Lockpicking

Lockpicking is the ability to open locked doors, chests, junkboxes, and lockboxes. It can be performed in three ways:

1. The rogue class has a trained ability, [Pick Lock], which allows them to open locked items. This can be learned at level 20 from any rogue trainer. Lockpicking skill is 5 times the rogue's level.
2. Blacksmiths can craft skeleton keys which are able to open locks of different levels. Each recipe yields multiple keys which can only be used by blacksmiths with the appropriate blacksmithing skill. The keys are consumed after successfully lockpicking an object.
3. Engineers can craft Seaforium Charges which provide a similar function to skeleton keys. Only engineers with the appropriate engineering skill can use the charges. The charges are consumed after successfully lockpicking an object.

Methods

Source	Method	Unlocks
Rogue	[Pick Lock] @ level 20	100
	[Pick Lock] @ level 40	200
	[Pick Lock] @ level 60	300
	[Pick Lock] @ level 80	400
	[Pick Lock] @ level 85	425
Blacksmithing	[Silver Skeleton Key]	25
	[Golden Skeleton Key]	125
	[Truesilver Skeleton Key]	200
	[Arcanite Skeleton Key]	300
	[Cobalt Skeleton Key]	375
	[Titanium Skeleton Key]	400
	[Obsidium Skeleton Key]	525
Engineering	[Small Seaforium Charge]	150
	[Large Seaforium Charge]	250
	[Powerful Seaforium Charge]	300
	[Elemental Seaforium Charge]	350
	[Volatile Seaforium Blastpack]	525

In the early closed beta, mages had a spell called [Khadgar's Unlocking] which could unlock lockboxes and doors by consuming a reagent, but this spell was removed in Patch 0.9.

Pickable locks

Inventory chests

Lockboxes

Item	Skill	Source
[Ornate Bronze Lockbox]	1	Looted from level ~20-25 mobs
[Heavy Bronze Lockbox]	25	Looted from level ~25-30 mobs
[Iron Lockbox]	70	Looted from level ~30-35 mobs
[Strong Iron Lockbox]	125	Looted from level ~35-40 mobs
[Steel Lockbox]	175	Looted from level ~40-45 mobs
[Reinforced Steel Lockbox]	225	Looted from level ~45-50 mobs
[Mithril Lockbox]	225	Looted from level ~50-55 mobs
[Thorium Lockbox]	225	Looted from level ~55-60 mobs
[Eternium Lockbox]	225	Looted from level ~60-65 mobs
[Khorium Lockbox]	325	Looted from level ~65-70 mobs
[Froststeel Lockbox]	375	Looted from level ~70-75 mobs
[Titanium Lockbox]	400	Looted from level ~75-80 mobs
[Tiny Titanium Lockbox]	400	Looted from [Bag of Fishing Treasures]
[Elementium Lockbox]	425	Looted from level ~80-85 mobs

Junkboxes

Item	Skill	Source
[Battered Junkbox]	1	Pickpocketed from level ~20-30 mobs
[Worn Junkbox]	70	Pickpocketed from level ~30-40 mobs
[Sturdy Junkbox]	175	Pickpocketed from level ~40-50 mobs
[Heavy Junkbox]	250	Pickpocketed from level ~50-60 mobs
[Strong Junkbox]	300	Pickpocketed from level ~60-70 mobs
[Reinforced Junkbox]	350	Pickpocketed from level ~70-80 mobs
[Flame-Scarred Junkbox]	400	Pickpocketed from level ~80-85 mobs

Miscellanous

Item	Skill	Source
[Practice Lock]	1	Crafted with Engineering (100)
[Small Locked Chest]	1	Fished from Wetlands, Hillsbrad Foothills, and Ashenvale
[Sturdy Locked Chest]	70	Fished from Stranglethorn Vale, Dustwallow Marsh, and Swamp of Sorrows
[Ironbound Locked Chest]	175	Fished from The Hinterlands, Azshara, Tanaris, and Feralas
[Reinforced Locked Chest]	250	Fished from Azshara
[Thaurissan Family Jewels]	275	Looted from Emperor Dagran Thaurissan in Blackrock Depths

Fixed chests

Chests

Item	Skill	Location
[Large Iron Bound Chest]	25	Blackfathom Deeps, Gnomeregan, Razorfen Downs, Razorfen Kraul, Scarlet Monastery, Shadowfang Keep, and The Stockade
[Large Mithril Bound Chest]	175	Blackrock Spire, Dire Maul, Stratholme, and Uldaman
[Large Mithril Bound Chest]	250	Western Plaguelands, Blackrock Spire, Dire Maul, and Stratholme
[Bound Fel Iron Chest]	300	Hellfire Ramparts, Mana-Tombs, The Blood Furnace, The Slave Pens, and The Underbog
[Bound Adamantite Chest]	325	Auchenai Crypts, Hellfire Ramparts, Mana-Tombs, Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth, The Blood Furnace, The Botanica, The Mechanar, The Shattered Halls, The Slave Pens, The Steamvault and The Underbog.
[Bound Adamantite Chest]	350	Hellfire Ramparts, The Blood Furnace, The Botanica, The Mechanar, The Shattered Halls, The Slave Pens, The Steamvault and The Underbog.

Footlockers

Item	Skill	Location
[Alliance Strongbox]	1	The Barrens
[Buccaneer's Strongbox]	1	The Barrens
[Venture Co. Strongbox]	1	The Barrens
[Practice Lockbox]	1	Redridge Mountains
[Ambermill Strongbox]	1	Silverpine Forest (for   [20] Tools of the Trade)
[Burial Chest]	1	Ghostlands (for   [18] Greed)
[Primitive Chest]	20	Ghostlands (for   [18] The Sad Truth)
[The Jewel of the Southsea]	25	The Barrens (for  [18] Plundering the Plunderers)
[Lucius's Lockbox]	25	Redridge Mountains (for   [20] Alther's Mill)
[Alliance Strongbox]	70	Alterac Mountains
[Battered Footlocker]	70	Stonetalon Mountains, Hillsbrad Foothills, Wetlands, and Badlands
[Duskwood Chest]	70	Westfall (for  [24] Klaven's Tower)
[Gallywix's Lockbox]	70	Westfall (for   [21] Mission: Possible But Not Probable)
[Waterlogged Footlocker]	70	Ashenvale and Redridge Mountains
[Benedict's Chest]	100	Durotar (for  [7] The Admiral's Orders)
[Battered Footlocker]	110	Wetlands, Hillsbrad Foothills, Stonetalon Mountains
[Battered Footlocker]	150	Badlands
[Waterlogged Footlocker]	150	Desolace
[Cozzle's Footlocker]	160	Stranglethorn Vale (for  [37] Goblin Sponsorship)
[Dented Footlocker]	175	Badlands, Nagrand, and Tanaris
[Dented Footlocker]	175	Badlands, Nagrand, and Tanaris
[Mossy Footlocker]	175	Swamp of Sorrows, Desolace, and Sunken Temple
[Dented Footlocker]	200	Searing Gorge
[Dented Footlocker]	225	Tanaris
[Mossy Footlocker]	225	Azshara
[Scarlet Footlocker]	250	Eastern Plaguelands
[Wicker Chest]	300	Zangarmarsh
[Dented Footlocker]	325	Nagrand
[Scarlet Onslaught Trunk]	385	Icecrown (for  [80 Daily] Intelligence Gathering)

Doors

Doors

Door	Skill	Location
Karazhan Gatehouse Portcullis	350	Karazhan
Karazhan Side Entrance	350	Karazhan
Violet Hold Door	365	Dalaran

Etiquette

If you can't unlock an item yourself, you will need to rely upon the lockpicking services of a rogue, blacksmith, or engineer to do it for you. When approaching a lockpicker, keep the following in mind:

• You should only open a trade window with a lockpicker if they are publicly advertising their lockpicking services or you have already asked them in a whisper. It is not acceptable to simply open a trade with someone in the hope they will open your item, as they may be busy with auctions or mail, and your trade request could disrupt them.
• Even if a lockpicker offers their services for "free," they may still expect a tip. There are no set guidelines for what constitutes an acceptable tip. Tips may vary depending on the type of lockbox, the number of boxes needing to be unlocked, the value of the items found inside the lockbox, cost of materials (for blacksmiths and engineers), the wealth of the tipper, or other factors. Most lockpickers would probably consider a tip between 1 and 5 per box acceptable—but again, it varies.
• If you have only one or two lockboxes, put them in the "Will not be traded" slot of the trade window. Otherwise, you can trade your boxes to the lockpicker in bulk and they can unlock them from their inventory, then trade them back to you.
• Try asking friends and guildmates before asking strangers. You are more likely to get it opened and more likely to get it done for free. You can mail the boxes to them, and they can send them back unlocked (if you do, list the boxes in the message, so they have a note to respond to, and as a reminder of who sent what).

Patch changes

• Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): Lockpicking now skills up as you level, you no longer need to practice. Hovering over your [Pick Lock] icon will show the current level of box you can open.