the first try it is luck however.

 

[HappyFaceClown]

There is a trick. Eliminate where it doesn't work find a close sweet spot and remember where on the tumbler your pick broke... If you don't turn as far before go the other direction. And remember a little bit goes a long way. I've never invested a single perk point in picking but have opened at least 30 master level locks with 40 ish picks... It's skill not luck. On the first try it is luck however.

or..... you could just breeze through the thieves guild quests, grab the skeleton key, and never have to worry about it, their quests are easy as hell anyway, i can retrieve the skeleton key in just a few hours and its not like you can't go finish it once your lock picking reaches 100.. i don't see why u guys are making such a big deal out of this other than just to say "look at how coolz i am! i can haz pick best lock wit out doin dat!" lol i will never understand some people, but i love you guys!!

 

[Irishman]

Spoiler: the amulet of articulation is waaaaaay better than the skeleton key. That the only way I see it.

Either a lockpick that never breaks (being a quest item makes it useful for jailbreaks I must say) or a necklace that gives you 100% persuassion success and has an armour rating.

Its a no brainer 4me! I must be 1of the LUCKY ones that can open a master lock withe gennerally no more than 10picks at the absolute most

+ iv never used any of nocturnals blessings. Illusion magic is way more conveniant for me.

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Spoiler: the amulet of articulation is waaaaaay better than the skeleton key. That the only way I see it.

Either a lockpick that never breaks (being a quest item makes it useful for jailbreaks I must say) or a necklace that gives you 100% persuassion success and has an armour rating.

Its a no brainer 4me! I must be 1of the LUCKY ones that can open a master lock withe gennerally no more than 10picks at the absolute most

+ iv never used any of nocturnals blessings. Illusion magic is way more conveniant for me.

well i'm not one of the "LUCKY" ones so screw it i'd rather focus on combat than sit at a chest for an hour crying because i'm not one of u lucky bastards, FML.. and what is the amulet of articulation? seriously, i've never even heard of that item.

 

[Irishman]

Spoiler: the amulet of articulation is waaaaaay better than the skeleton key. That the only way I see it.

Either a lockpick that never breaks (being a quest item makes it useful for jailbreaks I must say) or a necklace that gives you 100% persuassion success and has an armour rating.

Its a no brainer 4me! I must be 1of the LUCKY ones that can open a master lock withe gennerally no more than 10picks at the absolute most

+ iv never used any of nocturnals blessings. Illusion magic is way more conveniant for me.

well i'm not one of the "LUCKY" ones so screw it i'd rather focus on combat than sit at a chest for an hour crying because i'm not one of u lucky bastards, FML.. and what is the amulet of articulation? seriously, i've never even heard of that item.

you get the amulet as a reward for becoming the guild leader. It looks pretty cool, has a an armour rating of like 8 or 10 which doesnt affect mage armour perk, gives a boost to speechcraft and ALL (the description says most but thats not true) persuassion checks work 100% of the time.

im more of a craft/enchant your own gear type of guy but this amulet is an item i frequently use.

+just a tip i find that helps me lockpick is the pattern on the left side of the lock and also the environment in the background to use as amarker for the spots iv tried.

 

[Nord Warrior]

In my experience there is barely any luck in picking a lock, with a master lock use your first pick to "scope out" the lock, if you go carefully you can get 3 maybe 4 tries with one pick. I usually try the centre first, then the top 2 screws, then I'll check as for as I can left then right. Remember all I want is that lockpick to move smoothly for a fraction of a second, to let me know I'm near the sweet spot. When I get that little movement I remember where it was based on scratches, marks or rust etc. On the lock. It sounds long and tedious but this whole process usually takes me about 3-4 picks and about 30-45 seconds.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9320 using Tapatalk

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Spoiler: the amulet of articulation is waaaaaay better than the skeleton key. That the only way I see it.

Either a lockpick that never breaks (being a quest item makes it useful for jailbreaks I must say) or a necklace that gives you 100% persuassion success and has an armour rating.

Its a no brainer 4me! I must be 1of the LUCKY ones that can open a master lock withe gennerally no more than 10picks at the absolute most

+ iv never used any of nocturnals blessings. Illusion magic is way more conveniant for me.

well i'm not one of the "LUCKY" ones so screw it i'd rather focus on combat than sit at a chest for an hour crying because i'm not one of u lucky bastards, FML.. and what is the amulet of articulation? seriously, i've never even heard of that item.

you get the amulet as a reward for becoming the guild leader. It looks pretty cool, has a an armour rating of like 8 or 10 which doesnt affect mage armour perk, gives a boost to speechcraft and ALL (the description says most but thats not true) persuassion checks work 100% of the time.

im more of a craft/enchant your own gear type of guy but this amulet is an item i frequently use.

+just a tip i find that helps me lockpick is the pattern on the left side of the lock and also the environment in the background to use as amarker for the spots iv tried.

i must not pay attention, i've done the final thieves guild quest many times and never noticed any item for completing it, say for choosing one of those stat booster things which didn't seem to change anything..
laying all jokes and assumptions aside i can usually pick an expert or master lock in about 20 picks but its just not worth the hassle, not when theirs a way to prevent such annoyance, but to each their own i suppose..

 

[NachyoChez]

Aetherial Crown and the Tower Stone?

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Irishman]

well i'm not one of the "LUCKY" ones so screw it i'd rather focus on combat than sit at a chest for an hour crying because i'm not one of u lucky bastards, FML.. and what is the amulet of articulation? seriously, i've never even heard of that item.

you get the amulet as a reward for becoming the guild leader. It looks pretty cool, has a an armour rating of like 8 or 10 which doesnt affect mage armour perk, gives a boost to speechcraft and ALL (the description says most but thats not true) persuassion checks work 100% of the time.

im more of a craft/enchant your own gear type of guy but this amulet is an item i frequently use.

+just a tip i find that helps me lockpick is the pattern on the left side of the lock and also the environment in the background to use as amarker for the spots iv tried.

i must not pay attention, i've done the final thieves guild quest many times and never noticed any item for completing it, say for choosing one of those stat booster things which didn't seem to change anything..
laying all jokes and assumptions aside i can usually pick an expert or master lock in about 20 picks but its just not worth the hassle, not when theirs a way to prevent such annoyance, but to each their own i suppose..

Its not just when you finish the main questline. You hace to do the jobs for Vex and Delvin until you unlock the Fence jobs in 4major cities (Whiterun, Markarth, Solitude, Winterhold) With all 4 major jobs done (which you need to do 5minor jobs in each hold b4 the fence jobs unlock) and the main questline completed you have a ceromony in the ratway, you get guildmaster light armour, key to chest near the desk and the amulet of articulation.

this is all off memory so my bad if the info is a little off but im pretty sure it goes something like that

 

[HappyFaceClown]

you get the amulet as a reward for becoming the guild leader. It looks pretty cool, has a an armour rating of like 8 or 10 which doesnt affect mage armour perk, gives a boost to speechcraft and ALL (the description says most but thats not true) persuassion checks work 100% of the time.

im more of a craft/enchant your own gear type of guy but this amulet is an item i frequently use.

+just a tip i find that helps me lockpick is the pattern on the left side of the lock and also the environment in the background to use as amarker for the spots iv tried.

i must not pay attention, i've done the final thieves guild quest many times and never noticed any item for completing it, say for choosing one of those stat booster things which didn't seem to change anything..
laying all jokes and assumptions aside i can usually pick an expert or master lock in about 20 picks but its just not worth the hassle, not when theirs a way to prevent such annoyance, but to each their own i suppose..

Its not just when you finish the main questline. You hace to do the jobs for Vex and Delvin until you unlock the Fence jobs in 4major cities (Whiterun, Markarth, Solitude, Winterhold) With all 4 major jobs done (which you need to do 5minor jobs in each hold b4 the fence jobs unlock) and the main questline completed you have a ceromony in the ratway, you get guildmaster light armour, key to chest near the desk and the amulet of articulation.

this is all off memory so my bad if the info is a little off but im pretty sure it goes something like that

ohhhh... that explains it, i never bother with those side quests from vex and delvin, mostly cause they require stealth and uh.. i hate stealth.