Lockpicking skill not that useful?

[Jude]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that having the Lockpicking skill doesn't really help much:

1. You need to have lockpicks and they break;

2. Without a high skill level, the failure rate is pretty high;

3. You still cannot open barrels or things that need a specific key using the Lockpicking skill;

4. You do get a small amount of experience for opening locks (which I don't think you get if you bash them), BUT the experience gained goes down as you skill level goes up.

Am I missing something obvious?

Jude

[Randomizer]

If you don't mind reloading than one lock pick and one level of lockpicking skill is all you need.

The experience does add up at the start if you are patient. It really depends upon your style of playing and whether you really want to do locks of reloads.

There are some doors that will still open to lock picking if you don't have the right key and for more XP.

You do get more experience from traps in the wine cellar of Elderhollow. There skullduggery is needed and you lose 10 XP per increased level.

[Jude]

Good points, Randomizer.

Am I right about still needing to bash barrels?

Jude

[Randomizer]

Still haven't found any way around barrel bashing. Having to reload to determine fixed items and truly empty ones is a pain.

[silverkitty]

there just aren't that many sealed barrels in the game, really. I ignored them consistently and did just fine.

[Josia]

there just aren't that many sealed barrels in the game, really. I ignored them consistently and did just fine.

As far as I know there is only one barrel that is required to be broken to complete the story.

[Jude]

I find a lot of Alchemy ingredients in barrels (also, sometimes nothing, a few pieces of gold, miscellaneous stuff).

Jude

[silverkitty]

As far as I know there is only one barrel that is required to be broken to complete the story.

actually, there are zero sealed barrels that are required to be broken into. there is one unsealed barrel that is in the way of getting somewhere, but that has little to do with the looting aspect of this thread

[Martin]

Interesting how we approach the game. I have always considered lockpicking vital because it's the easiest way to get to easter eggs, sextant, you name it. Bashing didn't work well for me - took too long and exploded my basher more often than not. I would consider bashing if there was some way of knowing just when your masher was about to explode. I would hate it to disappear just as I was whacking a taurax or something.

[acoustibop]

I've never had a weapon break when I was hitting monsters, Martin, only when bashing barrels, chests etc. I suspect that that is the only time they will break.

Just carry on Taurax whacking - I don't think your implement of choice will break when you're doing that.

[Warmskin]

I smashed a creature in the area south of Tanglewood forest. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the area or the monster. The area was some beach area with fog. The creature looked like some giant armadillo... anyway, My sword broke just as I killed it. I usually just keep an extra club type weapon for smashing chests, doors, etc. and switch to that. With 'bless' I go thru the obstacles pretty quickly. Some, though, are unbreakable... FWIW.

[silverkitty]

I smashed a creature in the area south of Tanglewood forest. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the area or the monster. The area was some beach area with fog. The creature looked like some giant armadillo... anyway, My sword broke just as I killed it. I usually just keep an extra club type weapon for smashing chests, doors, etc. and switch to that. With 'bless' I go thru the obstacles pretty quickly. Some, though, are unbreakable... FWIW.

that was an acid grub. when it dies it can randomly destroy anything (*) you have equipped if you're standing next to it and fail some save against the acid spray. the usual way to avoid this (besides save-scumming) is to pound it to near death, then back away and shoot it with an arrow or a spell. there is no weapon wear for normal use, only a chance of losing weapons in special circumstances (such as an acid grub's spray, or hitting a fixed object like a barrel or door, the latter is actually documented if you go through all the F1 hints)

(*) I think it always starts with your weapon, but I lost five points of equipment once hitting a near dead grub which was next to a bunch of other near dead grubs that all went off next to me. because my usual deal is to pound several them to within a sliver of death, then back off and shoot one to chain-kill them, to conserve ammo. but then I got a critical hit on one that had half its life and it died too quickly, and was like the last one of eight I was demolishing in this group. needless to say, I reloaded since it was really rare equipment

[Daemian Lucifer]

Interesting how we approach the game. I have always considered lockpicking vital because it's the easiest way to get to easter eggs, sextant, you name it. Bashing didn't work well for me - took too long and exploded my basher more often than not. I would consider bashing if there was some way of knowing just when your masher was about to explode. I would hate it to disappear just as I was whacking a taurax or something.

You can always get one point in unarmed and bash till the end of the world with your fists,and no harm will ever come to you.