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oblivion remastered where to buy lockpicks

You can reliably buy lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered from a few specific shady merchants and guild-related vendors, plus you can “solve” the problem entirely later with the Skeleton Key. Here’s the quick scoop.

Main place to buy lockpicks

1. Shady Sam (early game, no guilds needed)

  • Go to the Imperial City and fast travel to the Chestnut Handy Stables just outside the city.
  • From the stables, follow the outside of the city wall north/northeast , hugging the wall and staying close to the trees.
  • You’ll eventually find Shady Sam , a hooded black‑clad NPC standing near the wall, away from the road.
  • He sells lockpicks (about 30 at a time) and his stock refreshes daily , so you can buy a batch, wait 24 in‑game hours, and buy again.

Many players treat Shady Sam as their early‑game lockpick “gas station”: swing by, grab 30, sleep a day, repeat.

Guild and fence options

Once you join certain factions, you get more reliable lockpick sources.

2. Thieves Guild fences

  • After joining the Thieves Guild , various fences (stolen‑goods merchants) will sell lockpicks along with buying your loot.
  • Guides and players specifically mention early fences like Ongar in Bruma , who sells lockpicks for a small amount of gold apiece.
  • As you rank up, later fences and black‑market merchants will stock larger quantities of lockpicks at once.

3. Dark Brotherhood and DLC fence

  • Some players report a Dark Brotherhood vendor who offers a restocking supply of lockpicks (around 30 at a time).
  • With the Dunbarrow Cove DLC/player home near Anvil , an upgrade can add a fence who sells 100–200 lockpicks at a time , letting you massively stockpile.

Free ways to get lockpicks

Buying isn’t the only route; you can also farm them just by playing.

  • Dungeon looting: Mines and goblin caves are highlighted as some of the best places, with locked chests that often contain multiple lockpicks.
  • Enemy drops: Goblins and other enemies frequently carry one or two lockpicks on their bodies.
  • General exploration: Chests, barrels, and crates in dungeons and around the world can contain a steady trickle of picks if you loot everything.

The “never buy lockpicks again” option

If you stick with the game, you can almost completely bypass the lockpick economy.

  • At level 10 or higher , you can start the Daedric quest for Nocturnal at her shrine, located north of Leyawiin , near the road on the eastern riverbank.
  • Completing this quest rewards you with the Skeleton Key , an unbreakable lockpick that also gives a Security boost just by sitting in your inventory.
  • With the Skeleton Key, you basically never need to buy or loot regular lockpicks again.

Mini tips for not burning through picks

  • Save before attempting a tough lock so you can reload if you snap too many picks.
  • Some locks have “patterns” to how fast each tumbler falls; practice tapping a tumbler repeatedly to get a feel for its rhythm.
  • As your Security skill increases, the minigame becomes more forgiving, and more tumblers will stay in place between attempts.

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