Forcing Locks

Lovenest

I'm sure this question has gone around before but I couldn't find much on it. It's been mentioned that forcing locks lessens the chance of getting good loot. Can anyone confirm or deny that with more than just an opinion?

Kwoung

Honestly, I have wondered about this as well, so I always "pick" Advanced and Master Chests. But would be nice to know, although I also pick them, because I don't want someone running up and grabbing it if I fail to pop it..

Anotherone773

I know that:
* You always break a lockpick, even if you are successful.
* You don't get any XP for forcing, you do for picking.
* You won't level legerdemain forcing locks.

But i have never heard that it lessens loot chances... doesn't mean it doesn't just that i have not heard that it does. People have all kinds of hypotheses about stuff like that.

UntilValhalla13

It's literally rng. I force locks all of the time, and always get 2 drops from a higher level chest with treasure hunter passive.

zaria

Anotherone773 wrote: »

I know that:
* You always break a lockpick, even if you are successful.
* You don't get any XP for forcing, you do for picking.
* You won't level legerdemain forcing locks.

But i have never heard that it lessens loot chances... doesn't mean it doesn't just that i have not heard that it does. People have all kinds of hypotheses about stuff like that.

The 3 above points are true.
However to save time forcing over picking you had to have leveled up legerdemain close to max anyway so you don't care much if not leveling it.

Lower quality loot makes no sense at all for some reasons.
Why have an skill you have to spend time leveling up for an QoL and then punish you for it.
Punishing you without telling.

More important. ESO has an system for spawning loot from all sort of sources, treasure chests have loot based on their difficulty and obvious location
Picking locks are used other places mostly doors but also some chests who are quest objects.
It make no sense to make the way the chest was opened affect the loot table.
More so in dungeons and trials you are probably not the one opening the chest at all.
It would make the system for generating loot more complex for an idiotic reason.

Much like the rumor that the game looks at that you are wearing and use that so an mage has an lower chance getting staffs.
It makes the system much more complex for an idiotic reason and people share gear and run on alts.
Yes but having you farm longer makes some sort of sense unlike forcing giving worse loot.

One thing who is true is that the loot tables are tilted. Many bis items has an lower chance for dropping.

Integral1900

Forcing them does not make a difference. All it does is cost you more lock picks. It makes no difference to what you get

Danikat

I know it does this in some games, the logic being that you smashed the chest and there's a chance you damaged what's inside in the process. But in games I've played that do that they make it very clear - the ability description will say there's a risk of lower loot and you'll often get some sort of 'damaged goods' junk item to let you know it happened.

I've never heard of ESO having a similar system and I doubt they'd keep it secret if they did because the idea is generally to encourage players to take the time to pick the lock, so they need to know there's a penalty if they don't.

VaranisArano

It does not reduce the loot value.
Source: I forced 2000 locks on treasure chests to double check the percentage chance and my loot was 100% in line with the expected loot from the Treasure Hunter CP passive.

BTW, ZOS' percentage chances were fairly accurate when I forced a lot of chests: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413835/double-checking-zos-force-lock-percentages#latest

redlink1979

Anotherone773 wrote: »

(...)
* You always break a lockpick, even if you are successful.
* You don't get any XP for forcing, you do for picking.
* You won't level legerdemain forcing locks.
(...)

^ True facts.
So as mentioned above, don't pick locks if you need to level the legerdemain line.
The chances of getting good loot or not depends mostly on rng, it's not related to how you open the chest. But chances will be improved if the char has the treasure hunter passive unlocked, as also mentioned above.

My advise: force locks only in situations where you need to be quick, eg PvP zones.

Vevvev

I force a lot of locks and am getting the same loot as if I picked it normally.

volkeswagon

I haven't noticed. I have tried picking and still get garbage just as much. Forcing uses a lockpick where as picking doesn't unless you break it.

volkeswagon

You would think if it did they would say so

Hotdog_23

VaranisArano wrote: »

It does not reduce the loot value.
Source: I forced 2000 locks on treasure chests to double check the percentage chance and my loot was 100% in line with the expected loot from the Treasure Hunter CP passive.

BTW, ZOS' percentage chances were fairly accurate when I forced a lot of chests: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413835/double-checking-zos-force-lock-percentages#latest

Nice data, thanks for sharing but I don't have the same success you have for sure. Not hard counted so I could be very wrong but's it's not uncommon for me to have 3-4 broken locks in a row. This happens every day to me and I don't chest farm.

I think I am trying to break the lock to quick and this is what is causing all the failures. Not sure if it's a bug or bad RNG.

Stay safe and have fun

barney2525

I don't think I have ever forced a lock. Lockpicks are rather prevalent when you are going through delves, looking through every box and barrel to stock up on mats.

VaranisArano

Hotdog_23 wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

It does not reduce the loot value.
Source: I forced 2000 locks on treasure chests to double check the percentage chance and my loot was 100% in line with the expected loot from the Treasure Hunter CP passive.

BTW, ZOS' percentage chances were fairly accurate when I forced a lot of chests: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413835/double-checking-zos-force-lock-percentages#latest

Nice data, thanks for sharing but I don't have the same success you have for sure. Not hard counted so I could be very wrong but's it's not uncommon for me to have 3-4 broken locks in a row. This happens every day to me and I don't chest farm.

I think I am trying to break the lock to quick and this is what is causing all the failures. Not sure if it's a bug or bad RNG.

Stay safe and have fun

Yeah, the lock-breaking data was fun to collect and see the final results. I know the times I broke 6 lockpicks, I was like "You've got to be kidding me!"

JanTanhide

Lovenest wrote: »

I'm sure this question has gone around before but I couldn't find much on it. It's been mentioned that forcing locks lessens the chance of getting good loot. Can anyone confirm or deny that with more than just an opinion?

Nah, it's only an opinion. I use several characters to "Chest farm" and get purple loot from Master chests and often from Advanced. The only thing that affects the quality of the loot is having Treasure Hunter unlocked in the CP tree.

Hotdog_23

VaranisArano wrote: »

Hotdog_23 wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

It does not reduce the loot value.
Source: I forced 2000 locks on treasure chests to double check the percentage chance and my loot was 100% in line with the expected loot from the Treasure Hunter CP passive.

BTW, ZOS' percentage chances were fairly accurate when I forced a lot of chests: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413835/double-checking-zos-force-lock-percentages#latest

Nice data, thanks for sharing but I don't have the same success you have for sure. Not hard counted so I could be very wrong but's it's not uncommon for me to have 3-4 broken locks in a row. This happens every day to me and I don't chest farm.

I think I am trying to break the lock to quick and this is what is causing all the failures. Not sure if it's a bug or bad RNG.

Stay safe and have fun

Yeah, the lock-breaking data was fun to collect and see the final results. I know the times I broke 6 lockpicks, I was like "You've got to be kidding me!"

Follow up opened 5 chests today and waited 2 seconds on each before trying to force them and only broke one lockpick. Maybe today was a good RNG day but it fits your data pattern pretty good.
Still think I just need to slow down for a couple of seconds to get the passive to kick in and work. Either it’s intended to work this way or a bug.

Stay safe and have fun

bmnoble

As far as I know the only way it reduces the chances of you getting something good out of the chest is if your screw up and someone steals the chest before you can attempt to open it again.

volkeswagon

Nice to have some concrete evidence to an age old question. Thanks.

kargen27

VaranisArano wrote: »

Hotdog_23 wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

It does not reduce the loot value.
Source: I forced 2000 locks on treasure chests to double check the percentage chance and my loot was 100% in line with the expected loot from the Treasure Hunter CP passive.

BTW, ZOS' percentage chances were fairly accurate when I forced a lot of chests: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413835/double-checking-zos-force-lock-percentages#latest

Nice data, thanks for sharing but I don't have the same success you have for sure. Not hard counted so I could be very wrong but's it's not uncommon for me to have 3-4 broken locks in a row. This happens every day to me and I don't chest farm.

I think I am trying to break the lock to quick and this is what is causing all the failures. Not sure if it's a bug or bad RNG.

Stay safe and have fun

Yeah, the lock-breaking data was fun to collect and see the final results. I know the times I broke 6 lockpicks, I was like "You've got to be kidding me!"

I would almost bet the six lock picks was on a simple chest. I lose more multiple picks forcing simple chests than I do master chests.