How to pick locks in Starfield

Knowing how to pick locks in Starfield can come in extremely handy. Safes and containers with a lock can contain new gear and weapons and here’s how to open them in Bethesda’s latest RPG.

Starfield allows you to build out your own character as you see fit. You can build into different abilities, and of those abilities, the Security tree is where you can put points into skills that allow you to get to where you shouldn’t be.

As is fitting in any Bethesda game, Starfield has its own lockpicking minigame. Therefore, you’ll need to learn the ins and outs of this new system to master the art of picking locks. What’s more, Starfield has quite a unique way of handling lockpicking, so it’s understandable if you are a little lost.

Some of Starfield’s best loot is naturally locked away, and the only way you can access it is by lockpicking. This makes it one of the most important tricks to know how to do in your adventure through the galaxy in the game. 

So here is your explainer on how to pick locks in Starfield.

How to pick locks in Starfield

Before even attempting to pick a lock in Starfield, you will need a Digipick, a tool that allows you to pick locks. There are multiple ways to get them, and they seem common enough that you’ll always be able to find a few lying around.

Once you have a Digipick in your inventory when in front of a lock, the game will prompt you to pick it. Once you attempt to do so, there will be rings with holes in them and some keys on the right side of the screen which have pins to fill the holes.

Your goal is to fill all the holes in all the rings with the corresponding key pins. You can rotate the key around the ring to find the right fit for the pins and holes. 

However, there are multiple stages to a lock, especially more advanced locks, meaning you have to fill in multiple rings to crack the code. 

Some locks are relatively simple, however, giving the exact amount of keys you’d need to complete the ring, meaning there’s very little chance for error. Though harder locks can throw you off by including additional keys or harder patterns which can mess up your attempt. 

There are four difficulties of locks. Novice, Advanced, Expert, and Master. Anyone can attempt Novice locks, however, for the more advanced locks, you will need to level up your security skills.

For even more Starfield content, check out our guides below:

Starfield all main story missions | All skills | All factions | All console commands | All difficulty levels explained | All achievements | All skill books | Level cap | How to remove bounty | How to fast travel | Easy XP | Easy credits | Best traits | How to get a house | How to mod weapons and equipment | How to assign your crew | How to add DLSS | How to pick locks | How to customize ship | How to dock ship | Where to sell items | Best movies like Starfield