In Defense of Lockpicking in Baldur’s Gate 3

Aside from passing a lockpick skill check, players can also open locked doors and containers in Baldur’s Gate 3 by casting the right Spell or destroying the locked object with brute force. Since all of these lockpicking methods in Baldur’s Gate 3 will lead to the same result, it’s understandable that players would want to choose the method that requires the least investment: destroying locked objects by attacking them.

With as many creative alternatives as there are to lockpicking in Baldur’s Gate 3, players may be hesitant to invest in a party member’s dedicated lockpicking proficiency. However, investing in lockpicking can be a useful asset to have in any party. More specifically, investing in Dexterity can have many benefits that can enhance any character’s build and provide useful opportunities for the players’ party in Baldur’s Gate 3, so players would be wise not to sleep on lockpicking.

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By Jervon Perkins

Why Players Shouldn’t Sleep on Lockpicking in Baldur’s Gate 3

While breaking open doors and containers with brute force will always be a cheap and reliable lockpicking method in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s still plenty of merit to investing in the dedicated lockpicking skill. Even if not for the sake of lockpicking, investing in the primary ability that affects lockpicking, Dexterity, can provide several extra benefits.

Ranged Weapons Shine With Dexterity Builds in Baldur’s Gate 3

Whether players are fully invested in a ranged-weapon build in Baldur’s Gate 3, or using ranged weapons as a backup for a melee build, having a few points in Dexterity can make all the difference in how often players will land their attacks with ranged weapons. Having powerful ranged attacks is a luxury that allows players to stay out of range of enemies with melee builds, often making enemies waste their turns in combat just to close the distance.

Dexterity also affects a character’s attack rolls with Finesse weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Stealth in Baldur’s Gate 3 Can Be Overpowered in the Right Hands

In general, stealth builds in Baldur’s Gate 3 are both high-risk and high-reward. At the cost of not using some of the best heavy and medium armor in Baldur’s Gate 3, a stealth build can provide an advantage on attack rolls, override Initiative to surprise enemies and skip their first turn in combat, and allow players to avoid being directly targeted by certain incoming attacks.

Outside of combat, pickpocketing in Baldur’s Gate 3 is also affected by Dexterity through the Sleight of Hand skill, and this can be a quick path to riches. Not only can pickpocketing allow players to obtain top-notch weapons and armor from NPC merchants for free, but a high enough skill proficiency can allow players to obtain more Thieves’ Tools, Trap Disarm Toolkits, Spell scrolls, and camp supplies than most players would ever legitimately use throughout a playthrough.

Players’ Sleight of Hand skill also affects their chances of disarming traps in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Lockpicking in Baldur’s Gate 3 Has a Low Skill Ceiling

While investing in high Dexterity can naturally provide separate benefits to a character and the overall party, lockpicking in Baldur’s Gate 3 generally doesn’t require high investment to begin with. As long as players have Thieves’ Toolkits in their inventory, players can generally continue to attempt to pick a lock even after failing the skill check, which is quite a generously low skill ceiling.

Dexterity in Baldur’s Gate 3 Is a Versatile Ability

Especially if they are already planning on using ranged weapons, finesse weapons, and/or stealth builds in Baldur’s Gate 3, players will likely already have more than enough Dexterity to have a sufficient lockpicking skill. In hindsight, while lockpicking may not be a vital skill on its own compared to some of the other creative ways to open locks, investing in proper lockpicking synergizes with multiple game-changing skills that arguably make it a worthwhile investment nonetheless.

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%

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Released: August 3, 2023
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): Larian Studios
Publisher(s): Larian Studios
Engine: Divinity 4.0
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play: Full cross-platform play.