Where to Buy Lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered , lockpicks are essential for the Security skill minigame, letting you crack chests, doors, and more across Cyrodiil's dungeons. Early-game shortages are common, but reliable vendors and loot spots keep you stocked without frustration.

Top Vendor: Shady Sam

Shady Sam is your go-to for quick buys, especially right after escaping the tutorial sewers. Located outside Imperial City —exit via Chestnut Handy Stables, hug the northeast wall at night (6 PM–6 AM)—he sells 30 lockpicks daily at ~6 gold each, restocking fully after 24 hours.

Pro Tip : Bulk-buy all 30 (~180 gold) for dungeon runs like Vilverin, then sell loot elsewhere to fund it. He's shady but no disposition check needed.

Thieves Guild Fences

Join the Thieves Guild (start by meeting Armand Christophe in the Imperial City Waterfront at midnight) for fences like Ongar the World-Weary or Luciana Galena. They offer unlimited-ish lockpicks (stock varies by your progress) alongside stolen goods sales—perfect for thieves.

Fences restock every few days; higher guild rep unlocks better deals.

Other Merchants & Dark Brotherhood

  • Jensine (Imperial City Market District): Reliable early stock , buys loot (600 gold pool), central spot. Better than Shady Sam for combo shopping.
  • Dark Brotherhood merchants (post-join via "A Knife in the Dark"): Similar to fences, great for assassin builds.
  • Random shops : Limited, like general goods in Bravil or Cheydinhal.

Free Loot & Exploits

Don't just buy—loot goblin caves, bandit mines, or Imperial City barrels for stacks of 5–10 picks per chest/goblin.

Advanced : Complete Nocturnal's Daedric quest for the Skeleton Key (unbreakable, auto-successes locks). Or Skeleton Key glitch for infinity.

Loot early: Vilverin ruins (northeast Imperial City) drop picks + gold.

Vendor| Location| Stock| Price/Notes| Best For
---|---|---|---|---
Shady Sam 37| Imperial City (NE wall, night)| 30 (daily reset)| ~6g each| Early bulk, no rep needed
Jensine 5| Imperial Market District| Varies (~10–20)| Standard| Loot sales + picks
Thieves Guild Fences 49| Various (e.g., Waterfront)| High (post-join)| Discounted| Thieves, unlimited feel
DB Merchants 3| Sanctuary (post-quest)| Good| Standard| Assassins

Forum Buzz (Reddit r/OblivionRemaster) : Players gripe about early shortages—"Got none >:("—but rave about Shady Sam and Skeleton Key. One tip: "Explore containers in Imperial City."

TL;DR Bottom : Shady Sam for starters, Thieves Guild for long-term. Loot everywhere to save gold. Level Security to break fewer picks!

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