No matter what kind of character build you run with, the Lockpicking skill will serve you well inThe Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered. You’ll need a bit of practice before you’re ready to tickle tumblers with the best, so it’d be wise to fill your pockets with lockpicks.
Before long, you’ll learn thatOblivion Remastered‘s lockpicks are fragile, and the game doesn’t make it easy to get new ones. Luckily, as you explore Cyrodiil, you’ll find a few reliable ways to replenish your stock without getting yourself in trouble with the law.
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Where to find Shady Sam in Oblivion Remastered
As you explore the Imperial City and the surrounding towns, it’ll become clear quickly that most merchants don’t sell lockpicks. This can put you in a bind ifthe lockpicking mini game doesn’t click with you immediately(it sure didn’t for me). Luckily for us, there is one merchant who’s more than happy to selllockpicks, and you can find him right after you escape the Imperial Prison if you know where to look for him.
The man you’re looking for is Shady Sam, one of the most obscure characters in all ofOblivion. To find him, head to the area of the Imperial City’s outer wall that falls between the Elven Garden District and Chestnut Handy Stables. Once you’re there, hug the wall and search it until you find Sam. If fate smiles your way, he’ll spot you first and call out to you.
Shady Sam sells lockpicks for six gold pieces a pop, and he carries up to thirty on him at a time. This is a fairly high price for an item in the game’s opening hours, but once you rack up coin by completing quests and exploring dungeons, Sam will become a cheap, reliable source of lockpicks that will serve you well intoOblivion Remastered‘s end-game.
Other ways to get lockpicks in Oblivion Remastered
Shady Sam is the only reliable way to restock on lockpicks inOblivion Remasteredout of the gate, but other options will open up to you as you explore. Two of the game’s joinable factions,the Dark Brotherhoodand the Thieves’ Guild, employ merchants who will sell lockpicks. You can buy lockpicks from them once you join them and gain access to their bases.
Another way to get more lockpicks is by looting them from enemies. Goblins drop them regularly, and the little gremlins have set up shops in a healthy handful of caves and dungeons around the Imperial City. If you aren’t in the mood to spend some coin on lockpicks, head to any of these dungeons and pray to the Nine Divines that the resident Goblins drop a few.
