where to get lockpicks in oblivion remastered
You can get lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered in several reliable ways, both early and late game.
Main ways to get lockpicks
1. Buy from Shady Sam (early and all game long)
- Head to the Imperial City and fast travel to the Chestnut Handy Stables just outside the city.
- From the stables, hug the outer city wall heading north/northeast until you find Shady Sam , a guy in dark clothes hiding near the wall and some bushes.
- He sells a large stock of lockpicks (around 30 at a time) and they restock each in‑game day , so he’s effectively an endless supply.
If you’re not joining any factions, Shady Sam is your main long‑term lockpick vendor.
2. Join the Thieves Guild
- Progress the Thieves Guild questline and you’ll unlock fences (black‑market merchants).
- These fences sell big stacks of lockpicks (often up to 100) and are among the best sources if you’re playing a stealth/rogue build.
3. Join the Dark Brotherhood
- After joining the Dark Brotherhood , their merchants also sell lockpicks on a repeating stock.
- This is handy if you’re already doing an assassin playthrough and want a built‑in supply.
4. Loot from enemies and dungeons
- Explore goblin caves, mines, and bandit dungeons ; many locked chests in these places contain multiple lockpicks at once.
- Goblin enemies and certain bandits on the roads can drop a couple of lockpicks each, especially in goblin‑heavy areas like Goblin Jim’s Cave , which players report having dozens if you clear it thoroughly.
5. Regular merchants and city containers
- A few general goods traders (for example, a general merchant in Bravil, or Jensine in the Imperial City) will occasionally stock small amounts of lockpicks.
- You can also find lockpicks in random containers around cities like the Imperial City if you like thorough exploration and looting.
6. Late‑game solution: Skeleton Key (if unchanged)
- Completing the Nocturnal Daedric shrine quest at higher levels rewards the Skeleton Key , a daedric artifact that effectively acts as an unbreakable, infinite‑use lockpick.
- Once you get this, you essentially never need to buy or carry normal lockpicks again.
Quick reference table
| Method | When Available | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Shady Sam (Imperial City walls) | Very early game | ~30 lockpicks, restocking daily, cheap and repeatable. | [9][1][3]
| Thieves Guild fences | After joining and progressing guild | Large stacks (up to ~100) plus a fence for your stolen loot. | [3][5]
| Dark Brotherhood merchant | After joining Dark Brotherhood | Restocking batches of ~30 lockpicks. | [1][5]
| Goblin/bandit dungeons | Any time you can fight | Lockpicks in chests and on enemies; goblin caves are especially rich. | [1][3]
| General traders & city containers | Early game onward | Small, occasional stocks of lockpicks and random finds. | [10][3][5]
| Nocturnal’s Skeleton Key | Mid–late game Daedric quest | Effectively infinite, unbreakable lockpick; no more buying picks. | [5]
Extra tip for frustration‑free play
- If you really hate running out, you can stock up from Shady Sam , sleep or wait 24 hours to refresh his inventory, and repeat until you have a huge pile of picks.
- Once you’re high enough level, rushing the Nocturnal quest for the Skeleton Key is the cleanest long‑term answer to “where to get lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered.”
Bottom line: hit Shady Sam first, then Thieves Guild/Dark Brotherhood, and aim for the Skeleton Key so you never worry about lockpicks again.