In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (including the Remastered version popular in 2025 discussions), lockpicks are essential for the tricky lockpicking minigame, letting you crack chests, doors, and more as a sneaky adventurer or thief. Shady Sam offers the quickest early-game stock outside the Imperial City, but guild fences unlock even better options later.

Top Lockpick Vendors

These merchants reliably sell lockpicks, with stock refreshing daily or on a timer—perfect for stocking up before dungeon dives like Vilverin.

Vendor| Location| Stock Size| Notes 1357
---|---|---|---
Shady Sam| Northeast of Imperial City stables, by the wall (nighttime, 6 PM–6 AM)| 30| Best early access; ~6 gold each. Exit stables, hug the wall. Refreshes next day. No loot buying.
Jensine| Imperial City Market District| Varies (10–20)| Great all- rounder; buys loot too (600 gold). Central spot for new players.
Orrin| Anvil Castle Smithy| 25+| Reliable mid-game; join Thieves Guild for access.
Armand Christophe| Imperial City garden (post-Thieves Guild quest)| 30| Guild fence; midnight availability. Huge supplies.
Varon Vamori (Dark Brotherhood)| Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary| 30| Later unlock; restocks well but requires contracts. 9

Pro Tip: Always loot goblins in caves/mines first—they drop multiples for free. Sell junk to fund buys from Jensine or Shady Sam.

Forum Buzz & Trends

Oblivion Remastered (2025 release) revived lockpick hunts on Reddit's r/oblivion and r/OblivionRemaster. Players share hacks like:

"Shady Sam is king early—buy 30, wait 24h, repeat. Jensine for selling loot tho." – Recent thread vibes

  • Duplicate glitches (old-school exploits, still work in Remaster) for infinite picks.
  • Thieves Guild push: "Join for fences; Armand's 30-stack changed my thief run." Multiple upvotes.
  • Dark Brotherhood alt: Less stock, but "unlimited" feel post-quests.

Trending now (Feb 2026): Remaster mods boost pick durability, sparking "Shady Sam speedrun" challenges on YouTube.

Quick Lockpicking Mastery

  1. Enter minigame with 1+ pick (Security skill matters).
  2. Rotate tumblers—close eyes trick for precision (forum fave).
  1. Auto-attempt for noobs; manual for mastery.
  2. Break picks? Train Security via locks or trainers.

Stock 50–100 for Thieves Guild arcs. Imagine your stealthy hero, picks snapping open Ayleid ruins at dawn—pure Tamriel magic. TL;DR: Hit Shady Sam first outside Imperial City, then guilds for bulk. Loot goblins free; forums love the eye-close hack.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.