How much loot will I miss if I don't pick up lock picking either as a skill or spell on my character?

Lockpicking is a skill that you only need in situations where you don't want to attract attention (such as with shopkeepers). Attention can lead to battle, which can lead to:

* Dead shopkeepers (meaning that in effect, their place of business is now closed),

* Being targeted by the town's guards, and being shunned by the rest of the townsfolk.

Chest-opening spells, such as the unlocking cantrip, are not silent, and therefore don't offer the same benefit. And to be fair, any chest or container can be smashed open* with the proper use of a mace, axe or similar weapon (bladed weapons such as swords take damage from striking containers, so beware). So the skill is not needed in dungeons or abandoned lairs at all.

Thus, lockpicking is primarily a roleplaying thing. If you intend to join the Thieves Guild, and/or sneak into a certain mansion to steal one of the MacGuffins that moves the plot forward without getting yourself or anyone else killed, then more power to you.

To be honest, there is so much loot available throughout the game that theft only makes a difference near the beginning, when gold is still relatively scarce. What you would be stealing would be the shopkeeper's inventory, which you could then sell whatever you weren't using back to them the next day.


*To bust open a container:

1) Hit 'R' on the keyboard (or click on the shield icon, in the bottom left of the window) to go into attack mode.

2) Hold down either ALT key. This lets you target a non-living thing (such as to break down a door, or move a dead body).

3) While still holding down the ALT key, click on the chest with your mouse.

4) Repeat until success; but watch your fatigue, since swinging a weapon can be exhausting. Pause in real time to rest, or quaff a Fatigue potion if needed.

Protip: if you don't want your followers helping (because they might damage their own weapons, for example) hit the F5 key [Back Off] any time after starting the "battle".


TL;DR: Not all that much, IMO. But YMMV.

Thanks for the reply! For RP purposes I don't think I'll be doing thieving at all so I think I'll be fine then.

Yes, if you don't plan on doing any thieving, you should be able to get along without lockpicking.

If you ever replay the game as a thief there will be lots of secrets for you to uncover.

I heard a rumor that bashing open chests can reduce the quality of the loot inside because things break or get smashed. Does anyone know if there's any truth to this?

I've never noticed such. Then again, it could be weapon-specific; I almost always toss throwing weapons on chests rather than using melee ones.

More likely it's just an unsubstantiated rumor. However, never use Disintegrate on or near treasure-laden containers; I'm pretty sure you won't be all that happy with the result. Unless, y'know, you're actually Beavis and Butthead.

I play as a thief about 90% of the time.

Lock Picking skill combined with Pick Pocket are ESSENTIAL if you want to survive WITHOUT making a Warrior or Magic using character.

However, Pick Pocket is WAY more useful and can negate a Lock Pick if the victim has a key on them. Not all victims or shop keepers do.

That being said, the free play in this game is nice and you could just crate bash as suggested above or kill the shop keepers. In a few instances no matter how skilled your character, you will get caught and killed. Save often.

When I play a thief I like to open or break a window that lets me climb in at night, sneak past the sleeping shopkeeper, then either pickpocket the key or lockpick the stash.

Disintegrate also takes care of windows, if you have access to that spell (you can always steal some scrolls). Dynamite works as well. Both are permanent, of course.