Starfield players love Master Locks challenges—but everyone agrees the rewards stink

Bethesda’s approach to lockpicking over the years has come in different shapes and forms, but Starfield’s approach to the minigame is the best one yet—mostly.

The only major problem, according to the growing community, is the awful rewards players get from solving them, especially at Master rank.

One player, who finally beat a Master-level lock this week, suggested it took them over 30 minutes and over 40 Digipicks just to crack the code and rotate their picks into the correct slots. And then, on top of all the troubles they had to solve the tricky lock in the first place, the player then scored some pretty terrible loot.

Many Starfield community members took shots at what they thought the player would earn after cracking the safe, and almost all of them were right about its revealed substance. The trauma pack, an Arc Welder, and some ammo are far from worth the time and skill points the player invested into lockpicking.

Master-level locks should have guaranteed high-quality rewards like Legendary-grade gear or contraband items, one player said. Contraband goods can sell for a high price and can quickly rebuild a player’s credit count—assuming you can avoid getting arrested for smuggling.

Another player, after opening the lock, admitted they just straight-up back out to refresh the lock’s ring setup in the hopes of getting a combination that works, saving their Digipicks. Players are happy with the minigames; they just want to be rewarded for their time and resources spent solving puzzles. “[It’s] honestly the best lockpicking minigame Bethesda has ever done. Not too hard, not too easy, engaging, and takes some skill,” one player added.

That’s not to say leveling up the lockpicking skill is totally useless, however. There are plenty more locks to pick than just Master-level safes holding a wheel of cheese—doors leading to mission shortcuts, alternate routes through quests, or special bonus rooms await those who can exceed at breaking the puzzle.

Lockpicking wasn’t high on my priority list during my first playthrough of Starfield but to skip some of the tougher missions via an alternate route? That sounds right up my alley, and something I’ll be keeping an eye out for when I next play.

In the meantime, I’ll still be attempting to break any locked chests I find; not for the loot, but because it really is a fun and immersive take on the age-old minigame.