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Baldur’s Gate 3 Lockpicking Guide: Thieves’ Tools, Checks, and Alternatives

Pick locks in Baldur’s Gate 3 with Thieves’ Tools and a Dexterity-based Sleight of Hand check. Learn how to improve your odds and when to look for another route.
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To pick a lock in Baldur’s Gate 3, use Thieves’ Tools and pass a Dexterity-based Sleight of Hand check. A failed attempt breaks the tools; a successful one does not consume them. Before trying a difficult lock repeatedly, check for a key, clue, or encounter-specific alternative.

How to pick a lock

  1. Make sure you have Thieves’ Tools in your inventory. Interact with a locked door or container and choose the lockpicking option.

  2. When the check begins, use a character with high Dexterity and Sleight of Hand proficiency if possible. The game resolves lockpicking with a Sleight of Hand check.

  3. Roll the check. If it fails, the Thieves’ Tools break; if it succeeds, the tools remain available for another attempt.

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Thieves’ Tools are described as a common, single-use consumable, but that label does not mean a successful check uses them up: the tools break on a failed attempt. Keep spares in case a roll goes badly. BG3 Wiki: Thieves’ Tools

What affects the lockpicking check?

Dexterity and Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand is Dexterity-based, so a character’s Dexterity contributes to the check. Proficiency in Sleight of Hand can also improve the character’s result. The game’s skill description is “Wield nimble fingers. Steal stuff.” BG3 Wiki: Sleight of Hand

Do not confuse this with tabletop Dungeons & Dragons tool-proficiency rules. In Baldur’s Gate 3, Thieves’ Tools are the required item and lockpicking uses Sleight of Hand; the tabletop rules for proficiency with thieves’ tools are not the game’s lockpicking proficiency rule. BG3 Wiki: Skill and game system

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Advantage and bonuses

Some equipment or consumables can help with Sleight of Hand checks. For example, Gloves of Thievery grant advantage. Other listed items provide flat bonuses. These effects are not interchangeable, and the available references do not establish that every bonus stacks or applies identically to every lock, so check the item description and the roll presented in your game. BG3 Wiki: Sleight of Hand

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What to do when the DC is hidden

In Custom difficulty, the option “Hide Difficulty Class during rolls” hides the DC for lockpicking and other checks. This affects what you see; it is not evidence that the lock’s underlying DC has changed. BG3 Wiki: Difficulty

Look for another way into the lock

Not every situation is best solved by spending Thieves’ Tools. Check nearby rooms and objects for a key, clue, code, or mechanism, especially if a lock appears unusually difficult. Some containers and objects can also be attacked and destroyed to expose their contents, but doing so may have consequences for the encounter or what you recover. These alternatives are situational; do not assume every lock has them.

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Example: Counting House high-security vaults

The Counting House is an exceptional case, not a model for ordinary locks. Its high-security vault entrance is listed at DC 99 and has a four-plate code solution as well as other approaches. The inner high-security vault safes are listed at DC 30 or can be opened with their corresponding keys. Look for the relevant clues and keys before repeatedly attempting these locks. BG3 Wiki: Counting House

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Choose an approach based on the situation

These are decision points, not options guaranteed to exist for every locked door or container. The cited mechanics are documented by the community-maintained BG3 Wiki; the guidance here does not claim personal playtesting or a specific patch-version verification.

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