The Mojave Wasteland, a sun-baked expanse of desert dotted with crumbling ruins and desperate souls, awaits your exploration in Fallout: New Vegas. Among the many skills and abilities available to the Courier, one stands out as particularly valuable, a key (pun intended!) to unlocking secrets and opportunities otherwise unavailable: lockpicking.
Lockpicking isn’t just about gaining access to restricted areas. It’s about bypassing challenges, uncovering hidden stashes of valuable loot, and sometimes even altering the course of quests. Want to uncover the secrets hidden within the Gun Runners’ heavily secured compound? Or perhaps access the hidden treasures tucked away in the deepest recesses of Vault Three? Lockpicking is your passport to a world of hidden possibilities in New Vegas.
This comprehensive guide will provide you with everything you need to know to become a master of locks in the Mojave. We’ll delve into the mechanics of lockpicking, explore strategies for improving your skill, and point you towards some of the most rewarding locked locations in the game.
The Basics of Lockpicking
The first step towards becoming a lockpicking expert is understanding the fundamentals. The Lockpick skill itself is a numerical representation of your character’s aptitude for opening locked containers and doors. The higher your Lockpick skill, the easier it will be to tackle more challenging locks. Investing points into the Lockpick skill early in your playthrough can be a very wise decision. It opens up opportunities for exploration and looting that might otherwise be missed, allowing you to gain an advantage in the early game.
Locks come in varying degrees of difficulty, ranging from trivial to incredibly challenging. These difficulties are categorized, often denoted as very easy, easy, average, hard, and very hard. The difficulty of a lock directly corresponds to the skill level required to open it successfully. A lock designated as very hard will require a significantly higher Lockpick skill than one labeled very easy.
The lockpicking interface presents you with a visual representation of the lock’s inner workings. You’ll see the tumbler, which is the central mechanism that needs to be manipulated, and the bobby pin, the tool you use to attempt to turn the tumbler. You’ll also need to understand tension, the force you apply to the tumbler as you try to find the correct position.
Bobby pins are your expendable tools. They act as your key to unlock these doors and containers, and they will break and disappear permanently from your inventory if you fail to pick the lock successfully. They are common, yet, their scarcity can cause some frustration. You can buy these bobby pins from vendors, find them as loot, or even obtain them as quest rewards. Being mindful of how many you use and working to improve your skill to break fewer will save you a lot of Caps in the long run. There are perks that you can acquire as you level up your character that will affect the lifespan of these bobby pins, such as the Comprehension perk from a skill book, which will often increase the lifespan of your bobby pins, causing them to break a lot less than usual.
Improving Your Lockpicking Skill
Increasing your Lockpick skill is essential for tackling harder locks and gaining access to more valuable loot. There are several ways to boost your skill beyond simply leveling up.
Skill books are a great, permanent way to increase your lockpicking skill. They can be found throughout the Mojave Wasteland. Each book, when read, provides a boost to your Lockpick skill, and the increase is even greater if you have the Comprehension perk. Locations such as Dean’s Electronics in Novac are known to contain these books, so keep an eye out when exploring.
Certain clothing items and pieces of gear can provide temporary bonuses to your Lockpick skill. These items are useful when you need that extra edge to crack a particularly difficult lock. For example, the Naughty Nightwear can increase your lockpicking ability, allowing you to unlock doors and containers that were otherwise too difficult.
Chems, a staple of the Fallout universe, can also be used to temporarily boost your skills. Mentats, for example, increase your Intelligence stat, which in turn boosts your skill points, including Lockpick. This can be a lifesaver when you’re just a few points short of being able to pick a specific lock.
Don’t underestimate the value of your companions. Some companions offer perks or abilities that can indirectly benefit your Lockpick skill. For instance, having a companion with a high intelligence stat might provide a general boost to your skills, including Lockpick.
Lockpicking Perks
Perks are special abilities that you can acquire as you level up, and some of them are directly related to lockpicking. These perks can significantly enhance your lockpicking capabilities and make your life in the Mojave a whole lot easier.
The Infiltrator perk allows you to re-attempt to pick locked doors and containers, resetting the tumblers once per lock. This can be incredibly useful when you’re struggling with a particularly difficult lock, as it gives you a second chance without having to reload a save.
The Thief perk provides a flat bonus of ten points to your Lockpick skill. This is a straightforward and effective way to boost your skill and tackle more challenging locks.
Lockpicking Strategies and Tips
Mastering lockpicking isn’t just about having a high skill level; it’s also about developing effective techniques and strategies.
The “sweet spot” technique involves carefully rotating the bobby pin while applying gentle tension to the tumbler. The goal is to find the exact position where the pin will turn without breaking. This requires patience and a delicate touch. Avoid applying too much force, as this will almost certainly result in a broken bobby pin.
With practice, you’ll start to recognize patterns in the tumbler’s movement. By paying attention to how the tumbler responds to your tension, you can predict the sweet spot more accurately. This takes time and experience, but it will ultimately make you a more efficient lockpicker.
Sometimes, it’s better to walk away from a lock, especially if you’re running low on bobby pins or if the lock is significantly above your skill level. Focus on leveling up your Lockpick skill or searching for a key. This can save you valuable resources and frustration.
Some players employ a tactic known as “save scumming.” This involves saving your game before attempting a difficult lock, and then reloading if you fail. While this can be effective, it can also detract from the immersion and sense of challenge. Use this tactic with caution, as it can make the game feel less rewarding.
Notable Locks and Locations
The Mojave Wasteland is filled with locked doors and containers that hold valuable loot and secrets. Knowing where to find these high-value targets can be a game-changer.
The Gun Runners, a heavily fortified weapons vendor, has a number of locked areas containing rare and powerful weapons. Accessing these areas requires a high Lockpick skill.
Vault Three, home to the Fiends, contains a hidden stash of valuable items that can only be accessed by picking a difficult lock.
REPCONN Headquarters has several locked rooms and containers that hold valuable resources and clues about the company’s past.
In many cases, finding the key to a lock is preferable to lockpicking it. Keys can often be found by exploring the surrounding area, completing quests, or pickpocketing NPCs. Sometimes, the key is simply easier to obtain than raising your Lockpick skill high enough to crack the lock.
Conclusion
Mastering lockpicking in Fallout: New Vegas is a rewarding experience that opens up a world of possibilities. It allows you to access hidden areas, uncover valuable loot, and bypass challenging obstacles. By investing in your Lockpick skill, learning effective techniques, and exploring the Mojave Wasteland, you can become a true master of locks. Practice, patience, and a little bit of skill are all you need to unlock the secrets of New Vegas and become a legend of the Mojave.
