Lockpicking Explained - Best Tips for Success - Starfield Guide - IGN (2024)

Lockpicking in Starfield is a lot different than what we’ve previously seen in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. This page serves as a guide for how lockpicking works, and how to pick novice and advanced locks.

Be sure to check out the video above, and the page below for more details:

How to Get Lockpicks

In Starfield lockpicks go by a specific name - digipicks. Not lockpicks or bobby pins – digipicks. Thankfully, digipicks aren’t too difficult to come by, as they can usually be found lying around almost any point of interest, and are a bit larger than your average lockpick and easier to spot. But if you’re running low, you have a few options for obtaining more.

Stop by a general store in a major city: Jemison Mercantile on New Atlantis for example. They will usually stock ample supply for an affordable price under the Misc tab. They’re also abundant in the open world. When exploring a pirate base, for example, check the tables in the offices or nearby any safes that might be around. They’re often just sitting there to be snagged.

How to Pick a Lock (Novice)

Unlike certain skills, you don’t need a skill point in Lockpicking to be able to pick a novice lock, but it will help you bank more auto-attempts, which will present one of the correct lock combinations to you.

In a novice lock, you’ll see the lock itself dead center, four digipick patterns, and the number of digipick items you have left. It’s important to note that each of the four patterns all count towards the single digipick use, but if you use one of the wrong patterns and are unable to finish, you’ll have to undo your progress and use up digipicks in the process. The goal is to use the patterns to align to each of the gaps so that all gaps are filled.

Locks will present you with multiple rings - the harder the lock, the more rings you may have to contend with. The first thing we’ll want to solve is the outside of the lock. You’ll see the gaps in the lock that you need to fill, and you’ll see the set of tool variations that you have to use to accomplish this. These variations aren’t in any order, you’ll need to cycle through them to try different combinations. The key is to not lock in any of the picks unless you’re SURE it goes there. Some variations will work for both the inside and outside, but only one of them will be the actual solution. So if you’re too eager to place a digipick, and it turns out it's incorrect, you’ll need to undo it, which costs a digipick.

See the above image for an example of solving a novice lock. You can see that for each pattern that NEEDS to go into a slot, no points can be left out. This means if the pattern has three pins, all points need to fit into a slot, and a second pattern needs to fit the remaining slots on the outer ring. Being able to eyeball if multiple patterns fit BEFORE committing to placing them can be extremely helpful, so always make a note of where the points on the first pattern fit and then swap to another pattern without committing to see if you can line up a second pattern for the outer lock. One trick to keep in mind is that the picks keep their rotation, so you can place one pick where you think it should go, and swap back and forth between a couple of options to see if it all lines up.Once you’re sure you’ve got the two that fit, you can actually place them and remove the outer lock.

The center lock is usually a lot easier as you’ll have less patterns to choose from, and you’ll be able to tell very quickly whether or not they fit. Rotate them to check, and if they don’t it means one of your remaining patterns should have been used in the outer lock, and undoing your move will use up a digipick. If you completely back out, the entire puzzle will reset with new random patterns, but you’ll only lose one pick!

How to Pick a Lock (Advanced)

Let’s try an advanced lock now. Advanced locks introduce a couple more pick variations, and something to note is, one or two of these patterns is going to be a useless pick. They won’t be used at all. There’s also a higher chance now with more pick variations that some of the picks can be used on both the inside and the outside. To try and reduce the chance that we’ll need to undo an action, which spends an additional digipick, try to solve both the inside and outside before locking in any selections.

Above you can see an image for solving an Advanced Lock. The first thing to do is start playing around on the outside. At this point it’s vital that you not lock in any selections even if you think you’ve solved the outer lock, because while you may have the outside solved, there could be another solution you’re not seeing right away.

Oftentimes, you may be able to solve the outer lock, only to realize one of the patterns you used is vital for the center lock. A good rule of thumb as the difficulty ramps up is to start with more complex patterns, and try to see if they fit both outer and inner locks. When you find a 3-or-4 point pattern that only fits the outside, there’s a greater chance you’re onto the right set.

Remember that the locks are randomly generated so if you’re down to your last digipick, and you’re afraid the puzzle might be too tough, save before going in. And if it is too hard and you can’t figure it out, just reload and see if you get an easier one!

As for Expert and Master locks, you’ll need to invest farther into the Security skill tree. Thankfully, you also gain some helpful abilities for completing these puzzles when you invest more points into your Security Skill, like a Blue Ring highlight ability that lets you know if your selected Digipick does or does not fit into the slots of the current ring level that you are on. Use this to quickly determine which patterns won’t be necessary, or can only fit in center locks so you can evaluate them later.

• Looking for more tips? See how to Pick Expert Locks Here