How to pick locks in Baldur’s Gate 3

Have you ever been cruising along with your party in Baldur's Gate 3 and then suddenly come across a locked door, passage, or chest? It's a real buzzkill, but one that can be avoided by learning how to pick locks in Baldur's Gate 3. Not every chest needs a key, and in a world where every item, coin, and piece of gear counts, locked chests can often be very lucrative to open as soon as you spot them. Here's how.

If you're a new Baldur's Gate 3 player, then opening something that is locked will likely seem like an impossible task. After all, we're talking about a game that offers very little in the way of tutorials, often leaving you to your own devices.

For more on the game, check out our Baldur's Gate 3 quests list and companions list. We've also got tips on the best Baldur's Gate 3 builds to prep for battle, as well as a race tier list.

How to pick locks and open chests in Baldur's Gate 3

Find the key

There are two primary ways of picking any kind of lock in the world of Baldur's Gate 3. The first is the most obvious answer, but it's also the most difficult way. If you find a specific lock, then there is usually a key somewhere around that opens whatever is locked.

That key can sometimes be with an NPC, and you need to either kill them and loot their body or talk your way into getting it from them.

The key can also be stashed in a specific location. It's not always close to the object it unlocks. As such, if you don't want to spend several minutes, or even hours, looking for a specific key, we recommend you take the second route to picking locks in Baldur's Gate 3.

Credit: Image via Larian Studios

Use Thieves' Tools

The second way is to use something called the Thieves' Tools. This is an item in Baldur's Gate 3 that allows you to open locks without their typically required keys. Thieves' Tools scale with your Sleight of Hand skill on a given character, but they are a consumable item.

• Read more: Baldur's Gate 3 class tier list

"Thieves' Tools enable the owner to open locks based on their Sleight of Hand skill. The item is destroyed on failed use. In the right hands, these tools of the burgling trade will make quick work of any troublesome locks."

How to get Thieves Tools' in Baldur's Gate 3

To find Thieves' Tools, just explore the world of Baldur's Gate 3. They can be found in virtually every way that other loot can be acquired.

If you want to speed up the process and ensure you have a stash of Thieves' Tools in your inventory, you can also purchase them from vendors across the world.

Our favourite Thieves' Tool vendor is Mattis in Druid Grove. He charges less than others for the same item. Most vendors in the game will carry Thieves' Tools, so you shouldn't have much issue securing one when you need it. Just head to Mattis if you're buying in bulk to save a pretty penny.

To make sure the Thieves' Tools works, you should aim to have a high Sleight of Hand character pick the lock. The higher a character's Sleight of Hand skill is, the better chance they have at successfully picking the lock. You can simply put the Thieves' Tools in the inventory of whoever you want to pick the lock and then switch to them when going for an attempt.

• Read more: What's the max level in Baldur's Gate 3?

Your chances of disarming a lock will mostly come down to luck. As such, we recommend you save before attempting to pick an important lock, or if you only have one Thieves' Tool available. This will ensure that you will eventually get to pick the lock, regardless of how many attempts it takes.

For more on Larian's biggest project since Divinity: Original Sin 2 and its mobile port, check out our guides on Baldur's Gate 3 local co-op, is you can play Baldur's Gate 3 solo, and how the Baldur's Gate 3 Momentum system works.