How to choose locks and safes in Starfield

Pick up locks Starfield is very different from what we’ve seen before in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. In this guide, we’ll explain how the lock picking mechanism works in the game.

Some useful items and data in Starfield are hidden behind the locks of safes, computers, doors or containers. Therefore, you will have to master the new hacking mechanisms.

The first thing you need is a digipick, a lock picking tool. No lockpicks or hairpins like before, but digital hacks. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to find them as they are available almost everywhere. You can find them in the open world or on the bodies of defeated enemies. Check the tables in the rooms or drawers that may be nearby.

They can also be purchased from sellers in the “Miscellaneous” category of their inventory. Go to a store in a major city. Usually they have enough goods at an affordable price.

Castles have different levels of difficulty: “Beginner”, “Advanced”, “Expert” or “Master”. Anyone can try to open the rookie lock with a lock pick. For more advanced locks you need to invest points in the security skill.

Each attempt costs a digipic. When you restart the lock, another master key is needed. You will also see an undo option with a number next to it – this is the number of digipics you have left. Each stamp consumes one piece.

You don’t need a lock picking skill to be able to pick a beginner level lock. But it will help you collect more automatic attempts, which will give you one of the right combinations of locks.

In the middle you see a set of rings. On the right side you will find a set of keys that you can use for this lock. There are tabs on the keys that you must match with the holes in the retaining rings.

In the newbie lock you will see four digital templates and the number of master keys remaining. It is important to note that each of the four patterns counts towards the use of one digital image, but if you use one of the wrong patterns and cannot open it, you will have to cancel your progress using the new digital image. of a new hack. The goal is to use patterns to complete each of the circles.

Castles consist of several rings. The more complex the castle, the more you can deal with it. The first thing to decide is the outer part of the castle. Look at the holes in the castle that you need to fill and you will see a series of tool options to the right that you need to use for this.

These options are in no particular order, you’ll have to look through them to try different combinations. The secret is not to lock any of the picks unless you’re sure it will fit. Some options may work in more than one case, but only one of them will be the right solution. So if you hurry and it turns out that you made a wrong choice, you will have to cancel the result, which will cost you a digipic.

The image above is an example of a lock solution for beginners. You can see that both keys fit in the outer ring. This means that if there are three contacts in the template, all the points must fit in the groove and the second template must match the remaining grooves on the outer ring.

It can be very helpful to see if multiple patterns will fit on the same circle before placing them. So always remember where the points on the first pattern match and then switch to another pattern without checking if you can match it for remote locking.

One trick to keep in mind is that the tabs keep their position when rotated, so you can place one tab where you think it should be and switch between multiple options to see if they all match. If you’re sure you have two matching ones, you can insert them and remove the outer lock.

Central locking is usually much easier as you have fewer patterns to choose from. So one of the remaining cartridges must be used in the outer slot.

With advanced locks, there are still a number of options for master keys. One or two of these patterns will prove useless. They will not be used at all. Now that there are more options to choose from, it’s more likely that some of them can be used both indoors and outdoors.

To try and reduce the chance of us having to undo an action that requires an extra digipic, try solving both the inside and outside before making choices.

Above is an image of the advanced lock solution. The first thing to do is to start from the outside. It is very important at this point not to commit any of the choices, even if you think you have discovered the outer lock. Although it seems to you that the remote blocking has been resolved for you, there may be another solution that you do not immediately see.

Often it is possible to decipher the outer lock, but then you realize that one of the patterns used is essential for the central lock. A good rule of thumb is that as complexity increases, you should start with more complex patterns and try to see if they fit both the outer and inner slots. When you find a 3 or 4 dot pattern that only fits on the outside, you have a better chance of making the right choice.

Please note that locks are generated randomly, so if you have the last digital lock and you’re worried that the puzzle will be too difficult, save it before continuing. And if it’s too complicated and you can’t figure it out, just restart your computer and see if it works.

As for the “Expert” and “Master” locks, you will need to further improve the security skill tree. Fortunately, you also gain some useful skills for solving these puzzles as you put more points into your security skill.

At the first level of the technical skill tree you will find a skill called Security. Each skill level allows you to master more difficult locks: Beginner (no rank), Intermediate (rank 1), Expert (rank 2), and Master (rank 3).

When you train a skill, you get the option to collect automatic attempts. Each time you successfully open a slot (manually), you get one automatic attempt – up to the limit set by the rank.

The fact is that in the digital interface there are actually no automatic attempts. Instead you will see an automatic lock. The key you select will be automatically rotated to a position where it fits the current ring.

At the second level of the ‘Security’ skill, the lock ring will turn blue if the key you’re using fits in it. However, this does not mean that you should use it. Just because a key fits does not mean it is part of the solution. But it’s a helpful tip that makes the lock picking mechanism easier, especially if you’re using an automatic lock. This allows you to quickly determine which templates are not needed or may only be suitable for central locks.