Lockpicking or breaking in Kingdom Come Deliverance is creating a lot of headaches for players. The medieval game experience of the Warhorse title is probably the most realistic we've ever seen and played, but in some places it seems to be too realistic. Those who were expecting a burglar alarm system similar to what we find in Bethesda, Skyrim or Fallout titles for example, were definitely blown away. The minigame to open a locked lock is frustrating at times. Here, then, is a guide to lockpicking or burglary for Kingdom Come Deliverance .
How to break into Kingdom Come Deliverance
Picking a lock step by step
If you're having trouble breaking into Kingdom Come: Deliverance, follow these steps to make your life easier. Remember that locks have different difficulty levels: "Very Easy", "Easy", "Difficult" and "Very Difficult". Make sure you have some spare picks.
- Stand in front of the lock you want to pick and press the action button to start lockpicking (make sure you do this without anyone seeing you).
- Next, you will see an image of the locking mechanism in front of you. If Henry's locksmith skills are sufficient, you can complete the job.
- It's important to find the right place to lockpick. Here the on-screen cursor helps you: the bigger it gets, the closer you get to the correct position. If it turns golden, you have found the right spot.
- Now comes the tricky part: you have to turn the locking mechanism one hundred and eighty degrees with an analog stick, while with the other it is essential to keep the cursor in the same position where you stopped the pick. NEVER move the pick. It's harder than it looks, since you can't stop once you start turning the lock, and the sensitivity of the pick is very high. Another obstacle could be the vibration of the joypad that can cause the cursor to move. The mini-game is easier with a mouse and keyboard. With the mouse you can keep the golden cursor position more stable.
- Once you complete the lockpicking, the lock will be broken.
- If you try to rotate the locking mechanism without the pick in the correct position, the mechanism will lock. As a result, the tool will be damaged or even destroyed and you will have to repeat the process again.
- Burglary also causes noise, which can lead to unwanted attention to the illegal act you are carrying out. If you get spotted, the best solution is to run until you lose your trail.
Useful tips:
- If you play on consoles, remove the joypad's vibration. Go to Settings > Devices > Controllers. Here disable the vibration.
- If you see yourself in trouble during a break-in, exit the minigame. The pick will not be worn out and you can start again as if it were new. It will also change the breaking point of the lock and it may be an advantage to have it in a different position, which is easier to synchronise the two analogue levers.
How to increase the Burglar Skill
Obviously you will start the game with very limited break-in skills, but these can be improved with practice and by taking advice from experienced NPCs. If you pop in Miller Peshek for a couple of hours, he will give you the secondary quest "The Good Thief" and teach you the basics of burglary if you ask him to.
As your skill level increases, you'll not only be able to break harder locks, but also unlock new skill improvements. You can choose and activate one improvement every three levels. To do so, open the character information window, select the "Player" tab, and from there the "Skill" subtab. The following improvements can be made to the Burglar Skill (level requirement in brackets):
- Stable picks (3): Picks are more stable and therefore last twice as long.
- Blacksmith (3): After successfully opening a lock, there is a 20% chance that broken picks will end up back in your inventory.
- Smart Hand (6): When you break a pick, the next starting point is closer to the end of the lock, making it easier to open.
- Luck of the Drunk (6): You can break the blocks 30% faster, but it will cause 30% more noise.
- Sixth Sense (9): Your sixth sense triggers the alarm beforehand when someone is about to discover you, which gives you more time to escape.
- Silent locksmith (9): You can use a pick almost silently, even if the lock causes problems. The noise caused by a breakage is 90% lighter.
- Luck of the burglar (12): If you break a picklock, there is a 10% chance the lock will open.
- Master of castles (12): Automatically opens simple locks.
Where to find the picks
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you'll never have too many picks. These are essential if you plan to break into places, and luckily you can get them in many ways. Every time you use a pick, it can wear out and break if used incorrectly.
- You'll get your first set of picks from Heinrich's friends shortly after the game starts. Be careful not to use them all in the early stages of the game as they will break easily due to your lack of skill.
- Picks are often given as a reward for completing side quests, but it is the longest way to get them.
- The quickest way to get some is to buy them from merchants.
