Harder Lock Picking
⚪ Last updated 2017⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview

🔍 Analysis
- 👍 1.0% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
📋 About This Mod
--- Overview ---
This mod makes lockpicking in the game an actual challenge. In vanilla you could be level 0 in lockpicking and still manage to bust open a master level lock with a single pick with little effort. Novice locks might as well have been unlocked already, they're so easy.
Not anymore.
All levels of locks have been made a lot harder, I mean a LOT harder. Like, you're actually going to be wanting to invest perks in the lockpicking tree for once, no fooling. It's not impossible without them, but still. The beneficial modifiers from the perks were increased, for good reason.
In addition, experience gained from breaking picks has been removed (why reward failure?) and experience gained from the easier locks has been significantly lowered. To compensate, expert locks give slightly more experience and master locks give quite a bit more experience, befitting their extreme difficulty.
Time to prove your worth, thieves.
--- Patch Notes ---
1. 1 Made the partial picking area scale more with your Lockpicking level to make finding the initial place to start picking less extreme at higher levels.
1. 0 Initial release.
Harder Lock Picking is a small stealth mod by Pruvan that significantly increases the difficulty of lock picking. With 416 endorsements and over 41,000 downloads, it's a popular choice for players seeking a greater challenge. The mod has not been updated since March 2017.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community-approved with 416 endorsements and over 41k downloads
- Adds a real challenge for stealth players who find vanilla lock picking too easy
- Lightweight and focused—does exactly what it says without bloat
⚠️ Cons
- Last updated in 2017, so it may have compatibility issues with newer game versions
- No detailed description of how it changes lock picking mechanics, so you're going in blind
- May conflict with other mods that alter lock picking or stealth mechanics
For stealth-focused players who want a tougher lock picking experience and feel vanilla is too forgiving. If you're a completionist looking for a challenge, this is for you. Skip if you prefer a more casual playthrough or want a mod with detailed customization options.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Since this mod makes lock picking harder, practice your lock picking skills in a safe area before tackling high-security locks.
- Carry multiple lockpicks—you'll break more of them with this mod installed.
- If you're playing on PC, consider using a mod manager to easily enable/disable this mod if you find it too tough.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Pruvan
- Version
- 1.1
- Downloads
- 41,398
- Endorsements
- 416
- Category
- Stealth
- Created
- 2/22/2017
- Updated
- 3/21/2017
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Skyrim →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Skyrim commands, item IDs, and more.
Keep browsing — more Skyrim mods await