Lockpicking ( Oblivion ) Lockpicking is one of the mini - games that can be played in order to accomplish a simple task in Oblivion . Lockpicking can be accomplished by chance or manually . Lockpicking requires having at least one lockpick in the inventory . Without a lockpick , even the lowest level locks will require magic or a key to open . Security . The ability to pick a lock is controlled by the stealth skill , Security . As the rank in security is raised , the number of tumblers that remain locked in place when a pick breaks increase in the following manner . Picking a lock . Depending on the difficulty of the lock , there can be anywhere from 1 – 5 tumblers in the ' down ' position of a lock . Moving the pick left or right will select what tumbler the player will work on . Moving the tumbler up will result in attempting to place the tumbler . While moving the tumbler in place the character must " set " the tumbler in place when it reaches the top of the lock . When the tumbler is pushed up a slight " tink " sound will be heard once it reaches the top of the lock . When the sound is heard set the tumbler . If the timing is not correct , the pick will break and the tumbler will fall . Skill level will determine how many additional tumblers will drop if a pick is broken . Once all the tumblers are set , the lock will open . It is important to note that the speed the pin slides at varies for each push , and can be quite tough to time correctly when it moves quickly , regardless of security level . The easiest way to combat this is to acquire the Skeleton Key . While lockpicking , a pattern will develop with the tumblers rising and falling . If a pattern is recognized , one can easily set the tumbler when it reaches the top of the lock . One technique is to recognize the pattern of when the tumbler rises slow and falls slow . This will give the most time to set the tumbler . Another technique is to recognize the pattern for when the tumbler rises and falls at its fastest rate . In these two cases it comes down to preferences of the player . The in - game book " Advances in Lockpicking " recommends holding a torch close to the lock while picking it . ( Having a torch equipped when you approach the lock to pick it ) . Heating the lock makes all the pins fall at a uniform rate . Unfortunately , this practice does not work in game . Auto - attempt . Auto - attempt is a chance game of unlocking the lock depending on the difficulty level of the lock and the Security skill . The lock either opens or the pick breaks . Simply continue pressing Auto - Attempt until the lock successfully opens . If your security level is low ( relative to the lock difficulty ) , picks will break more often . However , auto - attempt is a chance so it is possible to unlock the lock on the first try . A technique for auto - attempt is to have as many lockpicks as possible . If the player has a large quantity of lockpicks one can repeatly hit auto - attempt until the lock opens . This will also raise the Security skill faster . One of the best techniques for lockpicking is to complete the quest given at the Shrine of Nocturnal . The reward given is the Skeleton Key , which is an unbreakable lockpick . With the Skeleton Key , the player can repeatedly hit auto - attempt without running out of lockpicks . The Skeleton Key also increases the security skill by 40 points , increasing the chance of a successful pick . Alternatives . Lockpicking can also be accomplished by Open Lock spells , based on Alteration . Magicka regenerates for free , so this is often a cheaper / faster alternative to lock - picking by hand . Open Very Hard Lock spells do not seem to exist at vendors but can be made at the Arcane University .