Learn Pick Lock, practice on suitable locks and follow a community route as your skill grows.
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Lockpicking is a Rogue skill. An October 17 community guide reports learning Pick Lock at character level 16 and using Thieves’ Tools; its route is a dated guide, not a live-verified Forever route. Keep the tools available and follow your faction’s introductory quest to practice the skill.
The guide reports a maximum skill of five times character level. At level 20 that means a cap of 100; at level 40, 200. If a lock cannot give another skill point because you have reached the cap, gain character levels before continuing practice.
Faction introduction: dated guide
The October 17 community guide describes the Alliance route as Redridge Rendezvous followed by Alther’s Mill. Renzik in Stormwind sends the Rogue to Lucius at the Lakeshire docks, where the guide says to take the tools and practice at the mill. It reports that Lucius’s Lockbox requires skill 25 to obtain the quest token.
For Horde, the same guide follows Shenthul and Zando’zan in Orgrimmar to Wrenix in Ratchet. It says Wrenix’s apparatus provides Thieves’ Tools and an E.C.A.C.; keep both before heading to the ship south of Ratchet. Practice on the strongboxes, then use the E.C.A.C. during the quest encounter as the guide describes.
These quest directions and skill thresholds are community-reported before launch and have not been independently confirmed in live play. Allow for changes and consult current quest text if the steps differ.
Community practice route, dated October 17
| Reported skill band | Suggested practice | What to plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1–90 | Alliance: Alther’s Mill; Horde: pirate ship south of Ratchet | Complete the faction introduction and carry Thieves’ Tools. |
| 90–150 | Windshear Crag, Durnholde, Wetlands or Zoram | Pick a location your faction and character can reach safely. |
| 150–200 | Desolace coast or Angor Fortress | Combine travel with nearby quests if the locks are useful to your current skill. |
| 200–250 | Slag Pit, Searing Gorge | Allow for hostile enemies while choosing containers. |
| 250–300 | Heavy Junkboxes or Blackrock Depths from about 280 | Bring enough appropriate junkboxes or plan a group visit to the dungeon. |
When progress stalls
The guide is based on a dated community route and beta observations, so use its bands as destinations to investigate rather than guaranteed current skill-up rates. A container that offers no progress may be below your useful range, while a harder lock can exceed your current ability.
First check that you have learned Pick Lock, have the tools, and are below the level-based cap. Then try a suitable lock or junkbox near your present skill. Engineering Practice Locks and pickpocketed junkboxes are alternatives mentioned by the guide, subject to their own availability and requirements.
If the first location is crowded or gives no progress, move to another suggested location or return after leveling. The dated guide includes player reports of inconsistent beta behavior; it does not establish a reliable reset timer or a guaranteed number of attempts.
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