In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you can get lockpicks mainly through buying or looting. Where to buy lockpicks:
- Shady Sam : The easiest and most accessible vendor is Shady Sam, located outside the Imperial City walls near the Elven Gardens district, northwest of the city. He sells lockpicks for 6 gold each and stocks up to 30 lockpicks daily, with his inventory refreshing every day
- Thieves Guild Fences : If you join the Thieves Guild, you can buy lockpicks from fences who have a large and regularly restocked supply (up to 100 lockpicks). The first fence you meet is Ongar the World-Weary in Bruma. Joining the Thieves Guild also grants access to more lockpick vendors and is considered the best option for thieves
- Dark Brotherhood Merchants : Members of the Dark Brotherhood can also buy lockpicks from their merchants, although their stock is smaller than that of the Thieves Guild fences
Where to find lockpicks by looting:
- Lockpicks are commonly found in dungeons, caves, bandit hideouts, and on the bodies of bandits and goblins. Bandit camps especially in the west have abundant lockpicks. Chests at the end of dungeon crawls often contain lockpicks as well
Additional tip:
- Completing the Nocturnal Daedric Shrine Quest at level 10 rewards you with the Skeleton Key, an unbreakable lockpick that greatly improves your lockpicking skill, reducing the need to buy or find lockpicks
In summary, for a steady supply of lockpicks, visit Shady Sam early on, loot bandits and dungeons, and consider joining the Thieves Guild for access to fences with large stocks of lockpicks
