Ok i assume that i'll raise lockpicking very slowly since i picked up some lockpicks at the dragon tower, but most chests and doors i can't pick. Doesn't seem that just trying over and over gives you a % chance to pick, looks like doors and chests have a lockpick level that you need to reach.

Trouble is, everything can't be picked. Is there something i'm missing, or does lockpick raise up super slow due to having chests level 1, etc that aren't till later in the game and they want you to backtrack and pick your beginning town stuff much later for some reason. I swept through mysthaven and the keep and can't pick anything there, period.

As I recall, lockpicking in this game kind of sucks.

Yes, there are some locks that you may not be able to pick when you reach them. To get them open, you have to come back later (possibly much later).

I think there are also some locked chests that simply cannot be picked at all.

I am pretty sure that doors cannot be picked, only chests.

The reward for picking locked chests is mostly gold, and an occasional potion.

The manual is a bit confusing on the subject:
- The Luck stat is claimed to make you "pick a lock more often", but the very next sentence states that "The actual help this gives you is very small".
- In the skills section, Lockpicking is listed as "Multiplayer only".
- The skill description mentions "locked doors and chests".
- The section on "Traps and puzzles" again mentions picking locked doors.
- The section on "Lockpicking" implies that there is a random factor involved. If you fail to pick the lock, you have to wait until you increase in level to try again. It is not obvious here whether they mean skill level or character level, but the "Tips and strategies" section makes it clear that they mean character level.

yea it looks like lockpicking isn't really a major thing in the game, i did a few chests here and there and after going through the caves section realized i wasn't seeing many locked chests, nor was the skill progressing to the point that its really a skill lol. So i guess you pick locks you can pick and keep playing.

Sadly i quit soon after this, fighting mechanics seem a bit broken either the attack/defense part wasn't ever put in, everything just autoblocks most of my hits, and foes at this point chew through me in melee both in speed and power, even using block many foes have takedown moves that ignore your blocking.

Maybe you have to greatly increase agility/reflex to have a chance in melee, but i found it pretty worthless and put all points into mana, much easier and quicker to hold block and throw out 2 meteors to clear the area than to take 5 minutes of chopping at enemies hoping to do more than 1 damage a hit through their auto-blocking. Wasn't fun at all really. I personally think the bugged attack/defense skills are suppose to be working and giving you more melee offensive and defensive power, but they aren't.